The Killer Cats Are Winning • Hacker News Board

Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning

#111

Post by sk5t » Tue, Oct 11, 2016, 10:52 PM UTC

strictnein wrote: post #17

lowleveldrone wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dogs can be trained ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Terrier ) to kill rats in a much more controlled fashion than having free range cats wandering around.

Grew up with cats that would kill mice, but weren't very good at it. Got a miniature pinscher, which were also bred to kill rodents, and it was amazing how lethal they were around mice. Grab, bite, dead.

After an unpleasant experience with rats in a big city, I found the Youtube videos of "ratter" Plummer Terriers going to work morbidly satisfying. Although I've wondered if it's the bite or the shake that finishes the job.

Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning

#112

Post by JBReefer » Tue, Oct 11, 2016, 11:33 PM UTC

BFatts wrote: post #52

So silly... we worry about cats, but humans BY FAR are worse for the planet than cats. Maybe we should be talking about the mass execution of humans who pose no positive benefit for the population as a whole? We, as the dominant species, are always looking for ways to save the planet - but for the most part it is a blame game. Humans are what helped cats hit all corners of the world. Cats aren't responsible, so why t…

We can worry about more than 1 thing at once.

Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning

#113

Post by matthewowen » Tue, Oct 11, 2016, 11:41 PM UTC

oldmanjay wrote: post #89

c3833174 wrote: post #14

"That beloved pets should not be given the opportunity to kill wildlife for sport is the easy part of this debate." Why not start by extending that to humans as well?

Anyone who believes human hunting is purely evil has never lived in an area overrun by deer

Anyone who believes feline hunting is purely evil has never lived in a house overrun by mice.

Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning

#114

Post by wruza » Wed, Oct 12, 2016, 12:03 AM UTC

paavokoya wrote: post #99

BFatts wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just stop. Stop bickering about cats being the problem. The problem is humans... We are the problem. Their existence is due to us. Their domestication is due to us.

It seems this thread is filled with defensive cat-lovers who have no argument other than to bury heads in the sand.

Cat loving is known to be related to toxoplasmosis. Kitty-kitty!

Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning

#115

Post by haimez » Wed, Oct 12, 2016, 12:27 AM UTC

smallnamespace wrote: post #57

BFatts wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just stop. Stop bickering about cats being the problem. The problem is humans... We are the problem. Their existence is due to us. Their domestication is due to us.

Certainly. So what should humans do about the cats?

Get out of the way and let cats solve the problem! We're the problem, let them solve us!

Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning

#116

Post by honkhonkpants » Wed, Oct 12, 2016, 12:41 AM UTC

linkregister wrote: post #46

honkhonkpants wrote: post #26

Recently a coyote killed an outdoor pet cat in Berkeley and the citizens were outraged. The predator must be hunted down and shot as soon as possible! This amused me of course. Pets can be predators but actual predators are "invasive" and must be shot.

> and the citizens were outraged 100% of Berkeley residents were so flabbergasted we spilled fair trade granola and almond milk all over our copy of the Sunday New York Times whilst listening to NPR in our REI/Patagonia outdoorwear. Or maybe some citizens were outraged. This Berkeley liberal monolith stereotype gets a bit old. The chicken population in Berkeley is in the hundreds; Berkeley residents do small-scale fa…

The beauty of stereotypes is that they are true.

Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning

#117

Post by lucker » Wed, Oct 12, 2016, 12:45 AM UTC

Well, it's evolution. The locals can't compete. Given enough time, the local ecosystems will adapt. Compared to the enormous environmental impact of humans, it's ridiculous to blame cats. You really want to conserve local species? Get rid of the humans.

Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning

#118

Post by a2tech » Wed, Oct 12, 2016, 1:42 AM UTC

BFatts wrote: post #56

mikestew wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll put a terrier up against a cat any day. As you describe: grab, bite, dead, move on to the next one. None of this "let's play with it for a bit" crap from cats, there's work to be done. Mole problem? Borrow a dachshund for a week, no more moles. For efficient, methodical obliteration of a local pest population, hard to beat a canine for Terminator-like determination and efficiency. Cats just dick around too much.

I'll put my cats up against your terrier any day. Bite, whimper, dead. That would be your terrier. My cats kill moles and mice. They do a damn good job of it. Only thing dogs seem capable of killing: rabbits and themselves.

Yeaaaaahhhh I grew up on a farm. I can tell you from experience once a dog (of more than the toy size) gets a taste of killing cats it's no contest. Cats are tough but if a dog wants to kill a cat, it's a dead cat. Full stop.

Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning

#119

Post by a2tech » Wed, Oct 12, 2016, 1:49 AM UTC

dandelany wrote: post #83

kwhitefoot wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't work. My cat who died a couple of years ago at the age of 16 had a bell on his collar all his life. I couldn't pick that bell up without it tinkling but Radar could walk from one end of the house to the other, including the stairs, without a sound. Also when hunting he did most of it by waiting for his prey to get close enough so that any noise from the bell was simply the last sound they heard. For a while h…

Countering your anecdotal evidence with some of my own: it works fine for many, many cats. Even if the success rate is <100%, it's worth doing.

Or just keep them inside which is 100% successful as well

Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning

#120

Post by c10204 » Wed, Oct 12, 2016, 1:55 AM UTC

Tylenol poisoning is a terrible way to die and advocating it's use is reckless. Also poisons have a bad tendency to harm more than just your intended target.

The article also doesn't talk about the invasive bird species humans have introduced all over the place.