Also, your cat is trying to kill you with parasites
http://www.rectofossal.com/cat-trying-kill/
The Killer Cats Are Winning
11–20 of 139 posts
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#12And a counterpoint http://www.npr.org/2016/04/04/473002208/facing-a-growing-rat... That example is why cats were domesticated in the first place. Not having a healthy predator prey relationship in areas leads to public health issues.
Few years back, I moved to a place in the country where the previous owner fed birds. So there was a bit of a rodent issue. I had with a indoor/outdoor cat, not much of a hunter to look at -- big floofy Maine Coon, and not all that fast. Ran a bit like a bear, thundery, not graceful.
In that first year, I found 23 small rodent bodies inside and out, I got 2 with traps. I found no bird carcasses. Pretty sure he wasn't eating them after seeing one half thrown up on the mat.
So, eh. Some cats kill birds. Some don't. (His brother certainly did. But his brother met something bigger and pointer than he was, and didn't make it to that house.)
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#13And a counterpoint http://www.npr.org/2016/04/04/473002208/facing-a-growing-rat... That example is why cats were domesticated in the first place. Not having a healthy predator prey relationship in areas leads to public health issues.
This was the first thing I thought of. We have two fat, lazy house cats, and we will never ever have mice. I grew up on a horse farm. We had Four cats that lived in the barn (12 horse barn) for the exact same reason. They were legitimate badasses, too. We fed them once a day in the winter. Otherwise, they fended for themselves. One of them came in the house one cold winter night when she was about 16 years old. She never went back out and lived to be 22 as a lap cat.
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#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?
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#15Also, your cat is trying to kill you with parasites http://www.rectofossal.com/cat-trying-kill/
Aww, I love my maine coon, isn't he just adorable trying to kill me?
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#16"but cats, their human partisans will proudly point out, cannot be tamed or herded" Just check CATMANTOO channel on Youtube, you will be amazed at what he makes his cats do. And apparently it's that hard to train a cat, he says you can do the same with yours.
It's amazing how a cat will learn something in 5 seconds if they are truly motivated. They will learn a squirt gun so fast they will spook if you make one with your fingers. My cats learned what "treat" meant in a day and run to the kitchen if we say the word to them.
Yeah, the hard part is just that cats have different motivations than dogs. Dogs will do something just because they know you want them to do it and you are above them in the pack. They are also more likely to be food motivated.
One of my cats is very food motivated. She will always come running for the word "treat".
One of them is extremely not food motivated. He gets excited when I say treat because the other cats get excited and he loves excitement. But when the treats are dispensed, he might eat one, maybe. The first cat will usually finish his. He's motivated by attention. He will come when called by his name, just because he knows you will pick him up and snuggle him. Of course, this also means that if he's bored, he quite quickly learns what you don't want him to touch or jump on, and will do it just so you go after him for it.
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#17And a counterpoint http://www.npr.org/2016/04/04/473002208/facing-a-growing-rat... That example is why cats were domesticated in the first place. Not having a healthy predator prey relationship in areas leads to public health issues.
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.
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#18That's why I hate the current idiocracy: overconsumption, cigarettes, that, and many other things.. that denaturate the world more than it should
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#19Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#20And a counterpoint http://www.npr.org/2016/04/04/473002208/facing-a-growing-rat... That example is why cats were domesticated in the first place. Not having a healthy predator prey relationship in areas leads to public health issues.
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.
Dogs are also far more expensive, in both cost of care and time/labor.
There are many places in the US that have more of a problem with feral cats than rodents (which doesn't happen with dogs as much here). Some trap/neuter/release programs exist for these, but they struggle. Often the only service they provide the community - beyond simply neutering the wild cats - is a steady supply of pet kittens (also made sterile). I'm sure many people involved would love to see the wild parent cats actually made useful for something, which could also help reduce the problem of the thousands of unwanted cats that are euthanized every day.