Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Cats - plea for responsible ownership of predators
As an ecologist let me first say that cats killing birds is about as natural as taking thousands of predators from another country, breeding them to look nice, and then dumping them into an ecosystem at a massive scale. Feeding them food transported many miles and releasing them into a habitat 'unevolved' for their presence at such scale (55 million birds per year in UK). That is not nature. That's putting a predator into an ecosystem which cannot support it. Hardly 'natural'.
http://www.mammal.org.uk/sites/default/files/Domestic%20Cat%20Preda...
As someone who enjoys nature, in particularly the rare biodiversity we have here in London, it saddens me to see armies of felines, mercilessly slaughtering young/parent birds at this crucial time of year.
I get the companionship and cuteness argument. And inside the house there is a mouse argument I guess. Hardly a blot on rat populations (but make me feel comfortable) - the presence is merely enough. But the statistics don't lie, these creatures are destroying biodiversity.
It's not the cat's fault, it's the owner.
Don't even get me started on the poo!
If you truly are an 'animal lover', then make it all animals please. Not just the cute furry salient ones.
Help those which have taken enough of a beating at our hands. If you must release cats into the wild. Please put a bell on your cat. A little effort goes a long way.
Just think of those little birdies.
Tags for Forum Posts: cats
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Antoinette on
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But you remain comfortable with the thought that birds are actually being killed... perhaps some research on the subject might assist
http://www.aspcapro.org/busting-the-cat-collar-myth
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hi Jessica
Can we see some of the research? Would be great to hear. You've made some points on cats, would be really interesting to see the facts to back them up.
I find the statement on meat ironic. Especially eggs. From birds. But I suppose being the second cousin of animal killing is okay. humans can cause suffering indirectly (we're not doing it - it's the cat that was placed into this eco- system), just not directly.
And you thought x was weird.
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I'm perfectly comfortable thanks for asking.... I'm entitled to my opinion
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Permalink Reply by Lauren on
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My cat wears a collar, he doesn't go out much, but he likes it and isn't happy if I take it off. He must be used to it, I got him three years ago (from an ad on here) and he was wearing a collar when I picked him up so I just carried it on. it has a little capsule with our contact details on, and two bells because he is 8kg and could probably bring down a Rottweiler. I'd like to think it would give the birds a fighting chance, but really he isn't that interested in them.
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And this is him in his bow tie that I made him
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image.jpeg, 126 KB
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How very dapper! Looks like a feline Robin Day.... (you may not be old enough to remember him!)
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The other question is how to stop them pooing in your garden (I'm talking about other people's cats here). At the moment I'm trying netting when I have freshly dug soil/newly planted plants, as there are at least 3 or 4 cats desperate to poo in our garden....
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Netting does seem to work though usually I break sticks and twigs and push them into the freshly dug ground which also seems to work. Grass has to be kept mowed otherwise that becomes a cat toilet too.
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Permalink Reply by Lisa on
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In the past I have thrown citrus peel on freshly dug soil to ward off cats (I have a cat, and he *hates* the smell of lemons etc).
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