Should Feral Cats be Banned?

The lack of true concern for stopping animals from a life in the streets has been replaced by a nationwide acceptance--even encouragement--glorifying the life of feral cats, along with continual requests by non-profit organizations for donations to "make their lives better" in the streets. There is little concern about the up-to 3.7 million wild birds that are killed annually--many by well-fed cats, according to USA Today.

https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php/2016-01-01-13-17-00/animal-watch/17699-should-feral-cats-be-banned

Posted on 21 de maio de 2019, 09:55 PM by biohexx1 biohexx1

Comentários

Outdoor cat feeding should absolutely banned with increasing fines for each offense.

Publicado por vermfly quase 5 anos antes

I mean, I'd rather feed them than having them stalk birds or native rodents. The key is to capture them and sterilize them.

Publicado por biohexx1 quase 5 anos antes

Feeding just allows them to survive in much higher densities than they could naturally survive. Being fed doesn't stop them from stalking and killing wildlife. The prey drive has been selected for through a millenia of domestication and is detached from hunger.

Publicado por vermfly quase 5 anos antes

I agree. The problem is humans. Humans kill wildlife through hunting/poaching/just-for-fun, roadkill, rodenticide/pesticide, plastic, oil leaks, habitat degradation for housing tracts, or strip-malls, or oil derricks, or fracking. I mean, its almost hypocritical for one species which is causing a worldwide mass extinction event to blame another species for species loss. I live in La Mesa, and the feral cat population actually does decrease the invasive black/brown rat problem.

Publicado por biohexx1 quase 5 anos antes

@biohexx1 True. Humans are the problem. One of the ways we are the problem is introducing and supporting free-roaming cats. They are a human-created problem that humans have a responsibility to remove. As for the rat issue cats are shit at rat control. Few cats are able to take down adult Old World rats that evolved in the range of wild and domesticated cats. Why bother with a huge tough Norway rat when the native wildlife is so easy to kill. There are zero arguments not tied to emotion in favor of free-roaming cats in North America.

Publicado por vermfly quase 5 anos antes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip05AlQFYx4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mCvkVXgYdk

My relatively-new neighbor has been feeding two feral cats for the past 8 or 9 months. Since
the cats have been hanging around more, there is no rat problem in our complex. Cats are savage,
as you mention. I have no emotional ties to cats, but I'd rather have two feral cats roaming the
complex than 5 or more rats. Probably most people would agree. Love 'em or hate 'em, introduced
species are here to stay.

Publicado por biohexx1 quase 5 anos antes

Introduced species are here to stay especially when people completely give up doing anything about it. I'm never going to wave that white flag. I would rather have the Barn and Great Horned owls that should feed on the rats than some invasive species that also murders untold lizards, frogs, salamanders, birds, snakes, and every other small creature in the neighborhood. Every country should be taking the actions that Australia is taking. I'm glad they aren't cowards like most Americans that claim to love our native wildlife but do little to nothing to protect them.

Publicado por vermfly quase 5 anos antes

The problem is, both the Black rat and Brown rat are invasive species. But so are European honey bees.
But no one does anything about them . . . they happen to be great pollinators but the wild honey bees
also happen to hog scarce water sources in our typically dry landscape. I live in the middle
of the City of La Mesa. The raccoons live in the storm-water drains. The occasional skunk
or opossum are present in the very early morning. And a coyote or two may wander the La Mesa
streets at night looking for domestic cats. It is the general city urban and domestic wildlife scheme.

Publicado por biohexx1 quase 5 anos antes

Yes but several relatively common natives will eat black and brown rats. Coyotes are the only native I know that eat cats. Unfortunately we need more coyotes to take care of some of the problem and as soon as coyotes start taking the little pets of irresponsible owners there are calls to shoot coyotes.

Publicado por vermfly quase 5 anos antes

Yup. I'd love to see more coyote or gray fox around, but city-life makes it difficult. I'm surprised
to see coyotes thriving in Los Angeles. I've seen them in La Mesa before, but they don't have
a very big presence at all. The urban-monstrosity of cities created by humans gobbles everything.
Unfortunately and ironically, urban life is associated with smaller carbon-footprints per capita than individuals

living in rustic, scenic rural life-styles.

Publicado por biohexx1 quase 5 anos antes

I think Australia's air-dropping of poisoned sausage is a terrible idea. It could be eaten by other animals besides cats, and I don't agree with a blanket kill-order for all outdoor cats. I have 2 indoor cats, one of which was born feral, and yet he is the sweetest most loving cat I've ever owned. Surely some other ferals are highly adoptable as well.

I had outdoor cats as a child when I lived in the country, but we had many go missing due to coyotes and cars over the years. When I became an adult, I switched to indoor-only cats, including a cat who had lived her first 8 years outdoor. I know not all cats are keen with that switch, but mine LOVED it! My indoor-only cats have lived much longer than their outdoor predecessors, and I no longer have to deal with them bringing me rodents and such - just toy ones. I never had an outdoor cat bring me rats, just mice and baby opposums, and a few birds.

I am definitely a fan of having cats stay indoors - it's better for them and for the animals outside. I know some cats make that harder than others. I think if legislation is to become stricter, it will need to be done one change at a time, with a lot of media attention to changing the mindset of people. In the meantime, a small change people can start with is a cat bib which prevents them from jumping to get birds (but they can still get rodents). I know a very avid birder who used this for her cat and swears by it.

https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=DTYiXd7vO8mu0gLd7JS4Cw&q=cat+bib&oq=cat+bib&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l7j0i10j0l2.821.2852..4415...0.0..0.75.465.7......0....1..gws-wiz.....0..0i131.HdJ-xaE-dbY

Publicado por seakay mais de 4 anos antes

Cool product!

Publicado por biohexx1 mais de 4 anos antes

@seakay Cat bibs do have some uses but they still don't help fledgling birds which are the most vulnerable to outdoor cats.

Publicado por vermfly mais de 4 anos antes

Gotta pay the price of domesticating wild animals.

Publicado por biohexx1 mais de 4 anos antes

@biohexx1 Yep. Can't afford silly sentimentality. Outdoor cats must be dealt with. Kudos to Australia and other places dealing with reality.

Publicado por vermfly mais de 4 anos antes

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