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That mouse carcass Kitty presents you with is just the tip of a very bloody iceberg. When researchers attached kittycams to house cats, they found a secret world of slaughter.
While only 30% of roaming house cats kill prey — two animals a week on average — they are still slaying more wildlife than previously believed, according to research from the University of Georgia.
John, this is nothing new. Anyone who observes the neighborhood cats can tell you how destructive they are to wildlife. And our USA wildlife has no evolutionary experience with house cats, making them very vulnerable. Those who believe cats must roam even if they're destructive don't seem to care. Never mind the dangers to the cats themselves.
and everyone on this board worries, frets, and doesnt sleep over what to feed their cats.
Those who worry about what to feed their cats and the lack of quality cat foods out there are not the ones allowing their cats to roam all over the place.
John, this is nothing new. Anyone who observes the neighborhood cats can tell you how destructive they are to wildlife. And our USA wildlife has no evolutionary experience with house cats, making them very vulnerable. Those who believe cats must roam even if they're destructive don't seem to care. Never mind the dangers to the cats themselves.
From what I remember from living in England when I was a child, it was VERY common for people to let their cats roam outdoors. Some towns had rules about cats wearing bells on their collars because they killed so many birds.
My cats are strictly indoor only, mostly for their sakes (I want them to live long and happy lives!), but the idea of having my 1-acre back yard full of dead birds is pretty revolting.
From what I remember from living in England when I was a child, it was VERY common for people to let their cats roam outdoors. Some towns had rules about cats wearing bells on their collars because they killed so many birds.
My cats are strictly indoor only, mostly for their sakes (I want them to live long and happy lives!), but the idea of having my 1-acre back yard full of dead birds is pretty revolting.
I feel exactly as you do. My three are indoors-only also. At one time I believed cats should be allowed out to roam and do their thing. It was pure ignorance. My mind changed some years ago. Never again.
Mine are indoor-only too. They like to catch and eat insects but a few weeks ago a small lizard somehow got into my house and one of them caught and killed it. They were trying to steal it away from each other and... I'll just say it was pretty gross.
I really wouldn't want to clean up dead critters on a daily basis, no thanks! LOL.
Mine are indoor-only too. They like to catch and eat insects but a few weeks ago a small lizard somehow got into my house and one of them caught and killed it. They were trying to steal it away from each other and... I'll just say it was pretty gross.
I really wouldn't want to clean up dead critters on a daily basis, no thanks! LOL.
When those little lizards and skinks get in my house they not only kill them, but they eat them also. I'll find the end of a tail as that's all they leave. The few times frogs got in they played with them until I rescued them and put them back out in the garden. I was not home the days they ate the skinks/lizards.
Yeah it was already too late to save the lizard, it was dead. I was in bed at the time and woke up to the sound of them arguing over it. 3 of them ran in different directions with the body parts and it really grossed me out.
I see the lizards outside all the time but that's only the second time I ever saw one in the house in the 2.5 years we've lived here. I hope the next time it happens I'll be able to catch it and put it outside, lol!
Nothing in life is without its pros and cons. Yes cats kill birds. But they also kill mice, voles, moles, snakes, bugs - all things we would be killing if they didn't. Other than birds that "slaughter" would be happening anyway.
And as a human , breeding, eating, expelling waste, living in housing, throwing out tons of trash that goes into oceans where sea going birds ingest it, or destroying more and more habitat for housing, mining for materials planting your non native plants, letting your non native pets loose, and on and on and on -
you, your children and grandchildren - i.e. the all hallowed family - are doing as much or more in respect to the destruction of wildlife.
Make no mistake. Humans are the single biggest threat to the planet and everything else that shares it.
So when everyone gets on the Control Human Population bandwagon, lives in high density housing, and gets serious about the environment (and Im not talking about changing your light bulbs and recycling a few cans) I'll start worrying about cats.
Until all the anti cat agencies, organizations and towns do that... they can kiss my ass.
Oh, and how about mandatory spay and neuter? Stricter laws for animal abandonment? Right now the American Birding Association is out there convincing cities and towns to abandon trap neuter spay and go to kill feral cats. And since its easier lots of towns are changing ordinances right now at a pretty fast pace. You won't have to worry about what to do about that feral cat that shows up, it'll be illegal to do anything but call animal control to get it killed.
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The few times frogs got in they played with them until I rescued them and put them back out in the garden. I was not home the days they ate the skinks/lizards.
