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Birds and Their Droppings Can Carry Over 60 Transmissible Diseases
Allergic Alveolitus occurs when humans inhale particles of bird dander in the air. Also known as "Pigeon Lung Disease."
Avian Influenza, also known as "The Bird Flu" is the H5N1 virus which is transmitted through the fecal matter of infected birds. This serious disease is able to live in objects such as bird feeders, baths, and houses, as well as in birds themselves.
Avian Tuberculosis is caused by inhaling microscopic organisms found in the feces of birds. Potentially fatal.
Campylobacteriosis causes gastrointestial distress, usually transmitted through food and water that's been contaminated by bird fecal matter.
Candidiasis is a yeast or fungus infection spread by pigeons.
Cryptococcosis is caused by yeast found in the intestinal tract of pigeons and starlings, usually passed by ingestion of infected fecal matter.
E.coli is generally spread via fecal contamination of food. Birds frequently peck on cow manure, which is one place where E.coli 0157:H7 originates. Infected birds are unaffected but spread the bacteria into food and water supplies.
Erysipeloid is passed by direct contact between humans and birds.
Histoplasmosis or "Ohio River Valley Fever" is transmitted when humans inhale the Histoplasma capsulatum fungus that grows in dried bird and bat droppings. It is an extremely serious respiratory disease that can prove fatal, especially in those with compromised immune systems, including children.
Psittacosis this is a potentially lethal disease causes flu-like symptoms in humans and can quickly escalate to pneumonia.
Q Fever is caused by Coxiella burnetii, a gram-negative pleomorphic bacillus that is passed in the feces of infected birds ..
Sarcocystis is a parasytic infection transmitted by birds.
St. Louis Encephalitis is spread by mosquitoes which have fed on pigeons, house sparrows and finches carrying the Group B virus.
AND:
West Nile Virus
Giardiasis
Salmonellosis
Pasteurellosis
Newcastle Disease
Birds are Also Associated With Over 50 Kinds of Ectoparasites
Several bird ectoparasites** (a parasite that lives on the skin/exterior of a host) can easily transfer to humans, including:
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are often found on pigeons, starlings, and house sparrows.
Fleas (Ceratophyllus gallinae & Dasypsyllus gallinulae; "the bird flea") spend little time on bird hosts, but often infest nests and can easily transfer onto pets or humans.
Fungi grows on decomposing skin (cellulose) & feathers (keratinophilic) of birds themselves.
Lice of all kinds enjoy the barrier feathers create, some feeding on the feathers themselves. A variety of such lice also enjoy human skin and hair.
Birds Nests Provide Homes to Insects
In addition to diseases and ectoparasites, nests provide ideal shelter for many insects.
AND:
Booklice
Carpet Beetles
Cloth Moths
Spider Beetles
Chicken mites
Ticks
Yellow mealworms
Intentionally killing a cat is a criminal offense in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, regardless of ownership. Anti-cruelty laws apply to all cats—companion, abandoned, lost, and feral.
Here's what happened with one neighborhood "indoor-outdoor" cat I hauled off to the shelter this past spring:
She was hugely pregnant, glossy black, and well fed -- obviously someone had been feeding her. Not feral.
The first time she came in our yard, I didn't even put out the traps because she obviously "belonged" to somebody and I figured she'd go back home.
The second time I saw her, hugely pregnant, I realized I had to trap her to protect the new spring fledgling birds around.
A couple of days go by, no cat in trap.
Husband was out working in the shed, in and out of it one day.
Several days go by. No more cat sightings. I figured her owner found corralled her.
Husband was out in the yard -- nearly a week after he had last closed up the shed. He came in and told me:
"That cat. It's in the shed. I hear it. Yowling."
We geared up in full army surplus gear. To make a long story short, cat got in the cage. Cat got fed and watered for two days over the weekend until the shelter opened on Monday.
That cat had been accidentally locked in our shed from Sunday until Friday!
I felt bad that the cat had suffered. But had her "owner" taken responsible care of her, she would not have been out in my yard to slip unnoticed into our shed!
If at all possible a cat owner should have a safe outdoor cat run for their pets. That way the cats can enjoy the outdoors without running across one of these savages that called themselves humans.
Typical Indoor Cat Lifespan
If a cat resides indoors exclusively, the typical lifespan ranges somewhere between 13 and 17 years, according to the ASPCA. However, it isn't uncommon for indoor cats to live to at least 20.
The lifespan always depends on the individual cat. Some cats pass away well before 13, while others live long past 17.
The typical outdoor cat lifespan is nowhere near as long. According to the Willamette Humane Society in Oregon, cats who go outside usually live only 3 to 5 years. Outdoor is full of threats to cats, such as rock salts during the winter, and creatures ranging from skunks to coyotes.
I have two indoor only cats, and trust me, they are NOT bored! They have 2 cat trees, they have about 100 toy mice, balls, and toys. They have a 100 pound dog to torture (and do they ever! One of their favorite past times is to chase his wagging tail). They explore under beds, in closets, behind couches. They watch the squirrels and birds through the windows. And they lounge in the sun for hours. Hours.
They are fed wet and raw (no dry crunchies ever). My old lady is almost 21 years old, and she chases, runs, and jumps up on tables alongside the "little kitten" who is only 4 years old.
Well we just had to intercede with a friend who was keeping her indoor cat alive with arthritis, kidney failure, diabetes and blindness.
It was pathetic. She turned this poor thing into a science experiment. It was also bankrupting her. We had to plead with her to let it go.
You can say they live longer but not always is there quality of life.
My friends indoor cat dropped dead of a heart attack at 5. He was a fatty. She had another who lived to 20, a little itty bitty thing. She got them at the same time and we swore Brutus would outlive wee little Blaze but he went first.
I've had outdoor cats that lived to 21, 18 and 17. And I've seen my fair share of neurotic indoor cats.
And between my friends I've seen indoor cats die because of, poisoning, windows falling on them. One rolled off a a bureau and fell wrong and broke his back. A kitten stepped on. And two swallowed foam and/or a corn cob. And two in fires. Inside isn't always the safest place either.
Honestly it's a crap shoot sometimes. But some cats gotta go out. And the worlds a better place for them the little darlings.
Unless your neighbor has a bird sanctuary, he's being unreasonable. I'd love to tell him to write the city government to ask how to handle it legally, just for fun.
People let cats out all the time; I think the other posters are wrong to demand that the cat be kept indoors.
I am a cat lover. I loved a cat who roamed outdoors and I believe a long-ago-neighbor killed him.
Subsequently we got two kittens who lived very long and healthy lives as indoor cats, both over 15 years old when they became ill and died.
Some day I will get another cat or two and they will be indoor cats from soon after their birth. They will live three times (or more) longer than the average outdoor cat and we will all be happier for it.
Although I prefer indoor cats personally, I would not demand someone else's cat be kept indoors. Cats are welcome to come into my yard for a visit.
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