The effects of cats on wildlife.

Bullseye1

Quote an interesting study.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21236690

The authors estimate they are responsible for the deaths of between 1.4 and 3.7 billion birds and 6.9-20.7 billion mammals annually.

Dr Marra said: "We hope that the large amount of wildlife mortality indicated by our research convinces some cat owners to keep their cats indoors and that it alerts policymakers, wildlife managers and scientists to the large magnitude of wildlife mortality caused by cat predation."

Pumpkinseeds

Not another of these cat hate threads. I'd suggest a little more reading on the subject before taking this study as being definitive. I'd love to see a study on the negative impact of mankind on nature. As a species we do far more damage.


This will end well

Bullseye1

It's not a cat hate thread. I have two of them myself.

Pumpkinseeds

Bullseye1 wrote: »

It's not a cat hate thread. I have two of them myself.

OP, I suspected that you have an agenda, if you don't have an agenda then I apologise.

Bullseye1

No worries. It popped up on the BBC News ap. just posted here but you are right it's tough to have a discussion on the subject. Hopefully people will just read it and take precautions with their feline friends.

Zillah

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

Not another of these cat hate threads.

Is it hateful to acknowledge facts? Should we ignore the facts because you like cats?

I'd love to see a study on the negative impact of mankind on nature. As a species we do far more damage.

There are literally millions of studies on the negative impact of mankind on nature. Feel free to go read some. We are terribly destructive. Not that that is anyway relevant.

Actually there is one way in which it is relevant: We use technology to introduce animals into environments where they did not evolve and they cause massive damage to local species.

Pumpkinseeds

Only one of my 2 used to bother the birds, I hate when they kill anything. I give him a raw pork rib once a week and a raw chicken wing once or twice a week and between that and the Da Bird toy he now hasn't bothered any wildlife for ages. Our other chap just likes to watch the birds, he is fascinated by seagulls of all things.:)

Zillah

So your cats probably aren't contributing much to the death of billions of indigenous birds and small mammals around the world then. I can definitely see the argument to be made for phasing out keeping cats as pets to protect endangered species. I don't know how much of an issue it is here in Ireland.

Pumpkinseeds

Zillah wrote: »

Is it hateful to acknowledge facts? Should we ignore the facts because you like cats?



There are literally millions of studies on the negative impact of mankind on nature. Feel free to go read some. We are terribly destructive. Not that that is anyway relevant.

Actually there is one way in which it is relevant: We use technology to introduce animals into environments where they did not evolve and they cause massive damage to local species.

I have read studies on the damage caused by both species Zillah. The problem with posting anything on this forum, that puts any sort of negative light on cats is that the thread is soon hijacked by posters who loathe cats and advocate violence towards them. That is what I took exception to. I believe that as humans we have to act as advocates for our animals, feline or otherwise and to take responsibility for them. I hope that clarifies my position.

periwinkle

It's a vague article and if you were to skip through it, the message you would take home is that your outdoor cat is contributing to the decline of native Irish wildlife.

It's nowhere near that straightforward.

pawrick

Saw this article today not long after it went live on BBC, considered posting it here and decided not to. The extremes on both sides here tend to put people off posting anything concerning cats which is a pity.

DBB

I can understand why Pumpkinseeds reacted so, Zillah, and she has apologised for jumping to conclusions, you can't ask for fairer than that.

Cat threads have a history of becoming very heated, and very polarising, and always end up being closed.
Sooooo, can we buck the trend with this one?
I know, I know, middle ground is very hard to find on this particular issue, and I'm as guilty myself as expressing strong views on the subject, but it'd be great if we can all respect one anothers' opinions if this thread keeps going.

Thanks all,
DBB

fathead82

I seen a programme last week where the contents of the stomach of a feral cat in Australia was found to contain body parts of 33 different animals. They have a serious problem with ferals killing endangered native wildlife.

We have 4 outdoor cats who would starve rather than hunt & one of them is semi feral,have seen them with the occasional mouse but thats it,I would like if they were good hunters because it would keep the rodents out of the sheds.

I dont think we have any animals in Ireland that cats can pose much of a danger to the population. Rats,mice,shrews & rabbits are all very plentiful, fledgling birds are at risk but there does not seem to be any shortage of birds around either. I think that a cat that is a good hunter is very valuable to have around the place & is an environmentally friendly form of pest control.

kylith

I just want to make it clear that the numbers quoted in that study come from the US, not Ireland.

That said, studies have shown that, on average, 80 percent of outdoor cats will kill twice a week, and that what they bring home and leave on the doormat accounts for less than 25% of their kills. They have an especially devastating effect on amphibians, which really should be borne in mind by anyone living in an area where there would be frogs: they're being hammered so much by environmental issues and disease that they really can't cope with added predation.

Nody

fathead82 wrote: »

I seen a programme last week where the contents of the stomach of a feral cat in Australia was found to contain body parts of 33 different animals. They have a serious problem with ferals killing endangered native wildlife.

Lets not talk about their bullfrog attempts etc. as well; I swear Australia is the location I'd vote most likely to have a Zombie outbreak simply because that's one very messed up bio area due to human interventions...

Mo60

kylith wrote: »

They have an especially devastating effect on amphibians, which really should be borne in mind by anyone living in an area where there would be frogs: they're being hammered so much by environmental issues and disease that they really can't cope with added predation.

I'm afraid in this household it's the dogs that catch frogs as well, unfortunately.

I try to look after the birds in my garden by providing nest boxes, feeding them and not tidying up or pruning in the garden until springtime. I also have many plants that provide berries in the winter for the birds to feed on.

When I was young there were many cats in the neighbourhood and there were always plenty of birds around. I think the lack of wild birds is is more to do with the changes in the environment. Be it with people concreting over their gardens, or hedges being removed and pesticides being used, especially in the countryside.

Lucena

Enjoy!

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cats_actually_kill

metaoblivia

I was reading about this yesterday and knew a discussion was coming.

As most of the articles point out the majority of the problem lies with unowned cats - strays and feral cat colonies. And we should be doing everything we can to cull these populations, not only because of their devastating effect on the environment, but also because they can carry disease, etc.. I'd love to see these cats re-homed, but that's an impossibility due to their sheer number, so when I say culled, I mean most of those cats are going to have to be killed and the ones who have the potential to be good house cats should get an opportunity to be adopted (and put to sleep if they aren't within a certain time frame).

As for those who think we should start phasing out the ownership of house cats, that's an irrational overreaction. We should continue to emphasize that responsible pet ownership means keeping cats indoors at all times and letting them out only under supervision. People don't let their dogs roam free - or if they do, they're considered irresponsible dog owners - and it should be the same for pet cats. And yes, that means some pet cats might get mistaken for strays or ferals, especially if they don't have a collar or aren't chipped. But if that's what it takes to start changing attitudes about keeping your cat indoors, so be it.

But again, pet cats aren't the majority of the problem, and if people are truly concerned with lowering these numbers, then we should be going after the strays and ferals which have the bigger impact on the environment.

And I say this as a cat lover. I adore cats, and I adore my own cat, who is an indoor cat and perfectly happy with her indoor life. I find that indoor cats are generally more social and friendly than outdoor cats because by staying in indoors, they interact with humans more, and there's more chance for bonding. She's very fit and gets plenty of exercise since I play with her and she plays with the other indoor cat in the house.

boomerang

The cat lovers' riposte:

http://blogs.bestfriends.org/index.php/2013/01/31/fuzzy-math-on-cats-birds-clouds-highly-questionable-study/

Always in this debate, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Pet cats are the source of the problem. For instance, last weekend we did a TNR of an urban housing estate of some 200 houses. There are 25 semi-feral cats there. We went door to door two weeks previously to get an idea of numbers and to see where the cats were hanging out. Not many people were home but we were leaving leaflets in. Five people that answered the door to us had un-neutered pet cats that are allowed outdoors. Et voila. The feral cat population in that estate is being fed by people who don't understand their responsibilities as pet owners, or who know but don't care enough about the animal to follow through. We're helping to get those five pet cats neutered. Otherwise, we'd be wasting our time there.

I totally agree that cats should not be allowed out to roam and hopefully that's the approach that will be adopted by Irish cat owners in the future. Sure it's not that long since Irish dogs were allowed to free-roam for the round of the day.

Re: the "devastating effect on the environment" and their carrying disease, I have tried in previous threads to balance the debate with whatever credible information I have been able to muster, but being an emotive topic, the message seems to be lost.

With all due respect metaoblivia, I am always taken aback by cat lovers who don't extend their compassion to ferals. They're no different than the cats that sit on our laps, save for their fear of people.

We'll never see mass culling in this country nor mass TNR so the debate is redundant, IMO.

Pumpkinseeds

boomerang wrote: »

The cat lovers' riposte:

http://blogs.bestfriends.org/index.php/2013/01/31/fuzzy-math-on-cats-birds-clouds-highly-questionable-study/

Always in this debate, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Pet cats are the source of the problem. For instance, last weekend we did a TNR of an urban housing estate of some 200 houses. There are 25 semi-feral cats there. We went door to door two weeks previously to get an idea of numbers and to see where the cats were hanging out. Not many people were home but we were leaving leaflets in. Five people that answered the door to us had un-neutered pet cats that are allowed outdoors. Et voila. The feral cat population in that estate is being fed by people who don't understand their responsibilities as pet owners, or who know but don't care enough about the animal to follow through. We're helping to get those five pet cats neutered. Otherwise, we'd be wasting our time there.

I totally agree that cats should not be allowed out to roam and hopefully that's the approach that will be adopted by Irish cat owners in the future. Sure it's not that long since Irish dogs were allowed to free-roam for the round of the day.

Re: the "devastating effect on the environment" and their carrying disease, I have tried in previous threads to balance the debate with whatever credible information I have been able to muster, but being an emotive topic, the message seems to be lost.

With all due respect metaoblivia, I am always taken aback by cat lovers who don't extend their compassion to ferals. They're no different than the cats that sit on our laps, save for their fear of people.

We'll never see mass culling in this country nor mass TNR so the debate is redundant, IMO.

I couldn't agree more.

budgemook

I couldn't keep my cat in. Wouldn't be fair. She never leaves the garden though so anything that comes in is fair game if you ask me.

Bullseye1

budgemook wrote: »

I couldn't keep my cat in. Wouldn't be fair. She never leaves the garden though so anything that comes in is fair game if you ask me.

Hopefully you don't get many birds entering your garden.