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Outdoor cats

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I thought this might be an interesting one for Alacrity, as I assume most of us are animal lovers. What do you guys think about cats being allowed to roam free outside?

For me, personally, I am very much against it. I believe that cat owners should install cat runs if they wish to let their cats outside.

I am a wildlife carer and here in Australia cats are a serious threat to our natives. Almost every bird I've had come in due to cat attack has died shortly thereafter, and that's not even touching on those that die prolonged and painful deaths in the bush. All cats hunt, it is natural for them to do so. People who don't believe their cats are hunting are fooling themselves.

Furthermore, it is much safer for a cat to be kept indoors or in an enclosed outdoor area like a cat run. How many cats are run over by cars, abused by humans or attacked by other cats and dogs every year? How many unwanted litters of kittens are born to roaming cats?

Note that I do not hate cats. They are just doing what comes naturally to them. I blame the owners as it is their responsibility to manage their animals. (Also, I am not limiting this to just cats. I believe dogs should be kept confined too. However most dogs are kept in secure backyards and thus present no problem.)

Thoughts?

04-4-2011 at 2:32 AM

You completely ignored the population boom we caused. You can never introduce a foreign species into an ecosystem with no casualties. Period. I'm done.

04-4-2011 at 2:30 AM

Domestic cats first arrived in North America with European colonists several hundred years ago. im takeing a wild guess and saying since there are STILL birds around, its not as big a problem as people are makeing it out to be. How meny birds where taged in that artical you posted earler? It dosent say..How meny where sick, or starveing, or came from a larger family and could not make the cut? it dosent say. Two hundred YEARS is a long long time, if they where going to cause a entire bird population to go extint it would have happend by now. and yet it hasnt, as i said, nature changes and adapts to survive, thats what it does. the strong live on, but the week die, eather by another animal, a sickness, or simply starvashion.

04-4-2011 at 2:29 AM

No actually Jambers, my shelter took in 2,000 more cats than dogs last year. And sorry I got what was stated confused. (I'm dyslexic so I don't always read things right.) I will admit that I was wrong, strays do hunt, but they scavenge more than they hunt.

04-4-2011 at 2:26 AM

They were local to Egypt. They were only brought to North America a few hundred years ago, and their population has literally more than tripled in the last ~80-90 years. Seriously?

04-4-2011 at 2:25 AM

heres from the artical YOU just posted. "Cats were first domesticated in Egypt around 2000 B.C. " That is a long long time ago. if it where such a big problem as people think shouldn't all birds be dead by now?

04-4-2011 at 2:22 AM

Those are not the same as feral cats. In North America, there were pumas and bobcats and lynxes...but nothing as small, agile, and quick-breeding as domesticated felines, which were brought here on ships to take care of rats on the trip over. It's like saying that setting polar bears loose in Siberia is okay because there are other bears there. It makes NO sense. Edit: seriously, please look at that article. This is starting to feel like bashing my head against a brick wall. This isn't my opinion; these are facts backed by many scientists...as well as a little common sense.

edit history

2011-04-03 16:23:45 by #4772

04-4-2011 at 2:19 AM

This isn't natural selection in any way because small cats aren't natural to the places where the birds live. how so? Cats are found all over the world, if you want to look at it as a natural thing, look at coogers, lions tigers, those are all cats. And yes it does have to do with natural slection, its funny how the artical menchions the killing of the birds, but not weather or not the birds themselfs where all healthy. i highly dought that 100% of the birds taged would have passed vet check ups.

04-4-2011 at 2:17 AM

In fact, you should take a look at <a href="http://umaine.edu/publications/7148e/">this article</a> from the University of Maine. Particularly the bits about wildlife interaction.

04-4-2011 at 2:15 AM

This isn't natural selection in any way because small cats aren't natural to the places where the birds live. Also, I think actually there ARE more cats than dogs who need homes. They're just harder to catch. The estimated number of dogs in homes in the US is 77.5 million, while the estimated number of cats is 93.6 million, according to US Census.

04-4-2011 at 2:11 AM

Yes, but Jambers, that proves all the other points we've been making. i also dont see where it says anything about the birds themselfs. natural slection is a wonderful thing, how meny of those birds where sick? how meny where starveing? the artical dosent say.

04-4-2011 at 2:08 AM

Not in my area, and not in the country as a whole. There's far more cats than dogs. Edit: ...although, checking with petfinder, it appears that's changed. Probably more money in breeding dogs than cats, so there's more of them by virtue of cash flow. I know it was the other way around as of 4 years ago. That was a quick change.

edit history

2011-04-03 16:10:29 by #4772

04-4-2011 at 2:07 AM

Yes, but Jambers, that proves all the other points we've been making.

04-4-2011 at 2:07 AM

Shelters take in MORE dogs than cats from the streets dont they? its harder to get a cat than a dog, isnt it? (sorry if this seems off topic im generaly courious)

04-4-2011 at 2:04 AM

I'm talking about the strays that my shelter gets in, sorry if I made than unclear.

04-4-2011 at 2:02 AM

Has nothing to do with surviving. Most strays die, if they don't it's became they're scavenging from trash cans or someone is feeding them. Not hunting i think i will ancwer that with a point at the artical about cats killing 47% of the birds. they are hunting.

04-4-2011 at 1:56 AM

Except, Jambers, that strays often raid garbage cans. And, as is the case of feral felines, they are often unfairly able to exploit a niche in the local ecology for which none of the local wildlife has adapted. It's unnatural selection, and it's precisely how animals get driven to extinction. Take the Kakapo for example. It is the most endangered parrot in the world...and feral dogs and cats, invasive to New Zealand, are one of the major factors.

04-4-2011 at 1:54 AM

You do realize animal control picks up around 20 dead strays a day right? I know my local one does, and more than half are not hit or poisoned. They died of starvation because they could not get food. Definition of Stray- a domestic animal found wandering at large or without an owner. Has nothing to do with surviving. Most strays die, if they don't it's became they're scavenging from trash cans or someone is feeding them. Not hunting.

04-4-2011 at 1:53 AM

No worries! Just figured that needed some clearing up.

04-4-2011 at 1:52 AM

LOL Oops Sorry Nath, didn't see you post the definition. :x

04-4-2011 at 1:50 AM

A domesticated animal is such because they cannot survive in the wild. Cats can get there own food, hence the debate, they CAN survive in the wild. Dogs and cats servive all the time WITHOUT people, there called strays.

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