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Are_grits_groceries

(17,111 posts)
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 06:37 AM Jan 2013

Birds and the Cats

It would be good if so many birds weren't killed by cats. It would also be great if cats were spayed and neutered. There wouldn't be so many cats in shelters or living desperate lives.

However, I am going to save my indignation and protest for a couple of other items:
Pesticides
Pollution

The damage being done to birds and all living things is incalculable. Cats are instinctively going to kill birds. There are no instincts for sh*****g on the entire planet. That's greed.

15 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Birds and the Cats (Original Post) Are_grits_groceries Jan 2013 OP
Ok, ok, my cats kill birds. LancetChick Jan 2013 #1
Cats rule. darkangel218 Jan 2013 #2
I agree ..... meti57b Jan 2013 #5
too many cats coldbeer Jan 2013 #3
I keep my current cat indoors. LWolf Jan 2013 #8
They're both problems Scootaloo Jan 2013 #4
You may want to link the report...the numbers of birds killed was billions with a B FailureToCommunicate Jan 2013 #6
I think she would be much more Are_grits_groceries Jan 2013 #10
I like cats.. Upton Jan 2013 #7
We need more wild dogs to eat the cats The Straight Story Jan 2013 #9
Yeah, I'm not saying that domestic cats don't do anything, but ... LisaLynne Jan 2013 #11
I fully agree with more spay and neuter programs. Are_grits_groceries Jan 2013 #12
Don't outdoor and stray cats to some extent, control the local rat population? meti57b Jan 2013 #13
My cats must stay in or be eaten. OnionPatch Jan 2013 #14
Cats killing birds is neither good not bad... it depends cthulu2016 Jan 2013 #15

LancetChick

(272 posts)
1. Ok, ok, my cats kill birds.
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 07:08 AM
Jan 2013

And they eat them. There are feathers and a few bird chunks near the door on my deck that I failed to clean up, which I was thinking of when the police officers came in the middle of the night tonight. I have a front door, but I awoke to sounds of voices and crunching and to flashlights on the dead bird deck. I turned on the outdoor light and opened the door and there were two police officers wondering why I had called 911 and what the emergency was. My first thought was "what the fuck have the cats done?" (they're inside at night).

I explained that there was no emergency, that I had not called 911, that I was asleep and that my last known activity was drinking wine and searching for petunia varieties to start for this summer's window boxes, and I silently hoped that the dead bird remains would not inspire them to wonder if there was a secret laboratory here in which medical experiments were conducted. The officer said that in areas like mine odd things trigger 911 calls from phone lines, and he asked for an alternate number to confirm in case this happens again, and they took their flashlights and went off into the wild black yonder. Well, the phone lines ARE funky in this rural(ish) area.

My cats do impact the environment, but right now I just want to forget about it and go to sleep.

 

darkangel218

(13,985 posts)
2. Cats rule.
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 07:26 AM
Jan 2013

They eat birds, just like we eat chicken.
Unless we all go vegan , we need to stop blaming the kittehs.

I too wish you good night :p

Mreawww!

meti57b

(3,584 posts)
5. I agree .....
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 08:20 AM
Jan 2013

I keep my kittehs indoors at all times.

I am vegetarian but not vegan. Unless we all go vegan, I don't see how we can blame kittehs.

Even eating vegetarian but eating milk and cheese products, .... what do we think happens to all those poor cows, when they can no longer give milk. They go to the hamburger factory.

Nature just seems to have animals surviving by eating each other.

LWolf

(46,179 posts)
8. I keep my current cat indoors.
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 09:44 AM
Jan 2013

It's a pain in the ass, because the dog can't use the doggy door anymore. I have to leave the dog outside all day long while I'm at work, and then get up and down constantly to let her in and out to keep the cat from escaping into the great outdoor adventure.

I do that because I live in an area that is simply not safe for cats. The coyotes, hawks, and owls do a damned good job with the feral cat population. I know this, because there was a colony of feral "barn" cats living here when I moved in. I trapped, neutered, and released all of them. Without the constant breeding, they were all gone within a year.

Once they were gone, the rodent population exploded. The bird population has remained the same.

I am overrun with pack rats and bunnies. I've thought about bringing back some neutered barn cats from the local rescue operation to help manage that population; they take some feral cats that have been trapped, vaccinate and neuter them, and offer them as barn cats. The only reason I haven't done so is that I'm not happy with knowing that I'd probably have to replace them every year.

Meanwhile, the pet cat is forever locked in the house, which really pisses her off. She's always sneaking behind and under things, trying to charge the door when it's opened. If there were a SAFE way to let her out, I would. Bunnies beware.


FailureToCommunicate

(13,989 posts)
6. You may want to link the report...the numbers of birds killed was billions with a B
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 09:30 AM
Jan 2013

far dwarfing all other causes. House cats, not just wild, were the culprits.

Of course pesticides and pollution are a problem too. Lets look at all these things.

What would Rachel Carson say?

Are_grits_groceries

(17,111 posts)
10. I think she would be much more
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 10:06 AM
Jan 2013

worried about pollution and pesticides.

These not only have the ability to kill immediately, they can build up in living organisms and do their damage later. Some can even cause mutations that are passed down through generations.
In addition, pollution and pesticides can ruin areas for decades. The immediate problem is apparent. The long term effects can be just as harmful.

The problem with cats should be dealt with the best possible means. IMHO this could take away an emphasis on polluters and others. The last thing we need is a cat jihad that puts all the public's attention on them. The big corporations would love that angle.

Upton

(9,709 posts)
7. I like cats..
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 09:34 AM
Jan 2013

I have two, but face it..they're walking miniature environmental disasters. They should be kept exclusively indoors.

LisaLynne

(14,554 posts)
11. Yeah, I'm not saying that domestic cats don't do anything, but ...
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 10:11 AM
Jan 2013

I find it really interesting that so many people jump on that instead of the destruction of habitat, pollution, etc. It just seems a little odd. But yes, as you say, instead of talking about killing or whatever the cats that are here, can't we fund some more spay/neuter programs, especially for feral cat colonies?

However, I am very lucky that I have a backyard that is cat-escape-proof (or at least it is for my slightly tubby and lazy cats) so they get to be outside without being in danger or doing much hunting except for the occasional mouse dumb enough to wander into the garage.

Are_grits_groceries

(17,111 posts)
12. I fully agree with more spay and neuter programs.
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 10:14 AM
Jan 2013

I just think the other 2 issues have more potential for short-term and long-term damage.

OnionPatch

(6,169 posts)
14. My cats must stay in or be eaten.
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 05:27 PM
Jan 2013

I live in a rural area with tons of coyotes. But I've often wondered about the idea that cats have such a huge impact on birds. Wouldn't some wild animal be eating them instead if we hadn't pushed the wild predators out of their habitats when we created urban areas?

cthulu2016

(10,960 posts)
15. Cats killing birds is neither good not bad... it depends
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 05:29 PM
Jan 2013

The question is, do we have a shortage of birds?

I don't know if we do or not.

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