Sangahyando
Well-known member
But then you'll have to worry about the disease getting out of the country, and infecting wild animals overseas.
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Keep your cat inside during spring (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Andy Adcock
- Start date
Absolutely true, biological weapons are inherently unpredictable, plus there is always some prospect of the disease mutating to infect other species.
The main protection would be the relative isolation of Australia and the absence of closely related species, both offer some reassurance, but there is risk. That must be weighted against the ongoing ecocide taking place due to the unchecked feral cat population.
Cat predation on wildlife is a crisis of international concern, and it does not end there ...Toxoplasmosis was first reported in Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi ) in 2005, now nearly fifteen years later there is this:
"How housecats are (indirectly) killing monk seals. Kitty litter is getting into the ocean, spreading a dangerous parasite that is killing marine life"
Too many cats, everywhere.
"How housecats are (indirectly) killing monk seals. Kitty litter is getting into the ocean, spreading a dangerous parasite that is killing marine life"
Too many cats, everywhere.
Only once PH introduces 5G to exonerate the complicity of the cats...
Pretty much. I've heard far more benefits to keeping them indoors or not having them at all (if you think indoor-only is cruel) than letting them be outside.
Change the Humans First: Principles for Improving the Management of Free-Roaming Cats, free full-text, open access
I admit I skimmed, and it was kinda odd when every time I stopped to deep-read, it was repeating the same concept. Are all research papers like this? |:S|
In any case, did I miss something or did this paper not actually tackle the problem of feral cats head-on, but just cover the basics of how to change human behavior? Seemed like the "cat" part was just painted-onto a human behavioral study.
I say "basics" mostly because every time I stopped to read I didn't see much that would surprise, say, a trained marketing person for a consumer packaged goods company.
"The only way to get cat people to stop their cats from destroying ecosystems is to get cat people to change their behavior. Here are some ideas how to figure that out."
I don't mean to be dismissive Samandag, and am curious what your point was. I perhaps missed the point skimming due to lack of time and the yawn-inducing verbosity and repetitiveness of the author.
John Cantelo
Well-known member
I've never been able to understand the mentality of people who think it's OK to release cats to wander into their neighbours' gardens whether or not they may like it. To me, it seems inconsiderate and selfish. Society does not tolerate any other domesticated animal having such freedom.
Simply adding new material to keep Andy's thread in the news, so to speak, and in the case of this paper just the messenger. Some of the 'research' based efforts in cat control are of interest to some people and not to those who maintain a more active approach.
Agreed, and wholeheartedly.
More people need to be asking more questions of cat owners and cat lovers; more challenging questions and more often.
If your local 'cat rescue' is caring for 300 - 400 cats, and this is not uncommon, why on earth would they??
Back in Australia the NSW Environmental Trust have this month awarded the University of New England AU$14.6 million to tackle the devastating impact feral cats are having on New South Wales wildlife:
NSW Feral Cat Project
NSW Feral Cat Project
Foxy
Well-known member
It is estimated that cats kill 30,000,000 birds per year. That sounds like a staggering, unbelievable statistic. But there are approximately 16,000,000 domesticated cats in the UK. If only half of them are allowed to roam outside that's 8,000,000 and if each only kills 4 birds a year....QED. I suspect it is a conservative figure.
The BBC reporter who analysed the statistic finished off the report with a comment that it can't be doing any harm as the bird population is surviving. Really?
The BBC reporter who analysed the statistic finished off the report with a comment that it can't be doing any harm as the bird population is surviving. Really?
Foxy
Well-known member
....and the double standards of cat owners is incredible. To illustrate. I had two rabbits roaming free in my garden. Because my neighbour refuses to repair his broken fence one of them discovered a way into his garden where it would sit soaking up the sun. Presumably for a rabbit the sun was better in his garden than mine. He - the neighbour - asked me to stop him doing that as he was pooing on his lawn so I sorted out his fence and kept the rabbit enclosed.
In the meantime a cat - which at the time I didn't know was his - was, and still is, a regular visitor to my garden day and night where it poos much more offensively and stalks the birds at my feeders.
I really don't think he understood the hypocrisy of his request
I respect the rights of everyone to have a pet as there are no laws against it (now there's a debate for another day) but I do not think pets of any description should be allowed to roam freely where they are a problem to others
In the meantime a cat - which at the time I didn't know was his - was, and still is, a regular visitor to my garden day and night where it poos much more offensively and stalks the birds at my feeders.
I really don't think he understood the hypocrisy of his request
I respect the rights of everyone to have a pet as there are no laws against it (now there's a debate for another day) but I do not think pets of any description should be allowed to roam freely where they are a problem to others
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PYRTLE
Old Berkshire Boy
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Unusually for me, I'm on the fence here as my local cats help suppress the invasive alien Brown Rats, so they are moderately welcome in my garden. (I was definitely tickled when Dolly the tabby dumped one on the glass roof of a neighbour's conservatory.)
I don't actually feed the birds but they find a lot of insects and as far as I can tell woof down a lot of Buddleia seed. The Blackbirds like the Holly berries. I keep the ground-level cover to an absolute minimum including trimming off low branches, so ambushing birds is pretty difficult. Hopefully difficult enough: I've never seen any of the cats catch a bird in my garden.
John
I don't actually feed the birds but they find a lot of insects and as far as I can tell woof down a lot of Buddleia seed. The Blackbirds like the Holly berries. I keep the ground-level cover to an absolute minimum including trimming off low branches, so ambushing birds is pretty difficult. Hopefully difficult enough: I've never seen any of the cats catch a bird in my garden.
John
keith
Well-known member
When I was a young lad, it was a common sight to see packs of dogs roaming the streets, people used to put them out when they went to work. Then the mindset changed, it was discouraged, these days it's unusual to see a dog running loose, probably escaped, hopefully, the cat problem will go the same way.
Nice idea, but cats are nocturnal more than dogs, plus they tend to be solitary hunters, unlike dogs. so it is much more difficult to monitor stray cats.
I'd like to share your optimism that the social mindset will change and end this wildlife scourge, but thus far no change is evident.
Gill Osborne
Well-known member
:-C Yet the biggest parasite is HUMANS!!!! It's always easier to find something else to blame.
John Cantelo
Well-known member
I'm less interested in where the blame lies than doing something about those issues, such as free-ranging cats, where we both know what the problems are and how they can be relatively simply resolved. In this case, it's fairly simple - don't let your moggie out to kill wildlife, impose themselves on others' gardens, etc. Sorting out the more significant problem of human overpopulation is a lot harder but that doesn't mean we shouldn't address those issues that can be resolved.
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