Dogs and cats - Why is it ok for cats to kill things for fun?

[PurpleChicken]

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Historically men have done a lot of damage by importing foreign organisms into places they didn't evolve naturally in. The results were usually bad. Since we have already completely altered the environment we live in a few cats hardly make a difference. I say that as a matter of fact, not as a tree hugger.

Yeah, it's a double standard. That's about all I was saying. We've got much bigger issues to worry about than cats.

 

[PurpleChicken]

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why would you lock the cats up?? Thats what they do, they hunt. Why do some people think a cat killing a wild bird is cruel? Its nature!

I disagree. It's not nature. It may be the cat's nature but it's not nature. The cat doesn't belong there and it has few predators to worry about.

What if we were neighbors and your cat came hunting on my property? To me the wild birds that live in my trees are just as alive as that cat and now the cat is a predator. Would you like it if I treated it like one?

 

[richtrea]

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try a bb or pellet gun for your cat problem

 

[Mac in Wisco]

We've never owned cats before, but somebody dropped one on our farmhouse door step about six months ago. Very nice cat, she is declawed and well behaved. We feed her and let her in and out as she sees fit. When anybody asks what the cat's name is I just shrug and say "Cat".

I am amazed at what a killing machine she is. Everyday I see her running around with some dead animal in her mouth; moles, mice, Barn Swallows, rabbits. It's what she does... I have no problem with it. I don't miss the little critters. I have plenty more Barn Swallows if anybody is running short.

 

[theFox]

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I don't need any Barn Swallows, but if you could round up some rabbits. For some reason there is a shortage of them right around me and it isn't because of lack of habitat.

 

[AngieChick]

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The problem is that domestic cats are not native, they are not a part of the natural cycle.

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2 birds that you know of. Cats carry bacteria in their saliva and in their claws that will kill any birds that escape them. It will fly away, die, and you will never know it happened. The truth is that many domestic cats kill hundreds of birds a year (each!) without their owners ever having a clue.

There is absolutely a double standard in this nation with cats. We seem to have a "cats will be cats" attitude and we just let them do as they please. Sorry, I do value a pileated woodpecker or a warbler above a domestic (non native!) cat's life. Cats are wreaking havoc with our native bird populations. The impact is HUGE. Once these bird species are gone, they are gone for good. This is why my cat is indoors. If I saw a stray cat stalking my wild birds it would get a couple of warning shots with the hose then if it persisted SSS. Fortunately only one neighbor has a cat and it is quite old and rarely leaves their deck.

We should respect the amazing diversity of wild birds that we have in the US as the National Treasure that it is and care enough to not let our pets wipe them out. Of course no one cat is going to wipe out a population. But, in this nation we have hundreds of millions of cats. Collectively the damage is intense.

 

[FireTigeris]

But there are native cats in each (or nearly each) place people (normal people) live (meaning not Antarctica as far as I know)- so...

and wild dogs on each habitable continent (still, not Antarctica...)

I don't think cats and dogs are held to different standards, if you claim your cat as a wildlife officer watched it kill a protected species, same as if you claim your dog- you get a fine.

Failure to control your cat can get it impounded, meaning a fine to get it back.

If one of my indoor cats escapes and kills someone else's livestock (unlikely as they are scared of chicken and rabbits) I'd be prepared to pay the "fine" to the other person for my cat to be returned once... same as a dog- after the single warning, I expect them to do what they have to do.

people tolerate feral cats because they don't run around as a rule and cause huge trouble for children and other animals the way feral dogs can... it has more to due with hunting strategies of a colony of cats and their size compared to the size and hunting strategies of a pack of dogs. ... Never Googled it but never heard of a colony of cats chasing down a person and doing harm, unless the person was trying to remove cats from the colony and harassing them... dogs are territorial or believed to be territorial in a different way (patroling the territory/attacking intruders), so when a neighborhood gets a feral dog problem they call the animal control, a feral cat problem some dumb person feeds them.

Some people assume a pair of dogs or a single lone dog is a pet- not everyone assumes this of a loose cat.

 

[ZuulLanceMaster]

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why would you lock the cats up?? Thats what they do, they hunt. Why do some people think a cat killing a wild bird is cruel? Its nature!

I disagree. It's not nature. It may be the cat's nature but it's not nature. The cat doesn't belong there and it has few predators to worry about.

What if we were neighbors and your cat came hunting on my property? To me the wild birds that live in my trees are just as alive as that cat and now the cat is a predator. Would you like it if I treated it like one?

Actuly, i think that cats are contributors to nature. they catch the weak and slow. (usualy)
that way the weak ones don't breed, and you have heartier animals! now that i think about it, most animals, if not all, are contributors to nature! (although maybe not most humans)

 

[ZuulLanceMaster]

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without claws? wow. our de-clawed (not by us) cat only caught moths! (besides that one baby bird

)
you should have seen her hunt those moths! she looked so proud of herself.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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without claws? wow. our de-clawed (not by us) cat only caught moths! (besides that one baby bird

)
you should have seen her hunt those moths! she looked so proud of herself.

Yes, without claws. She pounces on them and holds them down with her paws. Her teeth do the rest.