EMERGENCY wounded baby bunny found

[risingeaglefarm]

I disagree with that. Cats are meant to be outside and free, not caged up. Predation is sad, but its part of nature, and rabbits are considered pests-they are under no protection by law because they breed like, well, rabbits. Cats help keep rodent population down, and keep in mind not just cats kill for fun-dogs and wild animals like wolves kill for sport regularly.

 

[Stacykins]

I disagree with that. Cats are meant to be outside and free, not caged up. Predation is sad, but its part of nature, and rabbits are considered pests-they are under no protection by law because they breed like, well, rabbits. Cats help keep rodent population down, and keep in mind not just cats kill for fun-dogs and wild animals like wolves kill for sport regularly.

Disagree all you want, but it is the truth. Cats should not be allowed to slaughter wildlife. People will gladly let their kitties be 'free' even though they have the potential to single-handedly wipe out an entire species with that freedom. Thankfully there are leash laws that keep dogs contained, and fines often levied in the cases where folks do let them roam. Dogs I find go strait to the animal shelter. If their owner cares enough to spring them, they have to pay that shelter the fee for their stupidity, which helps support that shelter. All that I've dropped off have had owners, by the way.

There are better ways to manage a rodent problem, like maintaining feed systems that eliminate waste. A cat that might kill a few rodents here or there, or many animals that are not nuisances, like songbirds, is not an efficient rodent reduction tool.

Not to mention, if you can your cat to die an early death, then letting them outside is the way to do it. FIV and FeLV transmission from other cats, cars, aforementioned dogs, humans who harm animals etc. are all threats to a pet whose owner will not keep it contained.

Most natural predators do consume what they eat. Yes, wolves do occasionally hunt for sport at times when prey is abundant. But dogs and cats do it almost exclusively for fun, so there is no comparison there.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Rabbits are actually a protected species. Anything native to our country is illegal to kill outside of a designated hunting season or without proper license to do so (trapping, etc.)

Also remember that cats are domestic animals and are not "wild" under most circumstances. Feral cats are a problem in many areas and are not protected like the native wildlife. There are several scientific, peer review studies that show the dramatic impact domestic cats have on US wildlife, especially the song bird population. As Stacykins mentioned, cats are generally not an effective method of rodent control, since there are several alternatives.

However, there are many people that do not believe this and it is generally difficult to convince people otherwise. For me, knowing that my beloved pet was at risk outside was enough for us to decide to make them indoor cats instead of barn cats which is what we originally got them for. We routinely find cat "parts" in the woods behind our house. We assume that coyotes have been getting the neighbor's multitude of cats, but owls will also take down smaller, light colored cats.

Many people only find a small percentage of animals killed by their cats. Generally, only a small percentage of the total animals killed by cats are rodents.

 

[risingeaglefarm]

Where do you live? Here there is no leash laws, all my neighbours let their (often more than 5) dogs roam the hills all they want. And we can hunt rabbits year round-theyre considered nongame animals and under no restrictions on how many you can shoot. I have read the regs, I'm an avid hunter. Farmers just shoot em all. I have two cats, and they have been exclusively outdoors cats all their lives, and they have lived far longer than most indoor cats have. My oldest is over 15 years old. Have had no health problems ever in his life and I haven't once seen him kill any prey. I even let him into my brooder and let him sniff my quail chicks-not all cats are ruthless hunters. I've had over 15 cats in my life and while I do agree with you that if you are living in an area where your cat is killing protected species, maybe you should consider making him an indoor cat, I do not agree that all cats need to be kept indoors to prevent them from wiping out endangered species or to save them from an early death.

Now I have had cats in the past that killed everything that move, mostly wild cats that I tamed. But no, not all cats-especially domestic cats-have that instinct to hunt and kill.

You have to keep in mind that just like a Chihuahua has different habits than a pitbull, there are differences in temperaments between individual cats.

But, if rabbits are protected in your area, and your cat is hunting them, then maybe you should make your cat an indoor cat.

 

[risingeaglefarm]

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