The New York Times ran a story today on Kitty Killers. You can find it at
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/science/that-cuddly-kitty-of-yours-is-a-killer.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=0 1,691 people wrote in about this story! I couldn't read all that!
The gist of it is that these free roaming cats are wreaking havoc in a widespread way. The Nature Communications journal tells us that
free-ranging domestic cats kill up to 3.7 Billion birds and as many as 20.7 Billion mammals annually.
Now I am an indoor cat, my first family de-clawed me so I have little defense in my life, and also my Mom says we are on a busy street so she can't turn me loose, so I get zero worth of those dead birdies or bunnies. Thats the way my Mom likes it. I don't know how I would like catching those birds, because I never have done it. My first family kept me in also. I watch birds and squirrels out the window and while it looks like it would be fun to chase a bird, they also have sharp little beaks where I think they could hurt a cat (your eye?), so while I have no choice in the matter, I just stay in.
But I wonder what the rest of you cats and your pawrents think about this big number? Are some of you cats allowed to go outdoors and chase after critters? Will your pawrents start keeping you indoors now? I hope you don't mind me asking these questions, I am just a curious cat. Yes , I know that old saying about what curiousity did to the cat. (killed it!) Stella says if I don't chew on wires, I will be OK forever! She thinks she is SOOO smart!
I hope you all write and answer me, including Library Cat Tober!
Purrrrs and headbutts,
Ziva Zophia Torti (aka Zkhat)
I would love to know how they come up with a number like that. And what about other things like habitat destruction (hello people related), pesticides and everything else..... I don't think this can all be laid at the feet of felines
ReplyDeletesadly, i lost my barn cat last year to illness. as a younger cat, yes, he did catch and kill a few adult birds. as he reached maturity, the birds he killed were fledglings that hatched in the barn nests. but he definitely killed and devoured more mice and even baby rabbits in the last few years than he did birds (he was just under 9 yrs. old when he died)
ReplyDeleteABC national news had a similar story last night - with film footage!
ReplyDeleteI've never had a cat. And, cats in my neighborhood get killed by the wildlife almost immediately if they're allowed outside.
ReplyDeleteBut, I know some people who let their cats roam, and when I visit, it breaks my heart. Those cats are always bringing in dead birds through their cat door. AND, the people have a birdfeeder. It's like they're luring in the birds for their cats to kill. I don't feel like I can say anything about how much it horrifies me...
I also saw and heard about this and was stunned at the number. Our cats have always been indoor cats and our girl CC is indoor/outdoor cat, but I don't know that she's ever killed anything, I think our resident hawk has gotten more than she has because I think she only watches them.
ReplyDeleteHere you just need to put a bell on their collars and that helps warn the birds. Easy! We never knew the numbers were so high. Have a super Saturday.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Molly
Zkhat, is a mere dog allowed to comment? We have loads of outdoor cats in our neighbourhood and they really wind me up. I thinks it's much better that they all stay indoors.
ReplyDeleteToodle pip!
Bertie.
Hey Zkhat--This is the first time I've had an opportunity to talk to you! I've heard about that article. You know, cats catching birds etc is just natures way of balancing out the wild life population. Besides all animals need to eat! I don't see anybody complaining about all the bugs cats keep my house free of! One of my kitties is claw-less too and has never been outside the house unprotected. My other kitty, however, was a former 'street' cat. And he gets scared if we open the door while he's in the room, which makes me think, being an outside kitty isn't much fun. Hope you are happy and well. We had some snow today and my yard looked so nice and clean...until Y-Bo went tearing through it! He had fun, though! Take care.
ReplyDeletehello zkhat its dennis the vizsla dog hay my sisters trouble and pooh bear the kitties wer never permitted owtside unsoopervized mutch and neither of them had mutch of a hunting instinkt eether wel pooh bear i gess wuz nown to chayse mice in the garadj but trouble cudnt be botherd she wunse watchd a mowse run by rite in front of her fayse and did not so mutch as moov!!! maybe if she had ben hungry or sumthing she wood hav tried a littel harder by witch i meen tried at all to ketch sumthing but she mostly just slept as far as i ever saw!!! ok bye
ReplyDeleteWe have the gruesome remains in our yard frequently from the free-roaming cats in our neighborhood. In an urban setting it just doesn't make sense to allow cats to roam free. Traffic, respect of neighbors (some who do feed birds), and the territorial fighting are all good reasons to keep the kitties safe inside.
ReplyDeleteThe trickle-down is when a birdie is illed in our yard, those cats leave what they do not eat and our Puff brings it in or worse eats it in secret. This is not good for our 15-yer old girl's health yet it is nearly impossible to police the cat action...except for when one foolishly wanders into the yard when the WDA is out and someone must go out and intervene to prevent harm or bloodshed.
So we stay, at least in the city, cats INSIDE!
Hi there! We just saw that you follow us! How did you find us?
ReplyDeleteStinky Kisses, Mason