Cat Lovers Vs. Bird Lovers

realtraveller · #1 04-12-2005, 01:39 PM

Wisconsin is going to be voting on whether to permit hunters to shoot feral cats. That's cats with no owner in sight or no collar.

Sounds cruel to kill kitty?

But what about wild song birds? These cats eat millions of them.

I like songbirds. Songbirds are mostly native species, cats aren't. Therefore, birds are essential to the balance of nature, cats aren't. Birds eat insects so the insects don't eat us. Isn't this like "Silent Spring" with cats being the villains rather than DDT?

http://www.msnbc.com/id/7475469/

**theworm**[$] · #2 04-12-2005, 01:53 PM

I have a real problem with this, but not for the reasons that you might think. There is obviously a feral cat problem there, and the wild cat population must be controlled. I have a real problem with giving people free reign to shoot cats. If animal control personnel must trap and euthanize the cats, I can accept that, but I can't accept any Joe, Dick or Harry on the street feeling its ok to shoot cats. I think it gives the wrong message to kids, I think it leaves open the problem of domesticated house cats being shot, I think it allows too many guns in the streets. Control the cats - humanely kill the wild cats if you must to control the population and protect the wildlife, but do NOT give carte blanche for people to start shooting. Thats just asking for trouble.

wivabef · #3 04-12-2005, 01:59 PM

Quote:

realtraveller said

Wisconsin is going to be voting on whether to permit hunters to shoot feral cats. That's cats with no owner in sight or no collar.

Sounds cruel to kill kitty?

But what about wild song birds? These cats eat millions of them.

I like songbirds. Songbirds are mostly native species, cats aren't. Therefore, birds are essential to the balance of nature, cats aren't. Birds eat insects so the insects don't eat us. Isn't this like "Silent Spring" with cats being the villains rather than DDT?

http://www.msnbc.com/id/7475469/

Feral Cats also keep the rat population down in urban areas.

I just can't imagine a bunch of yahoos like the border vigilantes all of the sudden getting excited about open season on cats.

It's, quite frankly, a little scary.

**drmomentum**[$] · #4 04-12-2005, 04:56 PM

I don't blame the cats. Have you ever had birds? Delicious.

And no one should be shot just for liking something delicious. Not in my America.

-JP

**jgibson2**[$] · #5 04-12-2005, 07:26 PM

Feral cats are also a significant rabies risk, so I have very mixed feelings about this.

I would expect that the usual prohibitions about firearms in urban areas would apply, so we're probably talking about decriminalizing something which is already happening. Farmers encourage a certain number of cats, but if the feral population gets out of control, I'd expect them to take action to limit the numbers in their areas. Other people living in rural areas may also see a need to decrease the cat population. If you google "Wisconsin hunt cats" you'll find a column written rather wryly which speculates on how much it would cost to "humanely" limit the feral cat population by capturing and spaying/neutering cats and then releasing. Euthanizing them would, of course, be much cheaper, but still more expensive than letting the folks in rural areas deal with the problem themselves.

realtraveller · #6 04-12-2005, 08:05 PM

There are no, I mean absolutely no stray or feral cats in So Cal.

The coyotes take care of that. No stray dogs under 20 pounds either.

Maybe Wisconsin should import some coyotes and let the natural food chain do its thing.

anderclayton · #7 04-12-2005, 08:09 PM

Mmmmmmm.... Cat.

**pippadaisy**[$] · #8 04-12-2005, 11:27 PM

What happens if it just happens to be your family pet whose breakaway collar actually worked?

**jgibson2**[$] · #9 04-13-2005, 12:15 AM

Quote:

pippadaisy said

What happens if it just happens to be your family pet whose breakaway collar actually worked?

That's one of the reasons I have mixed feelings. I think that doing this on a county by county basis would allow for better control. I don't expect "cat hunts" -- just decriminalization of activity that's already occuring.

**drmomentum**[$] · #10 04-13-2005, 12:33 PM

Quote:

realtraveller said

Maybe Wisconsin should import some coyotes and let the natural food chain do its thing.

The natural food chain is already doing its thing. Cats eat birds.

Maybe, instead of importing yet another species, the people could eat the cats.

Only problem with that is that, unlike birds, cats are not delicious. No matter what Ander says.

-JP (Although, maybe I just haven't been cooking them right?

)

realtraveller · #11 04-13-2005, 03:28 PM

Quote:

drmomentum said

The natural food chain is already doing its thing. Cats eat birds.

Maybe, instead of importing yet another species, the people could eat the cats.

Only problem with that is that, unlike birds, cats are not delicious. No matter what Ander says.

-JP (Although, maybe I just haven't been cooking them right?

)

Coyotes eat cats, so they must like them. Coyotes are canines. Dogs are canines. Ergo, dogs must like cat meat. Have the people kill the cats and feed them to their dogs.

wivabef · #12 04-13-2005, 04:07 PM

Then who is going to eat the rats? Cause I don't know any song birds that'll eat the rats.

When man messes with nature, we get mad cow disease.

**jgibson2**[$] · #13 04-13-2005, 04:14 PM

Coyotes aren't fussy, they'll pretty much eat anything they can catch.

Besides, they can't climb trees, so they won't be eating all the cats, no matter what anyone says. At least not in Wisconsin, where there really are trees.

anderclayton · #14 04-13-2005, 06:01 PM

So perhaps it is time to genetically modify coyotes so that they can climb trees!

Quote:

Although, maybe I just haven't been cooking them right?

Have you tried teriyaki?

**drmomentum**[$] · #15 04-13-2005, 06:03 PM

I think we should genetically modify people to chill out.

And maybe genetically modify cats to come teriyaki-flavored.

You know. Just in case.

-JP

anderclayton · #16 04-13-2005, 06:13 PM

Sorry, I just had a crazy mental picture of tree-climbing coyotes and had to voice it.

Ander

realtraveller · #17 04-13-2005, 08:09 PM

Quote:

anderclayton said

So perhaps it is time to genetically modify coyotes so that they can climb trees!

Actually, coyotes can climb trees. I've seen it myself.

Out here, the coyotes eat the cats. The rattlesnakes eat the rats. The roadrunners eat the rattlesnakes. The coyotes eat the roadrunners. And cars whizzing down the freeways take out the coyotes. Its the circle of life.

**pippadaisy**[$] · #18 04-13-2005, 08:21 PM

Yeah, but who eats the darn cars?