Killer cats

[Anonymous]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/outdoor-cats-kill-between-14-billion-and-37-billion-birds-a-year-study-says/2013/01/31/2504f744-6bbe-11e2-ada0-5ca5fa7ebe79_story.html

If you have an outdoor cat, does it have a bell on it's collar? If not, why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/outdoor-cats-kill-between-14-billion-and-37-billion-birds-a-year-study-says/2013/01/31/2504f744-6bbe-11e2-ada0-5ca5fa7ebe79_story.html

If you have an outdoor cat, does it have a bell on it's collar? If not, why?

I've heard that cats will learn to walk carefully so the bells don't give them away. We don't let our cats outside anymore - better for the birds, longer lives for the cats. The cats definitely whined at the door for a month or two, but after a while they lost interest.

[Anonymous]

Because the cats are already well fed they can wait endlessly for a bird to swoop down and then they can lunge for the kill. It's all part of nature, but in this case the cat has an unfair advantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because the cats are already well fed they can wait endlessly for a bird to swoop down and then they can lunge for the kill. It's all part of nature, but in this case the cat has an unfair advantage.

Plus the birds have had only a few hundred years to adapt to this introduced predator - which again gives the cats an unfair advantage.

[Anonymous]

I cannot stand our neighbors outdoor cats, they pee all over our front bushes and make the entrance to our house smell like cat pee
Plus they poop in my yard
Thanks neighbors

[Anonymous]

These estimates are highly exaggerated. The numbers are not based on concrete evidence. This is part of a campaign perpetuated by crazy bird people who just want to see TNR efforts by cat people derailed (case in point the National Zoo employee who was a bird researcher who deliberately set out poison for for the neighborhood feral cat colony).

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/14/justice/dc-cat-poisoning

[Anonymous]

If we were to stop predation in cats, the rodent population would spiral out of control. "Killer cats" are predator cats. They are part of the natural food chain.

Do you see all the posts in Off Topic about mice and rats? Do you not see the value of the cat as predator? Put a bell on every cat and watch your rat, mouse, and vole population spiral out of control. Look forward to mouse droppings and the wires on your car being eaten.

Ridiculous post.

[Anonymous]

My cat is 12 and he has had access to the outdoors for all of his life. He mainly just goes out to go to the bathroom and a quick patrol at his age. I have never heard any complaints from the neighbors about his waste as he hides it in a discreet place...just as I don't routinely come across other outdoor animals feces other than bird.

He used to hunt quite a bit and did kill his share of birds. He also killed a lot of mice and moles which I don't really bad about.

I feel worse about animals spending their entire lives indoors. Could you imagine if you NEVER went outside and felt the sun on your back or got a breath of fresh air?

After my cat dies, I likely won't replace him because of these issues.

My yard is full of abundant wildlife including rabbit, deer, fox that all eat other living things and poop everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Ridiculous. Most cats should be allowed to breathe fresh air and walk about.

[Anonymous]

Just please, if you let your cat out, look before you open the door. I was walking my dog past a house when the neighbor did this. I nearly lost control of the leash and ended up being yanked down the street chasing after the cat. It's like the sudden appearance of a squirrel. Even the best trained dog would react.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just please, if you let your cat out, look before you open the door. I was walking my dog past a house when the neighbor did this. I nearly lost control of the leash and ended up being yanked down the street chasing after the cat. It's like the sudden appearance of a squirrel. Even the best trained dog would react.

There's something wrong here. Even the best trained dog might REACT, yes. But yank you down the street chasing after the cat? No. And you can't expect the world to adjust to your badly behaved dog. Your dog needs obedience and leash training.

[Anonymous]

Our 3 cats are indoor-only so I don't have this issue, but yes, they still wear collars (with the bells attached) just in case thye get out and, yes, I can confirm that they all have learned how to walk (when they want to stalk one another) without making the bell make a sound. On a whole, though, we like having the bells on them b/c then you can hear them coming. My DH has said numerous times, "It's kind of like, it makes them seem more. . .friendly and civil. . .or something." They are the break-away collars so they can break apart if they get caught on something, for safety reasons.

[Anonymous]

Ask your vet about outdoor cats. Most are totally against it, it is a major stress for them to be out, and a lot of times they end up getting hit by a car. And where do you think they are pooping? Of course it's in your neighbors yards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These estimates are highly exaggerated. The numbers are not based on concrete evidence. This is part of a campaign perpetuated by crazy bird people who just want to see TNR efforts by cat people derailed (case in point the National Zoo employee who was a bird researcher who deliberately set out poison for for the neighborhood feral cat colony).

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/14/justice/dc-cat-poisoning

Actually, there is hard evidence of the declining bird populations due to outdoors cats.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/outdoor-cats-kill-between-14-billion-and-37-billion-birds-a-year-study-says/2013/01/31/2504f744-6bbe-11e2-ada0-5ca5fa7ebe79_story.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we were to stop predation in cats, the rodent population would spiral out of control. "Killer cats" are predator cats. They are part of the natural food chain.

Do you see all the posts in Off Topic about mice and rats? Do you not see the value of the cat as predator? Put a bell on every cat and watch your rat, mouse, and vole population spiral out of control. Look forward to mouse droppings and the wires on your car being eaten.

Ridiculous post.

Wrong, just wrong. They are not part of the natural food chain here. They are an introduced predator.