Posted on 12/13/2023 10:14:59 AM PST by DallasBiff
Exotic species such as pythons, Asian carp and cane toads often dominate the invasive species discourse. Few biological invaders, however, have wreaked as much ecological havoc as one of our most cuddly companions: cats.
Despite their small stature and memeable mugs, domestic cats (Felis catus) are perfectly adapted killing machines, armed with retractable claws, sharp fangs and night vision. And these potent predators are anything but picky. As humans have spread cats around the world over the past 9,000 years, these ferocious felines—which were likely domesticated thousands of years ago in the Near East—have terrorized native creatures on every continent except Antarctica.
(Excerpt) Read more at scientificamerican.com ...
So what? The gorgeous cat purring in my lap was once a stray. A stray is simply a cat who hasn't yet been adopted and socialized. That's no excuse to shoot them.
The cats are predators hunting birds and chipmunks.
After being shot two or three times, they learn to stay away
99.99% of the 8 billion species the planet has hosted are now extinct. Very few of those were eradicated by cats . . . or man.
I love my cats. I have 5. Indoor/outdoor. Have a cat door, so no litter box. The dogs like them.
I had a Russian Blue that would fetch wadded up paper. Had an orange and white that would go to the tree stand with me.
I have now a siamese who is kinda crippled (he got hit by a speeding car). Broken leg, pelvis, had to remove his tail. He still hunts.
After being tossed from a home or being born to an (irresponsibly) unspayed female living outdoors, what should they eat? In an ideal world, people should spay/neuter their cats so at least there aren't feral-born kittens needing their mother to find food for them to survive. My gorgeous cuddle bug Zizu was taken off the street at 7 months. When I went to look at her at the adoption center, her bones were sticking out, she had conjunctivitis, ear mites, and worms. She didn't know how to play with the little ball I'd brought along. And I wasn't leaving that place without her. I knew all she needed was some basic vet care and good groceries. She is today, a real cat magazine cover cat. Her beautiful tortie and white markings are quite symmetrical, like she was painted. She can't ever get enough cuddling and petting. She only allows me a few minutes on the phone before moving in to reclaim me from that plastic interloper. She makes me laugh and laugh with her antics. The little neighborhood kids beg to come in and play with her and my Maine Coon. If anyone even looked at my sweet girl the wrong way, I'd flatten them.
Islands are awash in cats because the alternative is not good
So are hawks
Of course they do. They’re cats
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Of course. They’re not bunny rabbits. I read about one South American country, one of the smaller ones in the south, that when Europeans got there and set up shop, the place was soon overrun with rats. Turns out there were ZERO cats around there. They impported some cats, and voila! Rats stopped running the show.
Without cats, rats and mice would rule the world.
My eternal gratitude to our feline benefactors.
Such BS...there is no way they can calculate that. Besides, I feed alot of homeless cats in FL and almost all of them are too old to catch anything. Maybe a younger unfixed cat will get something, but most fixed cats gain weight then get lazy....they aren’t capable of flying through the air to get birds....
No cat ever won a “Darwin Award.”
You’ve got to give them that.
They’re no pussies either.
Then you might be happy to know that 2 pits got loose in the slum city of delray beach and wiped out 8 colony cats within a weekend....then a neighbors pitbull when walking down the street, walking unleashed, becuz he's such a good boy, walked onto the porch of a neighbor wagging it's tail and killed a sleeping cat on it's own porch and wagging it's tail back to the owner to go home......and i have another neighbors who's terriers dug a hole under the fence and they went and killed the next door neighbors two cats in their own yard. I can give you so many dog killing stories if you want.... so, I'm biased too.
You guys are pawsome.
We can no longer use open flame candles in our house. We have had several feline torch experiences.
That's more suited for the dogs....now that would be a great idea....
So do windmills, cars, highways, and sewage systems.
Something tells me you don’t wait for the dog/cat to show you they don’t want your chickens before you off them.
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