Posted on 04/13/2007 8:33:45 AM PDT by BradtotheBone
No, no one died and made me God lately. If I need to be worshipping you this Sunday, please show me a sign...
What keystone species might mistakenly be eliminated that could prove to be disasterous for both the natural world and mankind? Allowing the destruction of species with unknown consequences just because you like your kitty is foolhardy at best.
I will look at this from two prongs --
1. This is right down the line with the eco whacko's preventing a dam from being built because of the snail darter, a hospital not being built because of the subspecies of FLY (yes, fly) that ONLY lives on the acreage that the hospital was scheduled to be on, or the economic ruination of Northern CA because of the F---ing Spotted Owl. I had to deal with this crap when I lived in CA -- "I have mine, so f__k all of you; you can't build here because there is a type of bug that is "needed". I do not accept the proposition that any animal species is more important than people.
On an intellectual level, I can understand that the ocean in some way needs, say Bull Sharks, but that does'nt stop me from feeling good when one is caught and killed. At this point in history, any animal that people don't value in some way is in some form or another "endangered". May not be right, but there it is. People's needs are more important than an animal's or even another species needs.
2. Nature has shown redundancy. Many animals serve as predators, prey, seed transpoters, landscapers, waste recyclers, and soil treaters. Just because one particular form of bug eats the rabbit crap in one field does'nt mean that another bug can't show up from the next field to do the same job. And if there is a hospital in that field, does rabbit crap really need a fly around to eat it? If a species is so unsuccessful that knocking down trees in a 800 square mile area or building a hospital would wipe it out, what possible "keystone role" could it play? Viability, I would think, is a trait of a valuable and needed ("keystone") species. Even if a particular type of bird goes bye-bye, another species of bird is around to do the job that bird did. One that breeds faster than cats eat.
Extinctions have happened long before we have had the influence on the environment that we have now, and will continue. No one ever explained to me what was so wonderful about the California Condor for example. I really could'nt care one way or another if they went extinct or there are still a few of the overgrown buzzards around.
My cats are a different story -- I am certain I will shed a few tears when one of them dies.
Meeeeeowwww! Boom Boom Pow Pow! Tweet Tweet Tweet a sound so sweet!
Cats can do the same thing in the same way!
I’ve never had a bird curl up on my lap and purr while I’m sitting on my couch in front of the fireplace on a cold winter day. Or keep my kids amused for hours on end when my kids have nothing but a piece of yarn.
Birds around my house can sing all they want to — and I’ll agree, it is pretty. But they had better pay attention...
“Feral cats are not protected by law, and I stopped a cat from doing that and I get arrested.”
Idiot bird watchers aren’t protected by law.
/ sarc
He couldn’t just chase the cat off?
LOL! Your little feathered friend survived this time. But his days are numbered.
Sorry, but the mantra of the intellectually challenged does not impress me in the slighest. Your arguments are simplistic and frankly, are both uninformed and lack any scientific credibility. Yes extinctions do occur but, the RATE of extinctions has increased dramatically. Your lack of concern for species that need protection due to anthropogenic effects is disturbing. Expecting another species to magically take over the role or niche of another species is well, dreamy.
LOL, Sorry, your little furry friend didn’t survive in Texas. Oh well, no biggy plenty of irresponsible kitty lovers to help repopulate the feral cats of America.
Do you live in a poultry farm in Malasia?
Crap on your car?
I park in a garage, but hey, I'm weird I guess
Attack your neighbors?
Why don't they attack you? If my cats attacked my neighbor's birds and not mine, then I probably wouldn't have a problem with them. What kind of birds specifically attack humans? Do the attacks leave scars, wounds or even death? Call your local news media, this is a story that needs to be told.
Diseases?
Are you a veterinarian? How many diseases can a cat carry, and how many diseases can a bird carry?
< /sarcasm >
Sorry, your birds don’t have Mr. Blazes to protect them now.
They’re inner by midnight.
OOps, “Dinner”.
“I’ve never had a bird curl up on my lap and purr while I’m sitting on my couch in front of the fireplace on a cold winter day. “
That’s great. You can have all that. But it does not address the question of why cats should not be kept on a leash or in the owners house.
But whatever.
And welcome to FR by the by.
We like our cats, as you can see.
Not nuanced and subtle enough for you Mr. Kerry?
So how many varieties of seed eating finches do we need to have around to make sure enough seeds are being eaten?
Neither one of us know.
We do have one thing in common; I am similarly unimpressed by the claim of special wisdom from some one that did not even bother to try and shoot down "simplistic" and "uninformed" points that "lack scientific credibility". Some one with your God-like intellect of being able to discern which species belong where and at the proper numbers should be able to do that in your sleep.
So you hate cats. Fine.
Here's the deal, noob -- we stop posting to each other and agree to disagree. Have a great weekend, mm'K?
Thanks for the welcome, been her for a while. I do not hate cats. I merely believe that they belong in your house or in an environment in which they cannot harm native animals. I am a conservationist, not a radical environmentalist. Love of an animal is one thing, loving something to the exclusion of all other things is well, insanity.
I wonder if you are mixing up feral cats and stray cats. All cats without owners are not feral. A feral cat was born in the wild, to a mother who was also born in the wild and they are very hard if not impossible to tame. There are lots of stray cats who are not feral and they need homes and can become good pets.
The guy could have simply chased off the cat.
Works here, and the cats rarely come back once they see that the territory is ‘claimed.’
No prob. And please, name calling is juvenile don’t you think. If at some time in your life you wish to make an intelligent argument, just ask me and I will give you one.
Keeping a cat indoors is like keeping a bird in a cage. Cruel. Cats in the wild range over 20 acres (female) and 100 acres (male). They are social creatures that like to interract with other cats. They are intelligent creatures that like to explore their surroundings.
It is all about trade offs — letting our cats be cats and not prisoners exposes them to some dangers they would not have if they were kept inside, but also keeps them healthier and happier. If we got complaints from our neighbors, I would think about keeping them in, but so far, no one really has a problem with it. In fact, the gardeners across the alley appreciate our cats — their rabbit issues are a lot better now.
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