FOOLISH HUMANS! YOU'RE NEXT!
Posted on 05/02/2003 10:14:27 AM PDT by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
GAINESVILLE, Fla., May 2 (UPI) -- A study shows that colonies of wild, untamed house cats are a threat not only to small animals but also the creatures that prey on them.
Many of the animals used for prey are on the endangered species list, the research found. The study was conducted by the University of Florida for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and released Friday.
The number of feral cats in the United States is estimated to be 40 million to 60 million, said Pamela Hatley, a law student who conducted the study for the university's Conservation Clinic. Another 40 million cats live at homes but also roam outside, hunting and killing small animals.
"The domestic cat species is not indigenous to Florida or anywhere else in North America," she said. "They impact native wildlife in three primary ways: predation, competition and disease."
One of the major problems is that humans, avoiding the guilt of euthanizing the cats, have been supporting large colonies with funding and other resources.
The practice is called trap-neuter release in which feral cats are spayed or neutered and returned to colonies where caretakers take care of them.
Although the programs are designed to reduce wild cat populations, irresponsible pet owners continue to release unwanted cats that join feral cat colonies, Hatley said.
There are laws against releasing domestic pets into the wild, but they are not enforced.
In Florida such colonies are known to exist in 17 of 67 counties. The largest, in Key Largo, Fla., may include as many as 1,000 cats and operates on an annual budget of $100,000.
One example is the Lower Florida Keys marsh rabbit, an endangered species with a remaining population of about 100-300. A 1999 study found cats were responsible for 53 percent of the deaths of the rabbits in one year. A 2002 study indicates the species could be extinct within two or three decades.
Cats also have been recognized as a serious threat to the Key Largo cotton mouse, Key Largo wood rat, Choctawhatchee beach mouse, Perdido Key beach mouse, green sea turtle, roseate tern, least tern and Florida scrub jay.
Feline predators also are a serious problem in California and Hawaii. Those states, like Florida, have a climate that is ideal for cats to survive outside and breed year-round.
As a result, endangered animals such as the Hawaiian goose, California brown pelican and blunt nosed leopard lizard also are under attack by cats.
Another problem is higher up the food chain.
"Cats are non-indigenous predators that compete in the wild with native predators like owls, hawks, fox," Hatley said. "Because cats, being subsidized by humans, outnumber these native predators and prey on the same mammals and birds.
"Thus, cats reduce the prey base for native predators, making it difficult for native predators to feed themselves and their young," she said.
Disease is another problem.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that rabies is more than twice as common in cats as it is in dogs, and cats have the highest incidence of rabies among domestic species.
"It is essential that our state and local governments take steps to educate the public about the destructive impact of free-roaming cats on native wildlife and strictly enforce against the release of cats into the wild," Hatley said.
10-4. Coyotes are also a BIG problem in destruction of small-game. They are not native to the eastern US and are declared a varmit in some states, with a 12 month season.
Begin hunting Coyotes plus destroying the feral cat population and you benefit the total native small-game diversity and numbers.
FOOLISH HUMANS! YOU'RE NEXT!
Doesn't have to be that way. Our grey tabby got up to 25lbs and was getting stuck in the porthole of her cat box. We took her to the Vet who prescribed Eukaneba Restricted Calorie Diet mixed with regular puffed rice. It made her fart like a pack mule but we got her down to 18.5 lbs. and now she enjoys her backyard hunting and potty time.
A "fixed" and well-fed pet cat is little threat to birds or other critters. One key is to bring them in at night. If done this way the cats do enjoy being outside during the day but pretty much bother no-one. Until recently we had two cats managed as described. Both died of old age at about 17 people years (very old for cats.)
Since PETA does, that makes them un-natural.
I used a big raccoon-sized cage trap baited with tuna. The two problems to be overcome were 1) they seemed to know what the trap was and didn't want to enter it and 2) they could eat the bait on the trigger pedal without tripping it.
The first problem was solved by making a trail of tiny piles of tuna that ultimately lead to the bait on the trigger pedal. Some cats would eat a little farther each day until they finally built up enough confidence to go all the way in.
The second problem was solved by putting a piece of cardboard over the trigger pedal that was large enough to cover much of the interior floor of the cage as well as the pedal. This caused the weight of the animal to bear on the pedal and set it off. Polishing and lubricating the trip mechanism and setting it for a hair trigger also helped.
This is one problem I never experienced. Unless you have actually seen the cat dart out while the boom is being lowered, I doubt this is your problem. You may have something like problem #2, or perhaps the bait is being taken by an animal (dog, possum) large enough to block the fall of the door and then back out.
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