Sunday, December 31, 2006
THE CAT is still here!
For new readers I have a feral cat invading my home. I'm trying to tame it enough to catch it without traumatizing it, and perhaps place it in a home that will keep it INDOORS. There are at least two others hanging around here, too. Both of them seem very skittish. If I catch them I'll just have to turn them in to animal control.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Feral Cat Enablers say: "Killing is NOT the answer!"
What the bloody hell do they think we wildlife enthusiasts have been thinking while the last several billion of our native birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals have gone down the gullets of the millions of darling feral aliens they're enabling?
Cats and Wildlife... A Conservation Dilemma
Don't feed stray cats. Feeding strays maintains high densities of cats that kill and compete with native wildlife populations. Cat colonies will form around sources of food and grow to the limits of the food supply. Colonies can grow to include dozens of animals [21]. Maintenance of colonies of free-ranging or feral cats through supplemental feeding benefits no one. The cats suffer because of disease and physical injury; native wildlife suffers from predation and competition, and colonies can be a source of disease for animals and humans. Those concerned with the welfare of animals can improve the lives of the many native species that suffer from lack of food and shelter by protecting and improving the habitats they require [25].
Source
Source
“Anything a cat consumes is one less bit of prey for a native predator.”
Cat feeding habits may be detrimental to the survival of natural predators. George (1974 )studied three cats responsible for eating 18 species of mammalian prey in raptor home-range territories. In a study in rural Illinois between January 1968 and December 1971, rodents accounted for between 82 and 95% of free-ranging cats prey. This area was also hunted by red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), American kestrels (Falcosparverius),and northern harriers (Circus cyaneus). Pearson (1964) recorded the removal of 4200 mice from a 35 acre study plot by six cats. According to Scott Craven, “Anything a cat consumes is one less bit of prey for a native predator.”
SOURCE
SOURCE
Friday, December 29, 2006
Another Cat Enabler's Myth! "All bird lovers hate cats!"
There is an alien invader sitting in my home and silently watching me as I write this. It gets into my home through an opening vandals broke a while back. I thought I had it blocked since the last ones got in and had kittens, but apparently not.
This one appears tame enough it may be placeable. I'm using patience and food on it right now. If it doesn't off me, I'll update this later...
Oh, to clear things up. I "hate" irresponsible pet owners much more than I hate cats.
This is so bizarre... No one could write this scenario as fiction. I could not and I have written thousands of pages of fiction.
THE CAT is still watching me... I walked within three feet of it a moment ago. It tensed up, but didn't run.
This one appears tame enough it may be placeable. I'm using patience and food on it right now. If it doesn't off me, I'll update this later...
Oh, to clear things up. I "hate" irresponsible pet owners much more than I hate cats.
This is so bizarre... No one could write this scenario as fiction. I could not and I have written thousands of pages of fiction.
THE CAT is still watching me... I walked within three feet of it a moment ago. It tensed up, but didn't run.
Another cat enabler's Myth! "Cat-bird predator-prey relationship part of nature"
I just encountered this old myth again on another blog. My answer?
Nothing is natural about an alien introduced pest preying on native species!
Here's a bit of wisdom in a poem written many long years ago. It applies exactly to our problem with feral cats in our ecology today.
A cat
She had a name among the children;
But no one loved though someone owned
Her, locked her out of doors at bedtime
And had her kittens duly drowned.
In Spring, nevertheless, this cat
Ate blackbirds, thrushes, nightingales,
And birds of bright voice and plume and flight,
As well as scraps from neighbours’ pails.
I loathed and hated her for this;
One speckle on a thrush’s breast
Was worth a million such; and yet
She lived long, till God gave her rest.
Edward Thomas
Born 1878, killed in the battle of Arras- Easter Monday, 9 April 1917
Nothing is natural about an alien introduced pest preying on native species!
Here's a bit of wisdom in a poem written many long years ago. It applies exactly to our problem with feral cats in our ecology today.
A cat
She had a name among the children;
But no one loved though someone owned
Her, locked her out of doors at bedtime
And had her kittens duly drowned.
In Spring, nevertheless, this cat
Ate blackbirds, thrushes, nightingales,
And birds of bright voice and plume and flight,
As well as scraps from neighbours’ pails.
I loathed and hated her for this;
One speckle on a thrush’s breast
Was worth a million such; and yet
She lived long, till God gave her rest.
Edward Thomas
Born 1878, killed in the battle of Arras- Easter Monday, 9 April 1917
American Bird Conservancy, Wildlife Society oppose feral cat colonies
Two of the United State’s top wildlife conservation organizations, American Bird Conservancy and The Wildlife Society, recently published reports and statements that say feral cat colonies are endangering wildlife species and should be eliminated.
“Exact numbers are unknown, but scientists estimate that nationwide, domestic cats kill hundreds of millions of birds and more than a billion small mammals each year,” said Laurel Barnhill, bird conservation coordinator and wildlife biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “But cats are not ultimately responsible for killing native wildlife—pet owners are. The only way to prevent domestic cat predation on wildlife is for pet owners to keep their cats indoors.”
The American Bird Conservancy published a new report: “Impacts of Feral and Free-ranging Cats on Bird Species of Conservation Concern: A Five-State Review of New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, and Hawaii,” which, for the first time, analyzes the effects that cats are having on some of America’s most at-risk bird species at cat predation hotspots. The five-state review illuminates troubling threats to endangered species such as the Florida scrub-jay, piping plover, and Hawaiian petrel, and other key birds such as the painted bunting, least tern and black rail. The report was made possible through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
To view or download the American Bird Conservancy’s report on feral and free-ranging cats and their effects on bird species of concern, visit the Web site: www.abcbirds.org/cats/NFWF.pdf. (The file listed on this page is in the Adobe® Acrobat® (PDF) format. Adobe® Reader® is required to open the files and is available as a free download from the Adobe® Web site. Most file sizes are less than 1M unless noted.)
Meanwhile, The Wildlife Society, the professional association of wildlife biologists, recently reaffirmed its position advocating the humane elimination of feral cat colonies because of their threat to wildlife.
MORE
“Exact numbers are unknown, but scientists estimate that nationwide, domestic cats kill hundreds of millions of birds and more than a billion small mammals each year,” said Laurel Barnhill, bird conservation coordinator and wildlife biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “But cats are not ultimately responsible for killing native wildlife—pet owners are. The only way to prevent domestic cat predation on wildlife is for pet owners to keep their cats indoors.”
The American Bird Conservancy published a new report: “Impacts of Feral and Free-ranging Cats on Bird Species of Conservation Concern: A Five-State Review of New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, and Hawaii,” which, for the first time, analyzes the effects that cats are having on some of America’s most at-risk bird species at cat predation hotspots. The five-state review illuminates troubling threats to endangered species such as the Florida scrub-jay, piping plover, and Hawaiian petrel, and other key birds such as the painted bunting, least tern and black rail. The report was made possible through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
To view or download the American Bird Conservancy’s report on feral and free-ranging cats and their effects on bird species of concern, visit the Web site: www.abcbirds.org/cats/NFWF.pdf. (The file listed on this page is in the Adobe® Acrobat® (PDF) format. Adobe® Reader® is required to open the files and is available as a free download from the Adobe® Web site. Most file sizes are less than 1M unless noted.)
Meanwhile, The Wildlife Society, the professional association of wildlife biologists, recently reaffirmed its position advocating the humane elimination of feral cat colonies because of their threat to wildlife.
MORE
Thursday, December 28, 2006
The policy of The Wildlife Society (I agree with this)
The policy of The Wildlife Society in regard to feral and free-ranging domestic cats is to:
Strongly support and encourage the humane elimination of feral cat colonies.
Support the passage and enforcement of local and state ordinances prohibiting the public feeding of feral cats, especially on public lands, and release of unwanted pet or feral cats into the wild.
Strongly support educational programs and materials that call for all pet cats to be kept indoors, in outdoor enclosures, or on a leash.
Support programs to educate and encourage pet owners to neuter or spay their cats, and encourage all pet adoption programs to require potential owners to spay or neuter their pet.
Support the development and dissemination of sound, helpful information on what individual cat owners can do to minimize predation by free-ranging cats.
Pledge to work with the conservation and animal welfare communities to educate the public about the negative impact of free-ranging and feral cats on native wildlife, including birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and endangered species.
Support educational efforts to encourage the agricultural community to keep farm-cat numbers at low, manageable levels and use alternative, environmentally safe rodent control methods.
Encourage researchers to develop better information on the impacts of feral and free-ranging cats on native wildlife populations.
Recognize that cats as pets have a long association with humans, and that responsible cat owners are to be encouraged to continue caring for the animals under their control.
Oppose the passage of any local or state ordinances that legalize the maintenance of "managed" (trap/neuter/release) free-ranging cat colonies.
Strongly support and encourage the humane elimination of feral cat colonies.
Support the passage and enforcement of local and state ordinances prohibiting the public feeding of feral cats, especially on public lands, and release of unwanted pet or feral cats into the wild.
Strongly support educational programs and materials that call for all pet cats to be kept indoors, in outdoor enclosures, or on a leash.
Support programs to educate and encourage pet owners to neuter or spay their cats, and encourage all pet adoption programs to require potential owners to spay or neuter their pet.
Support the development and dissemination of sound, helpful information on what individual cat owners can do to minimize predation by free-ranging cats.
Pledge to work with the conservation and animal welfare communities to educate the public about the negative impact of free-ranging and feral cats on native wildlife, including birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and endangered species.
Support educational efforts to encourage the agricultural community to keep farm-cat numbers at low, manageable levels and use alternative, environmentally safe rodent control methods.
Encourage researchers to develop better information on the impacts of feral and free-ranging cats on native wildlife populations.
Recognize that cats as pets have a long association with humans, and that responsible cat owners are to be encouraged to continue caring for the animals under their control.
Oppose the passage of any local or state ordinances that legalize the maintenance of "managed" (trap/neuter/release) free-ranging cat colonies.
Another cat myth: "Cats are meant to roam free."
I've heard so many cat owners say "Cats are meant to roam free." Five thousand years ago cat's ancestors ran free but in the meantime...
As the domestic cat developed it underwent a number of morphological adaptations which today marks the ancestral african wildcat and the modern domestic as two distinct species. A less strictly carnivorous diet, has led to a modified digestive system - through generally being cared for and not having to survive by its own wits, its behaviour has become less aggressive and body and brain size have been reduced.
It is morally and ethically wrong to allow these animals to encroach into our ecology it is unsuited to survive in without subsidization. Doing so can be depremental to property owners in the area, to other animals it encounters, and to the cat.
As the domestic cat developed it underwent a number of morphological adaptations which today marks the ancestral african wildcat and the modern domestic as two distinct species. A less strictly carnivorous diet, has led to a modified digestive system - through generally being cared for and not having to survive by its own wits, its behaviour has become less aggressive and body and brain size have been reduced.
It is morally and ethically wrong to allow these animals to encroach into our ecology it is unsuited to survive in without subsidization. Doing so can be depremental to property owners in the area, to other animals it encounters, and to the cat.
Another cat myth: "_____ kills millions of birds, so...."
Another cat myth: "*Insert one of the many perils birds face here* kills millions of birds, so why go spastic when cats kill millions?" This is another myth frequently used by the cat apologists. It is the cumulative actions of habitat destruction, alien pests in our environment, water pollution, chemicals in our air, and and other threats that are depleting our bird populations. This does not excuse our responsibility to do everything we can to correct each threat as we meet them.
Birders, are you ready to switch to cat watching?
If only the feral and roaming cat enablers realized the terrible consequences of their actions, but unfortunately, they do not. Personally, I believe galvanizing the birders to political action should be one of our top priorities, along with education and lobbying. Those cat enablers apply unified pressure every time local authorities or legislators get a clue our bird populations cannot withstand this relentless pressure indefinitely.
We will have to evolve and adapt to do the same. I am not ready to switch to cat watching and keeping a list of cat varieties I see in the wild, are you? Our heritage of wildlife has dwindled horribly already. If we want to preserve what we have for our descendants we will have to take action and do it immediately.
We will have to evolve and adapt to do the same. I am not ready to switch to cat watching and keeping a list of cat varieties I see in the wild, are you? Our heritage of wildlife has dwindled horribly already. If we want to preserve what we have for our descendants we will have to take action and do it immediately.
Kill the Cats (National Review Online)
Let's start with the big picture. If you know anything about American environmentalism, you know that Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring, is a secular saint. Time magazine named her one of the "100 People of the Century." In 1992 a highfalutin panel of distinguished experts named Silent Spring as the most influential book of the last half-century. "More than any other (book), it changed the way Americans, and people around the world, looked at the reckless way we live on this planet," writes Philip Shabecoff in A Fierce Green Fire, his history of U.S. environmentalism.
As the name suggests, the thesis of Silent Spring was that the birds were dying from the ravages of DDT and other pesticides. The chemical was found to thin the eggshells of some species of birds, most notably eagles and falcons — which, a pedant might add, are not particularly known for their contributions to melodious springs.
Carson's science was deeply flawed, partly because we've learned a lot more since then and partly because she was interested in scoring ideological points. She asserted, for example, that DDT was a carcinogen in humans, which isn't true. For a thorough debunking of the Rachel Carson myth, see Ronald Bailey's "Silent Spring at 40" in the June 2002 issue of Reason.
Anyway, while Carson's cancer scare was a big deal, the part of the book which has kept Silent Spring on the shelves is the bit about how spring would no longer bring a symphony of songbirds.
Well, the inconvenient truth is that cats kill more American birds, particularly songbirds, than DDT and pesticides ever did.
LINK
As the name suggests, the thesis of Silent Spring was that the birds were dying from the ravages of DDT and other pesticides. The chemical was found to thin the eggshells of some species of birds, most notably eagles and falcons — which, a pedant might add, are not particularly known for their contributions to melodious springs.
Carson's science was deeply flawed, partly because we've learned a lot more since then and partly because she was interested in scoring ideological points. She asserted, for example, that DDT was a carcinogen in humans, which isn't true. For a thorough debunking of the Rachel Carson myth, see Ronald Bailey's "Silent Spring at 40" in the June 2002 issue of Reason.
Anyway, while Carson's cancer scare was a big deal, the part of the book which has kept Silent Spring on the shelves is the bit about how spring would no longer bring a symphony of songbirds.
Well, the inconvenient truth is that cats kill more American birds, particularly songbirds, than DDT and pesticides ever did.
LINK
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Another Cat Enabler Myth: "My cat caught a bird, but it was okay."
The bite of a cat can be VERY infective and deadly to all birds.
The bacteria found in the saliva and the mouth of a mammal can cause fatal septicemia (infection in the bloodstream) of a bird in very short order. Cat bites should be considered the most dangerous, as the Pasteurella bacteria commonly found in the feline mouth, are extremely hazardous to birds. Even a simple puncture by a tooth can result in a fatal infection. Scratches from claws are also extremely dangerous, as the risk of infection is very real.
The bacteria found in the saliva and the mouth of a mammal can cause fatal septicemia (infection in the bloodstream) of a bird in very short order. Cat bites should be considered the most dangerous, as the Pasteurella bacteria commonly found in the feline mouth, are extremely hazardous to birds. Even a simple puncture by a tooth can result in a fatal infection. Scratches from claws are also extremely dangerous, as the risk of infection is very real.
Here's your Congressional e-mail addresses.
Here's your contacts for the United States House of Representatives
and United States Senate. Please write them and send them a strong message to enforce our laws protecting our wildlife!
and United States Senate. Please write them and send them a strong message to enforce our laws protecting our wildlife!
Prairie Wolves in the Palmettos
It sounds as if coyotes may take some cat pressure off Florida birds.
I think in general coyotes will bring some ecological balance to natural systems by helping to control ’possums, raccoons, foxes, and other smaller-size predators,” says Main. Feral or house cats, for example, often wind-up on the coyote’s menu. “Florida has millions of free-ranging cats,” he adds. “We’re also a pipeline for many Neotropical migrant birds. For every exhausted bird that lands on the ground, there’s a hungry cat nearby. By killing cats, coyotes will probably help bird populations.”
A Matter of Breeding (Feral cats threaten survival of wild cats)
It seems ironic the domestic cat that has been genetically weakened for survival in the wild will displace their ancestral stock.
A Matter of Breeding (Feral cats threaten survival of wild cats)
One of the most important factors leading to a strong species population is that of genetic diversity - some small populations within the cat family however are not only under attack from the pressures of hunting and habitat loss, but also from inbreeding and hybridization.
Some 4000 years ago the first 'domestic' cats began to evolve in and around Ancient Egypt. It is now commonly believed that the African Wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) and possibly, in part, the Jungle Cat , (Felis chaus), formed the basis of today's domestic cat (felis catus) from which it evolved over an extended period of several thousand years. As the domestic cat developed it underwent a number of morphological adaptations which today marks the ancestral african wildcat and the modern domestic as two distinct species. A less strictly carnivorous diet, has led to a modified digestive system - through generally being cared for and not having to survive by its own wits, its behaviour has become less aggressive and body and brain size have been reduced. It is even more ironic then, that today the survival of the african wildcat along with its Asian and European counterparts is threatened by its distant relative, Felis catus - the domestic cat.
A Matter of Breeding (Feral cats threaten survival of wild cats)
One of the most important factors leading to a strong species population is that of genetic diversity - some small populations within the cat family however are not only under attack from the pressures of hunting and habitat loss, but also from inbreeding and hybridization.
Some 4000 years ago the first 'domestic' cats began to evolve in and around Ancient Egypt. It is now commonly believed that the African Wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) and possibly, in part, the Jungle Cat , (Felis chaus), formed the basis of today's domestic cat (felis catus) from which it evolved over an extended period of several thousand years. As the domestic cat developed it underwent a number of morphological adaptations which today marks the ancestral african wildcat and the modern domestic as two distinct species. A less strictly carnivorous diet, has led to a modified digestive system - through generally being cared for and not having to survive by its own wits, its behaviour has become less aggressive and body and brain size have been reduced. It is even more ironic then, that today the survival of the african wildcat along with its Asian and European counterparts is threatened by its distant relative, Felis catus - the domestic cat.
SEABIRDS SAVED AT WAKE ISLAND, CATS ELIMINATED
Speaking of seabirds, there is good news from Wake Island, an atoll in the North Pacific, located approximately two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands. The US annexed Wake Island in 1899 in order to create a cable station; an air and naval base was constructed there in 1940-41, and the island was captured by the Japanese early in WWII. After the war, Wake was developed as a stopover and refueling site for military and commercial aircraft transiting the Pacific, with the island's airstrip being used since 1974 by US military and commercial cargo planes, as well as for emergency landings. Seabirds there have suffered through the years, especially as a result of the presence of feral cats.
A collaboration between the Department of Defense, The Endangered Species Recovery Council, Wildlife Management International of New Zealand, and Marine Endeavors was initiated in mid-2003. As a result cooperators began a concerted effort to remove feral cats that have been causing significant damage to indigenous bird populations on the atoll. By the start of this year, about 170 cats had been removed from the three islets comprising the atoll. Searches in July and August failed to find any signs of cats; however, it will require several years without sightings to confirm that no cats remain.
With the removal of feral cats, Pacific Rats have increased. Rodenticide has been placed in populated areas, but current rodent control effort has been less effective than originally hoped for. Local Hermit Crabs often reach the bait before the rats, but fortunately the bait is not toxic to them. Currently both the contractor and Air Force are investigating alternative rat eradication options.
The benefits to seabirds have been immediately evident. Booby populations were among the first to increase after cat control was initiated. Breeding pairs of Masked Boobies went from 3 in 1996 to 20 by 2004, while Brown Boobies increased from 73 pairs in 1996 to 162 in 2003. Wedge-tailed Shearwaters expanded to form at least three colonies. By August 2004, Gray-backed Terns, a species not recorded breeding on the atoll since the 1980s, were raising young in two new colonies. Some of these birds are thought to be immigrants from Johnston Atoll and French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii.
A collaboration between the Department of Defense, The Endangered Species Recovery Council, Wildlife Management International of New Zealand, and Marine Endeavors was initiated in mid-2003. As a result cooperators began a concerted effort to remove feral cats that have been causing significant damage to indigenous bird populations on the atoll. By the start of this year, about 170 cats had been removed from the three islets comprising the atoll. Searches in July and August failed to find any signs of cats; however, it will require several years without sightings to confirm that no cats remain.
With the removal of feral cats, Pacific Rats have increased. Rodenticide has been placed in populated areas, but current rodent control effort has been less effective than originally hoped for. Local Hermit Crabs often reach the bait before the rats, but fortunately the bait is not toxic to them. Currently both the contractor and Air Force are investigating alternative rat eradication options.
The benefits to seabirds have been immediately evident. Booby populations were among the first to increase after cat control was initiated. Breeding pairs of Masked Boobies went from 3 in 1996 to 20 by 2004, while Brown Boobies increased from 73 pairs in 1996 to 162 in 2003. Wedge-tailed Shearwaters expanded to form at least three colonies. By August 2004, Gray-backed Terns, a species not recorded breeding on the atoll since the 1980s, were raising young in two new colonies. Some of these birds are thought to be immigrants from Johnston Atoll and French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Humane Society of the United States enabling feral cats to kill native birds?
Send a protest to:
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
or
mailto:membership@hsus.org
HSUS Position Statement: Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
The Humane Society of the United States believes that feral cat overpopulation is a community-generated problem and that every community has a responsibility to work toward a solution. The HSUS is concerned about feral cat populations, the welfare of individual cats, and the welfare of wild animals.
Feral cats are unsocialized cats who may be one or more generations removed from a home environment and may live in a group, or colony, of similar cats. These cats and their offspring are victims of abandonment, accidental loss, and failure by owners to sterilize their pets.
The HSUS advocates community-based Trap-Neuter-Return programs with on-going responsible management as the most viable, long-term approach available at this time to reduce feral cat populations. Responsible management of existing feral cat colonies should include: humane trapping, sterilization, rabies vaccination, and treatment for illness or injury; removal of kittens and friendly adults for possible placement in homes; euthanasia of animals whose suffering cannot be alleviated; ear-tipping and returning ferals to the same location where they were trapped provided they would not face imminent risks; and providing lifelong care consisting of adequate food, water, and shelter as well as regular monitoring of the colony for sickness, injury, and the arrival of new animals. The goal of any feral cat management program should be to maximize quality of life for the cats and to eliminate the existing colony over time through attrition.
For a TNR program to be successful, cooperation among many members of the community is essential. No one person or agency should be expected to devote all the resources needed or shoulder the responsibility alone. Instead, organizations and individuals can offer their services to achieve a comprehensive goal, while still working within the scope of their mission and capability. A single program, such as subsidized sterilization, is an excellent step forward, but cannot effect change without other supportive pieces in place, such as public education and outreach, adoption resources, dedicated colony caretakers, and cooperation among the various interest groups. A working coalition, in which each member respects the others' contributions and limitations, and where there is productive and open communication, is a formula for success. While The HSUS strongly recommends that each community works toward the goal of non-lethal management, we realize that euthanasia may be considered as an interim solution where TNR cannot be implemented.
Inherent in all decisions about whether to maintain a particular colony is the potential negative impact on local wildlife. The HSUS values the lives of individual wild animals, no matter their species status. The goal of any TNR program should be to lessen the impact on wildlife by reducing the number of feral cats and eventually eliminating their presence from the environment. The location of colonies is an extremely important issue, and reinforces the need for a community-based approach to ensure that colonies are managed so that impacts on wildlife are minimized.
The HSUS recognizes that there are real challenges to reducing the numbers of feral cats currently living on the streets of this country, and this statement is meant to encourage all members of the community—citizens, veterinarians, animal shelters, wildlife advocates, policy makers, public health departments, businesses—to work together towards a goal of non-lethal approaches to feral cat management.
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
or
mailto:membership@hsus.org
HSUS Position Statement: Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
The Humane Society of the United States believes that feral cat overpopulation is a community-generated problem and that every community has a responsibility to work toward a solution. The HSUS is concerned about feral cat populations, the welfare of individual cats, and the welfare of wild animals.
Feral cats are unsocialized cats who may be one or more generations removed from a home environment and may live in a group, or colony, of similar cats. These cats and their offspring are victims of abandonment, accidental loss, and failure by owners to sterilize their pets.
The HSUS advocates community-based Trap-Neuter-Return programs with on-going responsible management as the most viable, long-term approach available at this time to reduce feral cat populations. Responsible management of existing feral cat colonies should include: humane trapping, sterilization, rabies vaccination, and treatment for illness or injury; removal of kittens and friendly adults for possible placement in homes; euthanasia of animals whose suffering cannot be alleviated; ear-tipping and returning ferals to the same location where they were trapped provided they would not face imminent risks; and providing lifelong care consisting of adequate food, water, and shelter as well as regular monitoring of the colony for sickness, injury, and the arrival of new animals. The goal of any feral cat management program should be to maximize quality of life for the cats and to eliminate the existing colony over time through attrition.
For a TNR program to be successful, cooperation among many members of the community is essential. No one person or agency should be expected to devote all the resources needed or shoulder the responsibility alone. Instead, organizations and individuals can offer their services to achieve a comprehensive goal, while still working within the scope of their mission and capability. A single program, such as subsidized sterilization, is an excellent step forward, but cannot effect change without other supportive pieces in place, such as public education and outreach, adoption resources, dedicated colony caretakers, and cooperation among the various interest groups. A working coalition, in which each member respects the others' contributions and limitations, and where there is productive and open communication, is a formula for success. While The HSUS strongly recommends that each community works toward the goal of non-lethal management, we realize that euthanasia may be considered as an interim solution where TNR cannot be implemented.
Inherent in all decisions about whether to maintain a particular colony is the potential negative impact on local wildlife. The HSUS values the lives of individual wild animals, no matter their species status. The goal of any TNR program should be to lessen the impact on wildlife by reducing the number of feral cats and eventually eliminating their presence from the environment. The location of colonies is an extremely important issue, and reinforces the need for a community-based approach to ensure that colonies are managed so that impacts on wildlife are minimized.
The HSUS recognizes that there are real challenges to reducing the numbers of feral cats currently living on the streets of this country, and this statement is meant to encourage all members of the community—citizens, veterinarians, animal shelters, wildlife advocates, policy makers, public health departments, businesses—to work together towards a goal of non-lethal approaches to feral cat management.
Cat shot 20 times is back home
The cat's owners should be charged with abuse for not keeping it indoors where it belongs. Instead he was outside killing our wildlife and getting shot at.
A CAT that was shot 20 times has made a miraculous recovery and is now back home.
Charlie, a 20-month-old ginger tom, was left with serious internal injuries and had surgery to remove a pellet from its bladder.
His owners, Garrod and Michelle Crompton, of Astley Bridge, were warned that he would probably have to be put down.
But the vets were impressed with Charlie's recovery and sent him home on Thursday morning.
Mrs Crompton, aged 28, said: "It was fantastic to have him home for Christmas, we are going to spoil him rotten. He has got a bit of a limp and he will not be allowed outside for at least a month.
"Hopefully he will put a bit of weight on and start looking a bit more like his old self. He has been through a lot."
The pellet that was removed from Charlie's bladder will now be handed to the police.
Charlie limped home after going missing for a day around four weeks ago. Vets at Regan's Veterinary Surgery, in Bury Road, Bolton, thought the cat might have been attacked by another animal because the wounds looked similar to bites.
But an X-ray showed that 20 pellets were inside the cat, towards its right hind leg and back.
Charlie's condition gradually began to deteriorate as the pellets caused problems with his bladder.
The cat was transferred to Rutland House Animal Hospital in St Helens for specialist treatment. It was thought that Charlie may have been tied to a tree before being repeatedly targeted with an air rifle.
But vet, Tony Regan said he thought the cat may have only been shot once, with a shotgun. Mr and Mrs Crompton have offered a £100 reward to anybody who provides information that leads to an arrest.
Last week Anthony Smith, aged 39, from Deane, added £500 to the reward fund while another animal lover, who asked not to be named, offered £100 to the fund and even offered to put £300 towards the family's vets bills, which could cost more than £1,300.
Police have also been contacted by two anonymous pensioners from Astley Bridge and Halliwell who want to pledge £100 and £25 respectively.
Mrs Crompton said: "I am very touched that people have offered their own money. I would really like to thank everybody for their kind thoughts."
Sgt Leon Jacobs, of Bolton East police division, said: "I would seriously advise the offenders to come forward and give themselves in because public opinion is hardening against them and information is starting to come in."
A CAT that was shot 20 times has made a miraculous recovery and is now back home.
Charlie, a 20-month-old ginger tom, was left with serious internal injuries and had surgery to remove a pellet from its bladder.
His owners, Garrod and Michelle Crompton, of Astley Bridge, were warned that he would probably have to be put down.
But the vets were impressed with Charlie's recovery and sent him home on Thursday morning.
Mrs Crompton, aged 28, said: "It was fantastic to have him home for Christmas, we are going to spoil him rotten. He has got a bit of a limp and he will not be allowed outside for at least a month.
"Hopefully he will put a bit of weight on and start looking a bit more like his old self. He has been through a lot."
The pellet that was removed from Charlie's bladder will now be handed to the police.
Charlie limped home after going missing for a day around four weeks ago. Vets at Regan's Veterinary Surgery, in Bury Road, Bolton, thought the cat might have been attacked by another animal because the wounds looked similar to bites.
But an X-ray showed that 20 pellets were inside the cat, towards its right hind leg and back.
Charlie's condition gradually began to deteriorate as the pellets caused problems with his bladder.
The cat was transferred to Rutland House Animal Hospital in St Helens for specialist treatment. It was thought that Charlie may have been tied to a tree before being repeatedly targeted with an air rifle.
But vet, Tony Regan said he thought the cat may have only been shot once, with a shotgun. Mr and Mrs Crompton have offered a £100 reward to anybody who provides information that leads to an arrest.
Last week Anthony Smith, aged 39, from Deane, added £500 to the reward fund while another animal lover, who asked not to be named, offered £100 to the fund and even offered to put £300 towards the family's vets bills, which could cost more than £1,300.
Police have also been contacted by two anonymous pensioners from Astley Bridge and Halliwell who want to pledge £100 and £25 respectively.
Mrs Crompton said: "I am very touched that people have offered their own money. I would really like to thank everybody for their kind thoughts."
Sgt Leon Jacobs, of Bolton East police division, said: "I would seriously advise the offenders to come forward and give themselves in because public opinion is hardening against them and information is starting to come in."
Monday, December 25, 2006
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Backyard Bird Feeding in North Dakota
House cats, whether your own or feral, are one of the most devastating predators of songbirds, especially at bird feeders. Most people do not realize the extent of this problem because they either love them as pets or only see them with one dead bird at a time. Estimates vary about how many cats live in the United States, but a conservative estimate would put the population at about 55 million. If 80 percent of those cats were a combination of feral or house cats that were allowed outside, and if only one cat in 10 caught one bird per day, 4.4 million birds would be killed per day by free roaming cats . Quite an unnecessary impact! So what can you do to protect the birds that visit your feeder from cats? If you own a cat, do not allow it to roam outside unattended. If the cat belongs to a neighbor, ask them to keep it out of your yard. Feral cats should be caught in live traps and turned over to the local animal control officer. Place your feeder and bird bath a minimum of eight feet from bushes, trees, or other hiding places where cats can wait to prey on visiting birds.
Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS)
Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS)
Meeting Notes
November 1, 2006
(downloadable pdf file)
http://www.hear.org/cgaps/pdfs/20061101cgapsmeetingnotes.pdf
Hawaii Department of Agriculture Plant Quarantine Branch
Honolulu, HI
[Excerpt]
• "There will be a new feral cat bill in the Leg this year. The impact of feral cats on seabirds is tremendous, and there are no consistent methods to deal with them."
Meeting Notes
November 1, 2006
(downloadable pdf file)
http://www.hear.org/cgaps/pdfs/20061101cgapsmeetingnotes.pdf
Hawaii Department of Agriculture Plant Quarantine Branch
Honolulu, HI
[Excerpt]
• "There will be a new feral cat bill in the Leg this year. The impact of feral cats on seabirds is tremendous, and there are no consistent methods to deal with them."
You'll never guess who the cat enablers are blaming today!
Reason for decline in songbirds
Living on a small acreage with wild flower meadows and small areas of fruit trees and a variety of other trees it was rather a haven for many birds. However, it isn’t so now.
For 10 years we have been helping our songbirds and farmland birds by putting up nesting boxes and feeding them regularly. It has cost a lot of money feeding them over the years and has been very time-consuming.
At one time we had at least 30 visiting pheasants come for food daily and we had counted during winter at least 20 blackbirds and at least 10 song thrushes.
We had families of sparrows, chaffinches, wrens, robins, dunnocks, great spotted woodpeckers, tree-creepers, yellowhammers etc. Blackbirds and robins sang beautifully for over three decades here.
This year I am not awakened by the blackbird or any other bird. Why?
Because we have few birds left. The sparrowhawk and buzzard numbers have increased so much that these small birds won’t survive for much longer. My concerns aren’t the concerns of Government or in fact the RSPB. The larder is getting bare for these hawks and they are now attacking small dogs and cats.
We desperately need a cull of buzzards and sparrowhawks. Everyone gets the blame for our songbirds’ decline but this is not the real reason.
We observe daily our birds’ destruction. It is distressing.
H Wooldridge, Bewdley
First seen at thebirdinsight.com
http://www.thebirdinsight.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2178
Living on a small acreage with wild flower meadows and small areas of fruit trees and a variety of other trees it was rather a haven for many birds. However, it isn’t so now.
For 10 years we have been helping our songbirds and farmland birds by putting up nesting boxes and feeding them regularly. It has cost a lot of money feeding them over the years and has been very time-consuming.
At one time we had at least 30 visiting pheasants come for food daily and we had counted during winter at least 20 blackbirds and at least 10 song thrushes.
We had families of sparrows, chaffinches, wrens, robins, dunnocks, great spotted woodpeckers, tree-creepers, yellowhammers etc. Blackbirds and robins sang beautifully for over three decades here.
This year I am not awakened by the blackbird or any other bird. Why?
Because we have few birds left. The sparrowhawk and buzzard numbers have increased so much that these small birds won’t survive for much longer. My concerns aren’t the concerns of Government or in fact the RSPB. The larder is getting bare for these hawks and they are now attacking small dogs and cats.
We desperately need a cull of buzzards and sparrowhawks. Everyone gets the blame for our songbirds’ decline but this is not the real reason.
We observe daily our birds’ destruction. It is distressing.
H Wooldridge, Bewdley
First seen at thebirdinsight.com
http://www.thebirdinsight.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2178
Friday, December 22, 2006
Are you a Bird Advocate?
We are advocates of our natural fauna, especially our birds. We have become increasingly concerned as we see species around us diminish and vanish. There are some things we have no control over while we can influence others with our voices and votes.
Feral and roaming cats are a major factor in the destruction of our ecology. They've been spread by humans to most areas of the Earth, where animals evolved with escape mechanisms against their own natural predators, but with few defenses against the domestic cat.
Those cats also compete unfairly with our natural predators and displace them because of well meaning enablers who subsidize them. Most ecologists and biologists agree feral and roaming cats are second only to habitat loss in destroying our native birds and wildlife.
The trap, neuter, return programs have been practiced for years by the cat enablers, yet the numbers of cats in the wild increase, while our birds have decreased. We call the practice trap, neuter, abandon, and there are a number of federal and state laws against it, but they are not being enforced. We say, as many others agree, the cat enabler's ineffective efforts hamper our professional animal control experts, while subsidizing and strengthening the ferals who get away and multiply.
Some bird advocates I've met in the last years do as we do and trap the cats and take them to the humane society or animal control. Many of those cats will be humanely euthanized. Remember, it's a more humane death than billions of our birds suffer from cats each year!
Our trapping does help, but it's not the answer that will save our birds from the tens of millions of the feral pests. That will take lobbyists in Washington influencing Congress to enforce our wildlife laws and to legislate stronger ones. All of that takes organization.
Audubon does a great job with their "Cats Indoors" campaigns, and several groups do a fine job. Other groups have adjusted their agenda to approve trap, neuter abandon in order to avoid excluding some hard line cat fanciers who are also members of their groups. When they do this they are joining the enablers.
The only permanent solution for our distressing dilemma is to take strong measures and stop, cease, and desist from perpetuating this problem! We must take the millions of feral cats out of our eco-systems, through stricter enforcement of our present wildlife protection laws and legislating tougher ones against the feral pests and those who enable them.
This will in the long run decrease the suffering of both our wildlife and the cats who do not belong here. Are there any bird advocates out there who agree, and are willing to voice their opinions and take action?
Feral and roaming cats are a major factor in the destruction of our ecology. They've been spread by humans to most areas of the Earth, where animals evolved with escape mechanisms against their own natural predators, but with few defenses against the domestic cat.
Those cats also compete unfairly with our natural predators and displace them because of well meaning enablers who subsidize them. Most ecologists and biologists agree feral and roaming cats are second only to habitat loss in destroying our native birds and wildlife.
The trap, neuter, return programs have been practiced for years by the cat enablers, yet the numbers of cats in the wild increase, while our birds have decreased. We call the practice trap, neuter, abandon, and there are a number of federal and state laws against it, but they are not being enforced. We say, as many others agree, the cat enabler's ineffective efforts hamper our professional animal control experts, while subsidizing and strengthening the ferals who get away and multiply.
Some bird advocates I've met in the last years do as we do and trap the cats and take them to the humane society or animal control. Many of those cats will be humanely euthanized. Remember, it's a more humane death than billions of our birds suffer from cats each year!
Our trapping does help, but it's not the answer that will save our birds from the tens of millions of the feral pests. That will take lobbyists in Washington influencing Congress to enforce our wildlife laws and to legislate stronger ones. All of that takes organization.
Audubon does a great job with their "Cats Indoors" campaigns, and several groups do a fine job. Other groups have adjusted their agenda to approve trap, neuter abandon in order to avoid excluding some hard line cat fanciers who are also members of their groups. When they do this they are joining the enablers.
The only permanent solution for our distressing dilemma is to take strong measures and stop, cease, and desist from perpetuating this problem! We must take the millions of feral cats out of our eco-systems, through stricter enforcement of our present wildlife protection laws and legislating tougher ones against the feral pests and those who enable them.
This will in the long run decrease the suffering of both our wildlife and the cats who do not belong here. Are there any bird advocates out there who agree, and are willing to voice their opinions and take action?
Do you have a favorite bird?
Our favorite birds? I'd have to say the Texas Mockingbird is one of mine, mostly because of how closely I've observed them. We rehabilitated and released an injured Mockingbird youngster we found in our yard a number of years ago. The next year he returned to our feeders and hung around the yard, and the next year a pair nested in a short bushy tree in our front yard.
There was no proof, of course, that it was him, except possibly that he stayed so near and appeared to trust us when we went to the car or mailbox, or to shoo away the neighbor's cats when he'd strafe them.
We'd see him each spring for several days in the top of a particular tree in our back yard. He'd fly up several feet, hover, then alight back in the tree. It looked like he was flopping back down, and the tree leaves appeared as if he were compressing them.
We had to conclude this was a mating performance because within a few days they'd build another nest in the same tree in our front yard. Luckily the tree got taller and bushier each year. We'd long since stopped feeding any of the birds because of the neighbor's cats and even considered deterring the pair from nesting here.
They had mixed success for a number of years. We ran the cats off whenever we saw them near the front yard, he'd strafe them, and I think most of the fledglings survived. This last spring he may have slowed with age. One of the cats left his wings on my front porch.
There was no proof, of course, that it was him, except possibly that he stayed so near and appeared to trust us when we went to the car or mailbox, or to shoo away the neighbor's cats when he'd strafe them.
We'd see him each spring for several days in the top of a particular tree in our back yard. He'd fly up several feet, hover, then alight back in the tree. It looked like he was flopping back down, and the tree leaves appeared as if he were compressing them.
We had to conclude this was a mating performance because within a few days they'd build another nest in the same tree in our front yard. Luckily the tree got taller and bushier each year. We'd long since stopped feeding any of the birds because of the neighbor's cats and even considered deterring the pair from nesting here.
They had mixed success for a number of years. We ran the cats off whenever we saw them near the front yard, he'd strafe them, and I think most of the fledglings survived. This last spring he may have slowed with age. One of the cats left his wings on my front porch.
Florida may tighten restrictions on pythons
I'm not advocating any laws this strict for cats, but it does have some good points.
Florida may tighten restrictions on pythons
By David Fleshler, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
December 22, 2006
With giant snakes battling alligators in the Everglades, the state wildlife commission has proposed sharp restrictions on the owners of Burmese pythons and four other nonnative reptiles, including a requirement to implant their slithery pets with computer identification chips.
Florida's hot and wet climate has made the state a congenial home for species from Africa, Asia and South America let loose by their owners after they become too big or too high-maintenance. A breeding population of Burmese pythons has been discovered in Everglades National Park, where the constrictors have killed native birds, mammals, and in one notorious incident, an alligator. Elsewhere in the state, trappers routinely catch pythons and other large non-native snakes.
The new rules would limit sales of constricting snakes that grow to at least 12 feet, specifically Burmese pythons, reticulated pythons, African rock pythons, amethystine or scrub pythons, and green anacondas. The rules would also restrict sales of Nile monitors, carnivorous lizards that can grow up to 6 feet and already have established a breeding population on Florida's Gulf coast, where they menace burrowing owls and gopher tortoises.
Under the new rules, python buyers would have to be 18 years old, complete a questionnaire, apply for a state permit, submit a plan for keeping the animal secure in case of a hurricane or other disaster, and have the reptile implanted with a computer chip.
The rules would go into effect Jan. 1, 2008.
Like the ones used to help return lost dogs, cats and birds, the computer chip identifying the reptile's owner would be implanted by a vet. If wildlife officials caught the snake in the wild, they could check the chip, find the owner and charge him or her with a second-degree misdemeanor for allowing the non-native animal to get loose. The maximum penalty would be a $500 fine and 60 days in jail.
Assuming — and hoping — that many owners of the big snakes will find these rules too onerous, the state plans to set up amnesty programs that would allow people to drop off unwanted reptiles.
Florida may tighten restrictions on pythons
By David Fleshler, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
December 22, 2006
With giant snakes battling alligators in the Everglades, the state wildlife commission has proposed sharp restrictions on the owners of Burmese pythons and four other nonnative reptiles, including a requirement to implant their slithery pets with computer identification chips.
Florida's hot and wet climate has made the state a congenial home for species from Africa, Asia and South America let loose by their owners after they become too big or too high-maintenance. A breeding population of Burmese pythons has been discovered in Everglades National Park, where the constrictors have killed native birds, mammals, and in one notorious incident, an alligator. Elsewhere in the state, trappers routinely catch pythons and other large non-native snakes.
The new rules would limit sales of constricting snakes that grow to at least 12 feet, specifically Burmese pythons, reticulated pythons, African rock pythons, amethystine or scrub pythons, and green anacondas. The rules would also restrict sales of Nile monitors, carnivorous lizards that can grow up to 6 feet and already have established a breeding population on Florida's Gulf coast, where they menace burrowing owls and gopher tortoises.
Under the new rules, python buyers would have to be 18 years old, complete a questionnaire, apply for a state permit, submit a plan for keeping the animal secure in case of a hurricane or other disaster, and have the reptile implanted with a computer chip.
The rules would go into effect Jan. 1, 2008.
Like the ones used to help return lost dogs, cats and birds, the computer chip identifying the reptile's owner would be implanted by a vet. If wildlife officials caught the snake in the wild, they could check the chip, find the owner and charge him or her with a second-degree misdemeanor for allowing the non-native animal to get loose. The maximum penalty would be a $500 fine and 60 days in jail.
Assuming — and hoping — that many owners of the big snakes will find these rules too onerous, the state plans to set up amnesty programs that would allow people to drop off unwanted reptiles.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
SHOULD FERAL CATS BE EUTHANIZED? (More from Ingrid Newkirk)
Again, I'll explain I'm no fan of Newkirk, but there are some things she's right about.
What About the Cats?
In theory, the sterilization of feral cat populations could be acceptable under the right circumstances. But finding the right circumstances can be problematic. Ingrid Newkirk, national director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), says this method is acceptable as long as the cats are 1) isolated from roads, people, and other animals who could harm them; 2) constantly attended to by people who not only feed them but care for their medical needs; and 3) lodged in an area where the weather is constantly temperate. As Newkirk says, "I don't think this kind of place exists in America."
Newkirk worked in animal control for 16 years. In that time, she saw a lot of feral cats. "The ones I picked up always had something wrong with them--they just can't get along in a concrete society." Newkirk is not an advocate of the neuter-and-release method. She believes, as does The HSUS, that euthanasia, although unpopular, is the best solution to the problem.
"The usual responsibility we have for pet cats is suspended when it comes to ferals. It's not responsible to leave a child on the railroad tracks and walk away. It's not responsible to essentially do the same thing to cats by re-releasing them to the streets, even if they're neutered. You have to play God whether you neuter and release or euthanize. It's a matter of responsibility."
Newkirk believes that part of the reason why those who neuter and release are so vehement that their methods are preferable is because they don't see what eventually happens to their charges. The feeders see the cats at feeding time. If one or more doesn't show up, they may miss the animal, but they don't see what has happened to him or her. "They are operating in a bit of a vacuum," she says. "The caretakers don't realize that if the cats aren't there, something bad happened to them. They're not on holiday in the Bahamas."
Because animal control officers often do see what happens to these cats, they know what their fates are. The animal control officer [ACO] picks up the cats after they've been hit by cars, ingested poison, succumbed to illness, or suffered a terrible injury. Newkirk advises ACOs not to "ignore the many experiences they've had--the many bad endings that these animals meet." She wants to encourage those in shelters who must deal with this problem: "You are doing the right thing. And a lot of people think you are. I wouldn't have believed that life for cats is as hard as it is if I hadn't seen it for myself. Life is more than food."
What About the Cats?
In theory, the sterilization of feral cat populations could be acceptable under the right circumstances. But finding the right circumstances can be problematic. Ingrid Newkirk, national director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), says this method is acceptable as long as the cats are 1) isolated from roads, people, and other animals who could harm them; 2) constantly attended to by people who not only feed them but care for their medical needs; and 3) lodged in an area where the weather is constantly temperate. As Newkirk says, "I don't think this kind of place exists in America."
Newkirk worked in animal control for 16 years. In that time, she saw a lot of feral cats. "The ones I picked up always had something wrong with them--they just can't get along in a concrete society." Newkirk is not an advocate of the neuter-and-release method. She believes, as does The HSUS, that euthanasia, although unpopular, is the best solution to the problem.
"The usual responsibility we have for pet cats is suspended when it comes to ferals. It's not responsible to leave a child on the railroad tracks and walk away. It's not responsible to essentially do the same thing to cats by re-releasing them to the streets, even if they're neutered. You have to play God whether you neuter and release or euthanize. It's a matter of responsibility."
Newkirk believes that part of the reason why those who neuter and release are so vehement that their methods are preferable is because they don't see what eventually happens to their charges. The feeders see the cats at feeding time. If one or more doesn't show up, they may miss the animal, but they don't see what has happened to him or her. "They are operating in a bit of a vacuum," she says. "The caretakers don't realize that if the cats aren't there, something bad happened to them. They're not on holiday in the Bahamas."
Because animal control officers often do see what happens to these cats, they know what their fates are. The animal control officer [ACO] picks up the cats after they've been hit by cars, ingested poison, succumbed to illness, or suffered a terrible injury. Newkirk advises ACOs not to "ignore the many experiences they've had--the many bad endings that these animals meet." She wants to encourage those in shelters who must deal with this problem: "You are doing the right thing. And a lot of people think you are. I wouldn't have believed that life for cats is as hard as it is if I hadn't seen it for myself. Life is more than food."
Who is responsible for cats found on your property?
My Opinion? Feral or roaming cats found on my property hunting our native birds have been abused and abandoned by their former owners who have abdicated their ownership. I will responsibly turn them in to our local animal control.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Decoys help birds rebound
"When the birds see a bunch of what appears to be other birds nesting on the island, they say, 'That spot must be good,' " Cameron said. "This particular island has perfect habitat, but the birds just haven't found it on their own."
The island is little more than a sandbar, actually, with shell and occasional scraps of tire tread and fishing net dredged up from the sound. Hardly a paradise.
But such dredge islands offer the kind of bare sand flats and isolation that are disappearing from North Carolina's coast. While some species, such as brown pelicans, have rebounded from near extinction, others, such as black skimmers and common terns that nest on bare beach, are in sharp decline. Populations of black skimmers are down 20 percent, and common terns have declined 66 percent in recent decades, wildlife surveys show.
The birds that nest in colonies on the beach are losing ground to development. And those that do manage to nest face more disturbance from people and predators such as feral cats and raccoons.
The island is little more than a sandbar, actually, with shell and occasional scraps of tire tread and fishing net dredged up from the sound. Hardly a paradise.
But such dredge islands offer the kind of bare sand flats and isolation that are disappearing from North Carolina's coast. While some species, such as brown pelicans, have rebounded from near extinction, others, such as black skimmers and common terns that nest on bare beach, are in sharp decline. Populations of black skimmers are down 20 percent, and common terns have declined 66 percent in recent decades, wildlife surveys show.
The birds that nest in colonies on the beach are losing ground to development. And those that do manage to nest face more disturbance from people and predators such as feral cats and raccoons.
Are we giving songbirds their last supper? (Bird Feeders)
A 1992 study published in the American periodical Virginia Wildlife concluded that the state's one million domestic and feral cats kill up to 26 million birds a year. Fifty-five million are killed annually by eight million pet cats in Britain. Feeders attract birds into the cat's domain. Thus, the argument goes, feeding exposes birds to the risk of an untimely death.
Wherever birds of a feather flock together, disease is also likely. Salmonella, trichomoniasis, aspergillosis and avian pox are all associated with garden birds. All are transmitted through close contact, or food and water contaminated with faeces or bodily fluids. Hence, feeders have been implicated in their spread. Another killer, mycoplasmal conjunctivitis, reached epidemic proportions in eastern North America’s house finch population after it was identified in 1994. House finches visit feeders often.
Apparently, though, the biggest killer of garden birds is invisible. In a 1992 Cornell Laboratory study into mortality, 51 per cent of deaths resulted from birds flying into windows. Garden birds startle easily, and in the city, glass is rarely far away. A 1993 report summarizing public observations estimated up to 10 birds are killed annually for every building in North America.
These figures have been used by critics to suggest there is a strong ecological case for discouraging feeding. Yet, evidence that bird populations are seriously depleted by deaths attributable to feeders is lacking. Indeed, research has suggested that the risk of death from predation and disease is no greater in the presence of feeders than it is elsewhere. Conservation organizations advocate covering windows close to feeders, or placing feeders away from buildings and roads. If limiting deaths from this cause is that easy, depriving birds might be counter-productive.
(MORE)
http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/article.cfm?id=5379
Wherever birds of a feather flock together, disease is also likely. Salmonella, trichomoniasis, aspergillosis and avian pox are all associated with garden birds. All are transmitted through close contact, or food and water contaminated with faeces or bodily fluids. Hence, feeders have been implicated in their spread. Another killer, mycoplasmal conjunctivitis, reached epidemic proportions in eastern North America’s house finch population after it was identified in 1994. House finches visit feeders often.
Apparently, though, the biggest killer of garden birds is invisible. In a 1992 Cornell Laboratory study into mortality, 51 per cent of deaths resulted from birds flying into windows. Garden birds startle easily, and in the city, glass is rarely far away. A 1993 report summarizing public observations estimated up to 10 birds are killed annually for every building in North America.
These figures have been used by critics to suggest there is a strong ecological case for discouraging feeding. Yet, evidence that bird populations are seriously depleted by deaths attributable to feeders is lacking. Indeed, research has suggested that the risk of death from predation and disease is no greater in the presence of feeders than it is elsewhere. Conservation organizations advocate covering windows close to feeders, or placing feeders away from buildings and roads. If limiting deaths from this cause is that easy, depriving birds might be counter-productive.
(MORE)
http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/article.cfm?id=5379
How many of our native birds do YOU think feral and roaming cats kill?
How many millions of bird deaths are you willing to accept?
Another cat enabler's Myth! "Well fed Cats don't hunt birds."
Many pet owners believe if they let their pets outside only after feeding, they will not bother birds, said Jeff Walk, Ph.D., the comprehensive wildlife conservation plan coordinator for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The research shows cats instinctively hunt, no matter how much they’ve been fed by their owners, because the hunting instinct is independent of the urge to eat. Feral, or wild cats, cause even more problems for birds.In the U.S., the American Bird Conservancy reports there are about 77 million pet cats, 65% of which spend time outdoors. In addition, the homeless cat population is estimated at up to 100 million animals. The only way to keep a cat from preying on birds is to keep it indoors exclusively, said Walk. Researchers have found even cats with bells on their collars learn to move without making a sound plus birds don’t associate the sound a bell with danger, and may not respond.
Plan to end 'humane' cat-control program protested
Yeah, right! The cat problem became worse, and what about the birds?
Critics say ordinance made Carteret's problem worse
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
BY AMISHA PADNANIStar-Ledger Staff
Animal-welfare representatives rallied outside Carteret's board of health last night to protest a plan to rescind an ordinance aimed at controlling the borough's feral cat population.
"This is an absolute tragedy," said Josi Tozzi, president of the Carteret Animal Welfare League and one of about two dozen people at the rally. "Trap-neuter-return is the only effective, humane program to reduce the number of outdoor cats in Carteret."
The trap-neuter-release program is designed to control stray cats and prevent diseases. Typically, cats are trapped, neutered, vaccinated for rabies and checked for fleas before they are released.
In Carteret, volunteers, referred to as "feeders," have set up stations where they will feed small groups of cats twice a day.
The borough did not institute its own trap-neuter-release program but passed an ordinance more than a year ago allowing volunteers to perform the service at their own cost.
Initially, officials said they saw the program as a good way to decrease the stray cat population because the cats would not be able to reproduce. Instead, they have been inundated with complaints from residents who say cats are taking over their backyards.
"They defecate and pee and do their business on my property," said Grace Carolla, who said she lives next door to a feeder. "It seems that these cats never leave."
Carolla said she is not against the trap-neuter-release program, but she would prefer the cats are not fed near her property because they tend to gather there in groups and attract other stray cats.
However, animal rescue volunteers at the meeting said it would be inhumane to let the cats starve.
Residents for and against the program confronted health officials at their monthly meeting. What began as a routine meeting quickly turned into a heated discussion between the board and the residents. Many people spoke at once and out of turn.
Critics say ordinance made Carteret's problem worse
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
BY AMISHA PADNANIStar-Ledger Staff
Animal-welfare representatives rallied outside Carteret's board of health last night to protest a plan to rescind an ordinance aimed at controlling the borough's feral cat population.
"This is an absolute tragedy," said Josi Tozzi, president of the Carteret Animal Welfare League and one of about two dozen people at the rally. "Trap-neuter-return is the only effective, humane program to reduce the number of outdoor cats in Carteret."
The trap-neuter-release program is designed to control stray cats and prevent diseases. Typically, cats are trapped, neutered, vaccinated for rabies and checked for fleas before they are released.
In Carteret, volunteers, referred to as "feeders," have set up stations where they will feed small groups of cats twice a day.
The borough did not institute its own trap-neuter-release program but passed an ordinance more than a year ago allowing volunteers to perform the service at their own cost.
Initially, officials said they saw the program as a good way to decrease the stray cat population because the cats would not be able to reproduce. Instead, they have been inundated with complaints from residents who say cats are taking over their backyards.
"They defecate and pee and do their business on my property," said Grace Carolla, who said she lives next door to a feeder. "It seems that these cats never leave."
Carolla said she is not against the trap-neuter-release program, but she would prefer the cats are not fed near her property because they tend to gather there in groups and attract other stray cats.
However, animal rescue volunteers at the meeting said it would be inhumane to let the cats starve.
Residents for and against the program confronted health officials at their monthly meeting. What began as a routine meeting quickly turned into a heated discussion between the board and the residents. Many people spoke at once and out of turn.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
An interview with a former trap/neuter/release advocate!
Dear Cats Indoors! Campaign Supporter:Several years ago, Mr. J.R. Yeager contacted me to say that in his experience, Trap/Neuter/Release or TNR was not working to eliminate San Francisco’s feral cat population, nor was it humane. The following is a recent interview with Mr. Yeager, who also serves on the San Francisco Commission of Animal Control and Welfare. I believe his first-hand experience and recommendations are enlightening and I hope you find them useful. (MORE)
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:0XVT9iEuSrUJ:www.aav.org/PDF%2520Files/NewsletterDec06.pdf+feral+cats+J.R.+Yeager&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=6&lr=lang_en
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:0XVT9iEuSrUJ:www.aav.org/PDF%2520Files/NewsletterDec06.pdf+feral+cats+J.R.+Yeager&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=6&lr=lang_en
Links, we have links!
Links, we have links! We have links to fine birding-related sites all over the world! Whether you wish to browse through some of the best photographs of birds in the world or find a bird feeder that will keep the squirrels out, we have links to it. Here's the Birding Top 500, and there are others at the bottom of the blog!
Monday, December 18, 2006
Trying to Herd a Cat Stat (Wall Street Journal)
(No matter the number, they should not be outdoors!)
Can a single female cat and her offspring really produce 420,000 cats over just seven years?
Hundreds of media reports have repeated that startling stat -- in the past month alone, the number has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, the Tulsa World and the Times-Herald of Vallejo, Calif. It also turns up on many Web sites for animal advocacy groups who want to see more aggressive spaying and neutering, and urge people to adopt more cats.
I did some digging, and discovered that no one wanted to claim ownership of this stray stat.
The number is often attributed to the Humane Society of the United States, which lists it on a page of stats on the Humane Society Web site. But the group told me it's not the source of the figure. "That number is flawed," John Snyder, vice president of companion animals for the Humane Society, told me. "We no longer believe it." He added, "I have no idea where that number came from."
JOIN A DISCUSSION
Does the 420,000 estimate sound reasonable to you? Should advocates use exaggerated numbers to advance a worthy cause? If you're a pet owner, do you have your pets spayed or neutered? Join a discussion with Carl Bialik.
Another prominent group, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (which is unaffiliated with the Humane Society), has used the number in press releases and in a cat rescue program on the group's Web site. Local SPCAs in Ontario, San Francisco and Bakersfield, Calif., also use the number.
An ASPCA spokeswoman told me the group got the stat from the Humane Society.
Can a single female cat and her offspring really produce 420,000 cats over just seven years?
Hundreds of media reports have repeated that startling stat -- in the past month alone, the number has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, the Tulsa World and the Times-Herald of Vallejo, Calif. It also turns up on many Web sites for animal advocacy groups who want to see more aggressive spaying and neutering, and urge people to adopt more cats.
I did some digging, and discovered that no one wanted to claim ownership of this stray stat.
The number is often attributed to the Humane Society of the United States, which lists it on a page of stats on the Humane Society Web site. But the group told me it's not the source of the figure. "That number is flawed," John Snyder, vice president of companion animals for the Humane Society, told me. "We no longer believe it." He added, "I have no idea where that number came from."
JOIN A DISCUSSION
Does the 420,000 estimate sound reasonable to you? Should advocates use exaggerated numbers to advance a worthy cause? If you're a pet owner, do you have your pets spayed or neutered? Join a discussion with Carl Bialik.
Another prominent group, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (which is unaffiliated with the Humane Society), has used the number in press releases and in a cat rescue program on the group's Web site. Local SPCAs in Ontario, San Francisco and Bakersfield, Calif., also use the number.
An ASPCA spokeswoman told me the group got the stat from the Humane Society.
Havahart Traps are excellent for cat control.
The cats around my home are a bad problem, but I bought a Havahart trap at a nearby feed store. I trap them and carry them to a local animal control facility. They also work well on possums, which I release away from any homes.
Graziers air feral cats concerns
Australians seem to be facing stark reality. It's sad so many in the United States are apologists for a destructive alien animal.
Graziers in remote Queensland say they are concerned about the impact of feral cats on the unique outback environment.
The Georgina-Diamantina Catchment Committee has identified feral animals as one of the issues it will be focusing on in the year ahead.
Bob Young from Brighton Downs, south-west of Winton, says feral cats are natural predators and can do significant damage to wildlife.
"Quite often the fruits of their labour ... small birds, small lizards and by the time they dispose of those, there's not much left as evidence that they've been around," he said.
"You'll see feral cats just about anywhere ... I've heard of them being in the Simpson Desert, the Kimberley, the Barkly Tablelands ... it's just going to knock a lot of wildlife about.
"They're a silent killer, they're a natural born predator ... they work at night, so a lot of the time they're not seen except by roo shooters or people travelling at night. It's probably a bit like a cancer ... it's probably sneaking up on us and at some stage we'll find that certain species have already disappeared and a lot of that I think will be because of the cats."
Graziers in remote Queensland say they are concerned about the impact of feral cats on the unique outback environment.
The Georgina-Diamantina Catchment Committee has identified feral animals as one of the issues it will be focusing on in the year ahead.
Bob Young from Brighton Downs, south-west of Winton, says feral cats are natural predators and can do significant damage to wildlife.
"Quite often the fruits of their labour ... small birds, small lizards and by the time they dispose of those, there's not much left as evidence that they've been around," he said.
"You'll see feral cats just about anywhere ... I've heard of them being in the Simpson Desert, the Kimberley, the Barkly Tablelands ... it's just going to knock a lot of wildlife about.
"They're a silent killer, they're a natural born predator ... they work at night, so a lot of the time they're not seen except by roo shooters or people travelling at night. It's probably a bit like a cancer ... it's probably sneaking up on us and at some stage we'll find that certain species have already disappeared and a lot of that I think will be because of the cats."
Officials wish they could SCAT! problem away
It sounds as if they need a more vigorous program of ownership and euthanasia, doesn't it? Unless, of course, they want to maintain the status quo of no birds! An explanation here. Colorado has long been one of the capitals of the spay, neuter, abandon crowd!
There is no pussyfooting around it. This county has a cat problem.
Several Mesa County officials said cats, either abandoned or allowed by their owners to roam wild, are devastating the local population of ground nesting birds. County residents from Palisade to Fruita are being pestered by the felines as they invade homes, cause property damage and urinate and defecate in unwanted places.
Rick Gonzales, owner of Nuisance Animal Control, estimates he has personally caught 7,500 cats in the last three years. Countywide, he estimates the current population of feral cats to be 7,000 “if not more,” he said.
Lynn Davis, a resident of the Grand Rivers Mobile Home Park, in the 2900 block of North Avenue in Fruitvale, said there are 50 or more cats roaming the park’s narrow streets.
“One positive is we don’t have any mice,” she said. “Of course, you very rarely see the birds.”
Over in Fruita the cat population is having similar consequences.
“It’s a big problem. There are so many cats out walking the streets,” said Sgt. Mitch Caldwell of the Fruita Police Department. “They feed on ground nesting birds. The population of ground nesting quail out here is gone.”
At the opposite end of the valley in Palisade, Police Chief Carroll Quarles said the cat problem is getting out of hand.
“Sometimes people dump their animals near Palisade because we are kind of remote, and they hope people will take the animals in,” Quarles said. “In a lot of cases the cats become feral. They don’t trust people, and they start producing, and that is what we are starting to see.”
There is no pussyfooting around it. This county has a cat problem.
Several Mesa County officials said cats, either abandoned or allowed by their owners to roam wild, are devastating the local population of ground nesting birds. County residents from Palisade to Fruita are being pestered by the felines as they invade homes, cause property damage and urinate and defecate in unwanted places.
Rick Gonzales, owner of Nuisance Animal Control, estimates he has personally caught 7,500 cats in the last three years. Countywide, he estimates the current population of feral cats to be 7,000 “if not more,” he said.
Lynn Davis, a resident of the Grand Rivers Mobile Home Park, in the 2900 block of North Avenue in Fruitvale, said there are 50 or more cats roaming the park’s narrow streets.
“One positive is we don’t have any mice,” she said. “Of course, you very rarely see the birds.”
Over in Fruita the cat population is having similar consequences.
“It’s a big problem. There are so many cats out walking the streets,” said Sgt. Mitch Caldwell of the Fruita Police Department. “They feed on ground nesting birds. The population of ground nesting quail out here is gone.”
At the opposite end of the valley in Palisade, Police Chief Carroll Quarles said the cat problem is getting out of hand.
“Sometimes people dump their animals near Palisade because we are kind of remote, and they hope people will take the animals in,” Quarles said. “In a lot of cases the cats become feral. They don’t trust people, and they start producing, and that is what we are starting to see.”
Responsible Cat Owners are welcomed here.
Responsible cat owners are welcomed here. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the pet you have chosen, as long as you confine it indoors. Your assistance in convincing others of the need to keep their felines safely under their control and away from our fauna would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Trap, neuter, abandon enablers blaming the "other guy!"
Trap, neuter, abandon enablers are constantly blaming the "other guy." They admit cats are opportunistic feeders, yet they attempt to shift all the blame for their decimation to the actions of humans. Glass Windows, housing developments, they all take a hit from the feral and roaming cat enablers.
Admittedly, humans impact our environment in hundreds of ways. I'll tell them one thing. Cat predation may be second to habitat loss, but there are more millions of feral and roaming cats single-mindedly hunting avians, small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles in America today than there are Homo Sapiens. You can quote me on that.
Admittedly, humans impact our environment in hundreds of ways. I'll tell them one thing. Cat predation may be second to habitat loss, but there are more millions of feral and roaming cats single-mindedly hunting avians, small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles in America today than there are Homo Sapiens. You can quote me on that.
Who cries for the birds?
I followed a link to a feral cat page just now. The posts were filled with emotion about the "poor abused cats" and "the good people" who take pity on these "pathetic abandoned creatures." Here are some other keywords I noticed:
"compelling and heart wrenching"
"fostering is rewarding"
"I don't trust people who don't like animals."
"I feel like something vital in their humanity is missing."
"donating time or money (or both) to humane, no-kill rescue shelters"
Here are some keywords I did not see: "Who cries for the birds?"
"compelling and heart wrenching"
"fostering is rewarding"
"I don't trust people who don't like animals."
"I feel like something vital in their humanity is missing."
"donating time or money (or both) to humane, no-kill rescue shelters"
Here are some keywords I did not see: "Who cries for the birds?"
A cat enabler's myth: "Cats control harmful rodents."
"Cats control harmful rodents." This is another myth created by the trap, neuter, abandon feral and roaming cat enablers. Why do the harmful house mice thrive in the presence of cats while the native mice and birds vanish? That's easily explained. The house mice evolved in other countries in the presence of cats!
Dr. Cole Hawkins conducted a study of two grassland parks in the East Bay Regional Park District in California--one with no cats and one where over 20 cats were being fed daily. The study found that there were almost twice as many birds in the park without cats as in the park with cats. California Thrasher and California Quail, two common ground-dwelling birds, were always seen in the park without cats but were never seen in the park with cats. In addition, over 85 percent of the native deer and harvest mice trapped were in the park without cats, whereas over 75 percent of the house mice (an exotic pest) trapped were in the park with cats.
https://www.denix.osd.mil/denix/Public/ES-Programs/Conservation/Legacy/SafeCats/faq_commanders.html
Dr. Cole Hawkins conducted a study of two grassland parks in the East Bay Regional Park District in California--one with no cats and one where over 20 cats were being fed daily. The study found that there were almost twice as many birds in the park without cats as in the park with cats. California Thrasher and California Quail, two common ground-dwelling birds, were always seen in the park without cats but were never seen in the park with cats. In addition, over 85 percent of the native deer and harvest mice trapped were in the park without cats, whereas over 75 percent of the house mice (an exotic pest) trapped were in the park with cats.
https://www.denix.osd.mil/denix/Public/ES-Programs/Conservation/Legacy/SafeCats/faq_commanders.html
Saturday, December 16, 2006
A cat (A Poem)
She had a name among the children;
But no one loved though someone owned
Her, locked her out of doors at bedtime
And had her kittens duly drowned.
In Spring, nevertheless, this cat
Ate blackbirds, thrushes, nightingales,
And birds of bright voice and plume and flight,
As well as scraps from neighbours’ pails.
I loathed and hated her for this;
One speckle on a thrush’s breast
Was worth a million such; and yet
She lived long, till God gave her rest.
Edward Thomas
Born 1878, killed in the battle of Arras-
Easter Monday, 9 April 1917
But no one loved though someone owned
Her, locked her out of doors at bedtime
And had her kittens duly drowned.
In Spring, nevertheless, this cat
Ate blackbirds, thrushes, nightingales,
And birds of bright voice and plume and flight,
As well as scraps from neighbours’ pails.
I loathed and hated her for this;
One speckle on a thrush’s breast
Was worth a million such; and yet
She lived long, till God gave her rest.
Edward Thomas
Born 1878, killed in the battle of Arras-
Easter Monday, 9 April 1917
The Myth of a Vaccuum a Euthanized Cat Leaves...
A Friend wrote saying he'd read an article saying each feral cat running loose in the wild and euthanized left an opening for another cat to appear, so the best thing to do was to neuter them and release them at the same location to reclaim its spot. After I stopped laughing hysterically I wrote him back saying he'd been duped by one of the many myths created by the trap, neuter, abandon feral and roaming cat enablers.
I asked him to think about this logically for a moment. Yes, the destructive alien cat left a vaccuum in our environment, but it was soon reclaimed by our natural fauna and natural predators!
I asked him to think about this logically for a moment. Yes, the destructive alien cat left a vaccuum in our environment, but it was soon reclaimed by our natural fauna and natural predators!
Friday, December 15, 2006
Rabies cases in cats continue to be more than twice as numerous as those in dogs or cattle.
Rabies cases in cats continue to be more than twice as numerous as those in dogs or cattle.
Rabies cases in cats continue to be more than twice as numerous as those in dogs or cattle. Pennsylvania reported the largest number of rabid domestic animals (46) for any state, followed by New York (43).http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/Epidemiology/Epidemiology.htmBecause more rabies cases are reported annually involving cats (299 in 2002) than dogs, vaccination of cats should be required.http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5309a1.htm
Rabies cases in cats continue to be more than twice as numerous as those in dogs or cattle. Pennsylvania reported the largest number of rabid domestic animals (46) for any state, followed by New York (43).http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/Epidemiology/Epidemiology.htmBecause more rabies cases are reported annually involving cats (299 in 2002) than dogs, vaccination of cats should be required.http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5309a1.htm
Organizations that Oppose TNR
American Bird Conservancy
“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that American Bird Conservancy calls for…humane removal of all free-roaming cats beginning with areas important to wildlife; opposes human behavior permitting cats to roam free;…strongly opposes managed free-roaming cat colonies;…urges local, state, and federal wildlife agencies, public health organizations, legislative bodies and the public to ban and eliminate free-roaming cat colonies through humane capture by animal care and control facilities….”
http://www.abcbirds.org/cats/resolution.pdf
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
“An insignificant percentage of the total number of unowned free-roaming and feral cats are being managed by humane organizations. Consequently, the reduction in the total number of free-roaming cats these programs will effect is insignificant.”
http://www.avma.org/issues/policy/animal_welfare/feral_cats.asp
National Animal Control Association (NACA)“Animal Control Officers should be empowered to remove all feral and unwanted cats from the community.”
http://www.nacanet.org/polferal.htm
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
“Please do not allow the prospect of euthanasia to deter you from trapping cats. If you leave them where they are, they will almost certainly die a painful death. A painless injection is far kinder than any fate that feral cats will meet if left to survive on their own.”
PETA Policy
American Bird Conservancy
“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that American Bird Conservancy calls for…humane removal of all free-roaming cats beginning with areas important to wildlife; opposes human behavior permitting cats to roam free;…strongly opposes managed free-roaming cat colonies;…urges local, state, and federal wildlife agencies, public health organizations, legislative bodies and the public to ban and eliminate free-roaming cat colonies through humane capture by animal care and control facilities….”
http://www.abcbirds.org/cats/resolution.pdf
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
“An insignificant percentage of the total number of unowned free-roaming and feral cats are being managed by humane organizations. Consequently, the reduction in the total number of free-roaming cats these programs will effect is insignificant.”
http://www.avma.org/issues/policy/animal_welfare/feral_cats.asp
National Animal Control Association (NACA)“Animal Control Officers should be empowered to remove all feral and unwanted cats from the community.”
http://www.nacanet.org/polferal.htm
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
“Please do not allow the prospect of euthanasia to deter you from trapping cats. If you leave them where they are, they will almost certainly die a painful death. A painless injection is far kinder than any fate that feral cats will meet if left to survive on their own.”
PETA Policy
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Invasive animals flourish in Hawaii
Pigs, insects and feral cats take hold in ecosystem unprepared to handle them
===============================
At the center of it all are people who need to recognize their mistakes and think more about how to make things better, said Christy Martin, spokeswoman for the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, a partnership that brings together a long list of federal, state and private agencies.
"There's definitely a disconnect between caring for animals and setting up cat feeding stations, and protecting the ones that are native, that are supposed to be there, that need our help definitely more than the cats do," Martin said.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061210/LOCAL17/612100453/-1/ZONES04
===============================
At the center of it all are people who need to recognize their mistakes and think more about how to make things better, said Christy Martin, spokeswoman for the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, a partnership that brings together a long list of federal, state and private agencies.
"There's definitely a disconnect between caring for animals and setting up cat feeding stations, and protecting the ones that are native, that are supposed to be there, that need our help definitely more than the cats do," Martin said.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061210/LOCAL17/612100453/-1/ZONES04
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
U.S. Faces Growing Feral Cat Problem
You may have seen them wandering through parks or languishing behind restaurants. At first, these cats look domesticated. But they're really wild animals.
Feral cats are the offspring of stray or abandoned household pets. Raised without human contact, they quickly revert to a wild state and form colonies wherever food and shelter are available.
Many city and county animal control agencies are mandated only to deal with dogs—not cats. So for decades feral cats have remained untouchable.
Some feline experts now estimate 70 million feral cats live in the United States, the consequence of little effort to control the population and of the cat's ability to reproduce quickly.
The number concerns wildlife and ornithology organizations that believe these stealthy predators decimate bird populations and threaten public health. The organizations want the cats removed from the environment and taken to animal shelters, where they are often killed.
That's caused a chorus of hisses from feral cat advocates who say the cats are unjustly being blamed for killing wildlife. Thousands of volunteers and animal welfare groups throughout the country stepped forward in the early 1990s to control the wild cat population through mass sterilization programs.
Ron Jurek, a wildlife biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game, has kept a close eye on the impact feral and free-roaming domestic cats have on native species, like the California least tern, a federal endangered bird that nests along the coast.
"Cats do kill wildlife to a significant degree, which is not a popular notion with a lot of people," he said.
In urban areas, he said, there are hundreds of cats per square mile (1.6 square kilometers)—more cats than nature can support.
Exact numbers are unknown, but some experts estimate that each year domestic and feral cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion small mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks.
Feline predators are believed to prey on common species, such as cardinals, blue jays, and house wrens, as well as rare and endangered species, such as piping plovers and Florida scrub jays.
For more than ten years, Jurek says, feral and domestic cats have been a persistent problem in California, killing one or two colonies of least terns each year. The small white birds are part of an intense monitoring program with a tremendous number of volunteers who watch the colonies throughout the six-month nesting season.
MORE!
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/09/0907_040907_feralcats.html
Feral cats are the offspring of stray or abandoned household pets. Raised without human contact, they quickly revert to a wild state and form colonies wherever food and shelter are available.
Many city and county animal control agencies are mandated only to deal with dogs—not cats. So for decades feral cats have remained untouchable.
Some feline experts now estimate 70 million feral cats live in the United States, the consequence of little effort to control the population and of the cat's ability to reproduce quickly.
The number concerns wildlife and ornithology organizations that believe these stealthy predators decimate bird populations and threaten public health. The organizations want the cats removed from the environment and taken to animal shelters, where they are often killed.
That's caused a chorus of hisses from feral cat advocates who say the cats are unjustly being blamed for killing wildlife. Thousands of volunteers and animal welfare groups throughout the country stepped forward in the early 1990s to control the wild cat population through mass sterilization programs.
Ron Jurek, a wildlife biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game, has kept a close eye on the impact feral and free-roaming domestic cats have on native species, like the California least tern, a federal endangered bird that nests along the coast.
"Cats do kill wildlife to a significant degree, which is not a popular notion with a lot of people," he said.
In urban areas, he said, there are hundreds of cats per square mile (1.6 square kilometers)—more cats than nature can support.
Exact numbers are unknown, but some experts estimate that each year domestic and feral cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion small mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks.
Feline predators are believed to prey on common species, such as cardinals, blue jays, and house wrens, as well as rare and endangered species, such as piping plovers and Florida scrub jays.
For more than ten years, Jurek says, feral and domestic cats have been a persistent problem in California, killing one or two colonies of least terns each year. The small white birds are part of an intense monitoring program with a tremendous number of volunteers who watch the colonies throughout the six-month nesting season.
MORE!
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/09/0907_040907_feralcats.html
Birders: When Will Congress Control Ferals?
When will our lawmakers outlaw feeding feral colonies and enabling them to predate on our fauna? When will they make roaming cat's owners responsible for their pet's actions?
The answer is NEVER as long as the cat lobbyists are more vocal and organized than we are!
The answer is NEVER as long as the cat lobbyists are more vocal and organized than we are!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Trap, neuter, abandon is morally wrong!
Trap, neuter, abandon, how can anyone defend something so morally and ethically wrong? Those who uphold it are perpetuating the cat's suffering, the fighting and starving.
They say you euthanize a cat and another moves in. I have news for them, that cat did not appear out of nowhere, it left a vaccuum where it had been and perhaps some birds, lizards, and frogs flourished there.
My solution? Face the inevitable. Feral cats will be suffering until we deplete their stocks, their source of supply. Meanwhile they kill our wild fauna by the hundreds of millions.
Prolonging it does nothing except perpetuate the killing.
Cat enablers, give the feral cats and our wildlife a break. Take pity on them. Allow the people who are trained to control them to do so. I know it will end your scenario of being a cat saviour, but it's the morally and ethically right thing to do.
They say you euthanize a cat and another moves in. I have news for them, that cat did not appear out of nowhere, it left a vaccuum where it had been and perhaps some birds, lizards, and frogs flourished there.
My solution? Face the inevitable. Feral cats will be suffering until we deplete their stocks, their source of supply. Meanwhile they kill our wild fauna by the hundreds of millions.
Prolonging it does nothing except perpetuate the killing.
Cat enablers, give the feral cats and our wildlife a break. Take pity on them. Allow the people who are trained to control them to do so. I know it will end your scenario of being a cat saviour, but it's the morally and ethically right thing to do.
Monday, December 11, 2006
I was going to make a poll on TNR but couldn't.
Here's some of the selections I came up with.
Trap, Neuter, Return...
...enables cats to kill millions more birds and displace natural predators.
...allow feral cats to live out their short trauma filled lives. (and kill more birds.)
...Who cares how many birds die as long as the fuzzy kittys are okay?
Trap, Neuter, Return...
...enables cats to kill millions more birds and displace natural predators.
...allow feral cats to live out their short trauma filled lives. (and kill more birds.)
...Who cares how many birds die as long as the fuzzy kittys are okay?
“What does PETA think about trapping, altering, and releasing feral cats?”
Normally I have no use for anything PeTa. I agree with them TNR Programs are not the solution to our feral cat problem.
Sadly, our experiences with trap-alter-and-release programs and “managed” feral cat colonies have led us to question whether these programs are truly in the cats’ best interests. We receive countless reports of incidents in which cats—whether “managed” or not—suffered and died horrible deaths because they were forced to fend for themselves outdoors. Having witnessed firsthand the gruesome things that can happen to feral cats, we cannot, in good conscience, advocate trapping, altering, and releasing as a humane way to deal with overpopulation.
Advocates argue that feral cats are just as deserving as other felines and that it is our responsibility to alleviate their suffering and ensure their safety. We absolutely agree. It is precisely because we would never encourage anyone to let their own cats outdoors to roam that we do not encourage the same for feral cats. In fact, the act of releasing a feral cat is, in the eyes of the law, abandonment and is illegal in many areas.
http://peta.org/about/faq-comp.asp
Sadly, our experiences with trap-alter-and-release programs and “managed” feral cat colonies have led us to question whether these programs are truly in the cats’ best interests. We receive countless reports of incidents in which cats—whether “managed” or not—suffered and died horrible deaths because they were forced to fend for themselves outdoors. Having witnessed firsthand the gruesome things that can happen to feral cats, we cannot, in good conscience, advocate trapping, altering, and releasing as a humane way to deal with overpopulation.
Advocates argue that feral cats are just as deserving as other felines and that it is our responsibility to alleviate their suffering and ensure their safety. We absolutely agree. It is precisely because we would never encourage anyone to let their own cats outdoors to roam that we do not encourage the same for feral cats. In fact, the act of releasing a feral cat is, in the eyes of the law, abandonment and is illegal in many areas.
http://peta.org/about/faq-comp.asp
Sunday, December 10, 2006
I'd like to welcome our visitors.
I'd like to welcome our visitors, especially any of you who are bird enthusiasts. Welcome to my humble forum. :-)
My post from another site. Their posts left out...
I beg to differ with you, my Friend, and we are all Friends, aren't we? We are here discussing the welfare of our native birds, a national treasure that we hope to preserve for all our descendants.
1. Yes, the feral cat problem in the US may be of a different order compared to there in the UK.
2. No, to "Killing the cats is pointless as it merely releases another territorial space which will be filled - and it's cruel."
Cats are displacing our natural predators here in the United States, and probably in the UK. Is it noble and moral to enable and protect an alien/feral animal while native raptor clutches and fox kits starve? Those aliens (cats) are in direct competition with our natural predators, and thousands of their enablers are feeding them daily.
I am all for ending their suffering. It is their enablers who prolong it. What have "no kill" shelters accomplished except for increasing the number of millions of feral cat deaths and native fauna deaths? It's damnably unfortunate and I regret it, but I will choose the life of a bird that belongs here over the life of an alien species any day. I did not build this wreck. The irresponsible pet owners and enablers did.
Well, my Friend, perhaps our birds and other wildlife could have survived the encroachment of humans. I don't know. I do know alien/feral cats are killing them by the millions, perhaps billions. I don't see that as helpful to their survival.
Uh... you want to catch the cats, spend money on their vet treatments to ensure their health and release them to either die in the wild or kill hundreds more native birds and animals each while displacing our natural predators? That is far from an ideal solution and illogical in my opinion, my Friend.
That is precisely the outcome I foresee as long as we continue to make excuses, dodge our responsibility to our ecology, and enable alien invaders.
1. Yes, the feral cat problem in the US may be of a different order compared to there in the UK.
2. No, to "Killing the cats is pointless as it merely releases another territorial space which will be filled - and it's cruel."
Cats are displacing our natural predators here in the United States, and probably in the UK. Is it noble and moral to enable and protect an alien/feral animal while native raptor clutches and fox kits starve? Those aliens (cats) are in direct competition with our natural predators, and thousands of their enablers are feeding them daily.
I am all for ending their suffering. It is their enablers who prolong it. What have "no kill" shelters accomplished except for increasing the number of millions of feral cat deaths and native fauna deaths? It's damnably unfortunate and I regret it, but I will choose the life of a bird that belongs here over the life of an alien species any day. I did not build this wreck. The irresponsible pet owners and enablers did.
Well, my Friend, perhaps our birds and other wildlife could have survived the encroachment of humans. I don't know. I do know alien/feral cats are killing them by the millions, perhaps billions. I don't see that as helpful to their survival.
Uh... you want to catch the cats, spend money on their vet treatments to ensure their health and release them to either die in the wild or kill hundreds more native birds and animals each while displacing our natural predators? That is far from an ideal solution and illogical in my opinion, my Friend.
That is precisely the outcome I foresee as long as we continue to make excuses, dodge our responsibility to our ecology, and enable alien invaders.
Why do feral cat enablers value cat's lives over bird's?
What is it about feral alien cats that have no, zero, zilch, niche in our ecosystem that causes some people to value their lives over our natural fauna that do?
Oh yes, it's the cuddle factor. I wish long lives for every feral cat enabler. May you live long lives, long enough to wake up one morning to silence and realize your feral cats have helped silence our bird's songs.
Oh yes, it's the cuddle factor. I wish long lives for every feral cat enabler. May you live long lives, long enough to wake up one morning to silence and realize your feral cats have helped silence our bird's songs.
STUDY FINDS FERAL CAT COLONIES THREATEN ENDANGERED SPECIES
So... should we perpetuate the killing or act responsibly and vigorously to eliminate it once and for all?
STUDY FINDS FERAL CAT COLONIES THREATEN ENDANGERED SPECIES -- With four million to six million unwanted animals-mostly cats-put to sleep each year in the United States, some people might consider it more humane to free the felines into the wild. But as these cats forage for food and establish their territories, they kill more than a billion small mammals and birds each year, many of which are threatened or endangered, a University of Florida study shows. Feral cats spread diseases-rabies in particular-that can also kill wildlife, according to John Cely, wildlife biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Section. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that rabies is more than twice as common in cats as it is in dogs or cattle, and cats have the highest incidence of rabies among domestic species.
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/jun0704.html
STUDY FINDS FERAL CAT COLONIES THREATEN ENDANGERED SPECIES -- With four million to six million unwanted animals-mostly cats-put to sleep each year in the United States, some people might consider it more humane to free the felines into the wild. But as these cats forage for food and establish their territories, they kill more than a billion small mammals and birds each year, many of which are threatened or endangered, a University of Florida study shows. Feral cats spread diseases-rabies in particular-that can also kill wildlife, according to John Cely, wildlife biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Section. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that rabies is more than twice as common in cats as it is in dogs or cattle, and cats have the highest incidence of rabies among domestic species.
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/jun0704.html
Saturday, December 9, 2006
Sadly, the "No Kill" agenda perpetuates itself.
It used to be animals that were abandoned, abused, and unwanted were all euthanized. That's a pragmatic approach, and effective. Opponents say it's heartless, but how many abandoned, abused, and unwanted pets do you want to care for personally? Let's get personal here. If you advocate the "No Kill" agenda you should cowboy up and care for your fair share of those abandoned, abused, and unwanted pets.Perhaps you have twenty-five or thirty feral cats or dogs in a barn you feed, water, clean up after and provide medical care for. If so, I'll nominate you for Sainthood.
But... There's always a but, isn't there? Or, perhaps you'd rather call me a butt? I'm sorry, I'd rather call myself a realist. There are only a finite number of caring homes for abandoned, abused, and unwanted pets, then what do you do?
Do you hoard them in your house and become the dreaded "CAT COLLECTOR", or do you simply turn them loose to predate on our already threatened native wildlife? That's when the "No Kill" agenda perpetuates itself and becomes exponential. I'm an advocate of responsibly handling those abandoned, abused, and unwanted pets once and for all instead of perpetuating the problem. There are many more millions of pets suffering a sad fate yearly now than when ending the problem responsibly was a dreaded but accepted fact.
But... There's always a but, isn't there? Or, perhaps you'd rather call me a butt? I'm sorry, I'd rather call myself a realist. There are only a finite number of caring homes for abandoned, abused, and unwanted pets, then what do you do?
Do you hoard them in your house and become the dreaded "CAT COLLECTOR", or do you simply turn them loose to predate on our already threatened native wildlife? That's when the "No Kill" agenda perpetuates itself and becomes exponential. I'm an advocate of responsibly handling those abandoned, abused, and unwanted pets once and for all instead of perpetuating the problem. There are many more millions of pets suffering a sad fate yearly now than when ending the problem responsibly was a dreaded but accepted fact.
Understanding the Cuddle Factor
Here's a site you may or may not agree with. The "cuddle factor" affects some cat lovers, too. It affects many logical people who'd otherwise demand the elimination of feral cats for their devastating predation on our bird populations. Can you say enablers?
People are readily drawn to red foxes—those dainty, furry animals with endearing faces. Some people are struck by their smallness and others are engaged by their intelligent or inquisitive eyes. Whether this is labeled anthropomorphic (ascribing human traits to an animal), a subjective response, or just plain "cuddle factor," people respond to warm, furry animals. Show people pictures of a red fox and a drab, but endangered, chicken-sized bird and most will immediately respond to the fox.
It is natural for people to react emotionally to wildlife. Wildlife managers also respond with feelings to the natural world and is likely one of the reasons they have chosen their profession. But because it is their mission to protect all fish, wildlife, and native ecosystems, they must temper their feelings with good science and consistent management ethics, a tough path where there is often little room to indulge the cuddle factor.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/species/nuis_exo/red_fox/redfox_brocher.shtml
People are readily drawn to red foxes—those dainty, furry animals with endearing faces. Some people are struck by their smallness and others are engaged by their intelligent or inquisitive eyes. Whether this is labeled anthropomorphic (ascribing human traits to an animal), a subjective response, or just plain "cuddle factor," people respond to warm, furry animals. Show people pictures of a red fox and a drab, but endangered, chicken-sized bird and most will immediately respond to the fox.
It is natural for people to react emotionally to wildlife. Wildlife managers also respond with feelings to the natural world and is likely one of the reasons they have chosen their profession. But because it is their mission to protect all fish, wildlife, and native ecosystems, they must temper their feelings with good science and consistent management ethics, a tough path where there is often little room to indulge the cuddle factor.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/species/nuis_exo/red_fox/redfox_brocher.shtml
$17 billion tabby tab
Here's one of my favorite references on the topic of alien and/or feral invaders and their enablers.
David Pimentel, editor; Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Cornell Cooperative Extension.
$17 billion tabby tab
There's just one hitch in the scheme to control nuisance birds with the introduced cat corps: Only a minority of birds killed every year by cats in the United States are the wily starlings and house sparrows. Many more victims are the native songbirds and neotropical migrants, the colorful little ones that fly north to the United States and Canada each spring to nest and try to keep their dwindling populations alive.
Placing an admittedly arbitrary value of $30 on each slain songbird, "Biological Invasions" editor David Pimentel sets the cat-killed tally at $17 billion a year. That doesn't count, he notes, all the native small mammals, amphibians and reptiles killed by feral cats and outdoor pet cats.
(Sources: "Biological Invasions: Economic and Environmental Costs of Alien Plant, Animal and Microbe Species," David Pimentel, editor; Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Cornell Cooperative Extension.)
http://www.news.cornell.edu/release...vaders.hrs.html
__________________
David Pimentel, editor; Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Cornell Cooperative Extension.
$17 billion tabby tab
There's just one hitch in the scheme to control nuisance birds with the introduced cat corps: Only a minority of birds killed every year by cats in the United States are the wily starlings and house sparrows. Many more victims are the native songbirds and neotropical migrants, the colorful little ones that fly north to the United States and Canada each spring to nest and try to keep their dwindling populations alive.
Placing an admittedly arbitrary value of $30 on each slain songbird, "Biological Invasions" editor David Pimentel sets the cat-killed tally at $17 billion a year. That doesn't count, he notes, all the native small mammals, amphibians and reptiles killed by feral cats and outdoor pet cats.
(Sources: "Biological Invasions: Economic and Environmental Costs of Alien Plant, Animal and Microbe Species," David Pimentel, editor; Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Cornell Cooperative Extension.)
http://www.news.cornell.edu/release...vaders.hrs.html
__________________
Friday, December 8, 2006
Cats (National Audubon Society)
At the most recent meeting of the National Audubon Society Board of Directors, the cat issue was addressed both as a policy matter and because some Audubon chapters have become involved in the issue in their local communities. After lengthy discussion, the Board voted to adopt a resolution regarding the cat issue. It took the following salient and science-based points into consideration before passing the resolution:
Feral and free-ranging cats kill millions of native birds and other small animals annually;
Birds constitute approximately 20%-30% of the prey of feral and free-ranging domestic cats;
The American Ornithologists' Union, American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc., and the Cooper Ornithological Society have concluded that feral, homeless, lost, abandoned, or free-ranging domestic cats are proven to have serious negative impacts on bird populations, and have contributed to the decline of many bird species. Worldwide, cats may have been involved in the extinction of more bird species than any other cause, except habitat destruction;
Feral cat colony management programs known by the acronym TTVNR (Trapped, Tested, Vaccinated, Neutered, Released) are not effective solutions to the problem. In fact, these cat colonies are usually fed by very well-meaning cat welfare groups. The unnatural colonies form around food sources and grow to the limits of the food supply. Feeding these strays does not prevent them from hunting; it only maintains high densities of cats that dramatically increase predation on and competition with native wildlife populations;
Free-roaming cats are likely to come in contact with rabid wild animals and thus spread the disease to people. They pose a risk to the general public through transmission of other diseases like toxoplasmosis, feline leukemia, distemper, and roundworm.
The resolution approved by the Board states that the Society will convey these science-based conclusions to Audubon chapters so that they will be in a position to work constructively on this issue, if they wish. Audubon will also work with scientific, conservation, and animal welfare communities to educate the public about the dangers that feral and free-roaming cats pose to birds and other native wildlife. It will also work on this issue with federal wildlife agencies, public health organizations, and legislative bodies as it decides are appropriate.
The National Audubon Society advocates responsible ownership of all pets.
MORE
http://www.audubon.org/local/cn/98march/cats.html
Feral and free-ranging cats kill millions of native birds and other small animals annually;
Birds constitute approximately 20%-30% of the prey of feral and free-ranging domestic cats;
The American Ornithologists' Union, American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc., and the Cooper Ornithological Society have concluded that feral, homeless, lost, abandoned, or free-ranging domestic cats are proven to have serious negative impacts on bird populations, and have contributed to the decline of many bird species. Worldwide, cats may have been involved in the extinction of more bird species than any other cause, except habitat destruction;
Feral cat colony management programs known by the acronym TTVNR (Trapped, Tested, Vaccinated, Neutered, Released) are not effective solutions to the problem. In fact, these cat colonies are usually fed by very well-meaning cat welfare groups. The unnatural colonies form around food sources and grow to the limits of the food supply. Feeding these strays does not prevent them from hunting; it only maintains high densities of cats that dramatically increase predation on and competition with native wildlife populations;
Free-roaming cats are likely to come in contact with rabid wild animals and thus spread the disease to people. They pose a risk to the general public through transmission of other diseases like toxoplasmosis, feline leukemia, distemper, and roundworm.
The resolution approved by the Board states that the Society will convey these science-based conclusions to Audubon chapters so that they will be in a position to work constructively on this issue, if they wish. Audubon will also work with scientific, conservation, and animal welfare communities to educate the public about the dangers that feral and free-roaming cats pose to birds and other native wildlife. It will also work on this issue with federal wildlife agencies, public health organizations, and legislative bodies as it decides are appropriate.
The National Audubon Society advocates responsible ownership of all pets.
MORE
http://www.audubon.org/local/cn/98march/cats.html
Are you a National Audubon Society Member?
Are you a National Audubon Society Member? If not, why not? The Audubon Society is the most effective advocate of our birds in existence today, and we'll be stronger if you join us!
Please join.
http://www.joinaudubon.org/
Please join.
http://www.joinaudubon.org/
Thursday, December 7, 2006
Bird extermination enablers and how to spot them.
I am often amazed at the ability of some animal lovers to adore one species of animal while remaining oblivious to the welfare of others. This is seldom more frustrating to me than when exhibited by the more rabid of the cat fanciers.
I have pointed out to them numerous times the damage roaming and feral cats do to our native fauna. I support this, when needed, with quotes and estimates from ecologists and biologists with unimpeachable credentials.
The cat enablers sometimes rationalize this with the explanation they use trap, neuter, and release (to kill hundreds more birds). They are in essence ensuring the feral cat will spend less time breeding and more time killing our native fauna! Can you say enablers?
I have pointed out to them numerous times the damage roaming and feral cats do to our native fauna. I support this, when needed, with quotes and estimates from ecologists and biologists with unimpeachable credentials.
The cat enablers sometimes rationalize this with the explanation they use trap, neuter, and release (to kill hundreds more birds). They are in essence ensuring the feral cat will spend less time breeding and more time killing our native fauna! Can you say enablers?
Are there responsible Cat Fanciers? Yes!
Are there responsible Cat Fanciers? Yes, very much so! I've found one in particular who has a colony of cats she restricts indoors. This is because she once made the terrible mistake of allowing them to roam. As the years went by she saw less and less wildlife on her property and the bird's songs were silenced. She began researching and found our fauna evolved skills to survive attacks by our native predators, but were particularly vulnerable to feral and roaming cats. She explains it much better than I can. Here's her site url.
http://www.matrifocus.com/LAM02/earth.htm
http://www.matrifocus.com/LAM02/earth.htm
Efforts to shoo away pigeons spur flap at courthouse
By Kevin Deutsch
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
WEST PALM BEACH — If Marvin the Falcon becomes more picky about his prey, you can blame the hallucinogenic corn.
For 10 years, pest control workers have fed the pesky pigeons that roost on the courthouse roof kernels of corn mixed with a hallucinogenic agent designed to scare them away.
The drug debate
Avitrol repels birds by affecting a few members of a flock, causing them to flap their wings, vocalize and convulse.
Their distress signals other birds to leave the site.
Audubon Society officials have said Avitrol can cause the deaths of birds of prey if they ingest carcasses of affected birds.
Some courthouse workers are worried the chemical could hurt or even kill Marvin, a pigeon-eating peregrine falcon that has become the "mascot" of the courthouse's 11th floor.
"He's such a beautiful bird, and I'm hoping it won't affect him," said Rick Hussey, the court operations manager. "He's about a foot tall, and bulky. He gets real close, stays up there all day hunting for pigeons and different things. It's such a nice sight to see, especially at work. We don't want to lose him."
Some call the falcon Marvin in honor of the late Judge Marvin Mounts, whose old courtroom is closest to the 11th-floor ledge where the falcon resides. Marvin occasionally leaves behind a pigeon carcass or two, Hussey said, and his eating exploits commonly draw crowds that include courthouse deputies, a bailiff and Judge Edward Garrison.
"We're all fans of his," Hussey said. "If he eats pigeons who eat this stuff, what happens to him?"
The chemically laced feed is put on the courthouse rooftop once a month. It has reduced the number of "nuisance" pigeons known to leave droppings and attract rats, said Horst Haeusser, facilities manager at the downtown governmental center.
Haeusser said he thinks the corn is treated with 4-Aminopyridine, commonly marketed as Avitrol, which has been banned in several cities. Officials with Avitrol Corp. could not be reached for comment.
The use of Avitrol has drawn criticism from bird advocates. Avitrol-treated corn bait affects a few members of a flock, and their distress signals other birds to leave the site.
Birds that react and alarm a flock usually die, and other wildlife feeding on the corn also may be killed, the product label says.
Audubon Society officials have said Avitrol can cause the deaths of birds of prey - including peregrine falcons - if they ingest carcasses of birds that consumed it.
Haeusser said his department contracts with Tomasello Pest Control to put the corn on the rooftop of the courthouse.
"We've looked at it, and it's safe as far as we can tell," Haeusser said. "It's really just to scare the birds away. We do have pigeons that roost there, but we're trying to keep the numbers down."
Haeusser has noticed the falcon and always thought the pigeon remains he had seen on the roof were the work of Marvin, not the hallucinogenic agent.
"We're not trying to hurt the falcon," Haeusser said. "We're all for him."
When the pigeon problem arose a decade ago, other deterrents, including metal spikes, were tried with little success. The hallucinogenic corn was the "only one that really worked," Haeusser said.
Haeusser says his department has no plans to discontinue its use.
"I just hope they consider that bird," Hussey said. "I would hate to see him go away."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2006/11/14/m1a_pigeons_1114.html
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
WEST PALM BEACH — If Marvin the Falcon becomes more picky about his prey, you can blame the hallucinogenic corn.
For 10 years, pest control workers have fed the pesky pigeons that roost on the courthouse roof kernels of corn mixed with a hallucinogenic agent designed to scare them away.
The drug debate
Avitrol repels birds by affecting a few members of a flock, causing them to flap their wings, vocalize and convulse.
Their distress signals other birds to leave the site.
Audubon Society officials have said Avitrol can cause the deaths of birds of prey if they ingest carcasses of affected birds.
Some courthouse workers are worried the chemical could hurt or even kill Marvin, a pigeon-eating peregrine falcon that has become the "mascot" of the courthouse's 11th floor.
"He's such a beautiful bird, and I'm hoping it won't affect him," said Rick Hussey, the court operations manager. "He's about a foot tall, and bulky. He gets real close, stays up there all day hunting for pigeons and different things. It's such a nice sight to see, especially at work. We don't want to lose him."
Some call the falcon Marvin in honor of the late Judge Marvin Mounts, whose old courtroom is closest to the 11th-floor ledge where the falcon resides. Marvin occasionally leaves behind a pigeon carcass or two, Hussey said, and his eating exploits commonly draw crowds that include courthouse deputies, a bailiff and Judge Edward Garrison.
"We're all fans of his," Hussey said. "If he eats pigeons who eat this stuff, what happens to him?"
The chemically laced feed is put on the courthouse rooftop once a month. It has reduced the number of "nuisance" pigeons known to leave droppings and attract rats, said Horst Haeusser, facilities manager at the downtown governmental center.
Haeusser said he thinks the corn is treated with 4-Aminopyridine, commonly marketed as Avitrol, which has been banned in several cities. Officials with Avitrol Corp. could not be reached for comment.
The use of Avitrol has drawn criticism from bird advocates. Avitrol-treated corn bait affects a few members of a flock, and their distress signals other birds to leave the site.
Birds that react and alarm a flock usually die, and other wildlife feeding on the corn also may be killed, the product label says.
Audubon Society officials have said Avitrol can cause the deaths of birds of prey - including peregrine falcons - if they ingest carcasses of birds that consumed it.
Haeusser said his department contracts with Tomasello Pest Control to put the corn on the rooftop of the courthouse.
"We've looked at it, and it's safe as far as we can tell," Haeusser said. "It's really just to scare the birds away. We do have pigeons that roost there, but we're trying to keep the numbers down."
Haeusser has noticed the falcon and always thought the pigeon remains he had seen on the roof were the work of Marvin, not the hallucinogenic agent.
"We're not trying to hurt the falcon," Haeusser said. "We're all for him."
When the pigeon problem arose a decade ago, other deterrents, including metal spikes, were tried with little success. The hallucinogenic corn was the "only one that really worked," Haeusser said.
Haeusser says his department has no plans to discontinue its use.
"I just hope they consider that bird," Hussey said. "I would hate to see him go away."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2006/11/14/m1a_pigeons_1114.html
Jim and His Concerns Over the Feral Cats.
Galveston Ornithological Society
Cat Case:Legal Defense Fund
In early November, Director Jim Stevenson found a lame feral cat that was hunting endangered Piping Plovers (and other Federally protected species) in the sand dunes at San Luis Pass. For many years, Jim has done everything possible to stop the release of cats in this sensitive area, but to no avail. Unable to catch the cat, and knowing that feral cats are not protected by law, he now stands accused of Felony Animal Cruelty in the alleged shooting of this cat.
If you would like to donate to his legal defense fund, please send your contributions to:
GOSLDF
Rt. 1 Box 185C
Galveston, TX 77554
Your help is appreciated
http://www.galvestonbirders.org/jimstevenson.htm
_________________________________
I understand the frustration Mr. Stevenson feels. I have recently lost several nesting pairs of native birds to the neighbor's colony of feral cats. The cats constantly roam my property hunting and fouling everything with their urine and excrement. I have tried to reason with cat fanciers about the hazards of allowing them to free range, both for the cats and our disappearing wildlife.
Most cat fanciers take the erroneous stance cats are either filling a niche in our ecosystem or their millions of kills are negligible compared to the other pressures on birds. I have no choice but to believe an intense program of trapping and euthanasia is called for if we are to prevent the approaching extinction of many species.
Cat Case:Legal Defense Fund
In early November, Director Jim Stevenson found a lame feral cat that was hunting endangered Piping Plovers (and other Federally protected species) in the sand dunes at San Luis Pass. For many years, Jim has done everything possible to stop the release of cats in this sensitive area, but to no avail. Unable to catch the cat, and knowing that feral cats are not protected by law, he now stands accused of Felony Animal Cruelty in the alleged shooting of this cat.
If you would like to donate to his legal defense fund, please send your contributions to:
GOSLDF
Rt. 1 Box 185C
Galveston, TX 77554
Your help is appreciated
http://www.galvestonbirders.org/jimstevenson.htm
_________________________________
I understand the frustration Mr. Stevenson feels. I have recently lost several nesting pairs of native birds to the neighbor's colony of feral cats. The cats constantly roam my property hunting and fouling everything with their urine and excrement. I have tried to reason with cat fanciers about the hazards of allowing them to free range, both for the cats and our disappearing wildlife.
Most cat fanciers take the erroneous stance cats are either filling a niche in our ecosystem or their millions of kills are negligible compared to the other pressures on birds. I have no choice but to believe an intense program of trapping and euthanasia is called for if we are to prevent the approaching extinction of many species.
An indoor cat, is a safe and ecologically neutral cat.
An indoor cat, is a safe and ecologically neutral cat, an outdoor cat, is a killer.
Does Felis silvestris catus have a niche in nature?
Does Felis silvestris catus have a niche in nature? No, they don't, their ancestors lived in parts of Europe, Africa and western Asia where they evolved but they've been
They are alien invaders everywhere else and threaten all native species of fauna they prey on.
They are alien invaders everywhere else and threaten all native species of fauna they prey on.
Mongrel invasion: Residents report cat-killing canines in Paradise Park.
DOH! You don't suppose it may have occured to any of these kitty lovers to keep their precious cats inside? How much would you wager they care not a wit how many of our native animals said cats have torn apart?
Mongrel invasion: Residents report cat-killing canines in Paradise Park. As many as 17 cats dead or missing since mixed-breed pack first spotted, residents say.
Nancy Pelletier thought the violent death of her cat, Missy, was an isolated incident.290805
LOCAL NEWS
SavannahNow.com
Nancy Pelletier thought the violent death of her cat, Missy, was an isolated incident.
-->
After 15 months living in Paradise Park, she had never seen a stray dog until one recent morning when she discovered two dogs tearing Missy apart right in her front yard.
The cat died on the way to the veterinarian.
Then the second of her three cats, Robbie, disappeared three days later. Then a feral cat she fed daily went missing.
Now a group of residents are warning other Paradise Park pet owners - and parents - to beware.
Pelletier and about a dozen other residents suspect stray dogs are responsible for the death or disappearance of 17 cats in the southside neighborhood.
Neighbors describe the dogs as about 45 pounds each. Some say one dog is black and one is lightly brindled. Others say the dogs are a more solid gray.
After her feral cat disappeared, Pelletier said her neighbors began sharing similar stores about roaming dogs seen attacking cats. The respiratory therapist for St. Joseph's/Candler Health System posted fliers around the area asking, "Has your cat been killed by dogs or gone missing?"
The response to the fliers was alarming, she said. She compiled a list of at least a dozen callers within the past week who either witnessed or suspect their cat was killed by a loose dog.
"I just feel bad that when Missy got killed I didn't do something then," Pelletier said. "We just didn't imagine that these dogs were out having a killing party."
Dunwoody Street resident Mandy Ownley opened her front door Saturday morning to find two dogs attacking a feral cat she had just had neutered the day before.
Ownley, a volunteer with the nonprofit Coastal Pet Rescue, had locked the cat in a cage overnight where she hoped it would recover from its surgery. Still, the dogs managed to bite the cat's legs off while it was still in the cage.
Animal Control director Lt. Brenda Boulware said Paradise Park's roaming dog problem is "old news."
"We have been over there quite a bit looking for some dogs at large," she said.
But she didn't know about incidents within the past month involving cat deaths, she said.
Dyches Drive neighbors and sisters Renee Smith and Jackie Turner said since May 25 they've witnessed four kitty deaths at the jaws of two mixed breed dogs.
A tabby named Tabitha was the latest victim in their area two weeks ago.
"Since then we've been telling the neighbors to please watch out for the cats," Smith said.
Stories of murderous stray dogs in neighborhoods all over the county reach Dr. Jane Liller's Georgetown veterinary clinic a couple of times a year, she said. Usually, the cat's death is accidental, she said, caused by a dog who got carried away in a chase.
But after examining the mangled body of Ownley's feral cat, Liller said the Paradise Park dogs that killed it are more bloody-thirsty than most.
"This poor kitty was trapped and couldn't get out, and they totally tore the cat to pieces," Liller said. "It's really like they're just out to kill."
Ownley worries that children waiting at bus stops could be at-risk as well.
Smith, Ownley and Pelletier each said they've called Animal Control in recent weeks.
But that's not enough, said Ownley. If the cat-eating dogs are ever to be removed from the area, more residents should be reporting the attacks to Animal Control and contacting city and county officials.
"It's unfortunate that maybe residents have not done exactly the right thing, but my goal is to educate people in Paradise Park about what's happening." -->
http://old.savannahnow.com/stories/083005/3254878.shtml
Mongrel invasion: Residents report cat-killing canines in Paradise Park. As many as 17 cats dead or missing since mixed-breed pack first spotted, residents say.
Nancy Pelletier thought the violent death of her cat, Missy, was an isolated incident.290805
LOCAL NEWS
SavannahNow.com
Nancy Pelletier thought the violent death of her cat, Missy, was an isolated incident.
-->
After 15 months living in Paradise Park, she had never seen a stray dog until one recent morning when she discovered two dogs tearing Missy apart right in her front yard.
The cat died on the way to the veterinarian.
Then the second of her three cats, Robbie, disappeared three days later. Then a feral cat she fed daily went missing.
Now a group of residents are warning other Paradise Park pet owners - and parents - to beware.
Pelletier and about a dozen other residents suspect stray dogs are responsible for the death or disappearance of 17 cats in the southside neighborhood.
Neighbors describe the dogs as about 45 pounds each. Some say one dog is black and one is lightly brindled. Others say the dogs are a more solid gray.
After her feral cat disappeared, Pelletier said her neighbors began sharing similar stores about roaming dogs seen attacking cats. The respiratory therapist for St. Joseph's/Candler Health System posted fliers around the area asking, "Has your cat been killed by dogs or gone missing?"
The response to the fliers was alarming, she said. She compiled a list of at least a dozen callers within the past week who either witnessed or suspect their cat was killed by a loose dog.
"I just feel bad that when Missy got killed I didn't do something then," Pelletier said. "We just didn't imagine that these dogs were out having a killing party."
Dunwoody Street resident Mandy Ownley opened her front door Saturday morning to find two dogs attacking a feral cat she had just had neutered the day before.
Ownley, a volunteer with the nonprofit Coastal Pet Rescue, had locked the cat in a cage overnight where she hoped it would recover from its surgery. Still, the dogs managed to bite the cat's legs off while it was still in the cage.
Animal Control director Lt. Brenda Boulware said Paradise Park's roaming dog problem is "old news."
"We have been over there quite a bit looking for some dogs at large," she said.
But she didn't know about incidents within the past month involving cat deaths, she said.
Dyches Drive neighbors and sisters Renee Smith and Jackie Turner said since May 25 they've witnessed four kitty deaths at the jaws of two mixed breed dogs.
A tabby named Tabitha was the latest victim in their area two weeks ago.
"Since then we've been telling the neighbors to please watch out for the cats," Smith said.
Stories of murderous stray dogs in neighborhoods all over the county reach Dr. Jane Liller's Georgetown veterinary clinic a couple of times a year, she said. Usually, the cat's death is accidental, she said, caused by a dog who got carried away in a chase.
But after examining the mangled body of Ownley's feral cat, Liller said the Paradise Park dogs that killed it are more bloody-thirsty than most.
"This poor kitty was trapped and couldn't get out, and they totally tore the cat to pieces," Liller said. "It's really like they're just out to kill."
Ownley worries that children waiting at bus stops could be at-risk as well.
Smith, Ownley and Pelletier each said they've called Animal Control in recent weeks.
But that's not enough, said Ownley. If the cat-eating dogs are ever to be removed from the area, more residents should be reporting the attacks to Animal Control and contacting city and county officials.
"It's unfortunate that maybe residents have not done exactly the right thing, but my goal is to educate people in Paradise Park about what's happening." -->
http://old.savannahnow.com/stories/083005/3254878.shtml
Anthropomorphism: definition and deadly results!
"Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena."
"Cats are cuddly, fuzzy wuzzy little dears."
Anthropomorphism, be damned. The feral cat is an efficient alien predator and is eating its way through fragile ecosystems around the world. Here's the url of a former cat lady who confirms it. She keeps her fuzzy wuzzys inside now after they decimated the wildlife on her farm. Please spread the word.
http://www.matrifocus.com/LAM02/earth.htm
"Cats are cuddly, fuzzy wuzzy little dears."
Anthropomorphism, be damned. The feral cat is an efficient alien predator and is eating its way through fragile ecosystems around the world. Here's the url of a former cat lady who confirms it. She keeps her fuzzy wuzzys inside now after they decimated the wildlife on her farm. Please spread the word.
http://www.matrifocus.com/LAM02/earth.htm
Preserve our Vanishing Wildlife!
Americans are going to have to wake up and become more vocal and dedicated at protecting our wild fauna than the feral cat enablers are at allowing cats to kill them. Pet kittys are cute, yes, but a feral cat munching on a clutch of a threatened bird species is not!
Trap, neuter, release programs produce a healthier, more efficient killing machine. All they are doing is enabling the cats in their destruction. TNR enthusiasts claim if you remove one cat from our ecology another moves in.
Okay, no problem, I remove that killer, too. I take them to control facilities and they are out of our ecology and no longer killing our wildlife. Do most of them die? Probably so, but that's not my responsibility. I feel my responsibility is to protect the wildlife that belong here! Euthanasia of the millions of feral cats now killing billions of our native animals each year is the only logical and effective answer.
Trap, neuter, release programs produce a healthier, more efficient killing machine. All they are doing is enabling the cats in their destruction. TNR enthusiasts claim if you remove one cat from our ecology another moves in.
Okay, no problem, I remove that killer, too. I take them to control facilities and they are out of our ecology and no longer killing our wildlife. Do most of them die? Probably so, but that's not my responsibility. I feel my responsibility is to protect the wildlife that belong here! Euthanasia of the millions of feral cats now killing billions of our native animals each year is the only logical and effective answer.
Keywords I'm using...
Audubon, bird, birding, birds, cat, cats, cats indoors, conservation, ecology, environment, euthanasia, extinction, feline, feral, feral cat, feral cat attack, feral cat information, feral cats, ferals, invasive species, national geographic, nature, photography, predator, Predator Watch, rabies, tnr, wildlife,
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
