Should domestic cats be eradicated to protect wildlife?

I would about go to war to protect cats as a species.

IMO anyone that would come up with an idea to kill all the cats is just evil.

Cats have lived with people for how long now?
And suddenly someone thinks they should all die? Or at least the feral ones?

I am so mad at these ferals that keep getting into my trash. It breaks my heart to take them off but I have to do what I have to do. They bother my chickens and will bring the coyotes to my home that could bother my own animals.

I have an idiot neighbor that thinks kittens are cute but not cats....so he keeps them until they are cats and start scratching his stuff, then out they go to become ferals, and the ferals have had ferals. Then some other dufus put a liter of teeny kittens and mom out not far from here- probably thought since there was a country club some rich person might take them home. Uh, no. We tried to catch them but could not. I was going to tame them a bit and take them to the pound. Several just went missing, probably the hawks...

I took 3 of them off last week to the pound. Hated to do it. I only saw one get adopted.

Some more came up and got into my garbage 2-3 days ago.
I have traps set so I can take them too if they will get in it. They seem to know all about traps.

The coyotes will come back in the spring and take care of them the hard way.

I have 2 in the house and they STAY in the house. One of them was one of these stray kittens.

All it takes is a dufus with a unfixed mama cat that puts her out... My neighborhood is unlucky enough to have one do it about once a year.

That's NOT a cat problem - they suffer because of their nature - that is a people problem.

reply to post by ollncasino


not sure about NZ, but in West Texas our feral cats are important. While they may be a nuisance, they keep the rattler population under control, saving countless lives (typically meaning less dead children from rattler bite).

After having lived with cats for many decades i have come to the conclusion they ought to be, for the most part, inside animals. (Barn cats on farms a duly noted exception). It's safer for everyone, including the cats. Problem solved.

Originally posted by schuyler
After having lived with cats for many decades i have come to the conclusion they ought to be, for the most part, inside animals. (Barn cats on farms a duly noted exception). It's safer for everyone, including the cats. Problem solved.

No. How long have domestic cats been around? We really don't know exactly when they arrived on the scene. I think these little predators will be here long after we have been eradicated. I find that their gracefull little killers. No different than the big boys in their social structure. Quite the natural predator, and very damn good for your stress level.

reply to post by SheeplFlavoredAgain


Good post.
You are correct, we ingest pathogens every day, and usually they do not kill us. Our stomach acid kills the majority of them, then our immune system generally takes care of the few that make it through unscathed.

I am sure that you are correct, I am biased because of my experiences with cats.

I have been in homes with multiple cats that had I not laid eyes on a cat... I wouldn't have known they were there. That was because of fastidious housekeeping and litter choice.

I I find cats to be a bit gross, but I certainly won't refuse to visit a home where they are present.

I have box trapped strays and taken them to the Animal Rescue League, as they were digging in my freshly planted garden and they don't belong outdoors anyway IMO. Removing them from nature also reduces the spread of rabies.

A star on your post.

Originally posted by butcherguy

Originally posted by Beast Of Gevaudan

Originally posted by butcherguy
reply to post by HelenConway

 

This is a non argument against cats,

Correct.
Most people that bring the point up would not tolerate the filthy things living in their house, so it is really a non- argument. The people that love cats that much don't care if it is filthy in their house.

This is one of the dumbest comments I've ever read! Domestic cats, as opposed to strays, are generally clean. I don't know what rock you've been living under but most people don't let stray animals into their home.

You don't have to like cats, but get a clue before making a comment in future.

Coming from a person that agrees with keeping an animal in their house that craps in a box, that really hurts.

Think about this: Restaurants (in most developed countries that have sanitary regulations) are not allowed to keep pets in the restaurant. (One exception would be guide animals.)

Why do you suppose that would be?

Um, how hard is it to empty out the kitty litter? You crap in a box don't you? It's called a toilet, you don't leave your waste sitting there do you?

Those regulation don't just apply to cats now do they?

reply to post by FlyingFox


Bravo! Bravo!

Haven't seen a decent Simpsons meme in a long time.

nah not to protect wildlife,

just kill them because they suck ^^


just kidding i hate cats so i cannot give a valid imput haha. but i think they should only be put down when they have become the dominant species, aka packs of 10-100 cats roaming the streets.


in another idea, why kill them at all, round them up and bring them to states/counties that have huge rodent problems,(new york subway) when rodents disapear, drop them off in a new town and continue.

win win for both parties, even that cat haters like me ^^

Originally posted by HelenConway

what about men who wipe their bum and then stick their hands in the communal peanut jar on the bar. It has been proven that these peanut jars are full of faeces. Most people do not wash their hands adequately and carry faecal matter on their hands.

Tests have shown men are worse then women at this. This is a non argument against cats,

I laughed out loud and just about threw up in my mouth at the same time. Too good. I needed that laugh, thank you.

It's true. We can complain about how "filthy" animals are all day long but humans can be just as filthy if not worse at times.
I've had cats just about half my life and have not contracted anything from them thus far. I mean really, they have been mainly outdoor cats. We're all perfectly fine in this household.

Another thing to note, you can train cats to go outside and not have to worry about a litter box. Before we were married, my husband had two cats that went outside to do their duty, no litter box.

reply to post by ~widowmaker~


But...but...



How can you hate that face?!

reply to post by butcherguy


A star to you too for meeting me more than halfway. This is the way I think it should be on ATS, where we can come in with our different experiences and use them to move us forward examining the problems and mysteries that confound us all, not bind us in set positions against one another, as too often seems to happen. Thank you.

After reading this thread, when I get home tonight I'm putting collars (with bells) on our two cats.

second line to add that they will then be noticably a pet cat, and also less likely to catch the wild bird life.

and yes, feral cats should be eradicated as much as possible from New Zealand.

Originally posted by CrastneyJPR
After reading this thread, when I get home tonight I'm putting collars (with bells) on our two cats.

second line to add that they will then be noticably a pet cat, and also less likely to catch the wild bird life.

and yes, feral cats should be eradicated as much as possible from New Zealand.

edit on 5-2-2013 by CrastneyJPR because: edit to add

This is one of the best posts on the thread yet!
Saves the wildlife and protects your cat.
Adding a name tag on the collar would be a good idea, if you don't have one already.

Cats are important in keeping vermin levels down. They catch a lot of mice and rats which would run riot without them. Birds learn and will move on or learn to keep out of harms way over the course of several generations. Those that are claimed to have been eradicated by cats must have already been a weak and dwindling species. Just because they have disappeared from an area, doesn't mean that they are extinct.

With people who think cats are dirty, yes they carry certain less favourable bacteria but you would be hard pushed to find a cat that carries as many diseases and bacteria as a dog. THEY are filthy animals. and they smell too. If a cat is happy and well looked after, they learn where they can and can't go, they are intelligent and recognise patterns. If you stare at a cat and tell it 'NO' in a loud stern voice it will usually stop what it is doing and scuttle off with a sulk and eventually will associate this strange human behaviour with what it was doing and not do it in future (i.e jumping onto kitchen surfaces/ tables etc.

For those that think cats should be kept indoors, this is purely selfish from the owners point of view as they think that their moggy is safer that way. Yes it is safer but would you keep your children indoors all their lives because outside is dangerous? No, get them vaccinated, get a bell on their collar and they will love a happy and fulfilled life. They need the excersise and they need the outdoor experience to keep their minds active and stimulated. Plus, who wants a dirty litter tray spreading germs around the home. Litter trays should only be used for cats that are sick and can't go out or too young. They will generally find a quiet spot under a bush or in the corner of a garden where it won't bother anybody. Granted sometimes they do it in the middle of the lawn. These cats should be drenched with water, not killed!

To the OP and everyone that agrees that cats should be eradicated, get over yourselves. Humans are far more destructive to the planet than cats. How many species have cats made extinct?? Then count how many humans have wiped out...now, which of the two species would the planet be better off without? Now, how would you like to dispatch yourself?

Originally posted by ~widowmaker~
nah not to protect wildlife,

just kill them because they suck ^^


just kidding i hate cats so i cannot give a valid imput haha. but i think they should only be put down when they have become the dominant species, aka packs of 10-100 cats roaming the streets.


in another idea, why kill them at all, round them up and bring them to states/counties that have huge rodent problems,(new york subway) when rodents disapear, drop them off in a new town and continue.

win win for both parties, even that cat haters like me ^^

all feral cats should be rounded up and let go in large cities to control the rat and pigeon problem...out in the wild, shoot on site.

reply to post by Theflyingweldsman


I'm normally outside on the weekends and all I see is cats going into areas that have cat food, not running around with birds in their mouths.

As a matter of fact, I remember this one cat (that was a female), that would just lay on the floor while birds were walking right near her,
and my baby doesn't even kill a bug, she just sits there and touches it, so don't think that all cats just want to rip apart anything that moves.

My cat is my child. Utterly human, in fur.

As they say in the pro 2nd Amendment community, "Come and take it."

(Ya know. If you are suicidal.)

Originally posted by fiftyfifty
For those that think cats should be kept indoors, this is purely selfish from the owners point of view as they think that their moggy is safer that way. Yes it is safer but would you keep your children indoors all their lives because outside is dangerous?

Comparing cats to children is completely invalid. As I stated above, I have lived with cats for many decades now and most all my cats have been "outdoor cats." All have been fully vaccinated. Some of the many reasons my cats are now "inside cats":

1. Neighbors don't always appreciate my cats. They seem to have this notion that my cats have no right to wander on their property and "mess up" their flower beds. At least twice my cats have gone inside a neigbor's house. Once it was for over a week and how she survived I know not, but my very drunk neighbor was none to happy with my cat crapping in his house. If you've never had this problem count yourself lucky, Are these neighbors unreasonable. To any cat lover they are, but it's their property. Can you confine your cats to your property?

2. I've had several cats hit by cars. I've never blamed the drivers nor the cats, but the fact is the cats did not live their full lives because of it. And we live on a dead end street.

3. I can't tell you how many thousands of dollars I've spent on vet bills because my cats got into a fight with another cat, usually one invading my own property (See #1 above).

4. Among other wild animals where I live, there are plenty of coyotes. A chicken wire fence is no match for a coyote. Neither is a cat, as attested to by the many posters on telephone poles. Where is Moggy? Moggy is dead, eaten by a coyote--or even a bald eagle, which is quite capable of taking a cat. Don't laugh. It happens around here all the time. I diverted two bald eagle pairs myself when they eyed my four very white lilac point siamese, who rushed into the house in a panic when I called them. They knew. The point is that though cats may be predators, they are also prey. Several of my cats simply disappeared. They didn't come home.

5. Cats can "get into things" including poisons used in the garden such as slug bait. I still don;t know what happened to Hurricane. I just know I spent $1000 a pound to keep her alive.

6. We have no flea problem. It's not an issue.

7. There is no need for FIP or FeLV vaccinations. These are a problem. Read about it here.

8. I signed a legal contract agreeing that my cats would be inside cats. That pretty well settles the issue.

I've come to my solution after having cats for almost 40 years. It's one derved from experience in dealing with all the issues mentioned above. My solution speaks to the thread because my cats are not a threat to wildlife. It also protects the cats from abuse FROM wildlife and other dangers.

You go ahead and do what you want about your cats and don't tell me what to do about mine. I'll return the favor. Keep your cats off my property, and we'll be fine.

reply to post by Eedjee

My cat is my child. Utterly human, in fur. As they say in the pro 2nd Amendment community, "Come and take it." (Ya know. If you are suicidal.)

No it is a cat. It is not a human and its life should not be held above that of a human. Cats are psychotic killers and there should be less of them around. Maybe they should make a cat tax.