Killer cats: The invasive species in your backyard

This has been a gripe of mine since I read about it twenty years ago in a hunting magazine. It was a story on how cats were decimating game bird populations but it goes much farther than that. My wife loves cats and we compromised by making them wear a special bib when they go outside but the huge feral cat population is doing great damage. Spay neuter and buy one of these. Our cats haven't killed a single bird since we started putting them on.

https://catgoods.com


Invasive species can be ruthless. Surprisingly, they can also be adorable.

When non-native plants, animals, and pathogens are introduced into a favorable new environment, they can sweep through the ecosystem and threaten the survival of the native flora and fauna. They also wreak havoc on the economy. From Burmese python to Asian carp, efforts to eradicate or control invasive species cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $138 billion per year.

But in one notable case, humans have been happy to make an invasive species feel at home. We're talking about cats: one of the most prolific invasive species in history.

The National Wildlife Federation defines invasive species as any kind of living organism — an animal, plant, seeds, even bacteria or fungus — that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm. It turns out that domesticated cats have no native range. Originally bred from wild cats and introduced to North America by European colonists, domesticated cats are now listed as one of the top 100 invasive species worldwide by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature."
"Domestic cats are directly responsible for the extinction of a number of animal species around the world, including 33 bird species. In the U.S., the popular pet is estimated to kill over 1 billion birds and over 6 billion other small animals every year. While the biggest threat are currently posed by feral cats — domesticated breeds that don't have an owner and aren't socialized to humans — even common house cats that are well cared for and fed will hunt and kill if let outside.

Cats also transmit diseases. In 2014, of the domestic animals that contracted rabies, which can then be spread to the local wildlife and humans, roughly 60 percent of them were cats.

Like nearly all invasive species, cats also have rapid rates of reproduction. Females can start breeding at just 6 months old and can breed every 4 months, producing up to 12 kittens every year. In just the last 40 years, the number of domestic cats across America has tripled. While it's difficult to get an accurate count of feral cats, estimates suggest that today there are at least 30 million of them roaming our streets and neighborhoods. An additional 40 million pet cats have regular access to the outdoors."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cats-invasive-species-in-your-backyard-cbsn-originals/


And if you are in a rural area you may want to consider shooting feral cats

 

I've always said cats are evil.

 

Why are you worried by cats? The worst invasive species that has wiped out so many species that scientists are talking about naming a whole new epoch after them, is humans.

 

Because cats are evil. Plain and simple.

 

windturbines kill millions more birds, so do those 'wires' strung up all over the nation... there's a thread here somewhere with the numbers, cats are lower down the list...

feral cats are caused by humans whom discard them once the 'glow' of the kitten is gone and before 'fixin' them... we have many, many feral colonies here/nearby, it's disheartening but better than those feral hoggs running amok down south/midwest...

i've rescued many feral cats and they are loving/thankful creatures, wife and i currently have 5 as our companions... we would never dream of 'buying' a designer animal from anywhere. we also never declaw/bobtail them and thankfully more & more locales are making it illegal to do so...

i'm glad you found a seemingly harmless compromise, but that bib looks to me like it leaves the cat defenseless against attack so i hope you don't have raccoons/opossums/dogs nearby...

edit: or those ferals

 

Good point on the bib. I do my part, shot a tasty feral hog a few years ago with a .44 cap n ball.

 

I know, I know. Widespread manipulation of the environment by one species to its advantage and the disadvantage of other species is just plain wrong.

It started with controlling fire, then medicine, later it was hard surface roads and motor cars, then electricity, then aircraft.

Now man is going into space to ruin it. Man bad, very bad.

 

Why don't you just shoot them.

 

So did millions of dead Europeans prior to the black death

 

They get used to the bib and get around great in them, even scsmlsr up tree when alarmed. All the bibscdo is advertise the cats presence with color and movement. Birds just laugh at them and soon cats give up even trying. They still get gophers and mice though which is a plus.

 

Coyotes are killing domestic cats in numbers here.

People are up in arms wondering what to do.

There isn't much hope for those people.

 

Maybe the cats should put bells on our collars then.

 

See, I'm right. BTW, I'm only saying it in jest.

 

But black deat was caused by lack of cats.
And yes, I'm only having fun with this too.

 

The devil incarnate.

 

The Black Death strenghten the immune system for all humanity. So cats actually did us a favor by not being so prevalent.

 

Proof cats are terrorists. Look at the gun it's holding. Common among terrorist organizations.

 

That cat is a wannabe. That's actually a paintball gun that looks real except for the giant hopper on the left.

 

I just realized who killed JFK.

 

I have two rescue cats. I adore them...wonderful animals. My cats stay mostly indoors because its healthier for them. The only allowance to that is that they're allowed on our back deck because its over our walkout basement and is contained and off the ground. My cats have never killed anything except a dragonfly and a couple moths. Vets will recommend that you keep cats indoors. If you see feral cats, you can often take them to your local shelter. They'll vaccinate them, fix them and they make excellent barn cats and can help with mice and vermin.

 

Cats are secretly plotting against you. They only behave so that way they can infiltrate your home.