I'm all for legalized cat hunting.

[CoolBreeze]

In today's Sunday Gazette:

The ecological toll free-roaming feral cats take on small wildlife species is staggering. The Nebraska report puts the U.S. feral cat population at 60 million and estimates that they kill 480 million birds every year. The American Bird Conservancy (http://www.abcbirds.org) estimates that feral cats kill more than a billion small mammals annually.

Such levels of predation by an exotic species are unsustainable.

During the nesting season cats concentrate on flightless chicks of ground-nesting species such as quail, grouse, turkeys, waterfowl, and shorebirds. At this time of year cats stalk birdfeeders for easy meals. Often piles of bloody feathers are the only evidence left behind.

Ending this slaughter is simple. State wildlife agencies should declare a 365-day open season on feral cats with no bag limit. The feral cat population would plummet quickly.

But that won't happen. State wildlife agencies don't want to deal with the feral cats. I haven't found a single state wildlife agency that claims jurisdiction over feral cats. In Pennsylvania and West Virginia, for example, cats are considered domestic animals, and generally under the jurisdiction of county police departments and dogcatchers. This is particularly problematic because, though dogs must be licensed, the cat lobby has successfully avoided mandatory licensing.

http://www.wvgazette.com/Outdoors/201012100707

[jag]

And what would be done with all these killed cats?

[Dave Harman]

Yet, despite all the senseless slaughter, there doesn't seem to be a bird shortage.

Nature knows what it's doing. Maybe we should leave it alone for a change.

[CoolBreeze]

And that's the problem: Man has introduced species all over the world and now it's getting out of control. Many large islands have been decimated by feral cats. We're just a bigger island.

[genlock]

We should get the cats to kill the deer.

[Dave Harman]

And that's the problem: Man has introduced species all over the world and now it's getting out of control. Many large islands have been decimated by feral cats. We're just a bigger island.

Charleston isn't a big island. Did a little kitty scare you when you were a child, Jerry?

[genlock]

Open Chinese restaurant, serve General Tso's "chicken".
Meow solved.

[CoolBreeze]

Charleston isn't a big island. Did a little kitty scare you when you were a child, Jerry?

I have studied this issue for over 20 years. As I have the number 1 parrot website on the Net, and have been involved with birds all my life, I can tell you that this issue is no small matter, and it's growing. These arent "pussycats" we're talking about here: They're wild cats that do much damage.

Fact is that every cat in the world could disappear tomorrow and it wouldn't effect man, but if every bird died, man would most likely follow at some point.

[jag]

Fact is that every cat in the world could disappear tomorrow and it wouldn't effect man

And what "science" is that based on?

[genlock]

Perhaps the neighborhood kitty is stalking his parrot?

[Lester]

Nature knows what it's doing. Maybe we should leave it alone for a change.

The same argument could be applied to the brown tree snake... the people of Guam don't see it that way though.

[CoolBreeze]

And what "science" is that based on?

Without the worlds birds to keep the insect population low (especially mosquitoes) man couldnt make enough deadly chemicals to manage them all. And even if he could, he'd finally kill himself with the chemicals in the long run. Birds are excellent natural indicators of the health in our world. They are the literal canary in the coalmine--when birds disappear from an area, it normally signals the deteriorating health of the entire ecosystem.

Birds are the number pollinators behind Bees. Birds are one of the main sources of forest propagation, which includes both fruit and common trees. Many kinds of birds help farmers by eating weed seeds, harmful insects, or other agricultural pests. Unlike birds that feed on fruits, seed-eating birds digest the seeds they eat. One bobwhite may rid a field of as many as 15,000 weed seeds a day. Many birds eat insects that damage farm crops. Test's have shown that one owl will kill more mice in a single night than a cat will in a week.

Birds are much more important to man than you think.

All feces-feet cats do is crap in litter then spread it all over your carpet.

[genlock]

Birds shit on your car.

[CoolBreeze]

Let's see.... bird shit on my car or death. Hmmm.... tough choice.

Actually that's good for the economy.

[Dave Harman]

I trap the feral cats in my neighborhood, and have them spayed and neutered. But yet, with cats all over the place, I see no bird shortage. Maybe your free-range parrots need some hand grenades.

[CoolBreeze]

If there's one thing I've learned in life, it's that you cant argue with women or pussycat lovers. Like parents of spoiled kids, you simply cant win.

[Dave Harman]

You don't need to worry. We don't have any black cats in the neighborhood.

[CoolBreeze]

And with that I will leave you with my favorite song:

http://www.mywvhome.com/web/1catfood.mp3

[Lester]

(especially mosquitoes)

Coincidentally, the mosquito *HAS* been scientifically proven to be worthless. That its removal from the planet would have zero negative impact on the environment... and would even show a positive as all it does is spread disease.

[CoolBreeze]

I don't know.... as they are a food source for fish, birds and bats.