I so sad, (may offend cat owners)

[RogerTheCat]

Originally Posted by Dogrose

I wonder what the urban rat and mouse problem would be like if there were no pet cats?

I wonder what the bird and mammel population would be like if there were no pet cats?

I had rats in my garden. A 20 minute trip to the local DIY store to purchase some poison at a cost of less than £5 and the problem was stopped in about a week or so.

I have an on going problem with cats using my garden as a toilet. I have paid out for fencing, cat repellants, spoken to the neighbours and yet I regularly have to pick up muck. The next stage is to pay several hundred pounds to have areas of my garden slabbed over. This is of no benefit to the local wildlife but I am running out of options.

I would sooner have the rats as at least I can do something about them.

[Bunyip]

Originally Posted by Dogrose

I've kept cats all my life, they are one of my favourite pet animals. I've never felt they have been over the top in regards predation. I think some people have a strange over-hatred of cats that just isn't natural, and some people have an equally strange over-love of birds which seems just as unnatural. I'm not a fan of birds at all, they are noisy, dirty and well I just don't feel that they enhance my life particularly.
Yet I have noticed neighbours who hate and try to kill my cats (with sometimes mention of bird killing coming into the argument) never feed the birds. I've put water out in drought conditions and watch birds sink relieved into it (once during a very hot dry spell a robin came up and just sat in it almost up to its neck, you could almost hear it say 'ahhhh...', I've put warm water out every hour all day in freezing conditions and watched the grateful birds drink, I've put out suet and mealworms and all manner of good food in bad weather and watched the array of birds come and feed and stay healthy looking in bad weather conditions. I've done this while all my cat hating neighbours haven't even put out dry crusts.
I don't let my cats out often, but thats because I know the dangers to them from man, not because of any predatory behaviour.
I wonder what the urban rat and mouse problem would be like if there were no pet cats?

Serious debate re cats and their affect on British Wildlife,not just birds,now hijacked by cat owner with anthropomorphic views

[m1.carson]

Hi,

We have good friends living the country, and they are amazed at the amount of birds we have in our garden, [cats surround us] they put out feeders the same as ours, the only way we can explain it is the pesticides that the farmers are using kill off all the food insects, definitely not cats, not enough of them around.

Max.

[Dogghound]

I carnt see how people can make out its not cats and its habitat destruction, roads etc. Habitat change and negativity such as past agricultural practices have in the past affected farmland species, although they seem to be increasing now, just strangely its birds in urban areas where cats are present that are declining. Comparing domestic & wild cats is comparing two totally different things. I completely agree with Ukwildlifeo regarding the fact cats arnt natural and have food supplied to sustain a highly unacceptable population of cats.