Hi Julian,
You make a number of good points in your rather emotional defence of you
being a cat lover. The great frustration that people suffer when they see
domestic cats roaming free and killing a whole range of native fauna, not
just birds, without any real restrictions by government, causes people to
get, like you, emotional and suggest rather radical, and sometimes
impractical actions. It is not impractical, or unreasonable, though to
insist on preventing the large number of domestic cats that are out killing
wildlife during the day and night to be controlled. I personally would
prefer no domestic cats in Australia but realise that this is not practical.
I also accept that some people like cats, although I find little to like in
them, unlike the larger members of the family such as Tigers, Leopards,
Ocelots etc. which I find interesting and beautiful. You are right that it
is not the cat's fault that it is a cat and that it has been taken all over
the world by humans to wreak havoc on the wildlife of many lands. So it is
up to humans, in particular cat owners, to be responsible. I wouldn't doubt
that you would be a responsible cat owner but the evidence of roaming cats
suggests that you are in the minority. Domestic cats should be confined to
indoors or to a cat run when outdoors. It is not too much to ask of caring
animal lovers to separate the unnatural predator from the unsuspecting prey.
Regards
Greg
Dr Greg. P. Clancy
Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide
| PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460
| 02 6649 3153 | 0429 601 960
http://www.gregclancyecologistguide.com
http://gregswildliferamblings.blogspot.com.au/
----Original Message-----
From: Julian Bielewicz
Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2014 8:48 AM
To: Ross Macfarlane ;
Subject: FW: Cats
Unlike Ross, I am unashamedly a cat lover; nay, I consider myself an animal
lover per se and make no exceptions.
I have, over the years, travelled to many corners around the globe and on
each occasion have come across top notch birders who also have a pet cat [or
two]. That tally includes top birders here in Australia.
The current anti-cat thread is an old chestnut that keeps raising its often
nonsensical head on an almost regular basis and appears to become more
radical with each reincarnation: de-sex ALL male cats; round them up and
send them back to England; shoot all feral cats; shoot, or in some other
way, do away with ALL domestic cats; etc., etc., ad nauseum, ad bloody
nauseum.
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