birding-aus

FW: Cats

To: "Julian Bielewicz" <>, "Ross Macfarlane" <>, <>
Subject: FW: Cats
From: "Greg and Val Clancy" <>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 12:24:47 +1000
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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