The argument put forward by Andrew Hoeschke is one I have heard many times
from owners of cats. While I agree that cats are much less of a problem
than humans (no one in their right mind could argue against it) I believe
that he is approaching the problem from the wrong angle.
He argues that desexing humans and limiting our own population growth would
save much more of the environment than desexing cats and indeed this is
true. But lets be perfectly honest with ourselves a campaign to desex
humans will never occur. Okay so accepting that it won't what are we going
to do about the problems we can do something about (i.e. cats). Andrew
argues that humans have been responsible for 97% of extinctions in the last
200 years and cats about 3% (I don't know where he got his figures from I
would be surprised if they were correct but it doesn't matter for the
purpose of the argument). So what Andrew is saying is that if we desexed
out cats and kept them indoors we could have avoided 3% of the extinctions
that have occurred in the last 200 years. Personally (and Andrew may
disagree) I think that saving one species from extinction would have been
worth desexing and keeping indoors all the cats in Australia.
As to whether keeping cats indoors is cruel is another interesting point
and a case, I believe, or out of sight out of mind. What I believe is that
point is that letting cats outdoors inflicts great suffering and pain on
the millions of native animals that cats attack and kill every year.
However because cat owners are not involved in the lives of the creatures
killed and in most cases are unaware that a death has occurred it is a case
of out of sight out of mind. Yes I would agree that cats are probably
happier if they are let outdoors. However is the unhappiness that a cat
feels when it is fed every day, kept in a warm house and if taken outside
then on a leash override the pain and suffering that millions of native
animals suffer every year through being killed by cats. I personally don;t
believe so although I'm sure many cat owners would disagree. I would argue
that cats should be kept indoors and if an owner feels it is cruel to do so
then they shouldn't have a cat (dogs make just as good pets and because,
when outside, they are kept on a leash have far less impact on the
environment).
I agree that humans have a greater impact and cause more environmental
damage than all the feral animals in the world put together. My argument is
that our impact is so great that a lesser impact from another animal may be
all that is required to push an animal to extinction. Given that campaigns
aimed at desexing humans are exceedingly unlikely to ever eventuate lets
concentrate on impacts that it is possible to something about and hope that
it may save even one species from extinction. Arguments that what steps
taken to solve the cat problem should also be aimed at humans instead,
whilst undoubtedly logical, are not very practical and do little to solve
the problem at hand
Mike Craig
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Michael Craig
Zoology Department
University of Western Australia
Nedlands
Western Australia
Australia 6907
Ph: +61 9 380 1495 Fax: +61 9 380 1029
email:
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