Cats - The debate can rage on here

[Skani]

Actually the fact that humans kill wild life too is irrelevant and does not excuse the numbers killed by domestic and feral cats.

 

You have misunderstood my post completely. Nowhere in any of this thread have I "excused" the numbers killed by cats. And if you had followed the thread you would see that I personally have spent a lot of money to ensure our cats have no access to wildlife.

 

However, it is very common in Australia - not just on this thread - to target cats as the sole great evildoers in the destruction of wildlife, without acknowledging that we are just as guilty.

It won't be obvious in Surry Hills because most wildlife habitat was destroyed there - by humans - a long time ago.

 

But there would hardly be any day I leave my house - and my cats in their wildlife-safe enclosure - that I don't see fresh roadkill caused by humans. And I live less than 6 km from the centre of the city.

 

And it's not just roadkill: it's every block of land cleared for a house, every tree cut down for a road, every coastal area reclaimed to build marinas for the wealthy, the chemicals used for to grow plantation timber, the chemicals used to grow crops efficiently in order to produce the "cheap" food that everyone on PIO is so enamoured of. Every bit of this leads to the destruction of wildlife and we are every bit as responsible as cats.

[Guest51810]

I can't agree with the last part of your post because id be devastated if I accidentally killed any pet animal. Actually even a deer or something like that. Daves killed a few deers and I think was the same even though he's tougher than me and it wrecked our car. I agree with the rest of your post though.

[bristolman]

I can't agree with the last part of your post because id be devastated if I accidentally killed any pet animal. Actually even a deer or something like that. Daves killed a few deers and I think was the same even though he's tougher than me and it wrecked our car. I agree with the rest of your post though.

 

Don't get me wrong I feel awful if I kill anything, years ago I killed a Badger and was devasted. To be fair I did say if I saw a dead cat on the road.

[Guest51810]

Nah I know but I get upset if I even just see one. A friend knocked one down and left it, she said she couldn't really stop but I think if have to find somewhere to stop and try and go back to move it. I'd be gutted!

[MARYROSE02]

It does annoy me too. Especially because can you imagine the reaction if I said "oh my staffy killed something today but it's ok because there's loads of them". I don't think parley would just wave it off like he's doing with his cat killing everything. Parley how do you know your cat only kills certain things? I love cats but it's the one thing that annoys me. Dog owners have a zillion rules to follow and if they don't they can get charged etc but cats can roam around crapping in people's gardens and killing everything. My aunts cat killed a little robin and her and my mum were upset. I was like what do you expect if you let him run around outside.

Some of what you say is true, and I do prefer dogs, generally, but dogs cause their own problems, and some owners still let them crap in parks and on pavements. Cats do not usually attack humans either. When was the last time you read about a child being horribly injured, even killed in a cat attack?

 

My mother was knocked over by an out if control dog. As she died in hospital as a result of that "attack", I think our family have good reason to hate all people who let their dogs off the leash. It still upsets me if a dog races towards me and the owner trills "Don't worry, he won't hurt you. He'll lick you to death."

 

Perhaps cats and dogs should both be declared illegal? But for better or worse humans like them and tried to domesticate them and they give people much pleasure and company.

[Guest51810]

I know a few people who have been attacked by cats and believe me it can be nasty especially bites! Dog poo annoys me a lot too. The town where I work seems to have loads of it, it's disgusting. I've been knocked over by a out of control Labrador before and it's definitely not funny. The owner thought it was a little funny and so did Dave but I didnt! Think I hurt my bum and definitely my pride lol. It was in the snow too!

[MARYROSE02]

I know a few people who have been attacked by cats and believe me it can be nasty especially bites! Dog poo annoys me a lot too. The town where I work seems to have loads of it, it's disgusting. I've been knocked over by a out of control Labrador before and it's definitely not funny. The owner thought it was a little funny and so did Dave but I didnt! Think I hurt my bum and definitely my pride lol. It was in the snow too!

You were lucky. My mother was not. She broke her hip, not a good thing at any time but for someone elderly and already in poor health, devastating. Seventeen useless pointless days in hospital and then she died.

 

Had been me knocked over by the Labrador, I know exactly what I would have said. "My mother was killed by a @@@@ING out of control dog like yours, so just @@@@ING remember that next time you think it's a @@@@ING joke when your @@@@ING dog knocks someone over."

 

You should have sued him.

[Guest51810]

It would take a lot more than that to get me to sue someone. I've had to deal with some nasty dogs while working in the kennels and the vets, ironically usually the little lapdogs that some people on here insist are the best dogs for people to have.. Before the dog knocked me over Dave and the woman said they shouted at me to move but it was a total delayed reaction on my part. I was cursing it afterwards though!

[MARYROSE02]

You have misunderstood my post completely. Nowhere in any of this thread have I "excused" the numbers killed by cats. And if you had followed the thread you would see that I personally have spent a lot of money to ensure our cats have no access to wildlife.

 

However, it is very common in Australia - not just on this thread - to target cats as the sole great evildoers in the destruction of wildlife, without acknowledging that we are just as guilty.

It won't be obvious in Surry Hills because most wildlife habitat was destroyed there - by humans - a long time ago.

 

But there would hardly be any day I leave my house - and my cats in their wildlife-safe enclosure - that I don't see fresh roadkill caused by humans. And I live less than 6 km from the centre of the city.

 

And it's not just roadkill: it's every block of land cleared for a house, every tree cut down for a road, every coastal area reclaimed to build marinas for the wealthy, the chemicals used for to grow plantation timber, the chemicals used to grow crops efficiently in order to produce the "cheap" food that everyone on PIO is so enamoured of. Every bit of this leads to the destruction of wildlife and we are every bit as responsible as cats.

 

You are still justifying one wrong by drawing attention to another, ie "two wrongs make a right" but they don't and they never will. The fact that humans kill wildlife is irrelevant to the fact that cats do. They are both wrong. According to your logic, you could justify the harm humans do by citing the harm done by cats. It's the same thing and it's still wrong. It's a fallacious argument too.

 

Surry Hills is not devoid of native wildlife either. It's all around us and in some of the parks and reserves humans are trying to make amends for past crimes.

 

Do cats, especially feral cats, destroy large numbers of native wildlife? Yes.

 

Do humans destroy native wildlife and habitat? Yes.

 

They are both wrong. They should both be punished. Do we punish humans less than cats, and or blame cats more? If we do, then that is wrong too.

 

Is murder a worse crime than shoplifting? Of course.

 

Does that mean the police should ignore shoplifting? Of course not.

 

They are both wrong.

[newjez]

The cat next door has learnt to bolt at the sound of a water pistol being cocked.

[JockinTas]

The cat next door has learnt to bolt at the sound of a water pistol being cocked.

 

:laugh:

[Skani]

You are still justifying one wrong by drawing attention to another, ie "two wrongs make a right" but they don't and they never will.

 

 

I am not justifying anything.

 

It's the self righteous vitriole directed at only one species which I object to.

 

It's not the first time it's happened on PIO - the subject seems to rear its head regularly.

 

The Tasmanian Dept of Environment has kept a tally on wildlife being brought in for care as a result of being injured or orphaned.

 

Over a 5 year period:

 

Motor vehicles 1256

 

Dogs 238

 

Cats 152 ie Cats 9%

 

I trust the people who rejoice at the death of a cat because they "care about wildlife" also rejoice at the death of a dog or a death of a human because they also destroy wildlife?

 

If not, then it is not about the wildlife at all - it is about scapegoating cats.

 

If it is selfish to keep a cat because they destroy wildlife, why is it not also also selfish to keep a dog or produce yet another human being?

 

A prime example of this cat scapegoating was evident recently in Tasmania.

 

3 species of bird on the critically endangered list were having eggs/chicks destroyed in their nests.

As is usual in these scenarios, it was automatically assumed that the predators were cats - until motion detection cameras were installed. The culprits were not cats at all - but exclusively sugar glider possums.

 

The birds were being forced into sugar glider territory because of the forestry logging practices of humans.

Fortunately there are enough caring people to crowdfund a new project to build sugar glider-proof nesting boxes for the birds. In May they reached their target of $40,000 in only 3 days. :wubclub:

Edited September 27, 2015 by Skani

[JockinTas]

I don't think domestic cats cause the majority of the destruction of native wildlife. It's the feral cats which cause most of the damage. Lazy cat owners who don't have every kitten de-sexed are to blame for that. Apart from registered dog breeders dogs .......................... every cat and dog should be de-sexed.

[bristolman]

I am not justifying anything.

 

It's the self righteous vitriole directed at only one species which I object to.

 

It's not the first time it's happened on PIO - the subject seems to rear its head regularly.

 

The Tasmanian Dept of Environment has kept a tally on wildlife being brought in for care as a result of being injured or orphaned.

 

Over a 5 year period:

 

Motor vehicles 1256

 

Dogs 238

 

Cats 152 ie Cats 9%

 

I trust the people who rejoice at the death of a cat because they "care about wildlife" also rejoice at the death of a dog or a death of a human because they also destroy wildlife?

 

If not, then it is not about the wildlife at all - it is about scapegoating cats.

 

If it is selfish to keep a cat because they destroy wildlife, why is it not also also selfish to keep a dog or produce yet another human being?

 

A prime example of this cat scapegoating was evident recently in Tasmania.

 

3 species of bird on the critically endangered list were having eggs/chicks destroyed in their nests.

As is usual in these scenarios, it was automatically assumed that the predators were cats - until motion detection cameras were installed. The culprits were not cats at all - but exclusively sugar glider possums.

 

The birds were being forced into sugar glider territory because of the forestry logging practices of humans.

Fortunately there are enough caring people to crowdfund a new project to build sugar glider-proof nesting boxes for the birds. In May they reached their target of $40,000 in only 3 days. :wubclub:

 

I'm not sure why you can't accept that all the things you mention can be the problem ? You appear to be saying yeah but humans are worse, well yes of course they are, we are the most destructive species on the planet by a considerable margin.

The reason see few native animals get taken into shelters as a result of cat attacks is that normally a cat will kill an animal and often eat it. They ae usually small animals that can't survive a cat attack.

It's nothing to do with scapegoating the cats, it's just placing blame where appropriate.

[HelensvaleHoward]

[Marisawright]

I am not justifying anything.

 

It's the self righteous vitriole directed at only one species which I object to.

 

If it is selfish to keep a cat because they destroy wildlife, why is it not also also selfish to keep a dog or produce yet another human being?

 

 

 

It's a great pity that one or two people on this thread are making stupid remarks about killing cats. Most other people are upset about the owners, not the cats.

 

 

- If a person is not willing to take responsibility for a child and both keep them safe and prevent them hurting others, they should not be having babies;

 

- If a person is not willing to take responsibility for a dog, and both keep them safe and prevent them hurting others, they should not own a dog;

 

- If a person is not willing to drive responsibly with consideration for both humans and animals, they should not own a car;

 

-If a person is not willing to take responsibility for a cat, and both keep them safe and prevent them hurting others, they should not own a cat.

 

The reason cats get "picked on" in this context is that most people are aware they should be responsible parents, and drive carefully, and we're always hearing about dogs biting people - but a depressing number of cat owners are either unaware of the damage cats can do, or are in denial. Therefore the matter needs to be discussed so cat owners get the message.

Edited September 28, 2015 by Marisawright

[MARYROSE02]

I am not justifying anything.

 

It's the self righteous vitriole directed at only one species which I object to.

 

It's not the first time it's happened on PIO - the subject seems to rear its head regularly.

 

The Tasmanian Dept of Environment has kept a tally on wildlife being brought in for care as a result of being injured or orphaned.

 

Over a 5 year period:

 

Motor vehicles 1256

 

Dogs 238

 

Cats 152 ie Cats 9%

 

I trust the people who rejoice at the death of a cat because they "care about wildlife" also rejoice at the death of a dog or a death of a human because they also destroy wildlife?

 

If not, then it is not about the wildlife at all - it is about scapegoating cats.

 

If it is selfish to keep a cat because they destroy wildlife, why is it not also also selfish to keep a dog or produce yet another human being?

 

A prime example of this cat scapegoating was evident recently in Tasmania.

 

3 species of bird on the critically endangered list were having eggs/chicks destroyed in their nests.

As is usual in these scenarios, it was automatically assumed that the predators were cats - until motion detection cameras were installed. The culprits were not cats at all - but exclusively sugar glider possums.

 

The birds were being forced into sugar glider territory because of the forestry logging practices of humans.

Fortunately there are enough caring people to crowdfund a new project to build sugar glider-proof nesting boxes for the birds. In May they reached their target of $40,000 in only 3 days. :wubclub:

You keep justifying one bad thing by comparing it to other bad things, when they are all bad, and all separately bad.

 

It does not matter if one of those bad things causes more harm than another bad thing.

 

That would mean that someone whose home is burgled and $100 stolen is less important than a bank losing a million dollars.

 

If it was your house, what would you say if the criminal said, "I only took 100$. What's the big deal? "

 

It's a great pity that one or two people on this thread are making stupid remarks about killing cats.

 

Most other people are upset about the owners, not the cats.

 

 

- If a person is not willing to take responsibility for their child and both keep them safe and prevent them hurting others, they should not be having babies;

If a person is not willing to take responsibility for their dog, and both keep them safe and prevent them hurting others, they should not own a dog;

If a person is not willing to drive responsibly with consideration for both humans and animals, they should not own a car;

-If a person is not willing to take responsibility for their cat, and both keep them safe and prevent them hurting others, they should not own a cat.

 

The reason cats get "picked on" in this context is that most people are aware they should be responsible parents, and drive carefully, and we're always hearing about dogs biting people - but a depressing number of cat owners are either unaware of the damage cats can do, or are in denial. Therefore the matter needs to be discussed so cat owners get the message.

[Wan2go]

Cat Wars - a global problem.........and cause no end of trouble....... http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/13791849.You_won_t_believe_what_this_wall_of_pain_has_been_put_up_to_stop/

 

@Marisawright did you miss this in the local rag??

Edited September 30, 2015 by Wan2go
picky me

[GetMeDownUnder]

Cat Wars - a global problem.........and cause no end of trouble....... http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/13791849.You_won_t_believe_what_this_wall_of_pain_has_been_put_up_to_stop/

 

@Marisawright did you miss this in the local rag??

 

Interesting. My friends lived in that road and the surrounding roads. Cats are everywhere in the UK.

[Parley]

Missy has been hunting again.

Look at the nice present she brought me this morning.

 

[Guest51810]

Missy has been hunting again.

Look at the nice present she brought me this morning.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]31424[/ATTACH]

 

 

you're a strange man sometimes. I don't know why you would want to put up a pic of something your pet has killed

[MARYROSE02]

you're a strange man sometimes. I don't know why you would want to put up a pic of something your pet has killed

You know how I like to take photos of my meals and post them on here before I devour them? Well, so does Parley!!!

[MARYROSE02]

 

Nothing about cats in this photo Stacey. Though I was thinking about Panda whilst I was drinking. Just wanted to show you inside of Strawbo at 2am on Sat morning. (I did not go out until after midnight so not on all night bender. Many of the customers are bar staff from other pubs who come to wind down).

[bristolman]

you're a strange man sometimes. I don't know why you would want to put up a pic of something your pet has killed

 

Yeah its pretty sick, at least in this case it was only a pest species. Who knows how many native species the vermin kills and eats.

[MARYROSE02]

Yeah its pretty sick, at least in this case it was only a pest species. Who knows how many native species the vermin kills and eats.

Parley? Is he vermin then?