100 Species #30: Domestic cat

[urbpan]

This domestic cat (Felis catus), an unneutered tom, is a familiar character in our neighborhood. Here he skirts along a neighbor's retaining wall at the edge of my yard. He is one of six or seven cats that I've seen in my yard so far.

Domestic cats are derived from one or more species of small wild cats from the old world. It seems likely that some wild cats were attracted to the large number of small rodents that occurred near grain stores in the earliest days of agriculture. Ancient people quickly appreciated these animals for their pest control function, and a strong bond between humans and cats has been in place since. Cats are the most popular companion animals worldwide, and as the human population becomes more urban, this will probably continue.

Domestic cats are found on every continent, including some Antarctic islands. On islands and in other sensitive ecosystems, cats are considered to be very harmful invasive species. Even in cities and suburbs there are those who actively try to curtail loose and feral cats as pests, often at odds with those who believe that cats deserve protection. Most often these two groups are participating in two completely different arguments, for which there is a common solution: All pet cats should be spayed or neutered, and kept indoors or in controlled runs.

Comments

[stardustmajick.livejournal.com]

He's a beauty. Like a little, white, squirrel-nomming ghost.

[barbmg.livejournal.com]

He's gorgeous! If I win the lottery I'm going to start/fund a huge Boston trap and release spay and neuter program, for serious.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

There are several TNR programs already functioning in the Boston and Boston suburban areas. I work with one and have had several cats spayed and neutered through them and returned to their colony. Two of my current cats (I have five) are former ferals I have been working on socializing for the last three years. Thing One in the icon is one of my ferals, he's coming along, but still obviously does not trust most humans.

[barbmg.livejournal.com]

I figured as much, which is why I put "/fund". (Sadly, the odds of my winning the lottery are not so great making the whole thing moot, but a girl can dream.)

Thing One is so extremely handsome. He looks like my Boris, although B recently lost an eye to melenoma so he's got a perma-wink.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

They do need more than just money.
Are you cleaning out your linen closet? They can use towels, sheets or blankets you no longer have need of. Or if you pass a pet carrier or doghouse that someone has put out for trash collection. These things are used as shelters for feral colonies.

They can use time too, People who can volunteer to feed a colony (they provide the food)or just observe colonies for new additions, or trap any new cats/kittens and get them to the weekend clinics. Or even volunteers to help with a clinic on a Saturday or Sunday.

I do send them money, about once a year, but I also take on fostering and socialization of kittens when they need me. Socializing kittens is so much easier than socializing two adult feral cats. I have more scratch scars than I care to admit sometimes.

My other former feral is PeeGee (short for Pretty Girl, that's her in the icon, before she came indoors for good.) She's Thing's mother, She had two kittens (Thing's One and Two) in my neighbors shed when she was just about 8 months old. She was the Queen in the colony where I used to live. I couldn't leave her or Thing when I moved, I trapped them and brought them indoors. She now sleeps on the bed with me at night and eats cat treats from my hand. I just wish Thing had come around as quickly as his momma. But neither of them have been outside in over a year.

Poor Boris, but cats adapt quickly to losing an eye, I'm sure he'll be fine.
I have another cat with Iris Melanosis, we have to watch her eyes carefully, currently it is still benign, but could turn malignant anytime. She sees her kitty opthalmologist every six months.

[squid-ink.livejournal.com]

a bigger threat to birds?

Buildings Kill A Billion Birds A Year (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/04/buildings-kill-a-billion-birds-per-year.php?campaign=daily_nl)

I guess the species responsible for this (and suburban sprawl) would be you and me.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Of course we are, as much as we are responsible for the damage cats do. There are no domestic cats without humans.

But what is the purpose of making a comparison between bird deaths from building strikes and bird deaths from cat predation? Should we throw up our hands, "Oh, since birds die from flying into buildings I guess there's no point in keeping my cat inside." Seriously, are you just trying to obfuscate the point, or are you interested in moving the discussion forward?

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

seriously.

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

it's worth noting that domestic cats exist because they are such effective predators.

[badnoodles.livejournal.com]

If you want to see arguments over cat control get dirty, look at the newish Florida Keys project to eradicate cats from particularly sensitive islands. Since it included provisions to kill swamp=dwelling feral cats, and required anyone living on the island to own inodor0only cats, there was much hue and cry. The fish & wildlife people were called soulless Nazis for being willing to kill unwanted, untameable cats.

[lexica510.livejournal.com]

Another aspect of the "indoor or outdoor?" question: Even if predation and environmental damage weren't a problem, I'd still keep my cats as indoor-only (if we had a yard, we'd let them come out with us for supervised play, but we don't) because I am selfish. I am SELFISH and want to keep my cats around as long as possible and keeping them indoors is the best way I know of to do that.

The fact that it means they're not out killing the house finches I love so much is a bonus, as is the fact that they're unlikely to contract disease, be attacked by another animal, or get hit by a car.