Should we eradicate cats in Australia?

[stui magpie]

I put this poll on Facebook, with surprising results so far, so I thought I'd try it here as a comparison.


Cats are responsible for killing small reptiles, birds and native mammals. For every responsible cat owner who de sexes their cat and keeps it indoors, there are 99 who don't. feral and domestic cats are a massive problem. See link below

To eradicate cats means that existing pets must be desexed, any strays caught are destroyed, breeders are closed down and stock all desexed and a bounty put on feral/stray cats.

Those people who desperately desire the company of a cat, could purchase a desexed one from over seas, but other than that, Australia would be cat free.

Yes or no.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-04/c ... es/9013960

[HAL]

Cats are very independent.

[Mugwump]

Desexed, bell collar. Otherwise impounded and destroyed. Problem solved.

They are serial killers with pretty faces.

[David]

[stui magpie]

Desexed, bell collar. Otherwise impounded and destroyed. Problem solved.

but as long as we have breeding stock and you can buy unsterilised ones, the problem remains

They are serial killers with pretty faces.

Cats have probably done more environmental damage in Australia than any other introduced species, inc foxes, cane toads and rabbits, other than humans.

[stui magpie]

[Mugwump]

[stui magpie]

A brick would work better than a bell, but regardless you provide another reason I'm glad to remain single.

[Woods Of Ypres]

my cat has one of those bell collars and still kills the same amount of birds. she just waits and pounces.

[HAL]

They have a mind of their own.

[K]

Are claws important in the context of their killing?

I looked up declawing on the internet and learnt that apparently it's regarded as cruelty and banned in some (many?) countries. The claim is it's more like amputating a digit than just clipping your nails.

[think positive]

[K]

... They eat the occasional bird? Ah well the rules of the jungle. ...

If the rules of the jungle apply, then everyone should be happy if a dog kills a cat. And I don't think the cats actually eat the birds. They just kill for the pleasure of killing. Do they eat the mice they catch?

Oh, and it's not occasional, either... Apparently it's literally hundreds of thousands of birds per year in the US.

[Mugwump]

[stui magpie]

eat the occasional bird? Try fkn lots.

law of the jungle? doesn't apply with an introduced predator.

This is what they can do. https://www.smh.com.au/environment/cons ... 4zn9p.html