BIRDS, BIRDS, BIRDS!

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Renee Darvin - 15 Apr 2004 07:56 GMT

The other day -- as a result of a long and rather complex research
project -- I suddenly found myself on an Audubon Society web page.

Now these are probably very nice people, if you get to know them over a
glass of champagne or a taste of caviar -- but have you ever READ that
which these folks are writing?

Many years ago, I decided that I could not be both a bird person and a
cat person. I made my decision based on cold empirical facts and
evidence -- namely, that it is easier to hug a cat than it is to hug a
bird.

I know that birds devour countless smaller creatures, many of which are
undoubtedly beneficial to the environment. (I don't like to think about
it, but I know it to be true.) I do not, however, rave about this
senseless decimation of wildlife!

These people are picking on our four-footed furpersons! They are
hurling about figures as to the numbers of birds that may be devoured by
feline fowl fanciers! (Even I, myself, indulge in a bit of chicken now
and then!)

I can't stop it, nor can you, my psycatically impaired friends. Nor
would I, if I could. Well, yes, I just might -- but kitties must
eat, n'est pas?(!)? I think it is called a "Law of Nature."

I am looking at a wee white angel-faced kitten as I write, and I know
that when she sits in the window and watches the birds cavorting on my
front lawn, there is something in her sweet head that screams, "Lunch!"

It is too immense a problem for my tender heart to handle. I know only
that Heavenly Father put that thought in there. I DIDN'T DO IT! I just
thought I would bring it to your attention, for whatever it is worth.

Tongue-in-cheekedly,

Renee in CA USA

"Time spent with cats is never wasted." Colette "I've
traveled a long way -- and some of the roads weren't paved!" Will
Rogers
"I am too blessed to be stressed" Anon
"No Heaven will not ever Heaven be, unless my cats are there to welcome
me." Unknown

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JP Hobbs - 15 Apr 2004 11:20 GMT

I agree with every word you say !have often said it myself
though not so eloquently,and if the law of nature is not followed
what will happen?the same thing that is happening in Canada and
Australia, Kill to cull, its sickening, they will be *culling* everything

Jean.P.

> The other day -- as a result of a long and rather complex research
> project -- I suddenly found myself on an Audubon Society web page.
[quoted text clipped - 40 lines]
> "No Heaven will not ever Heaven be, unless my cats are there to welcome
> me." Unknown

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CATherine - 16 Apr 2004 04:17 GMT

>The other day -- as a result of a long and rather complex research
>project -- I suddenly found myself on an Audubon Society web page.
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>
>Renee in CA USA

I am a sometime bird-watcher. A few years ago i worked with an
ornithologist gathering data for a new breeding bird atlas. (My name
is in that book!) I met quite a few bird watchers and so many of them
are quite fanatical about cats. But cats don't catch anywhere near as
many birds as they think. And most times it is done by feral cats that
are very hungry. But these same people don't say a word about how many
small birds are killed by hawks or foxes or cars. Although they do
talk about decimation of habitat by man. My cats might catch one bird
a year; they are more into rodents.

I don't think it right that one should become fanatical about any one
species. Cats are not evil and should not be treated as pariahs any
more than any other creature. If man weren't here all creatures would
go about their instinctive behavior, killing and being killed. In the
wild killing is done for food, protection and defense. Only man kills
for sport and the animals he has specifically trained for it. I see
nothing wrong with any creature killing another for food. But I don't
want my pets to end up as someone's dinner! So I keep them safe
indoors unless i am out with them. If they catch a rodent...fine. I
have way too many out here. If they catch a bird, it usually gets away
when they bring it up to the house and drop it to "play".

Birds can also be pests. And small birds kill one another frequetly.
These fanatics need to open their eyes and their narrow minds.

Just my two cents.
CATherine

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jmcquown - 17 Apr 2004 11:10 GMT

>> The other day -- as a result of a long and rather complex research
>> project -- I suddenly found myself on an Audubon Society web page.
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> are very hungry. But these same people don't say a word about how many
> small birds are killed by hawks or foxes or cars.

(snip)

> CATherine

I'm not an Audubon'er (if there is such a thing). I own a bird AND a cat.
I love both of them equally. In fact, I owned two parakeets before Persia
the cat ever decided to insist she live with me. I told her in no uncertain
terms, you don't mess with my birds. She didn't. She is, however,
fascinated by the birds I feed on my patio (and the squirrels and the
occasional chipmonk). It's cat nature, I have no problem with that. But
she is able to distinguish between 'pets' and 'wildlife'. Maybe she's just
an exceptionally smart cat, I dunno. (Actually, I suspect she's my dog
Sampson, reincarnated, but that's another story.)

Those 'keets I had have since gone to the RB and now I have a Nyasa
Lovebird, Peaches, a young small parrot. Persia gives her no more than a
passing glance, like, oh, there's a bird in that cage chirping. She walks
past her to go to the litterbox. She sometimes gets jealous if I talk to
Peaches too long, but all she does is wind herself around my legs and meow
at me. She shows no aggression towards Peaches at all.

Not all of us "bird lovers" are against cats. And I have to say, having
seen a *huge* owl on my back patio fence and later seeing headless carcasses
of doves and blackbirds... I know birds can be the more predatory of the
species.

Jill

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LOL - 18 Apr 2004 07:02 GMT

(snipped)

> Not all of us "bird lovers" are against cats. And I have to say, having
> seen a *huge* owl on my back patio fence and later seeing headless carcasses
> of doves and blackbirds... I know birds can be the more predatory of the
> species.
>
> Jill

In a horrible sort of role reversal the Audoboners never seem to
mention, my brother was out walking his d*g before sunrise not long
ago and saw a huge owl seize and fly away with a cat.

(This is sort of appropos of nothing, but seemed to vaguely sort of
fit into this thread.)

------
Krista

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jmcquown - 18 Apr 2004 08:23 GMT

> (snipped)
>>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> ------
> Krista

Yep, I can believe that. The owl I saw sitting on my patio fence had a
three-foot wingspan when it took off. A cat would be no match for its
talons or its beak.

I love birds, but I don't think of them as "docile" creatures. I have a
healthy respect for what they can and do, do.

Even a simple brown sparrow is carnivorous. At my last apartment complex,
someone dropped a carton of eggs (ooops!) while walking to their door.
Didn't take 3 minutes for a flock of sparrows to be down there eating the
eggs and fighting each other over them.

My lovebird, Peaches, likes eggs. She'd really rather have a
honey-seed-treat or an apple or pear, but give her a soft boiled egg and
she'll certainly eat it.

Jill

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Sherry - 19 Apr 2004 06:17 GMT

>In a horrible sort of role reversal the Audoboners never seem to
>mention, my brother was out walking his d*g before sunrise not long
>ago and saw a huge owl seize and fly away with a cat.

Hey, this happens. I don't know how often (I'd think it's rare in the daytime;
I don't ever even see owls out then). But my sister in law watched an owl carry
off one of her kittens.

Sherry

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John F. Eldredge - 19 Apr 2004 13:42 GMT

>>In a horrible sort of role reversal the Audoboners never seem to
>>mention, my brother was out walking his d*g before sunrise not long
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
>Sherry

My parents once had an elderly (15 years old) cat disappear, with no
clues except a small patch of blood on the front porch. We never
found out what happened to Tinkerbelle, but there had been a large
hawk in the neighborhood a few days earlier, so it is possible that
the hawk caught her.

Signature

John F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com
PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu
"Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better
than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria

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LOL - 20 Apr 2004 03:56 GMT

> My parents once had an elderly (15 years old) cat disappear, with no
> clues except a small patch of blood on the front porch. We never
> found out what happened to Tinkerbelle, but there had been a large
> hawk in the neighborhood a few days earlier, so it is possible that
> the hawk caught her.

I have seen hawks taking squirrels out of the trees; cats are not
*that* much bigger, so I don't see any reason why that couldn't have
happened.

------
Krista

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Mishi - 20 Apr 2004 04:34 GMT

> I have seen hawks taking squirrels out of the trees; cats are not

*that* much bigger, so I don't see any reason why that couldn't have
happened.
------
Krista >

I remember when I was growing up that one of our cats, a HUGE black tom by
the name of Satan came home with horrible gashes down both sides. My mother
thought that an owl had tried to get him, but he was too large for the owl
to pick up. A couple days later we found the scene of the attack, and from
the owl feathers there, it looked as so he gave as good as he got! He
recovered well, but we noticed that he never really wanted to go outside at
night after that.

Patti

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