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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / February 2007Cat Fancy Letter (to the editor, sort of)
In the February issue of 'Cat Fancy' magazine a woman subscriber in Florida took issue with a letter from the January issue. The original letter stated that cats are responsible for decimating the songbird population. The woman replying in the February issue email reply said NO, that's not true. Our (human) intrusion, clear-cutting of land and over-development is driving the birds and other creatures out of their natural habitat. And I agree totally. I know for a fact there was a law enacted where I live at least four years ago -developers are supposed to leave some trees when clearing tracts for those goofy looking cookie-cutter homes. Yet just down the street from me last year they cleared *everything*. Every tree, everything. Left nothing but bare earth. What kills me (heh) it appears the developer has run out money. There hasn't been much of anything done on that particular acreage since early 2006 and they sure can't blame the weather. It's just sitting there, all bald and bare earth. This just so we can have more of those stupid starter homes where there used to be a rich habitat for birds, foxes, squirrels, chipmonks. How can someone blame cats (feral or just outdoor) for decimating the bird population when the developers are chopping down everything in sight all willy-nilly?! Outdoor animals have no place to live, to nest, while the greedy developers remove every tree and bit of foliage where they might make their homes. Ticks me off! GRRRRRRRR. Jill .... Our > (human) intrusion, clear-cutting of land and over-development is driving > the birds and other creatures out of their natural habitat. ... > Jill Hi Jill, I totally agree that human encroachment is to blame for the loss of birds and other wildlife. I'd like to add that whatever birds and wildlife that feral cats do take down is because of some human neglecting to spay or neuter a pet. If there were no feral cats to blame, I wonder if their accusers would be forced to take a look in the mirror and recognize the true problem. Annie > .... Our> (human) intrusion, clear-cutting of land and over-development is driving > > the birds and other creatures out of their natural habitat. ... [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > forced to take a look in the mirror and recognize the true problem. > Annie I don't think so. Most of the feral-animal haters are pretty darn Green. I have heard enough "they don't belong here" excuses for killing feral horses, donkeys, cats, dogs, camels, carnosaurs and parrots than I would care to repeat. Every human on earth move back to East Africa and then we can start "cleansing" the planet of species that WE moved around in the first place. I agree with spaying and neutering and trying very hard not to increase the problem but ferals are part of the natural world, just as we are. Will in New Haven -- OK, "carnosaurs" was just to see if you were paying attention >> .... Our> (human) intrusion, clear-cutting of land and >> over-development is driving [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > Will in New Haven Will, This same issue of 'Cat Fancy' focused on a very community supported feral cat colony called Project Bay Cat in Foster City, CA. I'm paraphrasing but this is the gyst of it: A woman named Cimeron Morrisey saw all these KITTENS! in an area off the bay where she and her husband liked to go windsurfing. She admitted she didn't know what a feral cat was until a vet friend explained it to her. He loaned her a humane trap and explained what she could do to help. Then she attended a town meeting about the cats and was appalled when she heard suggestions such as "poison them" or "shoot them. She told the group about what she was doing to try to help. The Homeless Cat Network was there at the meeting along with members of the Sequoia Audubon Society who voiced the opinions, yes, this could be managed. Foster City decided to jump in. All the city has had to pay out has been $500 for signs along this stretch stating it's a "managed cat colony and any public interference is punishable by law". Feeding stations were set up along the trail. Crystal Springs Pet Hospital spays or neuters all the ferals they bring in from this colony for free. The food is partially funded by these groups but the article states most of the volunteers who go out to feed (and trap for the spay/neuter process) pay for their own supplies. The cats who have been "speutered" have a small notch in their ear so they won't have to undergo that ordeal again. It seems to be a very successful project. Check www.cimeron.com and click on the PBC Toolkit link if you're looking for information on how to implement similar projects in your area. Jill >In the February issue of 'Cat Fancy' magazine a woman subscriber in Florida >took issue with a letter from the January issue. The original letter stated [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > >Jill I live in a major metropolitan city; there is a major infestation of crows throughout the city. This started around 15 years ago. They compete with the more desirable birds for food and habitat. They tend to win, due to their size, aggressiveness, and pack hunting. The local State University made a statement about the crow problem many years ago: human destruction of crow habitat outside the city has driven them to adapt to the urban landscape, where they have become very, very successful. They raid small bird's nests for eggs, etc. They are destroying the local songbird population. Feral cats, my @ss! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Life without cats would be only marginally worth living." -TC, and the unmercifully, relentlessly, sweet calico kitty, Kenzie. How you behave towards cats here below determines your status in Heaven. - Robert Heinlein Life is very difficult. Once you understand that, life becomes easier. -Buddha > I live in a major metropolitan city; there is a major infestation of > crows throughout the city. This started around 15 years ago. They > compete with the more desirable birds for food and habitat. They tend to > win, due to their size, aggressiveness, and pack hunting. And don't forget: amazing intelligence. (OK, they're not as smart as ravens, but they're still pretty smart!) > The local State University made a statement about the crow problem many > years ago: human destruction of crow habitat outside the city has driven > them to adapt to the urban landscape, where they have become very, very > successful. They raid small bird's nests for eggs, etc. They are > destroying the local songbird population. > Feral cats, my @ss! I guess the crows are too big for the feral cats to take care of? Joyce >In the February issue of 'Cat Fancy' magazine a woman subscriber in Florida >took issue with a letter from the January issue. The original letter stated [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > >Jill I don't blame you. It ticks me off, too. Every time I look up, I see some other way we're just devouring the earth, and messing it up. I was looking a lot at polar bears yesterday, and reading about how the ice where they live is melting, and bears are drowning. And that BS about cats eating all the birds? Most can't *catch* most birds (excepting that genius Boyfriend! ;)) any more than I can hit a major-league fastball. What most cats out there are eating is rats, mice, voles, moles, lizards, bugs, etc. Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh Make Levees, Not War > I don't blame you. It ticks me off, too. Every time I look up, I see > some other way we're just devouring the earth, and messing it up. I > was looking a lot at polar bears yesterday, and reading about how the > ice where they live is melting, and bears are drowning. I know - every time I think about that, I get teary and choked up. That is just unbearably sad. They swim back toward the north pole when the weather starts to get warmer, but they've adapted to that trip being a certain distance because until recently, they would reach solid ice much sooner. Poor things have no idea what hit them. They're just swimming along as usual, and the water just keeps going and going and going... :'-( Joyce > > I don't blame you. It ticks me off, too. Every time I look up, I > see > some other way we're just devouring the earth, and messing it [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Joyce The thing I find terribly depressing is the thought they could become extinct within 40 years. :-(  SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera) Cats leave pawprints on your heart. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk >> In the February issue of 'Cat Fancy' magazine a woman subscriber in >> Florida took issue with a letter from the January issue. The [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >> the street from me last year they cleared *everything*. Every tree, >> everything. Left nothing but bare earth. (snip self) >> Jill > > I don't blame you. It ticks me off, too. Every time I look up, I see > some other way we're just devouring the earth, and messing it up. (snippage) What kills me about the developers razing all the trees to create a housing development is this: Then they hire landscapers to come in and plant a few puny shrubs and maybe a young sapling here and there in the front yards of the houses. Now why go to all that trouble (and added expense!) when you can leave trees which will create shade now, not 50 years from now, and not completely decimate the habitat for the wildlife? Where my parents live in SC, they had to work building their house around not cutting down trees over a certain diameter. They have a neighbor who actually had to have a large > cut into the corner of one part of the end of their roof to accomodate a large tree and its future growth. This place never looked like a place that had been stripped. There was and always has been abundant wildlife there. It's a very peaceful place :) Jill > In the February issue of 'Cat Fancy' magazine a woman subscriber in > Florida [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > Jill I totally agree. They're doing the same thing here in Spring Texas (just north of Houston). The weird thing is, I would *NEVER* buy a house in this environment that didn't have trees shading it - the electric bill in summer would be enough to cause heart failure! We have 26 trees on our lot and even so the heat in August causes the attic to be heat-stroke hot, and we pay around $400 - $500 a month for electricity from June to October! Hugs, CatNipped
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