Should domestic cats be eradicated to protect wildlife?

Yes they should be.

What a stupid thread. Birds breed all the time . What people need to do is to put bells on them. And all the presidents as well.

You could make a better argument for eradicating people.

Seriously though, I say no. If you remove cats it will simply cause rats and mice to increase in population, and they are worse to New Zealand and Australia's environment than cats.

The fact is Pandora's Box has already been opened and there's no way to stop the changes that European settlement Down Under has caused.

Originally posted by DaTroof
Cats suck. They step in their litter box then jump on your kitchen table. Filthy feces spreading parasite-having things.

First of all, cats can be trained "not" to jump on kitchen tables or counter tops.

If they do happen to jump on the table, it's nothing that a little 409 (or the like of) wont take off by wiping it down.

Also, cats are very clean animals that clean their feet and body after a moment in the litter box.

I'd much rather have a cat than have to deal with the many diseases that mice and rats carry.

Rats and mice spread over 35 diseases. Just a few of what they can pass on to humans are,

Bubonic plague — Rats are the primary source of plague infection in human populations.
Salmonella — Mice and rats are both frequent carriers. Spreads to humans by contact with mouse droppings,
Rat-bite Fever — Fatal in 10 percent of untreated cases.
Leptospirosis — Rats and mice are both carriers of this potentially fatal disease.
Tapeworms — Rats host small tapeworms of the genus Hymenolepis that can spread to humans eating foods.
Murine Typhus (typhus transmitted from rats and mice via flea bite) — This disease can cause death in elderly or infirm individuals.

www.macroevolution.net...

www.cdc.gov...

Yep, pet cats are routinely hunted here... I salute you for your work and foresight ForestForager. Every little bugger that is hunted and killed makes a good day. It is the owner's fault for letting the cat out. Incredibly irresponsible people. Angry pet owners who come looking around here find more than they bargained for.

Stupid humans. One day when all the wildlife is eradicated they will say "Oops, what did we do?"

Originally posted by _Phoenix_
Cats are clever and will remember when you scare them, and will most likely never return.

This is completely untrue as I have tried that many times myself. You get the best result with water but they still return. I can say conclusively it makes no difference. They will prowl on your property and destroy your wildlife no matter how many times they are scared off.

They'll pry my kitties out of my cold dead hands!

reply to post by ollncasino



I would think conservation campaigner Gareth Morgan, should be more concerned about the plague called humanity, we far out strip any other species in or kill count and the damage we cause. I understand that the last time any group killed off the cats, it ended with a great plague.

Yes none breading cats should be desexed.

No, I don't think killing all the cats is the answer. Spaying/neutering & strict breeding regulations is a more long-term & sensible solution. Meaning, round up feral cats & relocate to a feral housing center, domesticated ones get returned if lost, adopted if abandoned, and all get sterilized. More docile ferals can be tamed, and eventually, if tamed enough, adopted. I can see the need for euthanizing a large number of ferals, but to get rid of ALL the cats, including privately owned, isn't the answer. If the problem were loose dogs instead of cats, I wonder if the supporters would suddenly be against the idea.

Originally posted by ForestForager
reply to post by ollncasino

 

The cats I killed were not collared, were on my property, and threatened the birds that came to my feeders, and the squirrels that came to me for nuts... it's no different then trapping/killing a rat... people keep those as pets too.

You miserable excuse for a human being, just what the F is wrong with you? Did those cats tell you they were feral, or outdoors cats? No collars? Did it ever occur to you at any point in your psychopathic feline hunting that you were probably killing an INDOOR cat that got out? Do you have any idea how easy it is for a cat to slip out, even if they're 6th generation indoor-only reared? Cats are like kids, they're curious, they often go where they shouldn't. I've had many cats over the course of my life, and they all got out of the house at least once. Faulty window screens, kids coming in & out of the house not paying attention, adults bringing in groceries, putting out the trash, going to work, coming home, etc. IT HAPPENS. I had a cat sleeping on the windowsill fall through the dislodged screen, and the neighbor, who may as well have been YOU with the attitude, saw it happen & threatened to kill him if he wasn't brought indoors immediately. I was ELEVEN. People who think like you should be the ones hunted.
If you can't be bothered to call animal control to set up traps, or ask around your neighborhood to see who's cat is missing, you have a very serious mental issue if you instantly go to "KILL IIIIIIT!!!" I absolutely loathe dogs, but my first thought isn't to kill a wandering dog, I call animal control. If I can corral the mutt, I do, but never have I thought killing it would be a good idea, because odds are, IT IS SOMEONE'S PET.

Should humans be eradicated to protect wildlife? We've caused extinctions of millions of species. Ruin their habitats....So unless we're confined and sterilized and chipped...should we be euthanized?

Originally posted by Night Star
Don't people put bells on their cats collars? Their prey would hear them coming and take off. My cats have always been indoor cats, safe, content, loved and loveable. They have had very long healthy lives.

very simple solution

well done

reply to post by ForestForager

That is a big dilemma,cats are extremely difficult to keep in a yard,unlike dogs.The collar with the bell is a good plan,but it has to be introduced at a young age,so they get used to it early.Ive heard what a massive problem parts of NZ has with feral cats,we have friends there.I wish you would'nt kill cats though,it may be some one's beloved pet.

If we are on the subject of protecting wildlife then at least half the human population should be eradicated.

I think The Cat, not homo sapien, is the only animal which kills for fun.

I am constantly chasing the neighbours Cat out of my garden.

I feed wild birds and have a Goldfish/Frog pond at the back.

Yesterday I found "Share" and "Yamun", my sons Goldfishes,

lying in the garden near the pond. Freshly Murdered.

Share's abdomen had been sliced open and her guts were hanging out.

Yamun looked untouched, but was further from the pond. He looked almost alive.

They had been fished out and left to flap about and suffocate to death...

This cat is well fed. The fish were as valuable to it as a £1 rubber toy. Maybe less.

All you People claiming pet-rights for cats ignore the rights of other peoples pets to live in peace.

Cats are predetors and as such should be regulated like dogs, if not more so.

There is no place in nature for a thoughtless, heartless, evil animal like the domestic cat.

Originally posted by ForestForager

I've killed several cats in my time that I've found wandering around my old neighborhood that may have been someones pets, I didn't care... if it's not on a leash or in a house, I consider it a stray and a threat to local wildlife. Don't get me wrong, I love cats, but they are predators, and need to be controlled. If you are going to let your cat out and wander, please collar it with an attached bell. That simple measure will spook its prey, and I may let it live to return to its semi-responsible owner (semi-responsible because any animals considered pets should NOT be wandering around off of your property).

edit on 3-2-2013 by ForestForager because: (no reason given)

You got stars for that, how incredibly sweet? My cat is NOT collared. You wanna know why, she licks every single collar, and then gets her tongue caught on it. So far we have tried every type in this city, obviously got rid of the fuzzy kind and went to smooth.

I'm a cat person. They have emotional centers in their brains like humans and are wonderful. Also have kept the rats away from inundating this old house and more than earned their keep, even though they only killed one.

If I was in that country it would be over my dead body, that politician needs to be gagged.

And also, in Canada if you go around shooting animals its a felony. GOOD!

To me only an animal would go around shooting cats!!!! Its a sick psychotic thing to do!!!

So SATAN is speaking up in all the countries trying to gain ground. People are giving evil way too much power.

In a sane world, someone in a powerful positions shoots off his mouth like that a team of PI's would monitor him till he was pinned with the stuff he's really doing behind the scenes and he'd be in jail, probably for child trafficking or satanic rituals. They don't get power or shoot off evil plans unless they're sick people

I honestly think this is all about people who hate and have an irrational prejudice towards cats. Get a freaking dog then, but don't judge us who love kitties. I do like dogs as well, by the way. But the idea of eradicating an entire species is the exact thing that's so f ed up about human history, it's a story played out many times.

If they do decide to kill off the cats, which I doubt they will as many Kiwis love their felines, I hope their homes all get infested by rats because they will have it coming.

I don't understand how people could dislike let alone hate cats, they're so cute and so beautiful. I'd even go so far as to call them majestic and glorious creatures.

I love cats. They make fabulous pets.

That said, the average house cat lives 12 years or more. The average lifespan of a cat that is let outside to roam is only 3 years. So if you have a cat, be a responsible cat owner and keep them inside. If you have an uncontrollable need to let them outside, put them on a leash or secure your yard.

None of your neighbors want your cat to be crapping in their flower beds, their children's sandboxes, or anywhere else.

Should domestic cats be eradicated to protect wildlife?

You can't be serious

So you are basically implying a mass genocide of a species that has emotions, logic and understanding of the surrounding world.

It's like saying "Should humanity be eradicated to protect planet Earth ?" and in all honesty it is sickening to see such a twisted thought as your thread get so many stars and flags.

How can you mass genocide this species:


Heck cats themselves show human emotions towards their young, exactly the same patterns of behavior your mother would have demonstrated towards you. In all honesty anyone suggesting such an idea or promoting it like Gareth Morgan. If this idea even goes through and becomes approved anyone that voted for it in the parliament should be jailed for life. Basically they are approving animal cruelty and genocide on a massive scale.

Humanity seriously needs to start waking up to how much everything is connected in existence.

reply to post by DaTroof

You'd be keeerect thats grotesque,so i keep an old windowcleaner spraybottle filled with water on my kitchen counter-and when one jumps up its gets a sharp facewash:-D they hate that.Also works if you've already fed them twice that day,but they will come yowling for dinner every 5 minutes,and tripping me up,dawdling in front of me when im busy-Whoosh!-KLEENCAT! Thing is,im a great catlover,im crazy about em but,like undisciplined dogs,all you end up is a pet whose face you feel like slapping often.Cats and dogs are not inferior to humans-AU CONTRAIRE,imo.Still they cannot be allowed to do as they please,it would be "counter-productive":-D Seriously it makes having the pet a pain in the ass-you have to take the time to let them know what you won't be putting up with.Cats can be fun to have,cathaters would be surprised how much,but you have to be firm with them right off the bat.They respect you for it.