One cat, one year, 110 native animals: lock up your pet, it's a killing machine

[Quixote1818]

We know feral cats are an enormous problem for wildlife – across Australia, feral cats collectively kill more than three billion animals per year.

Cats have played a leading role in most of Australia’s 34 mammal extinctions since 1788, and are a big reason populations of at least 123 other threatened native species are dropping.

But pet cats are wreaking havoc too. Our new analysis compiles the results of 66 different studies on pet cats to gauge the impact of Australia’s pet cat population on the country’s wildlife.

The results are staggering. On average, each roaming pet cat kills 186 reptiles, birds and mammals per year, most of them native to Australia. Collectively, that’s 4,440 to 8,100 animals per square kilometre per year for the area inhabited by pet cats.

More: https://theconversation.com/one-cat-one-year-110-native-animals-lock-up-your-pet-its-a-killing-machine-138412?fbclid=IwAR1BipRgqQ0vj40EdkXAjcCTRVfB7gTsWo8CZbTXtz1g34UDGcWL_On0IEE

[Loki Liesmith]

1. People aren't going to do this

[MiniMe]

2. They won't even stay home during a pandemic.

[Raine]

3. My two cats 🐱 🐱 are strictly indoor only

they NEVER go outside for their safety, other critters safety and my peace of mind.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. Same Here

When my wife & I first started dating, she had 2 that went in & out.
We moved just prior to marriage. One left & we never saw it again.
The other got killed by a car a block from the house.
We made a deal that the kittens we get from now on just stay inside. Way safer.
40 years & 8 cats later, we're still like that.
They don't seem like they're missing anything. They've all been happy cats.
The dogs never go out unleashed either.

[wishstar]

4. In my area of WNC coyotes are killing pet cats allowed outside

In both suburban and rural neighborhoods around here cats aren't safe from coyotes and also at risk from being hit by cars.

[Wounded Bear]

5. Didn't they take the cats to Australia to take care of the rabbits?

Asking for a friend.

[hatrack]

16. I think that was Myxomatosis . . . .

Cats were just along for the ride back in the 1800s.

[NickB79]

25. No, they released fox and weasels for that

[Jirel]

6. Back to this crap.

I’ll worry about letting a cat outdoors after we deal with overpopulation, urban sprawl, destruction of habitat, burning of the Amazon, and other actual major contributors to population collapses.

[USALiberal]

26. So you will only fix one problem if others are fixed first? Classy! nt

[NickB79]

27. You can't walk and chew gum at the same time?

Keeping your cat indoors is a pretty easy move with a lot of payback.

Unless you're a farmer with a mouse problem, there's really no excuse not to.

[USALiberal]

28. +1000! nt

[Rhiannon12866]

7. Cats are also prey - for other animals and a host of dangers.

I found my cat as a kitten in a supermarket parking lot in 2014 - and he's been an indoor kitty ever since.

[malaise]

13. Beautiful cat

[Rhiannon12866]

23. Thanks! That's my Felix...

I found him as a little kitten in a supermarket parking lot one night five years ago on my way home. I couldn't just leave him there, but I couldn't have caught him without the help of a guy who worked in the store and his wife who came to pick him up, he was determined, but they were terrific! He was just eyes in the dark that night, but he has grown up to be such a beautiful cat!

[malaise]

24. He's a lucky guy

[MFM008]

8. All 3 of our cats

Are indoor .

[Celerity]

9. killing machine

[jmowreader]

10. What's really too bad...

...is that they can't breed a cat to be immune to cane toad poison.

[abqtommy]

11. I'd be interested in hearing the killing stats for deaths caused by feral hoomans...

Last edited Thu May 14, 2020, 07:53 AM - Edit history (1)

[malaise]

12. Oh wait

Cats are cats

[Drahthaardogs]

14. I had a neighbor who built a barn and promptly

Filled it with cats. I watched 23 fly out the window one evening. No more rabbits, robins, they killed a ton of my pigeons when they got into my coop.

I saw a coyote running with one in his mouth one morning. She moved and I started live trapping and taking them to the humane society.

Wildlife is back now that the cats are gone.

[Johnny2X2X]

17. People don't care

They'd rather their cats be able to hunt than protect local wildlife.

Bells on collars can be somewhat effective. But cats will learn to hunt with them too.

We feed the birds, stinks seeing cats hunt at our feeders, although they've learned that our dog is not one to be trifled with so they are very very cautious now when entering our yard.

[Piasladic]

22. agree - nt

[brooklynite]

18. Nope...

my cat isn't free range, but he likes to explore the enclosed backyard and is too old to get over the fence.

[Bettie]

19. Mine have an outdoor caged

area that they can access from the house.

Once in a while one of them will manage to sneak out when we open a door, but we do our best.

[leftyladyfrommo]

20. Cats shouldn't be outside. They get sick. they get

abscesses. They get parasites. They get killed by dogs and cars and sick people. They live years longer if they are inside.

[cbdo2007]

21. I wish our cat killing dog hadn't died a few years ago...our new dog just wants to play with the

neighbors cats in our yard. I want them GONE, but dont' want to do it myself, it was much more innocent seeming when the dog did it, lol. I would just dispose of the evidence.