Letter to the Editor
Control your cat
Published Friday, April 25, 2008
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Stumble It!April 21, 2008
To the editor:
It is that time of year again! The songbirds are returning to Alaska from thousands of miles away to nest and raise young. They fill the air with beautiful music and flashes of color to the recently black and white land. Birds bring back joy to our world.
Unfortunately something terrible awaits the arrival of the songbirds as well. The domestic cat.
Cats are stealthy and effective predators of wild birds. They kill millions of songbirds every year in America.
Some populations of songbirds have all but been eliminated by domestic cats.
When your kitty proudly places a dead songbird it has hunted and killed at your feet, the cat has not just killed one bird. More than likely, it has wiped out the entire family, as most male birds feed the babies along with the females.
With its mate gone, one bird may not be able to feed the demanding young chicks.
Baby birds just fledged from the nest are very easy prey for a cat.
The solution is simple. Keep your cat indoors or under control at all times. Never let your cat out of the door to wander on its own. It is against the law, and is also dangerous for the cat.
Cats are not natural predators in Alaska and have absolutely no right to kill precious songbirds that have traveled so far to raise their families.
Community Discussion
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Lets just stop all animal on animal killings. Who wants to plan this one?
The letter raises a good point. The domestic cat is not a natural predator on songbirds. Hawks, ravens, foxes, even squirrels are but domestic cats are imported predators.
Letting your pet cat outside, knowing it kills songbirds and then ducking the responsibility for such actions by saying, "Well, cats are predators" is exactly the same as letting your dog run loose. Loose dogs can and will form packs which can then harass and kill moose calves. Letting them do so and then excusing that by saying, "Well, dogs are predators" is not only illegal but something no one in their right mind is likely to condone.
In some areas in the Lower '48 domestic cats have decimated local songbird populations. Not only do they kill the birds but they are direct competition for the natural predators.
There are additional reasons such as parasites the cats can catch, diseases they can spread to the local population of natural predators, and just the plain nuisance of trespassing in someone else's yard.
I don't think the author of the letter is suggesting anything such as stopping natural predation by one species on another. The keyword is "natural". She's simply and rightfully saying the food chain doesn't need another predator, especially one that doesn't have to hunt to survive.
Hello Anne Vick.
Let's begin with time and place, and then move on to sentience.
I'm fairly certain the songbirds and predator relationships you cite are mainly focused "Down There" and our wicked felines of the North are only getting slim pickings by the time they (songbirds) get here.
Songbirds migrate with hawks and falcons and end up with egg-robbing local birds as a larger quotient of mortality from the aforementioned than those "terrible predators," i.e. the domestic cats, vs the corvids ( ravens, crows and magpies) the glaucous gulls, jays,jaegers and a variety of owl species to boot make your beliefs about well fed house cats rather inconsequential relative to the really, really good predators, rather than those fat cats just out exercising their instinct.
I do believe we need to take care with songbirds but my true sympathy lies with the song of the mosquito gobblers, however we define them.
Marten, mink, lynx, fox, they all make their living on the birdies at one time or another.
If you are in the lower 48 you probably have a strong, unassailable point to make, however you ain't in Kansas anymore.
Why so much hate and negativity toward a legitimate and friendly letter?!
Good grief. I can't believe we have a letter to the editor about house cats wiping out entire populations of birds.
i cant figure out who is a bigger waste of life. the one writing this letter or the one reading this letter.
yes we all believe in the majesty of alaska: the moose, the mountain, the mosquito, the flower, the bird, the native, the raven and the dumpster; but COME ON!! if you have a problem with peoples pets then catch their pet's when they are on your property and eat them! has it ever occured to you that maybe the incessant squeeking and whistling might be obnoxious to someone who sleeps during the day, and a few less "song-birds" would be just peachy...
Hello Anne, Yes, I know it is the season again for cats to go out and hunt, kill and eat our precious birds, baby bunnies and squirrels. It's their nature. Although, I don't like waking up in the morning finding pieces and parts of the victims being brought in through the doggy door and half eaten. I have two cats and three small dogs....I believe they have a right to be outside. (we live on 5 acres) Do you have a pet?
Misinformation:Some populations of songbirds have all but been eliminated by domestic cats.
Actual comment from the study conducted by the University of Maine.
Domestic cats worldwide have been INVOLVED in the extinction of more bird species than any other cause except habitat destruction, according to research from the University of Maine.
So a study reports that cats have been associated with the extinction of certain bird species has now been translated into cats have caused a bird species complete extinction despite the fact the study admits that HABITAT DESTRUCTION was the primary driver of a certain bird species extinction.
Oh Anne Vick,
You broke the "Cardinal" Rule! (Get it! HUH, "CARDINAL" RULE!!!) Even though it is obvious that you did not mean too; you are telling a percentage of people in this wonderful state, how to live their life!! Can’t you hear the HRUMPH!! HRUMPH, HRUMPH, HRUMPH!!!..."I didn’t get a HRUMPH out of that guy"!!
You see you are jealous of our "Freedums" to quote our fearless leader and that really gets people riled up!! By the end of the day this thread will morph into a mob of slavering, ravenous, typing fools calling for your removal from the state, with "go back to the lower 48" and "don’t tell me how to raise my cat, I home school it!!" But you keep you head held high, you can go to be tonight knowing that in the morning that that crazy robin who loves to sing right outside these peoples window will greet them with a cacophony of beautiful sounds...I can hear it now!
Go crazy bird, sing to the World!! YouMustBConfused
PS Tongue is firmly in cheek
PSS Ten points to whoever can tell me what movie HRUMPH is from?
I have had a very serious talk with my cat and she has assured me that she will stop this abhorrent behavior. We are placing her on a vegetarian diet as we speak.
We have removed her canine teeth and have begun to feed her carrots.
Boy is it cute watching her run around with a carrot in her paws and a big smile on her face!
Oh - weren't the buffalo in Delta imported....We must kill them all! I am loading my rifle now - someone please tell fish and game about this.
(don't forget the fish stocked in the ponds around town - those, too, must not be allowed to live - someone please go catch them all)
HRUMPH is from one of the greatest movies of all time: Blazing Saddles. For those who have not seen it, I would recommend it for children and adults alike.
Can we please turn these comments into a thread about our favorite lines from the movie?
On topic, all of you people getting upset about this are immature. If your life is so simple you cannot think of something bigger to worry about than someones letter about birds and cats, I implore you to get out more.
LMAOOO... domestic cats evolved from predators, big cats...etc..it'd a natural instinct to stalk and kill. I lost my cat a few yrs ago to an owl. I did not go out hunting every hooting feathered fiend I saw. It's nature.
Some food for thought for those of you who love your cats. Besides the diseases our pets can pick up from only being outside, there also exist predators that are BIGGER than our cats which then make THEM prey. A number of years ago, despite being a bird lover, I would let my cats outside on occasion. One of my cats was attacked by an owl and nearly died. His agonizing injuries and the hefty vet bill were the straws that finally convinced me that they never again go outside. And yes, one of my birding friends made sure I was aware of my cat’s Karmic lesson.
User6244-
I did some research for you about how to cite from the Internet:
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/c...
It's a little more than just cutting and pasting, but I know you'll get the hang of it.
Awesome ecray! 10 Points!!...now watch your ---! LOL
...more than copying and pasting, but...
Sorry.
Good Morning to All,
With respect to Ms. Vick's letter, I appreciate her intent. Though I am skeptical of the impact of owned domestic cats without also including the other preditors and environmental issues facing song-bird habitat.
I grew up with dogs, but married a cat-man and soon discovered the preditory nature of the domesticated feline. Over the years, I've taken steps to minimize the impact of my animals on my particular plot of the world. By the way I'm also an avid bird watcher with numerous feeders on the property.
I would like to point out though, that, at least in my neighborhood, our local ferral cats do more damage than the ones with owners. Fairbanks, like many other urban locations has communities of ferral cats. Over the years I've had to trap some nusaince ones and turned them over to animal control.
I suggest that if you find a tabby is camping out under your bird feeder, and it doesn't belong to you, trap it and turn it over to Animal Control. It it is owned, the owner will get a wake-up call to keep better track of his pet. If it's ferral (they act like WB-Taz in a cage) you've rid your area of a potential disease carrying pest.
-RK
You can always put a bell on the cats collar,that would give the bird a flying chance ha ha get it "flying chance".I personaly let my cat slay what it can catch.It`s like a reward for being cooped up all winter.I would like to see ann vick take her cat on a walk(drag!) with a leash.
That's it! It's time to start killing all of those damn cats! I can't stand them - always pissing all over the place, destroying gardens and flowers, killing poor defenseless squirrels and birds, shedding their nasty hair all over the place!
We should ban these vicious killers now!!!!
Oh, wait, if we do that, then I'll have to listen to all of the horrible racket from those stupid little birds! And, they are far more annoying! They never shut up!
Nevermind, I think I'll go get another couple cats instead. :)
[PS - I don't own any cats, I don't like cats. I just think this letter is absurd in the extreme.]
What about all the bugs that the birds eat? Please people, keep your canary locked up.
Is this serious? This sounds a bit like "stop netting the tuna cause the cute dolphins get caught by mistake." What about the tuna?
The cat I had growing up lived to be 17. Spent most his nights outside killing things and his days sleeping atop the couch. Why? Hes a cat, thats what they do.
Keep them locked up inside? Suppose we should clip their claws too? Civilize the beast?
What a joke.
The best way to control a cat is to strip yourself naked, then pick it up, hold it in your lap, and whatever you do, don't let it go! Just hang on until the cat relents.
Maybe we should organize a day of silence for the poor songbirds being bullied by domesticated cats?
HRUMPH, HRUMPH, HRUMPH!!!
Imusuallyright-
The information cited still stands. Despite the fact that I didn't leave the link.
Here is link to help you understand what I think of your comment.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionar...
I figure it evens out. Eagles have picked up quite a few cats
I have a bet with my cat. His claws against my old Red Rider BB gun.
"Cats are not natural predators in Alaska and have absolutely no right to kill precious songbirds that have traveled so far to raise their families."
How about all those unnaturally transplanted bipedal pink monkies?
Somehow I think there is more of an impact created by things like a new Target Shopping center or the obligatory Megalomart complex.
We don't have any endangered birds here in interior Alaska but in other parts of the world domestic cats can have significant impact on bird populations.
I'm surprised at the extent of vitriol against this letter writer.
From this website: http://www.owra.org/cateffect.htm
2. A four-year study in rural Wisconsin by Coleman and Temple confirmed the UK findings; 30 cats, radio-collared for various periods of time, led researchers to conclude that, in Wisconsin alone, cats may kill 19 million songbirds and some 140,000 game birds in a single year. The researchers focused on rural areas, where residents averaged more than 4 cats apiece, working out to a density of 57 cats/sq mile. [JS Coleman and SA Temple, 1993. "Rural residents' free-ranging domestic cats: a survey. Wildlife Society Bulletin 21: 381-390] In urban areas, however, cat populations can be more than 2,000 cats/sq mile. [Marin Conservation League, Sept 1995 issue of the MCL News, "Is There a Fluffy Killer in Your Home?"] Temple, a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin, also stated that house cats are probably the principal predator of birds and small mammals in many areas of rural America. Using figures from Wisconsin and Illinois, he found that outdoor cats kill 47 million rabbits a year - more than human hunters kill with guns. Temple points out that cats may also be the chief threat to some bird populations, especially grassland birds (many of which are in decline already due to habitat loss.)
3. In Virginia, Dr. Joseph Mitchell, an ecologist at the University of Richmond, and his colleague, Dr. Ruth Beck, conducted a study using their own cats. During the 11 months of their test, their 5 cats killed at least 187 animals, mostly small mammals. Of special interest to the researchers was the impact on songbirds, which are in decline in the state - they conservatively estimate that domestic cats each kill at least 26 birds each year in urban areas or 83 in rural areas, representing over 26 million birds in Virginia alone. Mitchell says "The figures may be conservative, because the study only counted confirmed kills - not cases in which cats ate their victims or left the bodies hidden." [JC Mitchell, 1992. "Free-ranging domestic cat predation on native vertebrates in rural and urban Virginia." Virginia Journal of Science, Vol 43 (1B):107-207.]
YouMustBConfused, while I got a kick out of the Blazing Saddles referrence. (too bad I was too slow and didn't get the 10 points for recognizing it.) I appreciate Ms.