Why do some people still have this dual relationship with their cats. Pet and pest control.
Many people love cats, it is true. We can see this from the almost constant flow of cat photo's on Facebook.
We know that cats are good for keeping rodent populations under control. However recent research has indicated that the humble house cat, is responsible for the almost total destruction and extinction of many species. In the Galapagos Islands the cats have been exterminated because they caused so much destruction.
It is not surprising that cat's have caused the extinction of so many other species, they hunt. The problem stemmed from humans introducing them. Do you still love cats.
Honestly, I wish my cats would keep out bugs or rodents. They don't do much of anything. And I'm a strict believer that cats should remain indoors only.
Cats some would argue can never be fully domesticated. That is their appeal to many people.
Their ability to care for themselves consists as their appeal to me. However, cats who go outside eventually never come back. I would rather know the fate of my cat and allow them to live a long and healthy life.
I LOVE my cats and all the stray and ferals in my woods. It is not true that cats are the only ones to put many things in extinction. Those people are only the ones who hate cats....period. Other animals, snakes and birds will wipe out a certain population faster than a cat will. There is another hubber on here that points out how pesticides also will eradicate species of animals too. Owls and other predatory birds will kill off a mice, rat and even a cat population within months. In my experience with cats over 30 years, if they are born outside many will only live outside and will never be totally domesticated. Cats were not originally raised to live inside all the time but some do. I have one that was a feral that is to be kept inside for her own sake, but when he escapes she reverts right back into her feral state. She has been an inside cat for almost 10 years now and got out a couple of weeks ago and it took me 2 weeks for me to get her back inside. It was as if she didn't know me at all. So indoor cats are great an so are outdoor cats. They all have their own personalities, likes and dislike, just as people, but they are not humans and should not be treated as such. I also just read somewhere that flea treatments also cause cancer in cats and dogs as well. If they are causing cancer to them then what else are they causing cancer to down the line?
Hello Lady Guinevere, you make some very interesting points that these animals are living with us. They do not need to hunt and yet they do?
It is in their instinct to hunt. Watch how they play and how they get ready to pounce on their toys. Here is the link to the pesticides hub: http://grandmapearl.hubpages.com/hub/Mo … elling-Us?
You mention owls and snakes "killing" mouse populations, but fail to realize that owls and snakes are a part of this and most places' natural ecosystem. They are supposed to do that. Cats, on the other hand, are not. They were brought here by us.
Not sure why you seem to be blaming the cats for all the distruction. Dogs are also being blamed. Goats too are being eradicated because they are eating all the vegetation that other species rely on. The giant tortoise is almost extinct because of the goats. Fire ants too attack other invertebrates. Cottony cushion scale is destroying vegetation so the bring in the lady bug to eat those. And so around it goes. They will be complaining when they are over run with rodents again and they will be... rodents will sneak off the ships that port.
Give me a cat over a rat any day
I have 3 indoor cats and they are wonderful pets. I also feed two colonies of feral cats in the Bronx. The overpopulation of cats is due to human stupidity and irresponsibility. People do not spay and neuter their cats. In many places, when people can no longer take care of their animal they dump them on the street where they produce more cats, and they produce more cats and so on. Many humans have devoted themselves to the human practice of TNR - Trap, Neuter, Return. Which is a humane way of controlling the overpopulation of cats.
Stray cats are the result of human neglect, and as such blaming the cats and exterminating them is once again a horrendous human solution to a problem that humans created in the first place.
Yes and people are stupid. My neighbors have told me that they don't care about controlling cat pop. Maybe they should be spays to stop more stupid people. Hahaha..that's a joke.
I have seen the same thing. People 'love' their cats until it is time to move or the animal becomes a pain and then they just dump them.
We had a neighbor move and just left 13 cats to fend for themselves. The pound came and got them but I think they put them down.
All domestic animals have had bad effects on the environment in one way or another. It just comes down to responsible ownership. If you don't want your cat hunting things to extinction keep it in the house and let it hunt feathers on strings. It is not the cat's fault it is a predator. Besides I have had cats who hunt and I have had cats who won't even eat raw meat when it's offered. It all depends on their breeding. In many cases certain breeds of cats have been bred to be more domesticated - that is, with poor hunting abilities because they're more pets than pest control these days anyway. Just look at Persians. Can they hunt mice? Of course they can but their lack of a face makes it pretty difficult, they have to slam their head into the floor to get it. I am betting most probably wouldn't bother. The same goes for furless cat breeds... they are not going to be putting on parkas to go hunt birds in the snow. Having had a furless cat before I would say they're more interested in cuddling up on a warm lap than finding a live dinner.
I was discussing this recently on another board (enviromental / political,) where the idea of enforcing a spay / neuter / release program for feral cats and a no-introduction policy for owners. In essence, (I believe this was in NZ,) they would round all the feral cats they could find, spay / neuter them and then re-release them. The idea was that eventually the feral population would cease without being able to breed. The no-introduction clause was basically something along the lines of cat owners being required to spay / neuter and then once their cats died they would no longer be able to own / buy more. Anyone coming into the country would not be allowed to bring a cat in. Basically turning NZ after a course of years into a "cat - free" zone. Lady Guinevere, you and I agree on a great many things, but I have to call you out, (just a little bit,) I love cats. The majority of my family, they're all dog people, so I've spent years defending the loveliness of the feline... but I have to say, yes, cats do cause a lot of destruction. Yes, goats, dogs, and even bugs cause just as much, but I would argue there are some places that are just too precious to introduce goats, dogs and cats to. (Bugs, well, really there's nothing one can do about them.) Truth is, we're the ones that introduced these species, there should be a policy or a sense of responsibility, at the very least, in HUMANELY attempting to control their population and ownership.
I couldn't agree with you more. We really do need to stand up and be counted if we wish to continue to have such potentially destructive 'pets'.
There are several countries that are doing similar things to NZ in terms of controlling alien species.
I love all sorts of animals, especially cats. Even if I find a dirty cat somewhere outside I'll want to rub it and give it food and take it home, which is not healthy but I really can't care. Being a loner, I love animals, they make one feel they've got somebody. I can never say no to pets.
I like cats, I can't wait to own another one (though it will be an exotic), but I am wholeheartedly against letting any pet run free unsupervised. This is detrimental to wildlife, annoying to neighbors, and just plain indecent for the pet. I want my pet safe and happy indoors or in an secured outdoor pen, but never roaming.
by Spring Creek Stables 7 years ago
Are cats considered to be basically wild animals? And are they to be kept inside or outside?I have 3 cats that I feed outside in a mobile home park. They do not bother anyone but our new park manager says that I have to keep them inside or I will be breaking her new rule. I would appreciate any and...
by G. Diane Nelson Trotter 11 years ago
If humans evolved from fish or chimpanzees, why are there still fish and chimpanzees?Many scientists agree that man evolved from fish or chimpanzees. If that is the case, why are there still fish and chimpanzees. Why are there not stages of evolution going on now? There may be a...
by Irfan 12 years ago
What is the purpose of dogs in nature?in the west I see them as pets and really loved and looked after well... in the east there are many stray dogs seen on the roads ... they just sit in the shade and scrounge for food here and there ... I was wondering how they would survive if man did not take...
by Cat R 13 years ago
Statistically every 1.5 seconds a very adoptable pet is euthanized because a home couldn't be found!In the U.S. alone we euthanize between 6-9 million animals a year!Some say that mandatory spay/neuter would destroy the gen-pool!Some say that it would solve the overpopulation problem!While breeders...
by jomine 13 years ago
If you are religious, in the end god will sent fire and stars and all to earth to kill almost all except a selected few who will live eternally to praise him(A CD player might have served him better though, without much hassles). As wars and associated sins are decreasing day by day(well if you...
by Jennifer Madison 10 years ago
Are humans superior to animals?
Copyright © 2024 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. HubPages® is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.
Copyright © 2024 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective owners.
As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.
For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy
Show DetailsNecessary | |
---|---|
HubPages Device ID | This is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons. |
Login | This is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service. |
Google Recaptcha | This is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy) |
Akismet | This is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Google Analytics | This is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Traffic Pixel | This is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized. |
Amazon Web Services | This is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy) |
Cloudflare | This is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Hosted Libraries | Javascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy) |
Features | |
---|---|
Google Custom Search | This is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Maps | Some articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Charts | This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy) |
Google AdSense Host API | This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Google YouTube | Some articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Vimeo | Some articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Paypal | This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Login | You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Maven | This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy) |
Marketing | |
---|---|
Google AdSense | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Google DoubleClick | Google provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Index Exchange | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Sovrn | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Ads | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Unified Ad Marketplace | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
AppNexus | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Openx | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Rubicon Project | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
TripleLift | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Say Media | We partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy) |
Remarketing Pixels | We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites. |
Conversion Tracking Pixels | We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service. |
Statistics | |
---|---|
Author Google Analytics | This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy) |
Comscore | ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Tracking Pixel | Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy) |
Clicksco | This is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy) |