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Hi Helene & All, Jan 24, 2016
Bearing in mind that most motor vehicle drivers will not report =
birdkills or injured birds how would you rate vehicle collisions and =
cats; vehicles less than cats or much more than cats ?
Hawks commonly perch near highways. Are they just counting vehicles =
or are they waiting for a warm easily caught meal ?
Yt, DW, Kentville
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Helene Van Doninck=20
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2016 12:05 PM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Vancouver has new "bird strategy"
I agree with Darrell. Having a pet means being responsible for its =
actions, and cats bring home only 24% of what they nab. The others are =
left at the capture site or eaten. They kill 100s of millions of birds =
in Canada yearly, including species at risk. If any group on here would =
like a presentation on the science of the bird/ cat issue and ways to =
keep both safe...let me know. I personally see at my rehabilitation =
centre the devastation of outdoor cats on birds. ..including a =
nighthawk with a brood patch that the owners saw their cat rip one wing =
off of before I then had to euthanize the bird. Disclaimer...I love cats =
and have one. ..she is 100% indoors.
Helene=20
Helene Van Doninck DVM
Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
Hilden Nova Scotia
www.cwrc.net
helene.birdvet@gmail.com
902-893-0253
On Jan 24, 2016 11:52 AM, "David & Alison Webster" =
<dwebster@glinx.com> wrote:
Hi Nick & All, Jan 24, 2016
I agree Nick. As you likely are aware, cat is a four letter =
word on Naturens for many flawed reasons. Some cats are, without doubt, =
born hunters and this trait was at one time highly regarded as in "the =
mother is a great mouser". But most current cats are born couch =
potatoes.=20
In our own yard we have had shortening available year round for =
4 (?) years (and over winter for >45 years), within easy leap of an =
interested cat, and about 10 neighbourhood cats who wander in and out =
from time to time. But I have seen a cat expressing interest in birds =
only once and it took off like a scared cat when I tapped on the window. =
Apart from the odd Shrew dropped on the doorstep the only =
cat/other animal interaction I have observed in our yard is our cat =
being hounded indoors many times one summer by a Blue Jay with a nearby =
nest and out cat being attacked by a Raccoon who had apparently =
forgotten to go back home before dawn.=20
=20
And yes it is best all round to keep cats in at night and =
harmless to let them run in the daytime but punish if necessary undue =
interest in birds.=20
This would a wonderful world, that beats even the song of that =
name, if our worst problem was cats snoring in some patch of sunlight =
outdoors.
Yt, DW, Kentville
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Nicholas Hill=20
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2016 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Vancouver has new "bird strategy"
Grayson and Calver (2004, Regulation of cat ownership to protect =
urban wildlife: a justification based on the precautionary approach. =
Royal Zoological Society NSW 169-178) found previously that Cat Density =
was not a predictor of passerine numbers but that distance to bushland =
and the density of urban housing were (both negative factors). In the =
study cited above (regulation of cat ownership etc), they conclude that =
"cat welfare is the key issue in a precautionary approach for protection =
which respects interests of cat owners". Cat welfare means keeping the =
beasts in at night and desexing them so that we do not have a feral cat =
problem. In the country here, people let cats breed in outbuildings and =
this leads to a desperate situation for these cats and for wildlife. =20
Other authors warned that conclusions drawn in Britain over the =
impact of cats (million birds and small mammals killed) were drawn from =
data on one single village study in Felmersham. This author (BM =
Fitzgerald, 1990. is cat control needed to protect wildlife? =
Environmental Conservation 17: 168-169) questioned the extrapolation =
which we should in a rural area like NS where birdlife is spread widely =
over woodland and clearings
We have 3 desexed rescue cats that are in at night and well fed. =
There is a local impact on mouse, vole and shrew (no birds seen taken =
yet) but the population of these animals is greatly increased by the =
landuse round the house..as was observed in Felmersham (rodents and =
house sparrows there).=20
Surely all of the following factors need to be considered before =
we relegate the cat to the indoors:
woodland edges..plant more trees
brush piles..dont be tidy, a pile of woody debris is a refuge for =
small birds and voles
sustainable agriculture..minimize use of pesticide sprays (see the =
" Declines in insectivorous birds associated w hi levels of =
neonicotinoid" in Nature 511: 341-3 (2014) and =
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140709-birds-insects-pest=
icides-insecticides-neonicotinoids-silent-spring/)
Cats connect people to nature, to animals that still have =
independence and aloofness and are not wholly removed from primary =
adaptations. This makes them attractive in connecting and grounding us =
but it also is why I might be hammering away in their defense as they =
are still predators. The elderly are given robotic substitutes for pets =
which only reinforces our need of connection with the rest of the living =
world.=20
Nick
On Sat, Jan 23, 2016 at 11:41 PM, Helene Van Doninck =
<helene.birdvet@gmail.com> wrote:
Nice to see the endorsement for keeping cats indoors!=20
Helene
Helene Van Doninck DVM
Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
2220 Irwin Lake Rd Brookfield NS Canada B0N1C0
902-893-0253
helene.birdvet@gmail.com
www.cwrc.n