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Seems to me, Dave, wild bird and wildlife mortality can be ascribed to many=
causes. When the mortality is excessive, we should aim to reduce it. Pru=
dent driving is part of the solution. Cat control is another necessary com=
ponent.
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] =
On Behalf Of David & Alison Webster
Sent: January 24, 2016 1:31 PM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Vancouver has new "bird strategy"
Hi Helene & All, Jan 24, 2016
Bearing in mind that most motor vehicle drivers will not report birdkil=
ls or injured birds how would you rate vehicle collisions and cats; vehicle=
s 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 -----
From: Helene Van Doninck <mailto:helene.birdvet@gmail.com>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
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 yearl=
y, including species at risk. If any group on here would like a presentatio=
n 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 outd=
oor cats on birds. ..including a nighthawk with a brood patch that the own=
ers saw their cat rip one wing off of before I then had to euthanize the bi=
rd. Disclaimer...I love cats and have one. ..she is 100% indoors.
Helene
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> wro=
te:
Hi Nick & All, Jan 24, 2016
I agree Nick. As you likely are aware, cat is a four letter word on Na=
turens 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.
In our own yard we have had shortening available year round for 4 (?) y=
ears (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 of=
f like a scared cat when I tapped on the window.
Apart from the odd Shrew dropped on the doorstep the only cat/other ani=
mal interaction I have observed in our yard is our cat being hounded indoor=
s 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 d=
awn.
And yes it is best all round to keep cats in at night and harmless to l=
et them run in the daytime but punish if necessary undue interest in birds.=
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 -----
From: Nicholas Hill <mailto:fernhillns@gmail.com>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
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 wild=
life: a justification based on the precautionary approach. Royal Zoological=
Society NSW 169-178) found previously that Cat Density was not a predicto=
r of passerine numbers but that distance to bushland and the density of urb=
an housing were (both negative factors). In the study cited above (regulat=
ion 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 the=
m so that we do not have a feral cat problem. In the country here, people l=
et cats breed in outbuildings and this leads to a desperate situation for t=
hese cats and for wildlife.
Other authors warned that conclusions drawn in Britain over the impact of c=
ats (million birds and small mammals killed) were drawn from data on one si=
ngle 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 po=
pulation of these animals is greatly increased by the landuse round the hou=
se..as was observed in Felmersham (rodents and house sparrows there).
Surely all of the following factors need to be considered before we relegat=
e 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 bir=
ds and voles
sustainable agriculture..minimize use of pesticide sprays (see the " Declin=
es in insectivorous birds associated w hi levels of neonicotinoid" in Natur=
e 511: 341-3 (2014) and http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/1=
40709-birds-insects-pesticides-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 t=
hem 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 a=
re given robotic substitutes for pets which only reinforces our need of con=
nection with the rest of the living world.
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!
Helene
Helene Van Doninck DVM
Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
2220 Irwin Lake Rd Brookfield NS Canada B0N1C0
902-893-0253
helene.birdvet@gmail.com <mailto:birdvet@hotmail.com>
www.cwrc.net
Find us on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cobequid-Wildlife-Rehab=
ilitation-Centre/134671693239334> and Twitter <https://twitter.com/Cobequi=
Wildlife>
On Sat, Jan 23, 2016 at 11:35 PM, N Robinson <nrobbyn@gmail.com>