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Hi Fritz & All Jan 24, 2016
I agree with most of your comments. But when I advance a contrary =
view, it is not because I like to but because I think the establishment =
viewpoint is less correct than mine is. Remember, and this you can bank =
on, conventional wisdom is usually wrong.
As for being totally and factually wrong -- Well one does not =
normally fill in all of the background details but I will go for a rough =
sketch. Context is everything.
Cats, within limits, are subject to being guided and in our =
household cats quickly learned to leave birds and even mice alone. And =
older cats guide the younger.=20
This would not work if our house were in woodland, as opposed to a =
relatively small lot (~60' X 100') in a subdivision. But it is all round =
destructive to scatter houses in woodland, as has become fashionable =
over the last 60 years and predation by cats, who are immersed in =
temptation, is the small tip of the larger iceburg in that situation.=20
We learned this lesson when we bought a lakeside cottage, with =
native mostly woodland vegetation, except for a tiny somewhat grassed =
'lawn', and took the cats with us for the weekend. In this new =
environment our cats did go wild, and had left a good display of various =
rodents for our 'approval' in the morning.
So subsequently the cats were fed by a neighbor in Kentville when we =
were at the cottage.=20
Many years ago Alison was up early and heard a mouse squeeking in =
the yard. She rushed out in her pajamas, gave the cat a swat so it would =
release the mouse which once free promptly ran up one leg under the =
pajama. Being a former teacher she knew how to handle tricky situations =
and soon had the mouse safely in hand, gave the cat a stern lecture and =
released the mouse in a safe place.=20
Another time, just after we inherited a new cat, she came bouncing =
down the slope of the lot in back, tail in an expressive curve, landing =
on stiff legs with something in her mouth (bird or mouse I am not sure =
now); the very model of 'Ain't I the greatest ?' We both happened to be =
outdoors so the prey was quickly released unharmed and the cat was given =
a lecture. From then on her known prey was limited to Shrews, who liked =
to mow our carrots.=20
For many years we had a roofed feeder fastened to the side of a =
tree, shielded from wind on three sides and with the open side exposed =
to the sun on fine days. For some years birds fed there but being not =
readily seen from indoors it was subsequently reserved for an old cat =
from an adjacent house. She liked to come over and nap there in the sun.
We have not had a cat in years but neighbor's cats wander in and out =
and we have more mice in the yard than I am comfortable with.=20
And remember; predation is just a molehill on the side of a =
mountain: habitat.
Yt, DW, Kentville
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Fritz McEvoy=20
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2016 1:25 PM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Vancouver has new "bird strategy"
Hi Dave and All,=20
Usually I agree with many of the points you make on this site, =
and I know you you like being contrarian at times, but in this one you =
are just totally and factually wrong. Any cat that can walk; even cats =
that are "born couch potatoes"; will soon revert back to the natural =
hunter instincts they were born with if given the opportunity. To say =
otherwise is just not true and naive. All the best.
Fritz McEvoy
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-----
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca <naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca> on =
behalf of David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com>
Sent: January 24, 2016 11:48 AM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Vancouver has new "bird strategy"=20
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 pre