NeemsCats - Loyal Companion or Mass Murderer?
September 28th 2006 11:50
Next time you’re sitting down on the couch next to Fluffy or Felix (your cat), just be aware Felix is a deadly and masterful hunter in his own right. Even though he may not have to hunt anything with feathers or fur for a meal, he is certainly capable if he had to. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate cats, but if you have a cat I am sure you would agree, they are the grand manipulators of the animal kingdom. The way they look up into your eyes with that look that could melt your heart (when in actual fact he’s saying “you know I’m just using you for a feed and a warm bed, so be snappy and be sure to warm it a tad in the microwave first”).
The facts are that feral cats, the same breed as your domestic cat but just a tad wilder, are responsible for more native animal deaths than any other introduced animal to Australia. The fox is closely behind. Like their African counterparts, feral domestic cats are just as capable at hunting and killing, but on a slightly smaller scale. They are extremely opportunistic in the bush and will prey on anything that will provide them with enough sustenance to get them through till they can find a nice fat tailed dunnart (small carnivorous marsupial), or a tasty rosella that is roosting in a tree hollow with chicks.
I work in the area of pest animal research and some of the research done by colleagues into the feral cat diet has revealed some interesting data. They examined the stomach contents of feral cats in Western Queensland to determine what they lived on and they found a range of things from grasshoppers to lizards and native skinks, to native mice and dunnarts. Their instinct in the wild is to hunt and kill and they prefer a fresh meal i.e. no road kill or rotten meat. Not the cat’s fault, killing is just what they do best.
One of the problems with feral cat management in Australia is the fact they are hard to manage. Unlike foxes and feral pigs, there is yet a truly cat specific bait or control technique that works effectively.
There are some things you can do with your own cat to ease the burden on the local wildlife in your area. A really simple and effective way of helping to stop Felix or Fluffy from killing all the native birds in your neighbourhood is to attach a couple of bells to their collar. This is simple, cheap and stops him from sneaking up on unsuspecting birds or wildlife. Opinions vary on their effectiveness and some even think it causes psychological damage to the cat…. Another collar on the market utilises a motion sensor inbuilt to the collar that triggers off a noise when it senses the cat lurching forward in attack mode. It also has a light that goes on in case he prefers to hunt at night. www.liberators.com.au The force of inertia activates the alarm and light. If you use the bell method, be sure to attach 2 bells, as there are reports that some cats have already worked out ways of stalking so that the single bell won’t make a noise. Sneaky aren’t they. MB
photo courtesy of Wikipedia
The killing equipment
The facts are that feral cats, the same breed as your domestic cat but just a tad wilder, are responsible for more native animal deaths than any other introduced animal to Australia. The fox is closely behind. Like their African counterparts, feral domestic cats are just as capable at hunting and killing, but on a slightly smaller scale. They are extremely opportunistic in the bush and will prey on anything that will provide them with enough sustenance to get them through till they can find a nice fat tailed dunnart (small carnivorous marsupial), or a tasty rosella that is roosting in a tree hollow with chicks.
I work in the area of pest animal research and some of the research done by colleagues into the feral cat diet has revealed some interesting data. They examined the stomach contents of feral cats in Western Queensland to determine what they lived on and they found a range of things from grasshoppers to lizards and native skinks, to native mice and dunnarts. Their instinct in the wild is to hunt and kill and they prefer a fresh meal i.e. no road kill or rotten meat. Not the cat’s fault, killing is just what they do best.
One of the problems with feral cat management in Australia is the fact they are hard to manage. Unlike foxes and feral pigs, there is yet a truly cat specific bait or control technique that works effectively.
There are some things you can do with your own cat to ease the burden on the local wildlife in your area. A really simple and effective way of helping to stop Felix or Fluffy from killing all the native birds in your neighbourhood is to attach a couple of bells to their collar. This is simple, cheap and stops him from sneaking up on unsuspecting birds or wildlife. Opinions vary on their effectiveness and some even think it causes psychological damage to the cat…. Another collar on the market utilises a motion sensor inbuilt to the collar that triggers off a noise when it senses the cat lurching forward in attack mode. It also has a light that goes on in case he prefers to hunt at night. www.liberators.com.au The force of inertia activates the alarm and light. If you use the bell method, be sure to attach 2 bells, as there are reports that some cats have already worked out ways of stalking so that the single bell won’t make a noise. Sneaky aren’t they. MB
photo courtesy of Wikipedia
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