Comments on: 7 Things You Can Do to Help Songbirds If You’ve Just Watched The Messenger

By: niccolo

niccolo — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 21:06:00 +0000

Ok, so i’m neither a high strung ornithologist crying birds murder by housecats or a lover of feral cats and i understand the points made by both groups. I like birds and i like cats. First start with the fact that the population of pets is almost entirely artificially controlled by humans, therefore so is the killing action of those cats. But cats are an animal too that needs contact with nature, and to deny that without going through the proper argumentation many bird defenders on this thread are wrong. We would not eradicate natural wild predators because their population self regulates in accordance to available prey. With pets, humans have artificially broken the natural balance. So it’s true humans have a responsibility to prevent bird killing by pet cats. Just like the policy of no lawn-watering during draught, no free roaming pet cats should be allowed, until the public authority finds a way to regulate the house cat population by imposing a pet cat over-population tax ! That would make a lot of sense. As for feral cats, they live the hard life and as long as they are not fed by humans, they are part of the natural balance and will die if they become too numerous (unlike pet cats). They will kill to feed, not with a belly full of industry cat food providing them for surplus energy for killing without feeding. It is why nobody should feed them !!! People should be fined for feeding feral cats. As it will off balance the natural regulation, causing them to spread without having to work for their food and kill birds. The point is : a feral cat is inside the natural ecosystem and does not constitute a danger to bird population. So it stays that 1) pet cats should not be allowed to roam outside freely as long as the government has not created a Cat tax to limit pet cats over population. and 2) Feral cats should NEVER be fed and there should be a dissuasive high fine penalty. if you fed it, even one time, you should be fined and the feral cat must be captured and either become your controlled roaming pet or die.
I think that is the correct assesment of this whole bird – cat issue.

By: Jeff Williams

Jeff Williams — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 13:55:00 +0000

In reply to Diane. YOU are the moron, but you are right about one thing, humans are to blame for the feral cat problem in North America. Ignorant humans, such as yourself, that put the welfare of feral disease carrying cats, on a higher priority list than the endangered and threatened songbirds that these cats are killing. I can't understand how you bleeding heart feral cat activists, have so much compassion for an invasive species, and not give a damn about the plight of the native beautiful songbirds that are so affected by people like you that practice TNR. This thread is aimed directly at people like YOU. Trying to convince lazy idiots to KEEP YOUR CATS INSIDE!!!! If feral cats are your passion and hobby? You need to get a life and try something like birdwatching, oh wait, your feral cats killed them all. I don't abuse any animals, not even feral cats, but I do practice trap and dispatch, and commend all bird lovers and property managers that do the same. As I have told all the other bleeding heart feral cat activists on this thread, you should educate yourself on toxoplasmosis, and get tested. You definitely exhibit signs of "crazy cat lady disease".

By: Diane

Diane — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 13:28:00 +0000

In reply to Jeff Williams. I am certain you are a moron and probably one of the 2 legged creatures that abuses cats.

By: Annette Kirby

Annette Kirby — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 20:59:00 +0000

In reply to Jeff Williams. How dare you. You know nothing about me. Calling people names..is stupid and backward,.over and out!

By: Jeff Williams

Jeff Williams — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 20:41:00 +0000

In reply to Annette Kirby. You should also keep your unrealistic views on a site devoted to feral cat lovers. Why? you uninformed, uneducated, unwilling to accept sound science, feral cat activists troll around on a website devoted to songbirds, is beyond me. This thread is aimed directly at YOU people. Completely irresponsible, living in complete denial, that the feral cats you love so much, are leading to the decimation of songbird populations. You people are truly out of your minds. That you cannot accept, that YOUR actions of harboring unwanted, invasive pests, and allowing them to roam, is leading to the deaths of millions of songbirds every year. Instead of coming on these sites bragging about your stupid, backwards opinions, you should be euthanizing the horrible invasive species that you harbor and promote.

By: Jeff Williams

Jeff Williams — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 19:17:00 +0000

In reply to Diane.

More bleeding heart feral cat activists, too blinded by their love for cats to see the true destruction they have on bird populations. Do you have cameras mounted on your free roaming invasive domestic “pets”? Unless you do, you have absolutely no idea how many animals they are killing. Are you a biologist, studying the effects of cats on songbird populations? No, then your stupid statements and percentages mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, you need to get a grip on reality, and you should also be tested for toxoplasmosis, you are definitely showing signs of “crazy cat lady disease”…..

By: Sandy Kavanaugh

Sandy Kavanaugh — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 06:08:00 +0000

When we moved here on our small, ten acre farm 20 years ago, there cwere coveys of Northern Bobwhite Quail, Wood Thrushes, Whippoorwills, and Eastern Meadowlarks, as well as nesting Killdeer. The very day that people dropped off their unwanted kittens, “because those farmers cwould want them,” meaning us, the songs began to disappear. It’s been 19 years since I’ve heard the lonely call of a Whippoorwill, or been scared witless by an explosion of quail, or heard the melodious tinkling of a Wood Thrush.
I tried trapping the cats, but our local shelter won’t take them- they’re just too many. Birds belong, cats do not, and they get shot. This action, along with allowing brush to grow along the fencelines, (much to my husbands consternation,) has allowed the birds to at least try to live in an ever increasingly hostile world.

By: Diane

Diane — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 22:15:00 +0000

Why was my comment deleted?

By: Diane

Diane — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 22:12:00 +0000

I take issue with #3. I know of MANY people and MANY rescuers who neuter/spay and care for feral cats providing food, shelter, water and medical. Don’t blame cats for being feral, sick or diseased BLAME HUMANS who are the real problem. They dump companion cats, they don’t neuter/spay or provide medical, they move and leave cats to fend for themselves.
I currently have 6 neutered/spayed feral cats. One of them has killed 3 birds this season and one of the birds was invasive – yea for kitty! One out of 6 equals 16%. When I had 10 feral cats, 2 of them hunted for birds. That equals 10%. By the way, cats are not the only predators of birds. If you are taking the same approach as The Audubon Society re: feral cats, then we will have to part ways.

By: Annette Kirby

Annette Kirby — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 17:49:00 +0000

In reply to Jeff Williams. Creepy!