General Discussion

justabob

(3,069 posts)

16. I sort of understand the defense of songbirds, but

Tue Jan 29, 2013, 02:29 PM

Jan 2013

in my neighborhood, it is mostly disgusting grackles and city pigeons, lots and lots of them. I would love for the neighborhood cats to have at 'em. There are way too many, especially the grackles. OTOH I like the robins, cardinals, mockingbirds, jays and the wood peckers and wouldn't like for the kitties to have them for dinner. I wonder if cats can be trained to specialize what bird breed they go after.

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More news about murderous kittykats: They kill billions- every year. [View all] cali Jan 2013 OP

well its in their nature to hunt and kill as a top predator. im shocked that this surprises people. loli phabay Jan 2013 #1

Yep and I'm surprised it bothers people Taverner Jan 2013 #2

yup shitloads of feral cats here in va loli phabay Jan 2013 #5

I sort of understand the defense of songbirds, but justabob Jan 2013 #16

for their health and the health of wild animals, kitties are wonderful and need to be kept inside CreekDog Jan 2013 #46

I have four justabob Jan 2013 #55

My kitty found me when a stray years ago and his eyes had just opened. He's been inside with RKP5637 Jan 2013 #56

+100 Liberal_in_LA Jan 2013 #61

The sound a bird makes (or maybe it's the cat) when it's being shredded Bake Jan 2013 #81

That's an ignorant statement fishiefish Jan 2013 #50

How Much Do Cats Actually Kill? Romulus Quirinus Jan 2013 #44

Cats belong inside for many reasons, and this is one of them. Brickbat Jan 2013 #3

people cause enough mass extinction liberal_at_heart Jan 2013 #6

How are they contributing to "mass extinction?" Starboard Tack Jan 2013 #15

"designed" Romulus Quirinus Jan 2013 #45

Yes Romulus Quirinus, designed. Starboard Tack Jan 2013 #66

"like humans are designed to walk upright, cars are designed to roll on wheels" Romulus Quirinus Jan 2013 #67

Do you have a point to make or are you just working on your post count? Starboard Tack Jan 2013 #69

they aren't natural when they are housepets! CreekDog Jan 2013 #48

Sorry, I'm not getting your point. Starboard Tack Jan 2013 #68

Feral and outdoor cats are an invasive species. Upton Jan 2013 #58

My cats have a preference for rodents. NV Whino Jan 2013 #4

Mine are only interested in rodents... the bigger the better. alittlelark Jan 2013 #14

I could have used your cats last year RebelOne Jan 2013 #19

Mine, too - gophers DollarBillHines Jan 2013 #49

My cat couldn't kill a bird if his life depended on it union_maid Jan 2013 #7

hah! my fluffball once ran in fear from a large cockroach zazen Jan 2013 #33

lol - anytime my cat hears a strange noise I have to go investigate and he follows me. n/t RKP5637 Jan 2013 #57

It is called NATURE. From it we get the word NATURAL. CBGLuthier Jan 2013 #8

One excellent reason to own a cat you keep indoors SheilaT Jan 2013 #9

We had cats growing up specifically to keep mice out of the shed and garden Recursion Jan 2013 #10

I once saw my two cats watch a mouse narnian60 Jan 2013 #32

Well, clearly if it's starving the dog the cats will be for it Recursion Jan 2013 #34

here comes the indoor/outdoor cat war fizzgig Jan 2013 #11

i only have indoor hostages. pansypoo53219 Jan 2013 #12

If only we could train cats to hunt Common Grackles. kentauros Jan 2013 #13

I just posted the same thing :) justabob Jan 2013 #21

As they say kentauros Jan 2013 #30

yes :) justabob Jan 2013 #40

I only see the various "normal" songbirds on occasion. kentauros Jan 2013 #41

too bad the grackles are quick, I say run them down justabob Jan 2013 #53

Well, I don't like killing any animals, kentauros Jan 2013 #63

I am only hostile toward grackles justabob Jan 2013 #65

An interesting Grackle story... TeeYiYi Jan 2013 #25

Thanks :) kentauros Jan 2013 #31

OMG. Cats kill mice & birds. Who knew? GreenStormCloud Jan 2013 #17

Say WHAT? REP Jan 2013 #23

I have 2 indoor, 1 indoor/outdoor - and he's a hunter. Melinda Jan 2013 #18

I'm pretty sure my cats have killed exactly zero birds ... rodents, not so sure REP Jan 2013 #20

Given who was running the study, I'm sure the numbers inflated... joeybee12 Jan 2013 #22

I've never witnessed a cat kill a bird that wasn't already injured. alphafemale Jan 2013 #82

I know... joeybee12 Jan 2013 #83

They're Terminators. slackmaster Jan 2013 #24

Don't you mean "Tooncinators"? smirkymonkey Jan 2013 #84

The only ethical solution is to keep them inside and feed a vegan diet FarCenter Jan 2013 #26

So you advocate starving them to death? sadbear Jan 2013 #28

Amazingly enough, there is vegan cat food FarCenter Jan 2013 #35

I don't doubt its existence. sadbear Jan 2013 #36

If I had to pay that much for cat food, I'd get a goldfish instead. slackmaster Jan 2013 #52

Not ethical to feed an OBLIGATE CARNIVORE a vegan diet REP Jan 2013 #42

The vegan cat diet has to be supplemented with the biochemicals that they need FarCenter Jan 2013 #77

Just because a thing can be done doesn't mean it should be REP Jan 2013 #78

Ethics, schethics. If domestic dogs and cats didn't control the rodent population in my neighborhood slackmaster Jan 2013 #51

Without cats to keep the mice and rat population under control... OldDem2012 Jan 2013 #27

Yep... Sylvarose Jan 2013 #37

I like that my cat polices the property for rodents ... Auggie Jan 2013 #29

Yes. Prey animals go bye-bye. aquart Jan 2013 #38

And murderous people kill billions of animals every year. Arugula Latte Jan 2013 #39

yes, +1 stuntcat Jan 2013 #73

Keep cats indoors cabot Jan 2013 #43

coyotes have been feasting on the feral cat population. JRLeft Jan 2013 #47

Which is a good thing.. Upton Jan 2013 #54

Yeah, it's good because it helps the coyote population explode! joeybee12 Jan 2013 #74

Heck of a lot better than feral cats.. Upton Jan 2013 #75

Problem is, feral cats, even though feral, will stay somewhat close to civilization... joeybee12 Jan 2013 #76

awwww Liberal_in_LA Jan 2013 #59

I simply have to disagree with the findings. hamsterjill Jan 2013 #60

Put a bell on your cat bongbong Jan 2013 #62

cat stalks bird then decides against it Liberal_in_LA Jan 2013 #64

LoL! Crepuscular Jan 2013 #71

Yeah, I can almost imagine the cat's thoughts: "Holy crap! I better leave this one alone." Liberal_in_LA Jan 2013 #80

this is why JitterbugPerfume Jan 2013 #70

Cats can be prolific killers no doubt. Kalidurga Jan 2013 #72

And this is why they want to ban them in New Zealand. hollysmom Jan 2013 #79