The disturbing world of the Feline

02-05-2007, 07:46 AM

BrokenWing Chronicles
The disturbing world of the Feline

The Domesticated Cat.
Family: Felidae
Scientific name: Felis Silvestris
Order: Carnivora

If I had words to say to you, these would be the words;
http://www.vbspcawildlife.com/tips.htm
Cats and Wildlife, a controversial dilemma;
http://wildlife.wisc.edu/extension/catfly3.htm
http://www.wildlifecareofventura.org...20Wildlife.htm
History;
http://www.netpets.com/cats/referenc...athistory.html
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.ed...ilvestris.html
http://www.catsinfo.com/history.html
Mankind is the problem, not the Cat;
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Aug2..._20008246.html
http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_relate...alifornia.html
Time for the Killing part;
http://whyfiles.org/086urban_critter/
http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/urban_w...ide/index.html
http://www.squirrelsanctuary.org/cats.htm
http://www.chintiminiwildlife.org/Ed...tsWildlife.htm
http://www.windstar.org/features/cle...a_freecats.htm
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF12/1293.html
Facts;
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...feralcats.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/A625655
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/cats.htm
http://www.audubon.org/local/cn/98march/cats.html
Help the little ones eat and drink;
http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/urban/champ...rs/021123.html
http://www.projectwildlife.org/garde...irdfeeders.htm
http://www.parrysoundnorthstar.com/1115839244/
Trap them and turn over to the authorities;
http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dpi/nrenfa...C?OpenDocument
http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=38

There are about 66 million cats in the United States. 40 million are free to roam outside. This is not good news if you are a bird!
Cats are not a natural part of the ecosystem and compete with native predators.
Extensive studies show that approximately 60 to 70 percent of the wildlife cats kill are small mammals, 20 to 30 percent are birds, and up to 10 percent are amphibians, reptiles, and insects.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin coupled a four-year cat predation study with data from other studies, and predicted a range of values for the number of birds killed each year in the state. By estimating the number of free-ranging cats in rural areas, the number of kills per cat, and the proportion of birds killed, the researchers calculated that rural free-roaming cats kill at least 7.8 million birds and perhaps as many as 217 million birds a year in Wisconsin.
Well-fed Cats Do Kill Birds: Well-fed cats kill birds and other wildlife because the hunting instinct is independent of the urge to eat. In one study, six cats were presented with a live small rat while eating their preferred food. All six cats stopped eating the food, killed the rat, and then resumed eating the food.
Cats With Bells on Their Collars Do Kill Birds: Studies have shown that bells on collars are not effective in preventing cats from killing birds or other wildlife. Birds do not necessarily associate the sound of a bell with danger, and cats with bells can learn to silently stalk their prey. Bells offer no protection for helpless nestlings and fledglings
Cats are not ultimately responsible for killing our native wildlife--people are. The only way to prevent domestic cat predation on wildlife is for owners to keep their cats indoors!

The Silent Wildlife Killer

What mammal is responsible for annually killing 38 million songbirds, four million cottontail rabbits and 100 million small mammals in Wisconsin?

(A) Skunk (B) Fox (C) Raccoon (D) Pine Marten (E) All of the above (F) None of the above
If you chose (F), you are correct.

Can you name the mammal? If you say "cat", step to the head of the class.
A study on predation by cats found that old Tabby is one of the major predators of wildlife in Wisconsin and throughout the United States. The kill estimates result from a five-year study completed in 1994 by University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student John Coleman and Professor Stanley Temple.

The study's purpose was to determine the impact of "free ranging" domestic cats on rural wildlife. A "free ranging" cat is defined as a feline that lives in a house, barn or other structure, be is free to roam at will.

By radio-collaring 60 free ranging cats, the UW scientists studied their movements. The two identified what cats preyed upon by noting what they brought back to the farm and performing scat (fecal dropping) analysis.

Mr. Coleman estimates, on average, that each cat can kill up to 200 birds and small mammals each year. His study area in south central Wisconsin averaged eight to nine cats per farm, with some having 35 or more. Non-farm rural dwellings averaged four to five cats per household.
Another part of the study involved surveying households around Wisconsin to get an idea of cat densities throughout the state. There's an estimated 1.4 to 2.0 million free ranging cats roaming rural Wisconsin resulting in cat densities of 30 to 60 felines per square mile. In some rural areas, this cat density is higher than all other mid-sized predators such as raccoons, foxes and skunks combined.

Cat densities in certain southeastern Wisconsin counties can be up to 104 felines per square mile. This breaks down to one cat for every six acres.

The vast majority of cats in rural Wisconsin are at non-farm residences. Mr. Coleman found the maximum cat density on farms was 23 per square mile, while the maximum density for non-farm dwellings was 98 per square mile.

The intriguing personalities and behavior of cats have made them the number one pet in America. Couple this with rural residential development and it produces a two-fold effect.
Birds and mammals not only lose habitat to development, but they gain a predator in the form of cats. This can act as a "double whammy" on wildlife, notes Bruce Moss, wildlife management supervisor for the Department of Natural Resource's 12 County Northwest District, in that the loss of habitat forces animals to concentrate their nesting sites, making them more vulnerable to predators.

In the wild, Mother Nature keeps everything in balance because of normal predator-prey relationships, but that natural balance does not exist between cats and their prey because felines are not dependent on what they catch for survival.
"Many cat owners believe that because they keep their cat well fed it doesn't need to kill," Moss said. "However", he added, "research studies have shown that well fed cats kill at a rate equal to hungry ones."
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02-05-2007, 07:48 AM

Cat predation has both a direct and indirect impact on wildlife populations, the wildlife manager explained. The direct impact is when cats kill birds and mammals outright. This type of predation is especially prevalent during the nesting season with young birds still on the nest.
Also, cats have an indirect impact on wildlife by disturbing nesting sites, sometimes resulting in nest abandonment.

Recently, wildlife biologists have been concerned about declining numbers of ground-nesting songbirds in the Midwest such as bobolinks, dickcissels, vesper sparrows and western meadowlarks, along with game species such as pheasants and waterfowl.
In Wisconsin, the critical time period for grassland bird nesting activity begins as early as March for horned larks and continues until mid-August for grasshopper sparrows.
Even though the UW pair concentrated their research on the effects of cat predation on Wisconsin wildlife, dogs, too, have been cited in the literature as wildlife predators. Any attempts to reduce the impacts of cat and dog predation on wildlife will "therefore be primarily a human management problem," Moss said.

"As pet owners, we need to be more conscious and responsible for the actions and whereabouts of our animals," the biologist said.

Minnesota's killer kitties
Well fed and sell armed, free-ranging domestic cats kill millions of birds each year
Is a fat cat a satisfied cat? Apparently not when it has birds nearby. According to a recent report by Wisconsin researchers, free-ranging domestic cats destroy millions of birds in that state each year.
Many of these tubby tabbies kill for fun rather than for food. Unlike wild predators, domestic cats hunt whether they are hungry or not. Professor Stan Temple of the University of Wisconsin (UW) calls cats "subsidized predators" because they receive a steady supply of food at home. "Pet cats can hunt longer and are less susceptible to disease than many wild predators," says Temple.
The problem is so severe that in 1997 the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) began a national campaign to educate cat owners about the threat to birds from cat predation.
"Like many cat owners, I once thought my cat was supposed to roam outside," says Linda Winter, coordinator of the ABC's new Cats Indoors! campaign. "But the fact is that it's better for cats and for wildlife if they stay indoors."
Originally domesticated from an ancestral wild cat of Europe and Africa, cats are now considered a separate species (Felis catus). Though not legally classified as such, the domestic free-ranging cat is actually a harmful exotic species, like a zebra mussel with name tags.
The cuddly kitty that provides companionship indoors transforms into a ferocious feline hunter when it gets outside. UW studies show that the diet of free-ranging domestic cats is composed of 70 percent small mammals (predominantly mice and ground squirrels), 20 percent birds, and 10 percent other animals.
It's the bird kill that particularly concerns Joan Galli, a DNR nongame wildlife specialist. The most recent UW research suggests that the estimated 1 million to 2 million free-ranging rural cats in Wisconsin kill roughly 40 million birds each year. Galli and other Minnesota wildlife officials believe that the number here is likely comparable.
"Everything we know about the Wisconsin studies suggests that at least that many cats are doing the same amount of harm to birds in Minnesota," says Galli. "I think most people don't realize just what kind of damage domestic cats are doing to wildlife, particularly birds."
Bluebirds are among the birds harassed by cats, according to Dick Peterson, a bluebird expert and designer of the widely used Peterson bluebird-house pattern. "A cat is about the worst mammal there is on the bluebird trail," Peterson says. Particularly lethal, Peterson explains, are the cat's curved claws, which it uses to reach into the bird house and hook fledglings and nesting adults.
To keep cats from killing nesting bluebirds and their young, Peterson suggests mounting bluebird houses on a steel pole or a wooden rod covered by PVC pipe. (Under no circumstances should the house be near a tree or fence post that a cat can climb, he adds.) As an added measure, Peterson recommends mixing extra-hot pepper sauce with grease and putting it on the pole. "A cat or 'coon will get that on its claws or feet and then lick it off," he says. "If you use a hot enough pepper, it won't come back."
In addition to killing birds, free-ranging domestic cats also rob food from native predators such as foxes, snakes, and raccoons. In some study areas of Wisconsin, cat densities reach more than 100 animals per square mile?several times more than all similar-sized wild predators (skunks, foxes, and raccoons) combined.
Wildlife officials believe the only way to reduce the damage to birds by free-ranging cats is for cat owners to keep their pets indoors. Many municipalities currently have ordinances that require cats to be kept indoors or on a leash.
However, these measures are rarely enforced, causing some bird fans to take matters into their own hands.
"You can live-trap a cat just like you would a raccoon, by using a can of tuna for bait," says Dorene Scrivener, chair of the Minnesota Bluebird Recovery Project. "Take the cat back to its owner and remind them to keep it indoors, or take it to the nearest animal-control center."
Cat owners might consider such measures extreme. But bird supporters say that something must be done to prevent cats from killing wildlife that's already under siege.
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02-05-2007, 07:49 AM

"Birds are having a hard enough time these days from habitat loss," says Galli. "As we try to save their habitat, it only makes sense to make sure that birds aren't being killed by our pets."
Prevent your pet from becoming a predator
Joan Galli likes cats?but only indoors. "Once they step outside, they become potential predators to native wildlife, particularly songbirds," says the DNR nongame wildlife biologist. Here are Galli's tips to prevent pet cats from harming wildlife:
1. Keep your cat indoors. Kittens confined to the house will soon adapt. If you choose to let the cat out, keep it on a tether, or in a fenced area or enclosed runway. "Even if your cat is declawed and wears a collar bell, it can still catch and kill birds," Galli says.
2. Neuter your cat or otherwise prevent it from breeding. Obey existing laws that require licensing or neutering, or initiate new laws if your community doesn't have them. To learn about local laws, call your local health department or humane society.
3. Keep feeders and bluebird houses away from trees or posts where cats can get to them. If a cat can reach a bird house, it can reach in and grab fledglings or nesting adults.
4. Don't release unwanted cats in rural areas. They'll either die of starvation or learn to become effective predators and eat wild birds. Take unwanted cats to an animal shelter or humane society for adoption or have them euthanized.
5. Don't feed strays. This maintains high cat densities that kill or compete with wildlife. Strays will often reproduce where there's a source of food?thus creating large colonies of feral cats. Studies in Wisconsin have found that the two most common causes of death for rural cats are disease and being run over by cars. "For the good of cats and birds, it's best to keep your kitty indoors," Galli says.

Cats and Wildlife
A Conservation Dilemma

By John S. Coleman, Stanley A. Temple
and Scott R. Craven

Introduction
Domestic cats first arrived in North America with European colonists several hundred years ago. Since that time, cats have multiplied and thrived as cherished pets, unwanted strays, and semi-wild predators. Although often overlooked as a problem, free-ranging cats affect other animals, often far from the homes and farms they share with people. Because we brought the domestic cat to North America, we have a responsibility to both the cats and to the wild animals they may affect. Here are some interesting and perhaps surprising facts concerning the contemporary dilemma posed by free-ranging domestic cats in the United States.

How cats became domesticated
Domestic cats originated from an ancestral wild species, Felis silvestris, the European and African Wild Cat. The domestic cat is now considered a separate species, named Felis catus. In appearance, domestic cats are similar to their wild relatives, and many of their behaviors, such as hunting and other activity patterns, remain essentially unchanged from their ancestral form. Cats were first domesticated in Egypt around 2000 BC [1]. Domestic cats spread slowly to other parts of the globe, possibly because Egyptians prevented export of the animal they worshiped as a goddess. However, by 500 BC the Greeks had acquired domestic cats, and they spread cats throughout their sphere of influence. The Romans introduced the domestic cat to Britain by 300 AD. Domestic cats have now been introduced around the world, mostly by colonists from Europe.

How many cats are there in the United States?
The estimated numbers of pet cats in urban and rural regions of the United States have grown from 30 million in 1970 [2] to 60 million in 1990 [3]. These estimates are based on U.S. Census data and include only those cats that people claim to "own" as pets, not cats that are semi-wild or free-ranging. Nationwide, approximately 30% of households have cats. In rural areas where free-ranging cats are usually not regarded as pets, approximately 60% of households have cats. In the state of Wisconsin alone, with approximately 550,000 rural households, the number of rural free-ranging cats (not house pets) may be as high as 2 million [4]. The combined total of pets and free-ranging cats in the U.S. is probably more than 100 million. Because of their close association with humans, most of these cats are concentrated in areas where people live rather than in remote undeveloped areas.

The legal status of domestic cats
The laws that relate to domestic cats vary by local government. In most areas, the person who provides care for a cat is legally responsible for its welfare and control. As with other domestic animals, if ownership can be established by collars or other means of identification, a cat is considered personal property [5]. It is usually the responsibility of the owner to control the cat's movements. In most areas, cats can be live trapped and either returned to the owner or turned over to authorities if they wander onto other peoples' property. Many municipalities have leash laws and require vaccination and neutering of pet cats. Because laws vary, one should check local ordinances for the appropriate way to deal with stray cats.

What effects do domestic cats have on wildlife?
Although rural free-ranging cats have greater access to wild animals and undoubtedly take the greatest toll, even urban house pets take live prey when allowed outside. Extensive studies of the feeding habits of free-ranging domestic cats over 50 years and four continents [6] indicate that small mammals make up approximately 70% of these cats' prey while birds make up about 20%. The remaining 10% is a variety of other animals. The diets of free-ranging cat populations, however, reflect the food locally available.
Observation of free-ranging domestic cats shows that some individuals can kill over 1000 wild animals per year [7], although smaller numbers are more typical. Some of the data on kills suggest that free-ranging cats living in small towns kill an average of 14 wild animals each per year. Rural cats kill many more wild animals than do urban, or suburban cats [8]. Several studies found that up to 90% of free-ranging rural cats' diet was wild animals, and less than 10% of rural cats killed no wild animals [9]. Recent research [10] suggests that rural free-ranging domestic cats in Wisconsin may be killing between 8 and 217 million birds each year. The most reasonable estimates indicate that 39 million birds are killed in the state each year. Nationwide, rural cats probably kill over a billion small mammals and hundreds of millions of birds each year. Urban and suburban cats add to this toll. Some of these kills are house mice, rats and other species considered pests, but many are native songbirds and mammals whose populations are already stressed by other factors, such as habitat destruction and pesticide pollution.
Despite the difficulties in showing the effect most predators have on their prey, cats are known to have serious impacts on small mammals and birds. Worldwide, cats may have been involved in the extinction of more bird species than any other cause, except habitat destruction. Cats are contributing to the endangerment of populations of birds such as Least Terns, Piping Plovers and Loggerhead Shrikes. In Florida, marsh rabbits in Key West have been threatened by predation from domestic cats [11]. Cats introduced by people living on the barrier islands of Florida's coast have depleted several unique species of mice and woodrats to near extinction [12, 13].
Not only do cats prey on many small mammals and birds, but they can outnumber and compete with native predators. Domestic cats eat many of the same animals that native predators do. When present in large numbers, cats can reduce the availability of prey for native predators, such as hawks [14] and weasels [15].
Free-ranging domestic cats may also transmit new diseases to wild animals. Domestic cats have spread feline leukemia virus to mountain lions [16] and may have recently infected the endangered Florida Panther with feline panleukopenia (feline distemper) and an immune deficiency disease [17]. These diseases may pose a serious threat to this rare species. Some free-ranging domestic cats also carry several diseases that are easily transmitted to humans, including rabies and toxoplasmosis [18].

02-05-2007, 07:49 AM

Domestic cats vs. native predators
Although cats make affectionate pets, many domestic cats hunt as effectively as wild predators. However, they differ from wild predators in three important ways: First, people protect cats from disease, predation and competition, factors that can control numbers of wild predators, such as bobcats, foxes, or coyotes. Second, they often have a dependable supply of supplemental food provided by humans and are, therefore, not influenced by changes in populations of prey. Whereas populations of native predators will decline when prey becomes scarce, cats receiving food subsidies from people remain abundant and continue to hunt even rare species. Third, unlike many native predators, cat densities are either poorly limited or not limited by territoriality [19]. These three factors allow domestic cats to exist at much higher densities than native predators. In some parts of rural Wisconsin, densities of free-ranging cats reach 114 cats per square mile. In these areas, cats are several times more abundant than all mid-sized native predators (such as foxes, raccoons, skunks) combined. With abundant food, densities can reach over 9 per acre, and cats often form large feeding and breeding "colonies" (81 cats were recorded in one colony, and colonies of over 20 are not uncommon) [20, 21]. Unlike some predators, a cat's desire to hunt is not suppressed by adequate supplemental food. Even when fed regularly by people, a cat's motivation to hunt remains strong, so it continues hunting [22].

In summary
Free-ranging cats are abundant and widespread predators. They often exist at much higher densities than native predators. They prey on large numbers of wild animals, some of which are rare or endangered. They compete with native predators, and they harbor a variety of diseases. Yet, cats are popular pets. In order to have and care for our pets--and still protect our native wildlife--we must make an effort to limit in a humane manner the adverse effects free-ranging cats can have on wildlife.

What you can do
Keep only as many pet cats as you can feed and care for. Controlling reproduction and humanely euthanizing unwanted cats will keep cat populations from growing beyond the size that can be adequately cared for. On farms, keep only the minimum number of free-ranging cats needed to control rodents. Well-fed, neutered females will stay closest to farm buildings and do most of their killing where rodent control is needed most. Traps and rodenticides, as well as rodent-proof storage and construction, will usually contribute more to effective rodent control than cats.
If at all possible, for the sake of your cat and local wildlife, keep your cat indoors. Confinement will eliminate unwanted reproduction, predation on wild animals, and the spread of disease. Bells are mostly ineffective in preventing predation [23] because, even if the bell rings, it's usually too late for the prey being stalked. Declawing may reduce hunting success, but many declawed cats are still effective predators. Keeping your cats indoors helps protect the wildlife around your yard and prevents your cat from picking up diseases from strays or getting injured. The two most common causes of death for rural cats in south central Wisconsin are disease and being struck by automobiles. If cats must be allowed outdoors, consider using a fenced enclosure or runway.
Neuter your cats or prevent them from breeding, and encourage others to do so. Support or initiate efforts to require licensing and neutering of pets. In areas where such laws already exist, insist that they be enforced. For information on local licensing and neutering laws, contact your local health department or humane society.
Locate bird feeders in sites that do not provide cover for cats to wait in ambush for birds. Cats are a significant source of mortality among birds that come to feeders [24]. To prevent cats from climbing to bird nests, put animal guards around any trees in your yard that may have nesting birds.
Don't dispose of unwanted cats by releasing them in rural areas. This practice enlarges rural cat populations and is an inhumane way of dealing with unwanted cats. Cats suffer in an unfamiliar setting, even if they are good predators. Contact your local animal welfare organization for help.
Eliminate sources of food, such as garbage or outdoor pet food dishes, that attract stray cats.
Don't feed stray cats. Feeding strays maintains high densities of cats that kill and compete with native wildlife populations. Cat colonies will form around sources of food and grow to the limits of the food supply. Colonies can grow to include dozens of animals [21]. Maintenance of colonies of free-ranging or feral cats through supplemental feeding benefits no one. The cats suffer because of disease and physical injury; native wildlife suffers from predation and competition, and colonies can be a source of disease for animals and humans. Those concerned with the welfare of animals can improve the lives of the many native species that suffer from lack of food and shelter by protecting and improving the habitats they require [25].
Cats and birds
6 MAY 1999. Washington's cherry trees seem safe, at least for the moment, from those clear-cutting beavers. Because urban wildlife can cause lots of problems, this Why Files delivers the scoop on carnivorous cats, damaging deer and the festering feces of raccoons.
You don't need an IQ of 200 to recognize that lions are like house cats on steroids. Lately, biologists have noticed another similarity between the ferocious felines and their domesticated cousins: Just as the lion is the top dog, so to speak, of the African savanna, the house cat is the master predator of the American farmscape, and presumably of the cities and suburbs as well.
What lions accomplish through size and cooperative tactics, cats accomplish by numbers. More than 100 million cats are afoot in the United States, and many are outside at least part of the day. Most domesticated cats gobble endless bags of cat chow. But they also like dining outdoors where their meals comprise 70 percent small mammals, 20 percent birds, and 10 percent assorted live bait.
That 20 percent adds up to a lot of birds, according to research on free-ranging rural cats by Stanley Temple, a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Using telephone surveys and more traditional tools of the wildlife biology trade like radio collars came up with a "most reasonable estimate" that cats annually kill at least 7.8 million birds in Wisconsin alone.
That's a lot of flying feathered objects. In summer, Temple says, about 19 million birds produce 16 million young in Wisconsin, for a total of 35 million birds. If, as he calculates, cats kill about 3.3 million birds in the summer, that accounts for almost 10 percent of the summer population.
Ground-nesting species like meadowlarks -- already under pressure for other reasons -- are particularly vulnerable. But Temple observes that the problem extends beyond birds, since cats are also pressuring rare species like the marsh rabbit of Key West, and more common but harmless mammals like field mice and meadow voles.
Does this make cats the top dog? Temple says in the farming districts he studied in Wisconsin, cats outnumber and outkill foxes, raccoons, skunks and all other mid-size predators combined. But beyond numbers (up to 114 per square mile), cats are immune to controls that affect other predators.
People protect some free-ranging cats from disease and competition. And cats, which Temple describes as "subsidized predators," can prosper even when prey is scarce. Normally, the population of predators tracks that of prey: When the prey population crashes, the predators go hungry, and their numbers fall, reducing pressure on the prey.
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02-05-2007, 07:51 AM

Cats, however, "are not tied closely to the density of prey the way natural predators are," Temple says. "A natural predator will hunt where prey is abundant," Temple says. "A subsidized cat has the ability to hunt anywhere. If there's one last meadowlark in the field, they will continue to hunt it."
Since many free-ranging cats also eat from a bowl, hunting is not a matter of life and death -- for them. They kill because they are programmed to hunt, not because they are hungry.
What's to be done?
Although there's little hard data on the effects of urban and suburban cats on birds, cat owners and bird lovers alike know that these cats kill wildlife just like their rural relatives.
Concerned cat owners (like some Why-Filers we could mention) have been strapping bells to their kitties for many years, but experts maintain that bells are useless. "Bells don't work -- I wish they did," says Linda Winter, the coordinator of the American Bird Conservancy's Cats Indoors campaign. "Cats can learn to silently stalk their prey, and birds don't associate the sound of a bell with danger," Winter says. "Even if they do ring, it may be the last sound a bird hears."
Bird lovers and cat lovers alike say neutering cats will prevent the birth of countless unwanted cats. For the millions of existing cats, the big lock-up is the best -- and perhaps only -- way to protect birds and wildlife from furry feline snuff squads.
That's right. Slamming the door in the poor creatures' faces.
Many cats are surprisingly susceptible to indoor training, says Winter, a cat lover herself. "For some, it's simply a matter of closing the door and putting up with some howling for a few days." For others, a few months' acclimatization is needed. Kittens are the easiest to train, she adds, since they don't know what they are missing if they're never allowed outside.

My personal statement concerning this issue;
I love my 2 cats, Samantha is a very fat 16 year old female Siamese, cuddly, wonderful animal that provides me a generous amount of comfort and love, she came to me small enough to fit into my shirt pocket, she was rescued from a shelter and wasn’t quite weaned yet, Samantha is an indoor cat, she always has been.
Cracker, a RUNT, skinny, skittish, 14 year old Siamese, our neighbors house caught fire, we took in there dog and pregnant cat, the cat had babies, Cracker was pushed aside and almost died, My wife and I took turns feeding and Cracker grew into our hearts, Cracker has rear deformed legs but gets around great and keeps Samantha busy, Cracker is an indoor cat, she always has been.
I keep all my pets indoors where I know they are safe, I don’t worry if I am to find my cats laying along the road dead or coming home with fleas, or killing the neighbors birds, We respect our neighbors and there rights to care for wildlife without having to chase our cats away or worse yet, “kill them”.
I respect all wildlife and appose those that allow there cats to roam freely.
I know and understand there is only 1 answer concerning this issue, please keep your PET cat indoors.
I know and understand there are wonderful little animals out there right now suffering at the hands of Mankind needlessly.
There are answers to this problem that will greatly help and or solve the problem, we begin with keeping our cats indoors, knowing how serious this situation is and reach out and be heard, encourage others to keep there pets indoors, Support stiffer penalties on those that allow there pets to roam freely weather dog and or cat.
When there is a virus born and it begins to spread, mankind rush’s in to control and stop this from killing many, this is the same method that should be applied concerning the feral cat and or the neighbors pet allowed to be at large.
You can fight back, trap the cats alive, and hand them over to your local authorities.
Support the Cats indoors Act, these are simply wonderful little animals, the cats and wildlife need you to act, and please…if WE, WE begin today, US as in you and I, the healing will begin.

BrokenWing