We feed the birds but the birds eat the caterpillars. We squash the greenfly. Some kill (or maul or decimate if you want to be more emotive) slugs and snails, many eat meat, wear leather etc. In short, we all have motes in our eyes.
Mauling is the correct term for cat attacks where they have no intention of eating the prey. That is what they do, maul it. The animal usually dies later of infected wounds. If it survives it's chances of long-term survival and reproduction are reduced.
The main issue is cat owners think their cat does not do this or that, judging from their own garden and observations, which is the center of the cats range and largely devoid of target species for obvious reasons. Cats that know they will be 'shouted at' for attacking a bird also think twice about it.
What these owners never get to see is how their pet behaves in an ecology rich environment such as an established wildlife garden or wildlife conservation area. Simple carnage and the cat will become totally preoccupied with multiple encounters with native wildlife and will return over and over until any native population is totally destroyed. (Personal and documented experience as an ecologist).
It's never been a 'cat' issue. It's entirely poor education and denial by the owners. Period.
Comparing natural native species behaviour with that of a pet that is knowingly allowed out to kill by an owner, when it has the totally unnatural advantage of being well fed and under veterinary care, is well, beyond bizarre in terms of logic in my opinion.
We are short a lot of the predators that used to thrive on these islands, it may be that cats actually fill that gap.
(I don't have cats, but I do think they are unfairly demonised, even the RSPB acknowledge that there is no evidence they are responsible for declines in bird numbers)
Methinks the RSPB is afraid of upsetting its donors.
A conspiracy theory?
Maybe they're just telling the truth, there's no evidence...
After all, we used to have wolves and wildcats and pine martens and several birds of prey that are no longer here.
We are short a lot of the predators that used to thrive on these islands, it may be that cats actually fill that gap.
(I don't have cats, but I do think they are unfairly demonised, even the RSPB acknowledge that there is no evidence they are responsible for declines in bird numbers)
Methinks the RSPB is afraid of upsetting its donors.
A conspiracy theory?
Maybe they're just telling the truth, there's no evidence...
After all, we used to have wolves and wildcats and pine martens and several birds of prey that are no longer here.
Actually, the RSPB used to tell the truth, but the cat lobby kicked up a fuss. If you look at the wording carefully, it states there are no UK studies that support cats reducing birds populations.
It's clever, as the definitive and accurate studies have mostly been done in US, NZ and Australia. Which clearly show that actual impacts are magnitudes higher than ever previously estimated. (Rather obviously, the impacts also affect native reptiles, amphibians and mammals too!)
The evidence exists, but why no truly accurate UK study?
Read the Marra book, you will see the truth laid out about the RSPB stance and how ecologists are reluctant to produce new evidence thanks to death threats from the more extreme members of the cat lobby, the last ecologist to write a truthful report in the UK ended up stating he would never work on a project involving cats ever again, because he was having to check his car for bombs after the threats he received.
As an addendum. Our cats are kept in at night. In the daytime they sleep. A lot. When they are out they just about never venture beyond the boundaries of our garden. Where, then, is the evidence of this carnage?
”Allowed out to kill” ... get a grip. Large strips of my garden are kept as an untended wilderness as a wildlife haven. Next I will be accused of maintaining this as a hunting ground for the pets.
I didn't mean personally @FlyDragon, but we do have them up here. Although the wildcat population is now being diluted. Guess why? There was talk about re introducing wolves too. They're the natural predator of red deer, Many areas are becoming too heavily populated, which just leads to sickness and weakness in the herds. Pine martens also hunt grey squirrels, which aid the recovery of our reds.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Just get dogs, you'll never see a cat near your garden again and you can all relax.
Will a dog in my garden stop the neighbours cat hunting along the adjacent connective corridor of hedgerow? Of course not. The impacts are still there.
You can scoff as much as you like, all you need to do is get a copy of the book and read it.
It is fully referenced, so you can fact check every word published in it.
The vile and uninformed 'cat lobby' is very real. I have had threats from them myself when posting on my own ecology website about the devastating and documented affects domestic cats had on my wildlife garden.
Posts
Motor vehicle do not consciously kill animals.
The main issue is cat owners think their cat does not do this or that, judging from their own garden and observations, which is the center of the cats range and largely devoid of target species for obvious reasons. Cats that know they will be 'shouted at' for attacking a bird also think twice about it.
What these owners never get to see is how their pet behaves in an ecology rich environment such as an established wildlife garden or wildlife conservation area. Simple carnage and the cat will become totally preoccupied with multiple encounters with native wildlife and will return over and over until any native population is totally destroyed. (Personal and documented experience as an ecologist).
It's never been a 'cat' issue. It's entirely poor education and denial by the owners. Period.
Comparing natural native species behaviour with that of a pet that is knowingly allowed out to kill by an owner, when it has the totally unnatural advantage of being well fed and under veterinary care, is well, beyond bizarre in terms of logic in my opinion.
Maybe they're just telling the truth, there's no evidence...
After all, we used to have wolves and wildcats and pine martens and several birds of prey that are no longer here.
Actually, the RSPB used to tell the truth, but the cat lobby kicked up a fuss. If you look at the wording carefully, it states there are no UK studies that support cats reducing birds populations.
It's clever, as the definitive and accurate studies have mostly been done in US, NZ and Australia. Which clearly show that actual impacts are magnitudes higher than ever previously estimated. (Rather obviously, the impacts also affect native reptiles, amphibians and mammals too!)
The evidence exists, but why no truly accurate UK study?
Read the Marra book, you will see the truth laid out about the RSPB stance and how ecologists are reluctant to produce new evidence thanks to death threats from the more extreme members of the cat lobby, the last ecologist to write a truthful report in the UK ended up stating he would never work on a project involving cats ever again, because he was having to check his car for bombs after the threats he received.
It is all there in the book.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
As an addendum. Our cats are kept in at night. In the daytime they sleep. A lot. When they are out they just about never venture beyond the boundaries of our garden. Where, then, is the evidence of this carnage?
”Allowed out to kill” ... get a grip. Large strips of my garden are kept as an untended wilderness as a wildlife haven. Next I will be accused of maintaining this as a hunting ground for the pets.
Just get dogs, you'll never see a cat near your garden again and you can all relax.
Although the wildcat population is now being diluted. Guess why?
There was talk about re introducing wolves too. They're the natural predator of red deer, Many areas are becoming too heavily populated, which just leads to sickness and weakness in the herds.
Pine martens also hunt grey squirrels, which aid the recovery of our reds.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
You can scoff as much as you like, all you need to do is get a copy of the book and read it.
It is fully referenced, so you can fact check every word published in it.
The vile and uninformed 'cat lobby' is very real. I have had threats from them myself when posting on my own ecology website about the devastating and documented affects domestic cats had on my wildlife garden.