Cost, frustration, sadness, loss of biodiversity and very importantly loss of genetic diversity for the target species, all of which could be avoided if the owners simply made the decision not to allow their pet to free roam.
Personally I'd take the decision away from the owners. Until it's made illegal nothing significant will change. I blame organisations like the RSPB for not showing some backbone and addressing it more strongly, although I know why they won't. Politicians won't touch any such law as they know it would be a total vote killer for them just as the RSPB know they'd lose members very rapidly if they saw their membership fee was actually being spent on protecting wildlife from their pet cats. It's understandable I suppose but politicising this is the wrong approach if we want to restore the UK biodiversity to where it needs to be. Promise to plant an unrealistic amount of trees: everyone votes for you because you're saving the world. Promise to bring about a huge increase in biodiversity in the UK with sweeping new protection laws: everyone votes for you. Now tell them that the laws are to ban free-roaming cats and see what happens...
Totally agree. US, NZ, Australian and some European countries are acting now.
It is becoming more and more noticeable that the UK is lagging behind when it comes to addressing the issue, one can live in hope.
Totally Dove. Then people wonder why their gardens are totally overrun with slugs, the more damaging native white and grey slug species being a major part of a slow worms diet.
The old argument that cats keep down rodent populations has also been overturned.
Modern well fed domestic cats have been shown in more than one study to be far less likely to tackle a rat these days that will fight back.
Now they generally concentrate on non-pest species, quietly and very effectively removing entire populations of completely defenseless and harmless creatures. For no other reason than 'amusement'.
They don't bother to 'present' many of these kills to owners and many animals are simply mauled and left to die a slow and painful death from multiple infected bite wounds.
I won't share the dozens of images I have as I know people will simply be shocked to see animals with missing limbs and half eaten, that were still alive.
As there are far more effective ways to control rodents than having a cat, the argument for free roaming cats has dwindled to nothing more than a form of hysteria from cat owners that their pet amusing itself is more important than native wildlife, the environment and particularly the feelings and wishes of neighbours.
Do they listen when they are told free roaming is extremely bad for the welfare of the cat? No of course not. Perhaps they should all go work at the Blue Cross as I did and see the results of missing eyes, bite wounds from other cats, parasites, road accidents, gunshot wounds, well it is just commons sense to imagine what could happen to a pet that is left to fend for itself in the outside world.
In my case the total devastation of our wildlife garden we worked so long to build up, brought on a lasting bought of depression I still suffer from to this day. Back then my OH had just been diagnosed with cancer and the peace of the wildlife garden was so important to both him and me. Even though he was very ill he tried to reason with the neighbours as one animal after another was killed, all they had to say was 'it is what cats do'. Seeing the man I love sobbing in frustration is not something I want to see ever again in my life.
Of course inline with others here I know full well it is really what the owners do, the cats are an innocent party to the owners totally selfish and irresponsible actions.
I would simply ask those that jump so quickly in the defense of cats on this forum to stop and think.
Nobody would go as far as posting on a forum if they did not have a real issue they were dealing with. The affects of irresponsible pet owner ship can be devastating not only to native wildlife, but to other gardeners, in other worlds people like us who get a great deal of pleasure from gardens. To deny that pleasure to others is simply dreadful behaviour.
So please when somebody asks will cats kill pond creatures, be realistic, of course many cats will do that remorselessly. The fact 'Tiddles' or 'Truffles' never did it directly in front of you, does not mean it never happens.
Constant denial of the truth is simply that when it comes to this topic.
Interesting comment about the slugs. I am one of those people who wonder why their garden is over run with slugs.
Slugs are a real problem in our garden. Literally they are everywhere after dark.
In fact, I won't go down the bottom of the garden at night because of all the slugs.
I came in one night and saw something move out the corner of my eye. I looked in the mirror and to my horror there was a big fat yellow slug sat upon my shoulder.
They heard my scream on the moon apparently.
A problem I have is that I don't like to kill things. Even slugs. Even the cheeky f**ker on my shoulder was released unharmed. I pick up worms that I find stranded on the pavement and keep them in my hand till I find somewhere moist to put them (with a few wet leaves on top)
So actively killing slugs is something I won't do but I would like them to go elsewhere instead. I tried putting up a sign, saying "No slugs" but they ignored it.
Where the slug numbers have boomed, the numbers of frogs and newts have declined massively. Hedgehogs too. We never see hedgehogs in the garden any more but we used to have lots.
I got the blame for the lack of amphibians because I converted our garden pond to a koi pond. Basically less plants, deeper with steep sides (no heron steps aka plant shelves), raised sides (to prevent run-off), lots of air and stronger current.
There is still a wildlife pond less than 4 metres away from the koi pond. So I don't wholly accept the blame.
It's difficult to see what's actually in the wildlife pond as its full of plants but I haven't noticed any frogspawn in there for a few years.
I used to be able to hear the frogs getting it on but not any more.
Could it be that cats have killed off all the frogs? What about the hedgehogs? Surely a cat would only touch a hedgehog once then remember that spikes hurt!
Would a fox kill a frog? What about a badger? I have seen both in the garden.
What can I do to get the frogs and hedgehogs to come back? I understand that it's bad practice to move frogspawn. Not that I've seen any anywhere for ages.
I am told that we get less birds too.
I don't see that many cats in the garden but certainly I'd say maybe 2 or 3 times a week now that we no longer have the dog as deterrent.
@themanfromvolantis all I can say is as a vegetable gardener, I don't have any issues with slugs having an adjacent wildlife garden with a pond with no fish. Never have to control slugs or worry about them at all. Just another irritation of having neighbours pets killing wildlife in my garden, it upsets the ecosystem that protects my food from pests.
Totally agree. US, NZ, Australian and some European countries are acting now.
It is becoming more and more noticeable that the UK is lagging behind when it comes to addressing the issue, one can live in hope.
What's really striking though is how there's no restrictions on cats anywhere in the UK. Not on nature reserves or SSSIs, not near any protected habitat or areas that are the last refuges for endangered species. You would think it would be basic logic to ban free-roaming cats within a certain radius of any of these and the fact that this doesn't even seem to get considered speaks volumes.
I've seen new housing projects in Australia that have pet bans on them because they're close to certain habitats so it is possible.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I'm a cat person deep down. But really there are just too many for the local wildlife these days I admit. They will go after everything from a beetle to a bat. My cat killed two gorgeous coal tits recently, it's awful as they were most likely parenting a nest. If there's a solution other than genetic modification of all cats pls share!
I'm a cat person deep down. But really there are just too many for the local wildlife these days I admit. They will go after everything from a beetle to a bat. My cat killed two gorgeous coal tits recently, it's awful as they were most likely parenting a nest. If there's a solution other than genetic modification of all cats pls share!
have them neutered would be a start, and don't replace the one you have when it "ceases to be "
Totally agree. US, NZ, Australian and some European countries are acting now.
It is becoming more and more noticeable that the UK is lagging behind when it comes to addressing the issue, one can live in hope.
What's really striking though is how there's no restrictions on cats anywhere in the UK. Not on nature reserves or SSSIs, not near any protected habitat or areas that are the last refuges for endangered species. You would think it would be basic logic to ban free-roaming cats within a certain radius of any of these and the fact that this doesn't even seem to get considered speaks volumes.
I've seen new housing projects in Australia that have pet bans on them because they're close to certain habitats so it is possible.
Unfortunately even discussing the topic brings about accusations of being a cat-hater etc etc. To say ban cats, well it would take a brave bunch of people to do it.
It is actually possible to make it a planning constraint that pet ownership on new housing estates in the UK is banned. Though I'm not sure how well enforced such schemes are or if there any published results on the effectiveness of such schemes. It must be difficult to monitor if someone later down the line purchases a cat. I purposely avoided mitigation work throughout my whole career that involved housing, as really it would be totally pointless to create new habitat for native species that was then overrun by domestic cats.
It really is extraordinary and totally nonsensical simply from a basic logic perspective.
We only have to look at other countries to see it is real, damaging and an issue that ought to be addressed. Not one that will ever be solved by saying 'but my cat doesn't do that'.
I'm a cat person deep down. But really there are just too many for the local wildlife these days I admit. They will go after everything from a beetle to a bat. My cat killed two gorgeous coal tits recently, it's awful as they were most likely parenting a nest. If there's a solution other than genetic modification of all cats pls share!
Have to ask, why the simple solutions of either, keep your cat indoors, or construct an outdoor area where the cat is contained, are not options? It is a total myth that it is 'cruel' to keep at cat indoors there is overwhelming evidence it is better for the cat's own welfare. The obvious result of not doing so is that they will display hunting instincts.
Posts
Totally agree. US, NZ, Australian and some European countries are acting now.
It is becoming more and more noticeable that the UK is lagging behind when it comes to addressing the issue, one can live in hope.
Slugs are a real problem in our garden. Literally they are everywhere after dark.
In fact, I won't go down the bottom of the garden at night because of all the slugs.
I came in one night and saw something move out the corner of my eye. I looked in the mirror and to my horror there was a big fat yellow slug sat upon my shoulder.
They heard my scream on the moon apparently.
A problem I have is that I don't like to kill things. Even slugs. Even the cheeky f**ker on my shoulder was released unharmed. I pick up worms that I find stranded on the pavement and keep them in my hand till I find somewhere moist to put them (with a few wet leaves on top)
So actively killing slugs is something I won't do but I would like them to go elsewhere instead. I tried putting up a sign, saying "No slugs" but they ignored it.
Where the slug numbers have boomed, the numbers of frogs and newts have declined massively. Hedgehogs too. We never see hedgehogs in the garden any more but we used to have lots.
I got the blame for the lack of amphibians because I converted our garden pond to a koi pond. Basically less plants, deeper with steep sides (no heron steps aka plant shelves), raised sides (to prevent run-off), lots of air and stronger current.
There is still a wildlife pond less than 4 metres away from the koi pond. So I don't wholly accept the blame.
It's difficult to see what's actually in the wildlife pond as its full of plants but I haven't noticed any frogspawn in there for a few years.
I used to be able to hear the frogs getting it on but not any more.
Could it be that cats have killed off all the frogs? What about the hedgehogs? Surely a cat would only touch a hedgehog once then remember that spikes hurt!
Would a fox kill a frog? What about a badger? I have seen both in the garden.
What can I do to get the frogs and hedgehogs to come back? I understand that it's bad practice to move frogspawn. Not that I've seen any anywhere for ages.
I am told that we get less birds too.
I don't see that many cats in the garden but certainly I'd say maybe 2 or 3 times a week now that we no longer have the dog as deterrent.
It is actually possible to make it a planning constraint that pet ownership on new housing estates in the UK is banned. Though I'm not sure how well enforced such schemes are or if there any published results on the effectiveness of such schemes. It must be difficult to monitor if someone later down the line purchases a cat. I purposely avoided mitigation work throughout my whole career that involved housing, as really it would be totally pointless to create new habitat for native species that was then overrun by domestic cats.
It really is extraordinary and totally nonsensical simply from a basic logic perspective.
We only have to look at other countries to see it is real, damaging and an issue that ought to be addressed. Not one that will ever be solved by saying 'but my cat doesn't do that'.