Kittens For Food?

[Cheesenugget]

Cheesenugget, I appreciate & agree with your reasons that feral cats (kittens) are unsuitable "feeders" but I absolutely do not agree with "TNR"- and never will.

Cats are DOMESTIC animals, NOT NATIVE wildlife...as such, they should be removed from the wild by all means necessary to protect our native species.
It's no different than removing & euthanizing the non-native giant snakes being found loose in Florida...the only difference is that you happen to prefer cats.

You are certainly among animal lovers here...but it it's not right for your pet of choice to take over as if it belongs everywhere, killing & maiming the species
that DO belong here. TNR is ridiculous: feral cats continue to damage property, attack not only wildlife but pets, spread diseases and parasites, and ruin
organic gardens where people like myself work very hard to produce healthy food that is safe for humans to eat, and cause accidents when they run in front
of cars. The public has long been "educated" about fixing their cats...how's that working for ya? It's NOT.

How many cat lovers believe their cats should never roam outside, out of their yard? I can probably count them on one hand...sadly, I've concluded that
people who claim to love their cats are more lazy than love-filled...it's just so much easier to let their cat run loose than to pick up after it or deal with it's
social & exercise needs. How thoughtful of your neighbors property....it's not only "feral" cats but loose cats- "pets"- that are a problem now everywhere.
A big thanks for all that animal love, that has blinded cat-owners into thinking their cat deserves access to every else's property, including nature preserves
and public parks. If you love cats, or any other pets, you keep them home where they are protected & cared for. Don't tell me how much cat owners "care"!

What was once a farmer's means of controlling rodents in their barn on private land is now a public menace everywhere...but that was LONG ago! The world
has changed, in case you haven't noticed. Human population continues to expand, along with their roaming cats, all the while space between us gets ever
smaller & more precious...it gets harder for native birds, reptiles, amphibians & mammals to survive. Do we want a world filled with nature's diversity of life? Or a world with just cats?

I understand and accept your opinion. I'm pretty active in a local cat forums and your argument is loudly spoken and heard by many cat owners. And many times, we the cat owners do agree with you.

I just want to clarify a few things. I live in South FL so the pythons you speak of is a common topic in the news every year. They hold hunting competitions and even got scientists involved in dealing with the problem. However, while killing the pythons is necessary, it is inefficient. These snakes are smart and difficult to find. For every snake they manage to kill by hunting, another 10 is lying in wait nearby hiding from view and continuing to eat up the local wildlife.

Just as it was needed for feral cats, addressing these types of problems require a 'work smart not hard' mentality. Scientists have been placing trackers on male pythons who would lead them to a large female plus any extra males who were following her. By following 1 male, they were able to catch more than killing them all indiscriminately. The females are especially important to remove from the environment. It is a work in progress. Killing them just cause it ate a songbird may seem justified. But you will see by killing that tomcat, another large tomcat will move right in, mate with his females and start new litters immediately. Same with the pythons. We can kill that 1 male who happen to be an easy find or we can track him to lead us to a breeding female plus any extra males along the way.

It is a fact that cats are having a negative impact on wildlife. It is also important to remember that the demise of many, many different species near your home and worldwide are caused by habitat destruction. Fragmentation of habitat is choking certain species to extinction by not able to prevent inbreeding.

I agree today's world is a different one. More people can afford to eat steaks so more farmlands are needed to raise cattle. We need more homes so off you go, lets clear that land and that acre as well so we can build a cool outlet mall nearby. Most of the time, it is unintentional. When you go to Home Depot to pick up some plants for your garden, they are mostly non native species. Your garden that used to hold native plants and trees were removed to make room for your colorful annuals, who may spread their seeds elsewhere. Most invasive species are harmless and do not cause a problem but when they do, they already took hold of the environment.

Birds who survived the cats' fatal claws have to find suitable homes to mate and nest. Butterflies that were once abundant no longer appears because the milkweed plants (Native to FL) have been removed to make way. The list goes on and on.

Like I said, I respect and understand your frustration. It seems in every pet community, we also have a bad batch of irresponsible owners who is continuing this mess (Even the bunny community is not spared, did you know we have feral bunnies?). I am not excusing the lazy cat owners or the problems feral cats have caused. I just want to bring up a different perspective especially you brought up the python problems for those who don't live in FL or know what is going on.