The War on Kittens. (Seriously.) - Comments

@ Join the Masquerade
You have some very good points, and it's nice to hear the views of somebody who's a cat-hater!

I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble with your neighbour's cat. =( I'm guessing he/she/they're the sort of people who won't do anything about it, either? I should clarify: I let my cat roam during the day (if somebody's home) because I know that my neighbours are okay with it. If any of them were having issues, I would restrict his outside access. It might be, as you said, "natural" to let them roam, but that doesn't mean we aren't responsible for their actions.

I agree on the topic of if you have an army of cats, you should keep them inside. I work in a pet care store, so I have quite a few customers who have upwards of five cats. Most of them keep them indoors at all times and care for them properly, but I know of a few who are questionable. Then there's one couple who capture wild cats, get them desexed, and then let them free again - which is more than we can ask, I suppose.

Honestly, I think it's the killing methods that have me so stressed out about this. Poison isn't going to discriminate. It can't tell if the cat is wild or owned, or if it's just been eaten by a dog or (God forbid) a toddler. It's just going to kill whatever eats it, and I don't see how this is beneficial to anybody.

I read on one website that they're thinking about releasing dingoes and Tasmanian Devils to combat the feral cat problem - and I'm all for that, because it's natural selection and I imagine it would be in the places that most need it. But this "dob in a cat" website? That is ridiculous. That's what our councils are for. Or the RSPCA. Not our ridiclous government.

(I think I went off track. I'm sorry!)

I hope the cat(s) in your neighbourhood learn to keep their distance, because likewise - I would hate if my birds were at risk. That's definitely not fair. =/

I certainly don't agree with their method of going about this but I am a cat-hater, unfortunately :/ Or, moreover, I'm fine with cats but a lot of people are really irresponsible when it comes to taking care of them and keeping their neighbours in mind...

I keep chickens and I can't tell you the number of times the same cat has come round early in the morning and in the evening and just stared at them from atop the shed roof. We have an enclosure for them and so it's not a huge problem because I'll only let them out when I'm home, and we have a dog so it stays out of the backyard when she's out... but I mean, I shouldn't have to worry about my birds because people let their cats out to roam and kill :( We used to have an aviary outside and a cat got to my little lorikeet through the wire. I was so mad.

So I don't agree with leaving poisoned bait around the place and dobbing in unknowing neighbours and cruel methods of killing these cats that are only doing what cats do, but I really don't think people should be allowed to own more than a couple cats if they're going to be outside at all. It's not fair on people that keep "prey" as pets, and it's not fair to the wildlife. It shouldn't have to adapt to that many predators.

I mean I understand the other side of the argument - I'd be pretty mad if someone was telling me I couldn't keep x amount of birds, or I had to get rid of some I already owned. I think if someone has their cats indoors all the time then they should be able to have as many as they want (keeping their health in mind of course) but that if these cats are outdoors, they should be monitored. People shouldn't be allowed to release an army of cats into the neighbourhood to kill peoples' beloved pets, kill the wildlife, and (though less important) poop on others' lawns. We aren't allowed to do this with dogs, birds, etc. so cats shouldn't be made an exception because "it's natural" to allow them to roam.

@ Alicia Alarcon
I guess it's not illegal when it's the government. =/ That was my reaction too, though.

I don't feel like I know enough about the issue/have enough connections to get a petition going myself, but the Mini Kitty Commune seem to be getting there. There was an article on the Washington Post website about the issue, so hopefully that will put some pressure on the government!

Oh my god, that's absolutely horrendous. That's plain animal cruelty. Isn't that illegal?

I would definitely suggest creating a petition on a site like 38 Degrees. They definitely will help make it international news and bring more signatures against the legislation.