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if you feed your pet spider, then it has no need to kill flies

same with cats - unless you don't feed them, they have no need to kill birds

look at the audubon sites where they  BEG people to keep their cats indoors so they don't kill ANY birds.  or to put a bell on the cats' collars so the birds can hear them.

Cats are destroying the bird population which is already at risk.

The Effects of Cat Predation on Wildlife

from the USFWS Migratory Bird Mangement Office

Americans keep an estimated 60 million cats as pets. Let's say each cat kills only one bird a year. That would mean that cats kill over 60 million birds (minimum) each year - more wildlife than any oil spill.

Scientific studies actually show that each year, cats kill hundreds of millions of migratory songbirds. In 1990, researchers estimated that "outdoor" house cats and feral cats were responsible for killing nearly 78 million small mammals and birds annually in the United Kingdom.

University of Wisconsin ornithologist, Dr. Santley Temple estimates that 20-150 million songbirds are killed each year by rural cats in Wisconsin alone.

Feline predation is not "natural." Cats were domesticated by the ancient Egyptians and taken throughout the world by the Romans. Cats were brought to North America in the 1800's to control rats. The "tabby" that sits curled up on your couch is not a natural predator and has never been in the natural food chain in the Western Hemisphere.


by zoe on Wed Apr 23rd, 2008 at 05:49:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
zoe:
if you feed your pet spider, then it has no need to kill flies
What do you feed your pet spider? Dead flies. What is your point?

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 23rd, 2008 at 05:53:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
who has a pet spider?  it was an analogy.

I don't get it.  Is this some kind of joke on me?

Why don't people want to help the bird population because cats don't only kill pigeons, you know.  They kill any bird they can get their paws on.

And the number of these birds is dwindling every year.

And you guys are worried about your cats not playing enough?

This has got to be a joke...

by zoe on Wed Apr 23rd, 2008 at 05:57:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
who dosn't know someone who has a pet spider? (although tis may be the circles I move in)

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Wed Apr 23rd, 2008 at 06:34:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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