Many of you are not going to like this..

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True confessions?  Yes, that’s how I will start today.  (But, I probably will end with a wonderful happy dance.  Twice or so.)

I have always wanted a time machine.  One that would let me visit at least three time/place events.  In reverse order…

I’d love to meet Leonardo DaVinci, as he was designing his helicopters, his other flying machines, his parachutes, armored cars, and maybe even his painting of Mona Lisa.  I would love to learn how he conceived of these devices.

The second…  Moshe (Moses) at the foot of Mount Sinai.  Oh, I know.  I’ll probably be scared sh…..s to hear and see the voice of the Supreme Being, but it’d be worth it.  And, then some.

And, the last… to meet Noach (Noah), right before he loads the ark.  Wondering how he could agree to build this “thing” that would hold all the animals for a Supreme Being no one else believes and to be subject to ridicule as he builds this, when all seems well.  But, mostly to tell him, “Take the unicorns.  Leave the cats!”

Yup.  I hate cats.  I have never seen the value in those furry felines.  And, now science has proven me right.  They are a menace to this Earth.  Noach should have known better.  (My happy dance starts right about now.)

Drs. Loss, Will, and Marra (of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Zoo) presented results about the killer cats in Nature.  They reported that cats have led to the extinction of a plethora of bird species.  Admittedly, most of these are not the cats you might keep in your house (heaven forbid), but the free-ranging kind.  These cats terminate about 3 billion birds (1.4-3.7 is the range) and 7 to 20 billion mammals- each and every year.

Now before you go and apologize for these animals and try to blame something else- forget it.  These kills (by some 80 million free-range cats) exceed those from windmills, cars, and other human-related reasons combined.   But, about 1/3 of the bird kills and a little more than 10% of the mammals killed are from domesticated cats.

Like the kudzu, cats are an invasive species.  They were imported to our continent and have no natural predators.

Now, cats also cause diseases  No, I am not talking about Bartonellosis (cat-scratch fever), a relatively benign, but annoying disease (unless, of course, your immune system is compromised). Not even toxoplasmosis or Salmonellosis, which mostly infects the cat owners who don’t carefully clean the litter boxes (or infants, who unfortunately don’t know not to eat anything they see).  But, with these three, and ringworm (dermatophytosis) – which is highly contagious, you should begin seeing a pattern.   Not to mention giardia or Cryptosporidia infections.

So, the best you can do is keep your cat in YOUR house.  Not outside.  And, certainly not in my backyard.  If you keep your cat in your house and never let it out, you have a fighting chance to keep your cat from killing other animals or infecting you.

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6 thoughts on “Many of you are not going to like this..”

  1. As a cat owner and lover it still doesn’t bother me 😀 I see your point and in fact don’t like to see kitties as you put it “free range”. None of my kitties are or will be so long as I’m sucking wind. There are too many dangerous out there.

    That said, I will see your cat hate and raise you a historical theory…had we not tried to exterminate so man cats in the middle ages the black plague would never have been so overwhelming. There is a direct relationship between the rise and fall of cat populations and the rise and fall of the plague, and had there been no cats, perhaps the entire population would have simple succumbed. There were two types of people in that time that were put to death for witchcraft and such, because they were untouched by the plague. Jews, because of their kosher laws which often prevented the cause of plague, and cat owners (which is as you probably know started the whole paradigm about witches and cats). So I have to think, even if only in that one instance, the SB knew the cats had to be saved…plus, Unicorns are jerks. 😀
    *HUGS* Good article and it is something to be mindful of as stewards of this world balance is important.

    1. Cats actually are native to Europe, as opposed to North America, so there is a difference there, Lisa.
      Regarding the plague- that arrived compliments of the Silk Route and poor shipping hygiene. The rats, carrying fleas with Yersinia pestis infestations did manage to infect people. But, it is interesting to me that the Jews of the time- who were herded into ghettos- managed to escape it. I can guarantee you, it had nothing to do with the cat population. Moreover, cats could have spread the disease, since it’s the flea ON the rat that carries the disease, and if a cat were to engage a carrier-rat, it was just as likely to carry the flea AND the disease.
      Sorry- without my time machine, you won’t be able to convince any juries as to their value in the Middle Ages 🙂 …

  2. Oh Roy..lol Your dislike of cats would have been rather evident even if you had not stated it. This is a rather one sided post and I’m surprised at that. I read this article you are speaking of as well and I thought at the time that it seemed a little overstated to say that cats ’caused’ the extinction of anything over a larger area then it’s neighbourhood. Perhaps it contributed..but caused? Hmm..
    As for diseases…well what animal – including humans- don’t have something to contribute to that? It’s your responsibility as a pet owner of any animal to keep them healthy and parasite free.
    Don’t forget however focused on the negatives that they also provide benefits in keeping rodent populations down which carry many diseases (and are icky).
    That being said I agree with you that they should be kept indoors simply because you are incorrect to say they have no natural predators. Many a cat has been the prey of coyotes, badgers, raccoons (yup those things are nasty!), eagles and more. Not to mention cars.
    Spaying your pets and keeping them safe…cats, dogs..whatever. That’s part of keeping pets. And I agree..they shouldn’t be in YOUR backyard!
    Bonnie recently posted..Is Your Relationship Being Run by A 5 Year Old?

    1. Wild cats range enough to cause extinction of the birds and mammals in their “neighborhood”, as you call it. Most birds and mammals don’t roam the entire continent, so that is why the data is, indeed, valid.
      The problem of free-range cats (feral) is that there are way more of them than there are dogs. And, way more of them than other animals- because they have NO natural predators in North America. the fact that coyotes, badgers, and raccoon may kill them does not mean they are their natural predators. They may kill them because the cats annoy them, seem to be stealing their food, etc.
      They are the “kudzu” of the North American continent; like some folks who like kudzu, even though it harms the environment, the same can be said about cats. But, much less so for those that are properly maintained indoors. (Although, I wonder if the authorities would afford the same lassitude for lions and bears kept indoors 🙂 .)

      Thanks for the spirited defense, Bonnie!!!!

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