Wed, 11/30/2011 - 5:06pm - Posted by: SJ Green

John: Not 2010 - that was about climate change. 2009:

http://www.stateofthebirds.org/2009/challenges/invasive-species

And, no, that is not correct - feral cats are still domestic cats - the same species of cat as the one in your home - they are not two distinct species. They are both Felis catus -and even the leading TNR groups acknowledge that. Feral just means they are unsocialized. They may behave like 'wild' animals, but they are not - they are dependent upon humans. If not, let's stop feeding them!

Wed, 11/30/2011 - 4:01pm - Posted by: Woodsman

Nature will NOT strike a "healthy balance". They are a genetically-engineered (through selective breeding) INVASIVE-SPECIES. THEY HAVE NO PLACE IN NATURE ANYWHERE TODAY. THEY ARE A MAN-MADE ANIMAL Absolutely no different than some genetically-engineered insect that, if released out into nature, would destroy the whole food-chain. JUST AS CATS DO. Please go educate your sorry self.

While some native predators will prey upon cats occasionally, it's not this simple. 15 years ago I started a project to increase the populations of the few remaining native predators to try displace all the feral cats. Hoping that these native predators would put "cat" on their diet. I discovered something interesting, that would also explain why cats had bred out of control. Any time that a cat would enter the wildlife feeding area, all the wildlife would scatter. Later, when it became obvious that shooting cats was the only solution, I thought I could at least put all that protein to use to feed the starving native wildlife (starving because cats had destroyed all their food sources). Even if wildlife spotted a dead cat in their feeding area, they would run from the area. Alive or dead, they just would have nothing to do with "cat". I finally figured out why. Due to cats' bold coat-patterns that have been bred into them, native wildlife perceives this as a warning sign. That that animal must have a hidden toxic or olfactory defense mechanism.

So, while native wildlife might prey on cats occasionally, you'll find that they'll only pick off the bland-patterned cats. Leaving all the bold-patterned cats to continue to reproduce. Leaving you with a situation where native wildlife won't even go near them anymore and cats continuing to breed out of control with no native wildlife that will keep them in check.

This has even been confirmed online by proud but highly ignorant cat-owners who claim how their "Fluffy" chased away a coyote or other larger predator from their yard. In their ignorance they never realized that their cat had no bravery whatsoever. It was the cat's coloring pattern that frightened that larger predator. That's all it was.

Wed, 11/30/2011 - 1:50pm - Posted by: John F

http://www.stateofthebirds.org/2010/pdf_files/State%20of%20the%20Birds_FINAL.pdf

There is No reference to cats in the 2010 report, and the only mention of introduced predator relates to sea birds. While plovers might be at risk, and don't see any alteration in our seagull popluation. By the way, they cease to be domestic cats after one generation, they are feral cats.

If everybody would leave the cats alone, nature would strike a healthy balance. It isn't bad enough that humans are so arrogant as to think they can dictate the rules of nature, but arrogant seashore residents even feel the right to complain if nature doesn't fit their desires. How about the impact the the ecosystem suffers from more and more development, and the construction of mansions in the high dunes.

Wed, 11/30/2011 - 4:47pm - Posted by: Woodsman

That 75% is an outright deceptive and egregious LIE! One that ALL TNR advocates use to try to sell their other lies and deceptions. That 75% is how many that died WITHIN the colonies themselves, irrespective of all the cats that still remain outside of those TNR colonies. If they trapped only 10 cats and 9 of them die from lapping up antifreeze in someone's carport, they'd proudly claim and advertise a 90% reduction rate of all feral-cats by using their methods. People more stupid than they are then believe them. (All their TNR'ed cats dying from exposure, starvation, animal-attacks, environmental poisons, disease, road-kill, and any other means that ALL TNR cats cruelly suffer to death. ALL TNR-advocates' actions being in total violation of all animal-abandonment, animal-cruelty, animal-endangerment, animal-abuse, and animal-neglect laws. Including being in direct violation of every invasive-species law on earth.)

They NEVER take into account the more than 99.6% that they have never been able to trap in their region.

If you do the research, as I did using data from the most "successful" TNR programs, you'll easily find that no TNR program has EVER trapped more than 0.4% of existing cats in any one area for over a decade now. Even Oregon's amazing 50,000 TNR'ed cats, at the end of this year will have only trapped 0.35% of them in Oregon. They simply cannot trap them faster than they exponentially breed out of control, no matter what they do.

Tue, 11/29/2011 - 4:40pm - Posted by: SJ Green

John, the domestic cat is not a natural predator - it is an introduced, invasive predator. Many birds are in decline thanks to human-caused actions, including cats that are allowed to roam freely through irresponsible pet ownership, abandonment, and TNR. See US State of Birds report 2009.

Pedrolobo, what an interesting recommendation - take a suggestion from you - or from well-respected, science-based organizations. I think the choice is clear.

Tue, 11/29/2011 - 2:54pm - Posted by: pedrolobo

SJ Green, if you're actually interested in fact, you'll need to look somewhere other than The Wildlife Society (or American Bird Conservancy). You're incredulous about the positive impact of TNR, but seem fully convinced that the cats are having a negative impact on birds. Where's the evidence of that?

In their contribution to “The Domestic Cat: The Biology of Its Behaviour,” researchers Mike Fitzgerald and Dennis Turner thoroughly reviewed 61 predation studies, concluding rather unambiguously: “We consider that we do not have enough information yet to attempt to estimate on average how many birds a cat kills each year. And there are few, if any studies apart from island ones that actually demonstrate that cats have reduced bird populations”

Tue, 11/29/2011 - 11:53am - Posted by: John F

If you kill off the feral cats,you will increase the population of rats, mice and skunks. Cats are the only natural predators left on the barrier islands. Yes, they kill song birds, but birds are part of an ecosystem thats needs population control just like any other. You may not like sharks either, but we need them too.

Kill off the cats and enjoy the skunks, it is that simple. If humans weren't so arrogant about their role in the eco systems on the barrier islands, we wouldn't have these problems. And, I am no "tree hugger", just a realist.

Tue, 11/29/2011 - 11:00am - Posted by: capemay08204

I have a feral cat colony and for the first time in many years, I have no rats or mice invading my garages and outbuildings. These feral cats hunt and kill these rodents. They also exterminate moles.I feed them well and vaccinate them yearly. They were living in cages at the shelter and now are free roaming on many acres of fenced land enjoying being a cat. These feral cats are becomming friendly and after 2 years of living here can now be handled. I would rather have cats than rats. As far as killing birds, I have had more dead birds from flying into my windows than I have found from the cats.

Tue, 11/29/2011 - 2:05am - Posted by: SJ Green

Yeah, real humane when the cats tear apart the birds... what a mistake.

Where is the proof the entire population of cats in that area is down by 75%?

Pick another beach folks - one without cat parasites.

http://joomla.wildlife.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=845&Itemid=183

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Mon, 11/28/2011 - 8:44am - Posted by: whitespider

The major dysfunctional result of this "program" will be the continued ABSENCE of cats in a few years. And the absence of cats has created an imbalance in the vermin population in communities of Cape May, West Cape May where huge plump water rats are reproducing unchecked. On any given morning/evening they can be seen, bold as brass, eating bird food, wiggling out of beach trash cans, running around the Cape May Mall, or just rustling through backyard leaves enroute to their winter nests under houses and garages and in basements. These rats are the biggest I have ever seen!