Or so some researchers claim.
I'm rather skeptical. Their estimate of the size of the feral cat population in the country is 55 million, plus or minus 25 million. That is a hell of a margin of error. Their estimates as to the number of birds they kill varies by a factor of two (23 to 46 per cat per year) and by nearly a factor of three for small rodents (129-339/cat/yr).
I did see a cat kill a bird once. The cat was walking across a yard and some birds were dive-bombing it to try and drive it off. The cat didn't seem to be paying them much heed, but as one of the birds swooped in, the cat twisted around, knocked the bird right out of the air and dispatched it.
My cats over the years have confined their killings to stuffed toys, ping-pong balls, feathered toys and laser dots. Oh, and sometimes the occasional bug that got inside. George (of blessed memory) was really good at that.
Highly educated biologists discover carnivores. Video at eleven.
ReplyDeleteWait until they find out what fish, birds and bears do to the salmon fry population...
Stretch is a killing machine. What she may lack in the bird numbers it makes up for with rattony numbers. It's rodent central where I live and this cat is up to the task.
ReplyDeleteI had a cat that could catch anything up to and including her size. One day, I opened the front door for the "got you a gift" meow, only to see her there with a bird in her mouth. She intended to drop it on the ground for me then, but between her mouth and the ground, that bird took flight and screwed away in an instant. Poor Cinnamon... I couldn't help but burst into laughs. And that was just adding insult on top of injury.
ReplyDeleteMy current cats can catch mice, but don't know what to do next, other than play. And I mean CAREFUL play. They don't want to kill it, and almost never do before they either lose it or I rescue it.
I think they just want a pet. They've both cuddled with their temporary captives, at different times.
I live in the 'country' and really appreciate any help with the rodent population. Few things bother me more here than opening my tool box in the garage and finding a nest in the drawer. I don't like to use poison and traps.
ReplyDeleteThey used to challenge the parrot for seeds in her own cage, inside, at night.
We have had some cats that were good at birds but mostly they go for the rodents.
Rodent control is a necessary part of life out here. It would be hard to convince me of overkill in that department.
w3ski