Re: Should we ban cat ownership.

Our cats were fed, watered, and neutered, we had a cat house for them outside. Their job was to keep down the vermin. I believe all animals should be useful.

Re: Should we ban cat ownership.

They do that in Corsica too, they have giant nets strung up to catch them. I was there a few years ago and I hardly saw a single bird. It was morbidly silent no birds singing very strange.

Actually I don't see cats roaming the way we did when we were kids, I think people generally are more responsible these days with their pets, remember stray dogs? We never see them now either.

Re: Should we ban cat ownership.

Why shouldn't cats roam, they always have done that is their nature? Obviously dogs have to be kept strictly under control because they can be dangerous to humans.

Re: Should we ban cat ownership.

How many children have been mauled and disfigured or even killed by dangerous dogs?
How many postmen/women have been attacked by unruly dogs?
How many times have you walked into your house with the evil smell of dog poo plastered around your shoe?
How many times have you been kept awake by the incessant barking of some hound left outside in the garden?

These incidents outnumber cat incidents by a thousand to one!

The population of dogs outnumber the population of cats by a thousand to one. Some dogs as large as a small donkey, with some households containing two three and four animals.
A dog consumes three times as much food as a cat. So that puts the austerity angle out the window. There are families on benefits but still manage to feed a large dog....

I think you have got this the wrong way round Venator!

Re: Should we ban cat ownership.

I agree, cats do little harm imo, unlike dogs who can cause a lot of problems if not strictly managed and immediately put down if they show any sigh of aggression. Cats take the odd bird or two but so what, I don't see that as a problem at all.

Re: Should we ban cat ownership.

You've never had a frisky cat grab you by the leg and hang on for dear life leaving you hopping one-legit down your own garden path trying to escape it's mauling amorous clutches have you?

Re: Should we ban cat ownership.

estimated 1 billion birds killed by cats each year in the USA alone, plus small mammals. But hey yeah whos counting..

As for not dangerous, no they dont come out barking or biting they just s**t in kids play areas and spread toxoplasmosis..

Which brings it back to ownership and whereas there are big fines for dog owners who let their dogs foul, cats s**t with immunity.

Re: Should we ban cat ownership.

Birds have managed to survive well in spite of cats and other predators preying on them. As for toxoplasmosis, I doubt that is a huge problem, you are much more likely to catch something nasty from a dog, imo.

Re: Should we ban cat ownership.

Hi

If we banned everything, we would have nothing to complain about.

I am sure some people would like us to ban everything.

Re: Should we ban cat ownership.

Quite right too LD, although it was raised in court last year, IIRC and lost. This meant that the Maltese gunmen could still enjoy their 'sport' Even Chris Packham was arrested on a dubious charge.
Getting back to the subject, no, how can you ban cats? Other birds, mammals and humans predate birds more than cats do.