Posted by Daniel Loomis on June 20, 2009 at 10:20 PM
Not exactly wildlife . . . but wild nonetheless. We have had four litters of feral kittens born in our backyard this spring. This is one of the cute little kittens. They have been very entertaining playing with one another in our backyard.
40D, 500mm, f/4, 1/160s, ISO 640, flash-fill, cropped.
Cute kittens turn into cats that will be feasting on your birds. Hopefully you can find a home for them. I chased off a local cat because it was watching my birdfeeders. Wild cats have it easy this time of the year with baby birds learning to fly.
I saw on Nat Geo or one of the other channels that house and feral cats account for more kills of other animals than any creature around. I have a cat that hangs around in my yard from time to time. He is wild but someone has to be feeding him. My birds do okay I have yet to see him catch one, although he does pay very close attention to my feeders. Also I have never seen a mouse or rat at my house in the two years I have lived here.
Well, Daniel, you certainly have posted a very controversial topic. These "cute" kittens grow up to be apex predators in many areas. Just Google feral cats and you'll have a lifetime worth of reading about how much damage they do to our native wildlife population especially birds and mammals. Cats without flea collars or regular collars that pass throught my 10 acres are barely tolerated but collarless cats know better not to mingle for long.
I once briefly watched a feral cat play with a juvenile gray squirrel. The cat apparently damaged the spinal cord, probably with a bite to the neck, and as the squirrel tried to stagger away, the cat would pounce on it and bat it around, wait and go through the game all over again. Like I said, I didn't watch this for long. Lets just say that the cat did not get its meal.
Feral cats out number domestic cats by a large margin. Wildlife populations as a whole don't need this kind of pressure. Feral cats also compete with our native predators which have a tough enough time as it is. I for one find your post and what it represents very troubling....
Controversial indeed, Don. But whose fault is it that cats become feral? Humans - the same animals that have caused an enormous loss of natural habitat to better serve their money-hungry, self-serving interests. Progress they call it. Heck, it's not the cats' fault, they're just trying to survive and have to eat too. And fortunately for them, there are plenty of coyotes, dogs, foxes, bobcats, hawks, owls, and humans with guns to put them out of their misery. Oh yeah, there's also the city pound that gives them six days to be adopted, after which time the are put down.
As I was driving home late one afternoon not too long ago, I noticed a young deer standing in the middle of the rural highway I drive everyday. When I stopped, I noticed the buck's tongue hanging out of his mouth. I got out of my truck to try to scare him off the highway so he wouldn't get hit. This deer was so exhausted that he just started slowly walking down the middle of the road. About that time, I heard several dogs barking not too far away, and knew what was going on. Those dogs had just about run that deer to death from exhaustion.
My wife and I have both dogs and cats, and I love them all. And, after recently searching for one of our two cats for 25 days, can attest to the fact that feral cats are a problem. I followed up calls on 15 different cats that matched the description of ours before number 16. I think the real problem lies with irresponsible pet owners that, for whatever reason, decide they no longer want, or can keep their pet. And if it's an unspayed female, the problem just multiplies. Until society decides to impose strict penalties on dumping pets, and/or requires animals to be fixed (breeding stock excepted of course), the problem will only get worse.
With all of that said, I personally believe that the loss of habitat is a much greater threat to native wildlife survival than feral cats. Thirty years ago there was an abundance of quail in Northwest Arkansas - not anymore. Slowly but surely, the cattle and poultry industry, along with residential and commercial development has all but eliminated the native grasses and cover that quail and other bird species needed to survive. Very sad. Luckily, there have been several programs launched during the last few years, including Wal-Mart's Acres for America program, that will help preserve wildlife habitat.
Nice shot Daniel, hope the little guy/gal finds a good home. If you would like to help slow the feral cat population growth in your neighborhood, you might try using a live trap (available at Home Depot) to capture the females and take them to your local vet to be spayed. The best bait, believe it or not, is fried chicken
Do you have a humane society chapter nearby? My wife and I are fosters for cats for the Humane Society in Manhattan. They helped us trap 3 feral cats in our backyard and get them fixed and we are working to tame them down so they can be adopted.
Hope you can get them trapped and fixed. I can ask the Humane Society here if they have any connections to groups in your area.
Yes feral cats can and do kill a lot of wildlife, but I'd have to agree with Bill on this one (not that anyone is asking!)....those feral cats are probably there because of somebody dumping a few initially. And feral cats do suffer...hunger, disease, being hit by cars, etc.
Discussion
6 replies40D, 500mm, f/4, 1/160s, ISO 640, flash-fill, cropped.
I once briefly watched a feral cat play with a juvenile gray squirrel. The cat apparently damaged the spinal cord, probably with a bite to the neck, and as the squirrel tried to stagger away, the cat would pounce on it and bat it around, wait and go through the game all over again. Like I said, I didn't watch this for long. Lets just say that the cat did not get its meal.
Feral cats out number domestic cats by a large margin. Wildlife populations as a whole don't need this kind of pressure. Feral cats also compete with our native predators which have a tough enough time as it is. I for one find your post and what it represents very troubling....
Best,
Don
As I was driving home late one afternoon not too long ago, I noticed a young deer standing in the middle of the rural highway I drive everyday. When I stopped, I noticed the buck's tongue hanging out of his mouth. I got out of my truck to try to scare him off the highway so he wouldn't get hit. This deer was so exhausted that he just started slowly walking down the middle of the road. About that time, I heard several dogs barking not too far away, and knew what was going on. Those dogs had just about run that deer to death from exhaustion.
My wife and I have both dogs and cats, and I love them all. And, after recently searching for one of our two cats for 25 days, can attest to the fact that feral cats are a problem. I followed up calls on 15 different cats that matched the description of ours before number 16. I think the real problem lies with irresponsible pet owners that, for whatever reason, decide they no longer want, or can keep their pet. And if it's an unspayed female, the problem just multiplies. Until society decides to impose strict penalties on dumping pets, and/or requires animals to be fixed (breeding stock excepted of course), the problem will only get worse.
With all of that said, I personally believe that the loss of habitat is a much greater threat to native wildlife survival than feral cats. Thirty years ago there was an abundance of quail in Northwest Arkansas - not anymore. Slowly but surely, the cattle and poultry industry, along with residential and commercial development has all but eliminated the native grasses and cover that quail and other bird species needed to survive. Very sad. Luckily, there have been several programs launched during the last few years, including Wal-Mart's Acres for America program, that will help preserve wildlife habitat.
Nice shot Daniel, hope the little guy/gal finds a good home. If you would like to help slow the feral cat population growth in your neighborhood, you might try using a live trap (available at Home Depot) to capture the females and take them to your local vet to be spayed. The best bait, believe it or not, is fried chicken
Glad I could provide a topic for discussion . . .
Do you have a humane society chapter nearby? My wife and I are fosters for cats for the Humane Society in Manhattan. They helped us trap 3 feral cats in our backyard and get them fixed and we are working to tame them down so they can be adopted.
Hope you can get them trapped and fixed. I can ask the Humane Society here if they have any connections to groups in your area.
Yes feral cats can and do kill a lot of wildlife, but I'd have to agree with Bill on this one (not that anyone is asking!)....those feral cats are probably there because of somebody dumping a few initially. And feral cats do suffer...hunger, disease, being hit by cars, etc.