Are cats adopted vermin.

[paphio]

I have read that cats kill 200 000 wild birds (usually for fun) everyday in Britain. Any thoughts...

[RosieH]

Let's kill 200,000 cats everyday.

Although not for fun, no. For RSPB reasons, yes.

[steveo]

The world's most successful parasite

[edcam]

Cats are cool. Wild birds are tasty.

[paphio]

It's a thought, I have never knowingly tasted a cat, maybe it's time for it to go on the menu.

[Alan Medic]

I'm a vegetarian so I've never tried it, but aren't those tins in the supermarket called 'catfood',cat?

[taper]

QTWTAIN

[StraferJack]

That's a lot of very dim birds

Where did you read it?

[Willard]

paphio Wrote:

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> I have read that cats kill 200 000 wild birds

> (usually for fun) everyday in Britain.

Inconclusive evidence. Please leave.

They (probably) kill that many rats and mice too. Oh well.

[maxxi]

If that many birds are killed then it is because they were the weakest in their group and - like the wildebeest brought down by the lion - their loss strengthens the gene pool.

We all adore a chirpy tit

Long tailed blue or great;

But surely any stupid tit

Should be consigned to fate.

[Expurgated chapter from: Birds of Britain, J.L. Bonhote, 1907.]

[Frankito]

And if you counted up all those peoples in Stangeways who killed birds do you suggest we eat them too?

*kitchen, ketchup, feed me, feed me noooooow*

[paphio]

maxxi Wrote:

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> If that many birds are killed then it is because

> they were the weakest in their group and - like

> the wildebeest brought down by the lion - their

> loss strengthens the gene pool.

>

Wildebeest and crocodile are indigenous to where they prey or are preyed upon, and both have adopted different survival strategies over along period of time (the strategy of wildebeest being security and survival through sheer numbers).

the problem with cats is that their numbers have increased dramatically because people have acquired them in large quantities and let them roam and destroy a varied habitat.

As for mice and rats other pest control measures exist.

[maxxi]

"the problem with cats is that their numbers have increased dramatically because people have acquired them in large quantities and let them roam and destroy a varied habitat."

What habitat is that exactly? The man-made habitat of suburbia? If you look at the decline in UK birds numbers it is mainly down to changes in farming practices, loss of suitable nesting sites and climate - and that most of the birds affected are from rural and woodland areas. Cats do not enter the picture in any significant way at all and the point I was making was a general one about predator and prey. The RSPB puts it better:

"Despite the large numbers of birds killed, there is no scientific evidence that predation by cats in gardens is having any impact on bird populations UK-wide. This may be surprising, but many millions of birds die naturally every year, mainly through starvation, disease, or other forms of predation. There is evidence that cats tend to take weak or sickly birds."

[RosieH]

man brought cats

man bad

cats bad

birds good

skin cats

eat cats

eat cats good

[DJKillaQueen]

Also most cats are pretty rubbish at catching birds.

[KalamityKel]

steveo Wrote:

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> The world's most successful parasite

Thought that was humans...

[Frankito]

RosieH, loving your logic however one flaw, point 3: birds good. Wtf?

Dog good

Dog bite Rosie until she behave

[Jeremy]

If an animal that can fly is stupid enough to let itself get caught by a cat, then so be it. Natural selection innit.

[KidKruger]

200,000 birds a day killed by cats in UK.

1,400,000 birds a week.

42 million birds a month.

504 million (half a billion) birds a year.

Strange, I live in a neighbourhood frequented by cats and don't see even a tiny portion of the dead-bird mountain that's allegedly being created by cats.

Rubbish original statistic IMO. No empirical evidence, just a figure conjured up in the research labs of Analville, TN.

Anyway, think of the relief the worms are getting with 200,000 dead birds a day in UK. No-one thinks of the worms do they, just because they're not feathered and can't sing sweet songs. Biased OP, it's anti-cats, ignores plight of worms.

[paphio]

KidKruger Wrote:

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> 200,000 birds a day killed by cats in UK.

> 1,400,000 birds a week.

> 42 million birds a month.

> 504 million (half a billion) birds a year.

>

200 000 x 365 = 73 000 000 good with words, not so with figures.

get back to your bank

[KidKruger]

gimme a break, it's early in the morning for bird calcs.

Point is: 200,000 birds a day 'killed by cats' is BS !!

[*Bob*]

Well, let's have a think.

Our cat does half a dozen birds or so a year.. (that we know of, though she's usually most keen to share)

Assuming 7 million cats in the uk, assuming some will be stone killers and some namby-pamby wuss-cats; assuming they hit their bird-killing, beak-twisting stride when they're still youngish and then lose their touch..

I'm gonna have a stab and say more like 50,000 birds. 50k Dead birds.

[DJKillaQueen]

I've lived with cats for every day of my many years on this planet....not one has ever brought home a bird....lot's of mice and rats yes...but never a bird. And KK is right to ask how was this figure of 200,000 was arrived at.

Sounds like you have a 'real' moggie there *bob* :)

[*Bob*]

Whilst unscientifically researching cat-facts just then, it was interesting to see some of the popular questions asked about cats on the internet..

[katie1997]

my cats killer instinct >your cats killer instinct