3 ms·

'Stone-cold killers': New Zealand to eradicate feral cats by 2050

9 points by defrost 1y ago

andrewstuart 1y ago
I love cats and have two but feral cats have to be wiped out. Outdoor domestic cats too - all cats should be kept indoors.
- holysantamaria 1y ago
  I agree with you. Cats outdoors are a nightmare to local species. This super predator kills everything and is already responsible for the disappearance of so many species of birds lizards and other mice. I do love cats too but they have not their place outdoors, it’s like releasing an atomic bomb on local ecosystems. Their only place outdoors should be where they originated from where food is scarce
  - coolThingsFirst 1y ago
    Super predator lol. They are ultra small fluffs.
    - defrost 1y ago
      You've never actually encountered an actual feral cat living wild after several generations, have you? * https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-11-26/last-feral-cat-on-west-island-due-to-indigenous-ranger-program/10511880 https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-11-26/last-feral-cat-...
- 64718283661 1y ago
  Seems inhumane to lock up animals inside a prison when they are made to interact with nature.
thomassmith65 1y ago
Poor things. Hopefully it won't be long until feral cats can be chemically spayed instead of killed. https://theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/06/spaying-sterilizing-cat-nonsurgical-injection/674300/ https://theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/06/spaying-ster...
- barbacoa 1y ago
  Back when CRISPER was the new hot thing in science people talked about engineering invasive species to have gene drives such that they could only produce male offspring. Eventually there would be no females and the population would disappear. Doesn't look like it ever got of the ground though.
- pabs3 1y ago
  Feral cats are a problem even if they are unable to reproduce, they kill a lot of animals.
  - thomassmith65 1y ago
    True, but a problem with sterile feral cats is a one-off problem. It steadily decreases in severity, and after about 15 years, it ceases.
stuffn 1y ago
See no problem here. Feral cats are a massive problem where I live. They devastate the bird wildlife, spread disease, and attack dogs in backyards. Since they aren’t considered a “pest” legally like rats and mice are we cannot deal with them via any legal avenue except to call animal control. Animal control does next to nothing, and the cats continue to breed out of control and do as much damage as they can. Even my lizards in the backyard that take care of nasty bugs get targeted by these jerks. Eradicating feral cats would do wonders for populations of other non-problematic wildlife. Either keep your cat indoors, or don’t get a cat. Dog owners have to abide by these rules, why shouldn’t cat owners? Have cats chipped, check chips on feral cats before eradication, and fine/jail the owner (just like dogs). There’s an existing legal framework in most US states to work within.

9 points by defrost 1y ago

I love cats and have two but feral cats have to be wiped out. Outdoor domestic cats too - all cats should be kept indoors.

holysantamaria 1y ago
I agree with you. Cats outdoors are a nightmare to local species. This super predator kills everything and is already responsible for the disappearance of so many species of birds lizards and other mice. I do love cats too but they have not their place outdoors, it’s like releasing an atomic bomb on local ecosystems. Their only place outdoors should be where they originated from where food is scarce
- coolThingsFirst 1y ago
  Super predator lol. They are ultra small fluffs.
  - defrost 1y ago
    You've never actually encountered an actual feral cat living wild after several generations, have you? * https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-11-26/last-feral-cat-on-west-island-due-to-indigenous-ranger-program/10511880 https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-11-26/last-feral-cat-...
64718283661 1y ago
Seems inhumane to lock up animals inside a prison when they are made to interact with nature.

thomassmith65 1y ago

Poor things. Hopefully it won't be long until feral cats can be chemically spayed instead of killed. https://theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/06/spaying-sterilizing-cat-nonsurgical-injection/674300/ https://theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/06/spaying-ster...

barbacoa 1y ago
Back when CRISPER was the new hot thing in science people talked about engineering invasive species to have gene drives such that they could only produce male offspring. Eventually there would be no females and the population would disappear. Doesn't look like it ever got of the ground though.
pabs3 1y ago
Feral cats are a problem even if they are unable to reproduce, they kill a lot of animals.
- thomassmith65 1y ago
  True, but a problem with sterile feral cats is a one-off problem. It steadily decreases in severity, and after about 15 years, it ceases.

stuffn 1y ago

See no problem here. Feral cats are a massive problem where I live. They devastate the bird wildlife, spread disease, and attack dogs in backyards. Since they aren’t considered a “pest” legally like rats and mice are we cannot deal with them via any legal avenue except to call animal control. Animal control does next to nothing, and the cats continue to breed out of control and do as much damage as they can. Even my lizards in the backyard that take care of nasty bugs get targeted by these jerks. Eradicating feral cats would do wonders for populations of other non-problematic wildlife. Either keep your cat indoors, or don’t get a cat. Dog owners have to abide by these rules, why shouldn’t cat owners? Have cats chipped, check chips on feral cats before eradication, and fine/jail the owner (just like dogs). There’s an existing legal framework in most US states to work within.