Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Cat lovers fight back in New Zealand
As a cat lover I really could not allow this article in the Guardian to pass without comment. The paper says that a campaign by a New Zealand 'environmentalist' to free the country of cats has met with a backlash.
Gareth Morgan has called on fellow Kiwis to make their current pet cat their last in an attempt to save the country's native birds. He has set up a website, Cats To Go, which includes an image of a kitten with devil's horns under the heading: "That little ball of fluff you own is a natural born killer".
Apparently he is not advocating euthanasia but is not ruling it out either. He says he would rather neuter them and not replace them when they die. He has also suggested that cats remain indoors and local government make registration mandatory.
Fortunately, the campaign is not proving popular in a country that boasts one of the highest cat-ownership rates in the world. A 2011 survey by the New Zealand Companion Animal Council found 48% of households in New Zealand owned at least one cat, a significantly higher proportion than in other developed nations. The poll put the total cat population at 1.4m. In comparision 33% of households in the USA own at least one cat, amounting to 86m domestic cats.
Cats may be killers but steps can be taken to protect birds, such as putting a collar with a bell on it. And there is an argument that says that cats may actually help native birds by reducing the population of rodents, which sometimes feed on bird eggs.
This is not a campaign that Mr. Morgan is going to win. Perhaps he should concentrate on more productive approaches to protecting birds.
Gareth Morgan has called on fellow Kiwis to make their current pet cat their last in an attempt to save the country's native birds. He has set up a website, Cats To Go, which includes an image of a kitten with devil's horns under the heading: "That little ball of fluff you own is a natural born killer".
Apparently he is not advocating euthanasia but is not ruling it out either. He says he would rather neuter them and not replace them when they die. He has also suggested that cats remain indoors and local government make registration mandatory.
Fortunately, the campaign is not proving popular in a country that boasts one of the highest cat-ownership rates in the world. A 2011 survey by the New Zealand Companion Animal Council found 48% of households in New Zealand owned at least one cat, a significantly higher proportion than in other developed nations. The poll put the total cat population at 1.4m. In comparision 33% of households in the USA own at least one cat, amounting to 86m domestic cats.
Cats may be killers but steps can be taken to protect birds, such as putting a collar with a bell on it. And there is an argument that says that cats may actually help native birds by reducing the population of rodents, which sometimes feed on bird eggs.
This is not a campaign that Mr. Morgan is going to win. Perhaps he should concentrate on more productive approaches to protecting birds.
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As usual I visited Peter Black’s blog today. All cat lovers will appreciate his comments. I don’t know where he finds the time.
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