I accept full responsibility for starting this madness, so allow me
the chance to end it...

Has anyone refound Stasz's LITTLE GULL?  What a bird!

Dan Haas

On Thursday, October 29, 2009, hans holbrook <> wrote:
> Seriously! Twenty-two posts on dogs and cats in three days? Has anything been accomplished by it? Maybe its time someone starts a dog and cat forum for birders.
> Hans HolbrookCrofton, Maryland
>
> --- On Thu, 10/29/09, Frode Jacobsen <> wrote:
>
> From: Frode Jacobsen <>
> Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Calvert County cat preserve
> To: 
> Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009, 12:21 PM
>
> June et al.,
> Feral cats simply do not belong in the American wild. Period. Wild cats
> only occur naturally in Europe, Middle East and parts of Africa, and are
> kept in check by other large cats and predators. The well-documented
> damage done by feral cats to native bird populations and other animals
> here in the US, Australia, and oceanic islands cannot be dismissed, and I
> wish more people would distinguish between keeping house cats (which no
> birder I know object to) and the "feral cat problem". The problem arises
> when irresponsible cat owners leave their cats behind when they move, do
> not neuter or spay their house cat before letting them roam the streets,
> dump unwanted kittens in the woods behind their property etc.
>
> People who understands the instinctive nature of cats know that simply
> keeping the feral cats well fed does not prevent them from killing
> wildlife. At my previous residence near Catonsville I found on many
> occasions freshly killed (and hardly eaten) brown snakes and birds right
> next to their still half full food bowls.
>
> I fully support the catch and release program initiated by many cities and
> communities and perhaps us bird (and pet) enthusiasts should get more
> involved and support these preventive measures and help inform the public
> of the problem.
>
> Frode Jacobsen
> Windsor Mill, MD 21244
> ASPCA supporter and proud owner of rescue dogs and cats
>
>
>> [I normally try hard to stay out of the dreaded "cat thread", but this
>> time I'm giving in.]
>>
>> Leslie,
>>
>> You say that no one is willing to take action. Somebody is taking
>> action. The action happens to be on behalf of the feral cats, which are
>> wild creatures, just as birds are. If a person wants to establish a
>> wildlife preserve on private property it's their business. Furthermore,
>> great effort is made to trap and neuter the cats on these preserves, so
>> that the feral cat population is not increased. That is preferable to
>> simply allowing feral cats to wander all over the place and breed
>> indiscriminately.
>>
>> Many birders seem to be in favor of rounding up and killing every feral
>> cat simply because cats prey on birds. Are we to round up and kill all
>> accipiters, snakes, raccoons, etc. because they prey on smaller birds
>> and their eggs?
>>
>> Yes, there are too many feral cats. That's why allowing coyotes to cull
>> the population naturally and using neutering and colonies to reduce the
>> population over time makes sense.
>>
>> June Tveekrem
>> Columbia, MD
>> A card-carrying member of Alley Cat Allies and proud of it.
>> ________________________________________________________
>>
>> Leslie Starr wrote:
>>
>> Feral cats
>> OK, I'll throw the match: There is a county-sanctioned feral cat colony
>> in central Calvert County, on a property otherwise described as a tree
>> farm.
>> [SNIP]
>> This seems to be so politically connected that no one is willing to take
>> action.
>>
>> Leslie Starr
>> Port Republic
>>
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