A true environmentalist is concerned about all species of plants and animals, not just the cute and cuddly ones. The policy of catching feral cats, neutering them, and then releasing them into the wild, is not an environmental position. Released into the wild, feral cats may not reproduce, but they will continue to kill birds and small rodents. The solution: kill feral cats.
People sometimes release unwanted cats on our farm. I guess they assume that since it’s a farm, we will be happy to care for a few more cats, and don’t farms like cats in their sheds to catch mice? No, we don’t. What am I supposed to do--capture them in a “have-a-heart” trap, take them to a vet, pay for spaying or neutering, and then release them into the wild to kill our goldfinches, bluebirds, and downy woodpeckers?
“Animal rights” activists believe all animals are precious. Environmentalists are concerned with saving species, both plant and animal. If wild horses are propagating at an alarming rate and wrecking western ecosystems, an environmentalist would kill the horses. An animal rights person would see each horse as precious, whether or not it was wrecking the habitat of some tiny rodent or rare desert plant.
As you probably guessed, I am an environmentalist, not an animal rights person.
Well said.
ReplyDeleteI battled a cat-infestation for 15 YEARS. During which time their vermin cats destroyed nearly every last native animal on my lands — from smallest of prey up to the top predators (starved-to-death by cats destroying all their foods). ALL of the smaller defenseless animals were gutted-alive or skinned-alive JUST for their piece-of-sh** cats’ play-toys. Or the native animals’ offspring all starved to death when the parents no longer returned to feed them. The problem became so bad that one animal even dragged her last 2 surviving offspring right to my door one day in the afternoon. She was so starved that she couldn't even make milk for her cubs, taking the risk that even coming right to my door was better than starving to death. (She and her offspring survived under my care and went on to help repopulate my lands after all the cats were dead and buried.)
I sadly listened to despicable FOOLS just like those TNR cat-lickers — which only made the problem worse and worse — until there were nothing but their disease-infested cats left on my lands. Luckily I had a wise Sheriff who finally advised that I shoot every last cat and don’t stop until every last one is gone, collared or not. (As is the legal right of every land-owner in the whole USA.) In only 2 seasons I was able to be rid of every last one — HUNDREDS of their cats shot-dead and buried.
My wildlife has been recovering nicely for the last 4 years, better than I could have ever expected or hoped for. I get to hear owls hooting again every night, a sound I had not heard for 15 years because cats had destroyed all their food sources. One so tame it sits on a branch about 10 ft. from my door. It caught a vole I had disturbed one time walking through my yard, the owl landing nearly between my feet to capture the vole. It just looking straight-up at me all proud about its catch. I had to step over that owl to let it continue on in its proud moment. Hawks soar over my trees again. Chipmunks treat me to a chipmunk-chorus most every calm summer evening again, another sound I had not heard for 15 years. (Ever hear that sound? It sounds like a melodic wooden wind-chime coming from every direction in the forest as they call to each other, each clucking with their own unique note of their chorus before bedding-down. It’s an astounding experience to hear it just once in your life but I get to hear it most every calm warm day before sunset, sometimes in calm late mornings too before they take their noon nap.) A family of Gray Fox (one of the most beneficial native animals to grace the land) made a den near my home. I often see them bringing a clownish kit or two along with to patrol my yard for any edibles. Birds I had never seen in my life before now nest here. 2 of the species are warblers listed in the top-10-songbirds of the world. What an amazing sound to awaken to during warm months.
The lifelong rewards for destroying and disposing of every last one of their invasive-species vermin cats on your lands are priceless and immeasurable.
I now feel nothing but pity for anyone who has cats around them. Their lives are dismally bereft and empty and they don’t even realize it.
If you live where its not legal to use firearms then check into 700-1200fps air-rifles and pointed vermin-pellets. Shoot-to-kill is a perfectly legal way to rid your homes and lands of these vermin cats in all 50 states. Shoot-to-maim is animal cruelty, and rightly so, all hunters know this. Don't let them parade another illegal shoot-to-maim case in the media to exploit yet another suffering cat for donations. They torture enough cats to death with their TNR programs for that and make $millions doing so. (For a real eye-opener, check out bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/animal-protection/alley-cat-allies-in-bethesda-md-107/financial ) Or use the Shoot, Shovel, & Shut-Up; or Trap, Drown, Shovel, & Shut-Up methods that are exploding in popularity worldwide. Both are legal on every square foot of this earth. No local ordinances were violated if it never happened.
ReplyDeleteWhere cats have already learned to evade all trapping methods, then inexpensive generic acetaminophen (overseas paracetamol) pain-relievers are a more species-specific vermin poison -- a method condoned by Audubon, Smithsonian, and National Geographic today. Stray cats have been listed as "vermin" in the USA since the early 1900's, this is why it is even legal to use any vermin poisons on them. For a more species-specific vermin poison check into the toxicity of "Lilium" species plants. Be certain the plant contains the word "Lilium" in the scientific-name (other plants with the word "Lily" in the common-name may be toxic to other species besides cats). Common N. American "Day Lilies" also work, they are the one exception to the rule that the name "Lilium" needs to be in the scientific name. Lilium species are 100% fatal to cats ONLY, even a bit of pollen on their fur that they lick-off will do. If they even drink a bit of water in which a bunch of Lilium flowers have been kept -- that too is fatal, but totally harmless to all other species of animals (including dogs). Much safer for the environment and all other animals than the rat-poisons and antifreeze that cat-lickers have forced everyone into using on their cats. When harvested and dried for year-round cat-eradication use they are even better, as the unknown toxin is concentrated during the drying process (the blossoms and pollen being most toxic), and the dried plants are even more palatable to cats. An excellent mulch for anyone's garden or a ground-up additive for any tins of food left lying around.
I don't see anyone dumping cats where I live anymore. They don't even adopt more than can be kept under lock & key 24/7/52. When driving through the area I don't see even one cat on anyone's doorsteps anymore. I always keep an eye-out to see if there are more free-roaming cats that will have to be shot. And if I'll have to leave fish-oil trails on all the roadsides again, leading right to my IR surveillance system and laser-sighted rifle. (You can read some of the most effective methods I invented to rid my lands of hundreds of these vermin in only 2 seasons, posted here: americanhunter.org/blogs/arkansas-will-trap-feral-cats The eradication of these disease-infested invasive species vermin was so complete and effective that cats are non-existent from my area for over 4 years now. Not seen nor heard a single one.)
Leaving ANY of their invasive species cats outside in my area means certain death for their cat, its further existence counted in hours. You'd think everyone else could learn from this simple lesson. The quickest way to solve an unwanted animal and irresponsible pet-owner problem is to quickly and humanely destroy every last one of their unwanted, uncared-for, or unsupervised animals for them. They either grow up fast or, far more plausible, dump their animals elsewhere to become someone else's problem.
IF THERE ARE NOT DIRECT AND IMMEDIATE IRREVERSIBLE CONSEQUENCES TO THEIR CRIMINALLY-NEGLIGENT AND CRIMINALLY-IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIORS AND VALUES THEN THEY LEARN ABSOLUTELY *NOTHING*.