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cats, anyone else love them this much...


David R

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"pussylovers"

:gigl:

I don't know where i stand on that, id like to think that they where euthanized not released to colony's but on the same hand i'm having trouble keeping native birds in my yard when it's full of sparrow's, myna, thrush and black birds. These bird species do far more damage imo to the native population than cats do and removing the "suburban" colony cats may make that worse (undoubtedly). I 100% agree that restricted areas need be put in place as to where a cat's can be kept. I have the feeling as much as my hatred for Gareth effects my clarity that this has become more of a cat haters war rather than environmentalists fight.

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from the DOC website

"The well-known businessman and philanthropist, Gareth Morgan, recently launched a public campaign to reduce the impact of cats on native wildlife. He is advocating for responsible cat ownership and is encouraging people to consider not replacing pet cats when they die.

DOC is not involved in this campaign, but we do support responsible cat ownership and management of stray/feral cat impacts in urban areas and outside of conservation land.

Cats are a threat to native species. If we find cats on conservation land we treat them as pests.

In his campaign Gareth highlights that cats catch and kill more wildlife each year than many cat owners realise. Cats living near bush and wilderness areas can cause extensive damage. This isn’t just a threat to native birds, but also insects and reptiles.

Although controversial, we appreciate the work Mr Morgan is doing to bring environmental issues and the plight of our native species to the attention of New Zealanders.

We also firmly believe that we must be respectful of cat owners and their rights, and remain sensitive to the love people have for their pets."

As with any emotionaly charged argument it pays to take the extreme views with a pinch of salt. Yes Gareth Morgan is a douche, but that doesn't mean that his campaign should be completely ignored. And I'm sorry but I'll take the opinion of DOC experts over people saying "I don't believe cats do that much damage". Yes getting rid of cats completely is extreme and ridiculous, but the current model of cat ownership is equally so. I lived in Wanaka for many years and it was common place for people to come into town (often from overseas) for a year or so, buy a kitten and then abandon it when they left. Just because there are many responsible cat owners out there doesn't mean that everything is fine as it is.

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I was brought up in a similar situation. We lived on the Hydro jobs at Lake Pukaki and Roxborugh Hydro, they lasted 6 years and everyone moved on to the next job---leaving their cats behind. My young sister was only a baby in a cot when my father found her struggling to breath with a deserted cat lying on her face because it was warm. From then on he killed every cat that came on the property by trapping them and cutting their heads off with an axe. This no doubt has flavoured my thinking about cats and it has been made worse by having to deal with the six cats in our location that use our place as a public toilet and the fact that I have valuable pets that stay on our property and are harrassed and could be killed by someone elses wandering cat. Having to deal with pussylovers who keep 20-30 half feral mange and flea ridden inbred cats full of wounds from fighting has not help me to convert to pussylovin either. Please forgive me if I take this matter seriously.

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If there is "a colony of cats" out there it means they have no owner and are wild or feral whether in the rural or urban area. The SPCA should trap and destroy them not get members to feed and encourage them. Donations to the SPCA ---I think not.

Agreed, I'll be seriously reconsidering any donations to the SPCA if that is how they are going to spend it. If they've got that kind of money to burn they should be offering desexed kittens to the public far cheaper than they currently do and euthanising the strays. I'm not exactly sure what desexing and the associated post-op care costs, but I bet its a darn site more than a double dose of anesthetic to "put them to sleep".

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the problem is, are they really thinking about it. or have they just got their backs up in self-righteous indignation, completely self assured that it is there right to own uncontrolled pets, regardless of the effects they have on the people and wildlife around them. don't get me wrong, i think it's great he's got people talking about it, and hopefully it gains a bit of traction and something is done about the situation. i just found the mental image of stray gareth morgans quite funny.

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the average joe bloggs nz citizen does not have any rights to keep any animal they desire, that's why we can't have pet ferrets, or snakes for that matter. no amount of protest could get ferrits back, or a shipment of piranha in for my uncles pond. so really, at the end of the day, what can the average nz pussylover do if they do decide to ban cats? nothing. it will be entirely up to the authorities and qualified/experienced individuals to decide what happens with cats. so, it would be in all cat owners interests to make their own steps towards solving this issue. i feel that irresponsible cat owners have been warned, and like a misbehaving kid, if they don't stop misbehaving then big daddy's gonna take their toys away.

and speaking of "the authorities", i don't think anybody should be calling them crazy or any of the stink names that have been hiffed at them, not just here but in their daily lives as well. because, for a start, going ad-hoc gives you away as a biased "pussylover" and voids your opinion. try and remember that these fellows' only intention is to protect our beautiful but fragile and diminishing native animals. politely asking you to "consider" not replacing your cat, is really not a big deal after all is it.

i personally will be buying a decent quality bell, and de-clawing my little feline psychopathic killer. i have also decided not to replace him when he retires (or gets run over, or decapitated with an axe by alans dad...)

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