Your Cat is a Predator and Thusly a Threat to Wildlife, Not a "Civilized" Softie

Is your cat an outdoorsy type? Do you let it run around unsupervised for any length of time? Generally speaking, do you find teeny corpses around your property? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you should watch this documentary. If an hour is too long of a commitment, let me break it down for you here.

• You need to spay and neuter your cats. A female can produce as many as 60 kittens a year. They reproduce exponentially. The population needs to be held in-check. Spaying and neutering cats can help to decrease the transmission of FIV and Feline Leukemia as well, which means more healthy kitties (regardless of whether they're feral or not). 

• Cats are, in many habitats, an invasive species and have been threatening the diversity of ecosystems since colonialism began, like, "hey this isn't our land but we're just gonna do what we want and then leave, or stay, ya know, whatever the fuck we decide on. ps here are our hoofed mammals and cats, who will also fuck your shit up for centuries." Researchers have found (see video above) that how fed a domestic or feral cat does not affect how often it hunts. Shocking, right? Cats are assholes. Moving on. 

• In Australia, many of the creatures Aborigines needed have disappeared or become so low in number that they aren't sustainable as a food source. Years ago, they began eating cats as "bush meat." Now, if you're outraged by this, you're incredibly daft. Europeans introduced non-native animals. Those animals consumed Australian resources rapidly. It is only natural they think to consume them to re-balance the equation.

• Over-population is happening everywhere, not just in Australia. Take, for example, Aoshima. The cats there are dominating the island and the only thing humans can do is damage-control at this point. In the United States singularly, there are 70 million feral cats (some articles estimate it at 50 million now, but I digress). 

• One of the major reasons the population has begun to swell in many countries again has to do with owners adopting domestic cats, not having them spayed or neutered, and then, as if this is logical or ethical, releasing them into the wild if they a) can no longer care for them b) can not maintain care for litters they produce. Once that happens, they often become too antisocial to re-socialize. Meaning, wildlife veterinarians keep doing what they can for the birds and bunnies and others cats attack (though the death rate is high and unnecessary), and nonprofit organizations strive for catch-and release spaying/neutering and vaccination operations, unless they find they can rehabilitate the cats and adopt them out. This is such a huge drain on everyone trying to help by essentially cleaning up a wholly preventable mess shitty people have created and continue to perpetuate.  

• Because feral cats are such an imposing force on local wildlife, you need to keep your cats indoors to minimize the devastation. If your cats really, really need to go outside, leash train your cats. If they don't comply, consider building a contained outdoor jungle gym or system of tunnels, so they can roam outside and be surrounded by plants and enjoy chirpy-chirps without having a negative impact. If this is too expensive, invest in a pet stroller (I'd recommend using two small hitch pins instead of one to secure each wheel; Home Depot has them and sizes for comparison) and a harness and lead. Many cats are just as comfortable being wheeled around with an occasional walk allowed as they are roaming alone. Would they greatly prefer the latter option? Likely. But toddlers would much rather always stay up late and never get shots. That doesn't mean we let them determine what is acceptable or responsible behavior. 

Taken from http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/16/science/la-sci-sn-feral-cats-neuter-20130816. 

Be the good cat-person you want to see in the world. Or else, you will be judged and harshly reprimanded. There may not be such a place as hell, but maybe, just mayyyybe, you should do your damnedest to keep it away from earth. 

Cats, the World, and All Who Share Their Sacred Space: The Power of Purr-fur

On Cat Fancy's Facebook page today, they made a post that garnered interesting tips: "For cat lovers, cleaning up cat hair is second nature. But where is the strangest place you've ever found those little tufts of hair? And what do you do with cat hair - toss it or use it creatively?" 

Most online users had quaint responses, but some mentioned that if they have long-hairs, they collect the fur and leave it outside in bird feeders, so it can be utilized as a lining for birds' nests. Some commenting also mentioned reappropriating bowls (if they couldn't afford or build something like a bird feeder) and hanging them from (or leaving them on) windowsills, porches, and branches so that it can be plucked and taken away on a needs-basis. 

Some also knit with cat fur, or spin it into felt. A book called "Knitting with Cat Hair" by Kaori Tsutaya has become immensely popular. There are a variety of applications we've clearly not tapped into as a culture at large. But it got me thinking: what else do we not know? 



According to the internet mag Catster, cat hair (along with that of humans and dogs) can be used to clean up oil spills and to formulate allergy injections for cats (which laboratories pay for, and sellers occasionally put funds toward charitable organizations). 

Personally, I'm going to try collecting my cat's fluff and sending it back to those he seeks to maim. That seems fair and karmic. Sidenote, life goal: make pajamas made strictly from shed feline fuzz. Accept that it will take a plebeian such as myself to learn how. Frame in glass case after finishing because it's just that much a labor-of-love.