What the cat dragged in

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Saw this a while back, not sure if its been highlighted on RAUK before, but it makes for sickening reading.

Cats kill 275 million other animals a year

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Domestic cats are lethal hunters, killing at least 275 million other animals a year in Britain, a report showed today.
The apparently cuddly pets prey on a number of declining and endangered species, including water voles and dormice, said the Mammal Society.
The survey, called Look What the Cat Brought in, found that the average household cat caught or killed between 30 and 40 creatures a year.
With an estimated nine million pet cats in this country, the haul amounted to 200 million mammals, 55 million birds and 10 million reptiles and amphibians.
Survey co-ordinator Michael Woods said the effect on species already under threat was a "considerable cause for concern".
The society studied records from 964 cats in about 600 households over a five-month period - during which the pets killed more than 14,000 animals.
It found that mice were the most popular prey, with the sample killing 4,196, against 1,949 voles and 946 shrews.
This meant cats killed more than 80 million mice in Britain.
Cats also hunted down larger mammals, including high numbers of rabbits, weasels, stoats and grey squirrels.
But they were very poor at killing rats, having captured only 162 in the survey - probably because the rodents fight back viciously.
But cats also targeted many bats, which are very slow to reproduce, possibly killing 230,000 a year across the country.
Birds were also heavily preyed on, with a total of 3,383 taken by the cats in the survey.
House sparrows were most popular, followed by blue tits, blackbirds, starlings, thrushes and robins.
Frogs, toads, newts, lizards, grass-snakes and slow-worms were the final, items on the cats' menus.
Two-year-old cats killed the most, the survey showed, although some of the best hunters were grizzled eight and nine-year-olds.
Mammal Society chairman Professor Stephen Harris said cat owners should keep their pets indoors at night to ensure the future of British wildlife.
"This survey has given a clear indication of the threats cats pose to Britain's animal populations," he said.
Mr Woods, who is also the society's vice-chairman, added: "Although it is unlikely that cats alone will cause any species to become endangered in Britain, for those which are already under pressure for other reasons, such as thrushes, harvest mice, grass snakes and slow-worms, cats could tip them over the edge.
"Cats can roam up to 1km (over half a mile) away each night and have a home range of 28 hectares.
"It's particularly bad where you have houses being built on the edge of towns by the countryside, near the habitats of many endangered species."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-19353/Cats-kill-275-million-animals-year.html#ixzz2F1cmczUR 
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Robert V Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Aug 2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1264	Post Options Post Reply Quote Robert V Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: What the cat dragged in Posted: 28 Feb 2013 at 6:54pm
	Saw this a while back, not sure if its been highlighted on RAUK before, but it makes for sickening reading. Cats kill 275 million other animals a year Comments (0) Share Domestic cats are lethal hunters, killing at least 275 million other animals a year in Britain, a report showed today. The apparently cuddly pets prey on a number of declining and endangered species, including water voles and dormice, said the Mammal Society. The survey, called Look What the Cat Brought in, found that the average household cat caught or killed between 30 and 40 creatures a year. With an estimated nine million pet cats in this country, the haul amounted to 200 million mammals, 55 million birds and 10 million reptiles and amphibians. Survey co-ordinator Michael Woods said the effect on species already under threat was a "considerable cause for concern". The society studied records from 964 cats in about 600 households over a five-month period - during which the pets killed more than 14,000 animals. It found that mice were the most popular prey, with the sample killing 4,196, against 1,949 voles and 946 shrews. This meant cats killed more than 80 million mice in Britain. Cats also hunted down larger mammals, including high numbers of rabbits, weasels, stoats and grey squirrels. But they were very poor at killing rats, having captured only 162 in the survey - probably because the rodents fight back viciously. But cats also targeted many bats, which are very slow to reproduce, possibly killing 230,000 a year across the country. Birds were also heavily preyed on, with a total of 3,383 taken by the cats in the survey. House sparrows were most popular, followed by blue tits, blackbirds, starlings, thrushes and robins. Frogs, toads, newts, lizards, grass-snakes and slow-worms were the final, items on the cats' menus. Two-year-old cats killed the most, the survey showed, although some of the best hunters were grizzled eight and nine-year-olds. Mammal Society chairman Professor Stephen Harris said cat owners should keep their pets indoors at night to ensure the future of British wildlife. "This survey has given a clear indication of the threats cats pose to Britain's animal populations," he said. Mr Woods, who is also the society's vice-chairman, added: "Although it is unlikely that cats alone will cause any species to become endangered in Britain, for those which are already under pressure for other reasons, such as thrushes, harvest mice, grass snakes and slow-worms, cats could tip them over the edge. "Cats can roam up to 1km (over half a mile) away each night and have a home range of 28 hectares. "It's particularly bad where you have houses being built on the edge of towns by the countryside, near the habitats of many endangered species." Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-19353/Cats-kill-275-million-animals-year.html#ixzz2F1cmczUR Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter \| DailyMail on Facebook
	RobV

AGILIS Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1689	Post Options Post Reply Quote AGILIS Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 Feb 2013 at 8:09pm
	Mind you most of the percentage of our feline friends are townies and the mice and rats are kept down but sadly the birds also suffer,I originaly got a Posh Siamesse cat years ago because the flat I lived in London was infested with mice and she put the stop to that, I love cats and wild life , the worst detriment to our enviroment is man I think a good culling of humans instead of badgers might make the world a better place to live in. Keith Edited by AGILIS - 28 Feb 2013 at 8:12pm
	LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID

GemmaJF Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359	Post Options Post Reply Quote GemmaJF Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 Feb 2013 at 8:18pm
	I don't think they all townies. When we moved here there were no cats in the village, partly due to the road that runs through the middle of it regularly killing any. Since then new neighbours arrived with three cats. They spend all their time in our wildlife garden using it like a larder. I no longer feed wild birds apart from on snowy frozen days when they simply cannot find food elsewhere, because attracting them to the garden would see them slaughtered. Going out in the garden is a nightmare as it is full of cat excrement. I've even found young dead rabbits which they have killed and left in the garden. The lizards all have their tails off, what is left of them. What is really sad is that on numerous occasions we have asked these neighbours to keep their cats indoors. They refuse saying it is not 'natural'. Well it is certainly not natural for them to kill all the local wildlife either. Edited by GemmaJF - 28 Feb 2013 at 8:19pm

AGILIS Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1689	Post Options Post Reply Quote AGILIS Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 Feb 2013 at 8:25pm
	I also dont put out food for the birds Gemma as I dont want to be responsible for them getting nabbed by our local cats keith. Edited by AGILIS - 05 Mar 2013 at 7:28am
	LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID

Liz Heard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Location: South West Status: Offline Points: 1429	Post Options Post Reply Quote Liz Heard Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 03 Mar 2013 at 9:08pm
	Hi Rob, Gemma and welcome back Keith : youve been quiet of late! Deplorable and depressing as Robs stats (Daily Mail? - Eek!!!) are, i hope we are all clear that YOU CANT BLAME A CAT FOR BEHAVING LIKE A CAT, CAN YOU? as Keith highlighted, these animals were originally brought here for admirable pest control reasons. further, it should be recognised that moggies provide the only viable, sentient company for many disadvantaged or vulnerable people in our society, such as the unemployed, lonely, disabled, elderly and childless couples. obviously its 'us' to blame here and demonising the felines (and, for that matter, also our wildlife-disturbing, befouling canines - additionally a problem) is both illogical and unfair. given that cats are the UKs most popular pet, that the cull of your dreams simply aint gonna happen, and lobbing rocks at garden invaders may well land you in schtook with the RSPCA, instead of bemoaning their presence/impact (most of us know this already), what do members suggest should be DONE about them then? in my view (lets hear yours) i think that maybe more publicity highlighting feline impact on wildlife, the gradual phasing-in of a programme of more far-reaching, stringent licencing for cat and dog ownership/compulsory neutering and control of feral animals and better social services for the disadvantaged might help? its ridiculous that some people own multiple cats or dogs - maybe a limit of 1 per household? ATTITUDES to cat and dog keeping need to change. Ben PS speaking as - in all probability - a ' RAUK rare species' (cat owner/herp lover all my life) i can tell you that - domestically-speaking and from experience - there is quite a bit you can do to reduce cat predation of herps in the garden. EG encouraging a 'rough' garden with mucho brambles, regular feeding, access control and more. the erection (by neighbours) of a solid fence seems to have had a worse effect on amphibian declines in my garden - exacerbated by cat presence. to whit, the chanelling of animals along the obstacle to an unvegatated point under the fence where they are easy prey. DOWN WITH BARRIERS! thankfully, my cat ignores amphibians! if he didnt he would rapidly find himself the main ingredient of a burger. LOL incidentally, ive owned and loved both cats and dogs but when my tabby dies - its no more pets for me! Edited by ben rigsby - 03 Mar 2013 at 9:10pm

GemmaJF Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359	Post Options Post Reply Quote GemmaJF Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 04 Mar 2013 at 11:11am
	No surprise then Ben you are a cat owner. Who wants to see a cull? Under the WCA it is an offence to release an alien species into the wild. How deplorable we would find it if someone were to do so. Yet cats and pheasants are because it is seen as acceptable. They have a very real and tangible and proven impact. I would have been more than happy if my neighbours simply kept them indoors. You see their garden is a plain lawn. No fun for cats. So they come to our wildlife garden instead. It is a kind of gross irresponsibility towards ownership. They don't provide a suitable outdoor environment so as neighbours we have to put up with their pet ownership choice. I use to be a cat owner too, I had three of them when I lived in London. If you think this was terribly irresponsible to own 3, at the time I was a veterinary nurse, so you can imagine it was easy to 'collect' cats that would have otherwise gone the way of most strays. Clearly also I understand the social benefits of pet ownership better than most. They never went outside, they were all neutered male cats and none of them showed any desire to do much other than sit around, eat and get a lot of affection. Now though I would not keep cats, I understand the impacts they have on wildlife. That is really where the answer lies, education. A change from 'ooh look it brought me a dead bird' to understanding by cat owners the impact their pets do actually have on native wildlife in reality. Also the effect on other people who do not choose to keep cats but have to put up with them all the time. I'm sorry the argument that they just do what cats do is not against what I am saying. It is precisely the fact that cats by nature kill for fun and not food that is the problem. PS Ben, we should remember that we are responding to the original post which states the facts. Sentiments about pet ownership and 'grouping' as RAUK members is a little irrelevant to the discussion. If you want to argue that the original article is wrong, go ahead and provide the evidence! Times have also changed, back in the 70's we had dozens of cats living around the house. They were semi-feral really, but we allowed them in the house and fed them. There was also an abundance of wildlife around too. It just is not the same picture as today. With continued pressure of development and intensive farming on 'wild' landscapes the pressure of the domestic cat may well be the last straw for many isolated populations of wildlife. I'm not sure I would want the responsibility of contributing to that final decline and cat owners should at the very least give it some thought rather than live in constant denial. Edited by GemmaJF - 04 Mar 2013 at 11:31am

Noodles Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 05 Dec 2010 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 534	Post Options Post Reply Quote Noodles Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 04 Mar 2013 at 12:16pm
	An LSD around the neck activating a bell during daylight hours would be my Dragons Den suggestion; that way the owner can't complain about the cat tinkling around the house in the evening. That's sh*te am nay investing, but i will give ye £1 for 99% of yer company.

GemmaJF Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359	Post Options Post Reply Quote GemmaJF Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 04 Mar 2013 at 5:27pm
	Well as they often hunt at night as well as during the day and it has been shown that bells don't help species such as common lizards which have poor directional understanding of sound.... ....it just seems a lot easier to keep cats indoors. If that is 'cruel' which I don't believe it is at all, then don't keep them. In fact most outdoor cats are riddled with fleas, often have nasty wounds from fighting with other cats and get run over a lot. It is no more cruel to keep a cat indoors than it is to prevent a dog from being a marauding pack animal... All pretty simple really, as opposed to selfishly owning one, throwing it outside for much of the day where it can kill just about anything that moves. Whether the owner 'thinks' it does or not, the plain truth is that despite being fat old and lazy it still will given half a chance. Or annoy other people with it's constant killing and defecating on their property. If people stop being selfish owners the issue goes away. Edited by GemmaJF - 04 Mar 2013 at 5:28pm

Liz Heard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Location: South West Status: Offline Points: 1429	Post Options Post Reply Quote Liz Heard Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 04 Mar 2013 at 6:07pm
	hi, 90% of what your statements i agree with Gemma. i never disputed Rob either. i only sought to make a few points and explore the subject a little deeper - beyond anger and towards something helpful; i asked the question "what do we think should be done about it?" and was pleased to read your response. i would hope that its all "relevant" and that reading others personal sentiments and experiences beneficial. i certainly find yours helpful and would do so even if i disagreed. please dont get the wrong impression - im a cat owner, not a cat lover! like you, i only got mine second hand as an unwanted pet and have never had any others. growing up, my parents owned a cat on and off tho' Noodles: with 1 little modification, your plan would work. instead of an LSD around the neck, put LSD down the neck. i remember seeing old documentary footage where this was done. a mouse was introduced but instead of pouncing, the poor cat recoiled in utter terror, arching its back, fur on end!!!

GemmaJF Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359	Post Options Post Reply Quote GemmaJF Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 04 Mar 2013 at 7:31pm
	I was just pointing out you shouldn't assume you are RAUK 'rare species' we have done the cat thing before on here more than once, and plenty of RAUK members past and present are or were cat owners. We all have different opinions, but the cat gets special allowances. If you dumped any other pet animal outside all day, you could be prosecuted under the abandonment of animals act. The owners who think it is only 'natural' to let them outside probably never looked into a cardboard box to see a cat cut in half by a car, eye balls prolapsed, with the distraught owner asking 'can you do anything for it'. This happened to me when working at the Blue Cross years ago. Then there are the fleas, ticks, ear hematomas , infected wounds from fighting and inflicted by retaliating prey, gunshot wounds, ear canker, I've seen all this and more on outdoor cats. It really is irresponsible to let cats get in this state, but people do all the time. Most of this is totally preventable by keeping them indoors. One of the neighbours cats was spread down the road just a few weeks ago. Big white tom cat. I was not happy to hear about it, however much it might have annoyed me in the past. It is just as much a cat welfare issue as it is a wildlife and right for other people to live in a cat free environment if they choose debate.