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Old July 14th 03, 08:00 PM
Magic Mood Jeep©
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I thought 'cats' (meaning the smaller type normally kept as pets, not the
larger ones found in the wild, like Pumas, Lynxes and such) were an
*introduced* species here in North America. From what I understand, those
'cats' are descendants of a small breed of wildcats found only in northern
Africa, and the stray 'cats' found in abundance in virtually all cities in
North America were introduced when people brought a pet over, it bred with
another one that was brought over, and somehow or another somewhere along
the line escaped or were turned loose. In a lot of areas *introduced*
species of animals can create a problem for the native species, either by
hunting/killing them directly, or by competition for food (as is the case
for a breed of Japanese fish that has turned up in some of the Great Lakes:
they are voracious eaters and happen to eat the same food as a lot of the
local species do).

While I don't necessarily *like* the idea of killing cats (or dogs, for that
matter), and in some areas a type of management program does work, in some
areas it has gotten too out of control, and some of the feral/stray 'cats'
will need to be eliminated in order to bring their numbers down to a more
manageable count. Ever see videos of the mouse plague that hit areas of
Australia? Not a pleasant thought.

And the thought of having an open season for the hunting of cats? What
happens when little Billy or Jenny's beloved Fluffy escapes her home and/or
collar?? Not something I'd like to see happen. Are they going to equip all
hunters with the microchip readers to check every 'stray' that doesn't have
a collar before shooting it?

I can see that the legislators haven't thought this through completely.
Sad. I always wanted to visit my sister in Tampa, and Disney World, but now
I think I'll not spend any money in the state of Florida.
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"Clifton T. Sharp Jr." wrote in message
...
wrote:
So, I've got a question here. Why is it so important to save the cute
little kitties but ignore the issues of the strain they put on the
wildlife population (which may not have the advantage of being cute)?


It's EXTREME hypocrisy for so-called environmentalists to preserve only
the parts of nature they feel like preserving. Cats aren't manufactured,
they are animals that normally appear in nature. If they're preserving
wildlife, the cats belong there as much as any other animals.

If the stated purpose is to let nature take its course, then leave the
cats alone. If not, then pave the damn area and put up mini-malls.

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