The Cat Blog on TheCatSite.com

Much has been written about the effect of felines as predators, specifically of birds. For some reason, when cats hunt rodents, it seems acceptable to most people, but not when it comes to our feathered friends.

With more cats being kept indoors-only, there is less issue for concern in most urban areas. However, on some secluded habitats, such as Macquarie island in Australia, feral cats (introduced by human visitors) were deemed to be a real threat to local birds.

Here’s an interesting twist though. The mighty “ferocious” predators were removed from the island, but the birds are not doing any better. Apparently, the local “feral” rabbits are causing more damage now by feeding on local vegetation which the birds need for cover. With no cats around, the rabbits are getting out of control…

Interesting, how the felines were blamed for all the trouble, but the cute bunnies were ignored the whole time. As one of our forum members put it: “it’s easier for people to hate cats than it is rabbits.”

More on this topic, and a chance to let your voice be heard on the matter in this thread. Or add comments here – they are welcome.

One of the hottest topics of board discussions on our cat forums is the issue of keeping cats indoors-only. Personally, I am on the view that it is up to us as owners to evaluate the risks where we live and make a decision based on that. I do agree that for the majority of cats, certainly those living in cities, this would mean indoors-only. However, I am not sure how I feel about the recent decision in a the town of Nillumbik, Australia, to impost a 24 hours curfew on cats. That means that cats will be indoors-only by law.

I couldn’t see any mention of feral cats – which makes me wonder if they have any, and if not, what happened to them. The story also doesn’t say what will happen to cats caught outdoors… Like the spokesperson of the Cat Protection Society there, I would be worried about the conditions in which cats will be kept indoors-only.

Yes, cats can live extremely happy and fulfilled lives indoors-only, but it does take some investment on the part of their humans, in creating an environment that offers them enough stimulation, and if possible, a cat enclosure as well. In a sense, I would expect a municipality that restricts cats indoors by law, to provide some feline “social services”, whereas trained workers will make house calls and inspections to make sure that the cats’ welfare and quality of life is satisfactory.