It may come as a shock to most people, but cats are on par with, and in some areas even more dangerous than, humans in terms of environmental destruction. Cats are, but definition, an invasive species everywhere they are present, with the exception of Egypt ( their original ecosystem ). To give a scope of just how destructive cats are to our ecosystem, here are some facts: In 2013, it was estimated that cats killed between 1.3 - 4 billion birds annually, as well as between 6.3-22.3 billion mammals annually ( With the most conservative of estimates, cats kill more birds each year then every hunter in the world combined ); cats have been confirmed to have killed at least 33 species, and are a primary threat to another 36 endangered species; cats are known to spread disease, notably the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, which has killed not only millions of animals but even has begun to affect humans as well; It's not simply feral cats who are to blame for these rash of killings either, with even pets reported to be killing around 2 animals per week, with feral cats killing even more.
It's not a popular opinion, on account of the affection with which the general population views cats with, but it may prove necessary to actively start regulating the cat population so as to mitigate their effect upon the environment ( particularly feral cats ). TNR, trap-neuter-return, is being used by a number of communities in order to mitigate their feral cat population via sterilization. TNR has hadmixed results, with many researchers expressing doubts as to it's effectiveness on account of needing to sterilize around 75% of the population in order for any program to be effective. Some have suggested mandates to keep felines inside during night time, fines for abandoning cats, the legalization of eating cats, legal protection against suits for cats killed on private property, legalization of drowning kittens, legalization of cat traps, and even active campaigns to exterminate feral cats.
What do y'all think should be done about the biological menace this is the cat?
Personally, I am all for feline death squads. Cats are an incredibly invasive species everywhere they go, and their effect upon the local ecosystem needs to be curved by limiting their numbers and when they can go outdoors. I am all for the proactive measures listed above.
