BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - A thousand dollars for food per month? WOW!!

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On Tue, 10 May 2011 16:28:55 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 10 May 2011 12:01:35 -0700, wrote:

On Tue, 10 May 2011 14:25:55 -0400, wrote:

Mine is a mouser for sure... also gets the occasional snake, yuk, and
more than it's share of birds (bummer, but what can you do).

Keep the cat in the house. I have no problem with people enjoying
their pets but when they become exotic predators they become a
concern. The only small animals that can compete with cats are rats
and mice. They can kill everything else but these rodents can
reproduce faster than a cat can eat them. You end up with nothing but
rats and mice in the ecosystem. That is why the DEP kills cats in the
parks around here. They don't talk about it much tho. The also do not
talk about the wild hogs they kill.

It's a mostly outdoor cat. I'm really not concerned about whatever
birds it can hunt down. I wouldn't call a cat an "exotic" predator.
Cats have been around a long time. I'm nowhere near a state park.

They are certainly "exotics" to anyone who studies wildlife. The
animals on this continent did not evolve to deal with them. They were
introduced by Europeans.
They really do not have any natural enemies here although a gator will
take one if he sees one and a bobcat will run one off it is in his
territory but that will probably not be a fight to the death.
For most cat owners, your biggest fear is probably another exotic, the
pit bull. (or some other big hunting dog)
Auggie Doggie used to chase cats away bit he never really attacked
one. I remember one day we had a cat in the yard and Auggie started
after him. The cat turned and put up his best threat display. Auggie
ran right over him and they ended up in a pile. They rolled around in
the dust for a few seconds until they both got their composure back.
The cat took off and Auggie chased him until they got off the
property, then Auggie came back, pretty happy with himself.

Birds don't have natural predators??? My cat has no problem with most
dogs. They usually back off, get damaged, or she climbs a tree. The
last thing a dog really wants to do is get a face full of claws... all
four pads.