NR and CATS

[NorthernRaider]

Another aspect of
"I think some are missing the point here, if we get rid of all the cats we will soon be over run by mice and RATS, which would you prefer??"

is this
Domestic cats are NOT native to the UK and even now the damage they cause to native wildlife is alarming, numerous and very well documented by wildlife organisations. IF cats are allowed free reign after TSHTF they ARE going to severely deplete the various species of wildlife that we survivors could eat.

Before I move on can I also point out that today in 2014 with the cat population in the UK estimated to be in the many millions the RAT and MOUSE populations are at all time record highs, so the moggies and not depleting the vermin in useful numbers but they are still decimating mammals, fish and birds WE could be eating.

Prior to the import of cats the numbers of vermin were kept in check by foxes, wolves, wild cats, weasels, stoats, ferrets, polecats, owls, hawks and other raptors. And many canine species were bred by rural folk such as Yorkshire Terriers and Jack Russells etc to kill rats and mice as their job. Where as a moggie MAY kill a rodent if it feels like it or it is hungry a terrier will sit by rat nests in barns and sheds for hours waiting to kill the vermin.

John is correct we screwed up our environment threefold
(1) Importing domestic cats
(2) wiping out most of the higher predators that killed rats and mice
(3) Our appalling public hygiene and waste control which encourages mega populations of rodents.
( there is a landfill near here that used to dump ALL sorts of waste into an old quarry, at night the gound looked alive as thousands of rats foraged for discarded food which sustained a massive population, but after they stopped putting food waste ito the hole and redirected it to anaerobic digestors the rats just about disappeared)

Cats are in the same class as the vermin itself as far as I am concerned after TSHTF, each to their own though if others want to keep em that's definitely their choice.

[bigpaul]

on most landfills I have seen the problem isn't rats as such, its flipping seagulls!! I don't want to KEEP any cats, I prefer dogs anyway, I just wouldn't waste my ammunition trying to wipe them all out, as I said just the ones causing me a problem personally.

[NorthernRaider]

I remember also either reading or hearing about some nature reserve wardens along the Tees in the late 70s who noticed that in one particular area on one side of the river ( it MAY have been old Thornaby but I honestly cannot be sure) these folks noticed suddenly how completely silent the area was at dawn and dusk, it was as if no birds lived there, turned out they were correct, the near by allotments had a small collection of old outhouses and sheds that were no longer used and almost completely overgrown. Feral domestic cats had set up home in the sheds and there was about 30 of them in total, they had wiped out most of the birds from nesting ducks, black birds, goslings, sparrows, finches etc along a sizable chunk of the river bank.

---

Aha you just answered a question for me there BP, I was wondering why the land fills near Hartlepool had big nets over them, I thought it was to stop litter blowing but I bet its to stop black headed gulls.

[bigpaul]

I have never seen landfills with nets over them, just great clouds of gulls, blooming seagull tried to nick my pasty in the middle of Plymouth Bretonside bus station one day! I wasn't having that!

[NorthernRaider]

Filthy bloody flying vermin and CATS cant catch em but stoats, weasels etc grab em at night when they nest, that is of course providing the cats have not killed all the stoats and weasels in the area.

[bigpaul]

what about mink? their bloody vicious things and will take a cat no problem. I don't think cats are a problem here going by the amount of birds we get on our "bird feeding station", I think sometimes the problem could be the overuse of chemicals both domestically and on farms, thankfully I am in a livestock rearing area not a growing one, the only thing that grows around here is grass!!

[NorthernRaider]

Mink are also an import that has ran wild in large numbers just like moggies, they are bigger, greedier and just as vicious as native weasels and stoats and where mink have got out they have decimated areas or ducks, swans, voles, fish when they can, birds, rabbits etc. Imported critters like Moggies and Mink screw up the order of balance and its US who lose out.

[bigpaul]

yes but have you ever seen a mink? I haven't! and I don't know anyone who has, although I have heard a few "fishermens tales", they have disappeared into the countryside and disappeared, a bit like the "wild" boar that were released around here. I believe cats post SHTF will go feral and disappear also, like I said if one or several cause me a problem post SHTF I will "take them out" of the food chain but I'm not going to go looking for them to cull them all, i'll probably have lots of other stuff to do instead.

[BeardyMan]

(28 March 2014, 11:07)bigpaul Wrote: I have never seen landfills with nets over them, just great clouds of gulls, blooming seagull tried to nick my pasty in the middle of Plymouth Bretonside bus station one day! I wasn't having that!

I would happily pay to see Big Paul VS Big Seagull...

Was it Steven Seagull?

[NorthernRaider]

BP I believe some Do gooder eco warrior animal welfare type retards "rescued" thousands of mink in the NEW FOREST a few years ago by breaking into the fur farm where the poor critters were being bred, and they opened all the cages and bust down the fences thus allowing huge numbers of the buggers to run riot. 6000 IIRC and the mink absolutely decimated the local wild life.

Yu heres a linky
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/148420.stm