Tigers and housecats share about 95 percent of their DNA. So the tiny cat curled on your couch remains a fierce predator. Another new study proves the point. It claims that roaming housecats kill billions of creatures a year. Housecat rampage is real and apparently obligate.
Housecats, after all are impressive predtors. Tehey have keen senses and are very strong for their compact size. Your tabby Can jump, climb and swim (although many don’t). They are also fast, agile and skilled at ambush. They are near-perfect predators.
According to the Daily Mail the numbers cats kill are staggering, allegedly up to 12 billion creatures a year. But don’t spill your coffee as there are some qualifiers.
First, 12 billion is the very high end of the estimate. Lower figures are about one quarter of that figure.
Second, of all the feline species Felis cattus has the widest prey base. They eat many kinds of insects, fish, birds, rats, mice, voles, shrews, snakes and other small creatures. Some say they have witnessed small cats exhibiting stalking behavior on animals as large as deer. Good luck, Sylvester. Cat owners know the familiar chatter. Cats behind a window seeing something tasty outside chatter in what might be frustration. Many of the small creatures eaten, including many birds, are less desirable to humans. Do we really want more rats? Are we missing much if we are short a billion or so shrews, voles, mice and sparrows?
Third, the solution is easy. Maintain your pets indoors. Indoor cats live much longer and happier lives. Statistics suggest a roaming cat probably lives an average of two years. A well cared for domestic indoor cat may live ten times that long.
International Cat Day.
Of course cats are hugely popular with many people, otherwise there would be no International Cat Day.
Nevertheless, house cats are an invasive species in much of the world. They return to a wild or semi-wild state quite easily and do cause problems with native wildlife. Australia has a huge problem with invasive feral domestic cats. The continent is home to many small and essentially helpless species. About 5 million feral cats could drive them to extinction. Australia has declared war on feral cats.
Polish scientists are also concerned about the slaughter of birds by feral cats.
No one is calling for an end to the cat/human bond. It is a beneficial one. But cats do better indoors and cause far less damage. The housecat rampage can be controlled.