Andy Onchan Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 1 hour ago, Non-Believer said: True...but the imposition of a little bit of responsibility may have further reaches? People may be less inclined to let them breed so freely if they know that they've got to have them chipped and take responsibility for them. Mann Cat Sanctuary had an article a couple of weeks back that reckoned that a single cat can ultimately be responsible for 20,000 offspring after generations are taken into account . The article I screenshot claims 10.8M cats in UK, more than one for every ten people. If you take that ratio across to the Island then there might be 10,000 cats here? How many are chipped or have any owners? And we wonder why the urban bird population is dwindling! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbie Bobster Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quilp Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Old Jezza has a look of Reinhard Heydrich about him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 If you get a cat from the MSPCA it is chipped and neutered. If you get a cat from elsewhere, then the sensible thing is to do the same. A microchip only really helps if the cat is lost then found and scanned, it says nothing about whether it is neutered. I don't think strays are a huge problem here, been going to the MSPCA regularly over the past couple of months with a friend to find her a cat. If there are 10 for rehoming at any one time, that's about it. Some countries have huge populations of strays. Try Cyprus for example, there are loads of cats, all living on the streets, fed by locals but given no further regard than we would give to feeding birds in the garden. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amadeus Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 42 minutes ago, Gladys said: If you get a cat from the MSPCA it is chipped and neutered. If you get a cat from elsewhere, then the sensible thing is to do the same. A microchip only really helps if the cat is lost then found and scanned, it says nothing about whether it is neutered. I don't think strays are a huge problem here, been going to the MSPCA regularly over the past couple of months with a friend to find her a cat. If there are 10 for rehoming at any one time, that's about it. Some countries have huge populations of strays. Try Cyprus for example, there are loads of cats, all living on the streets, fed by locals but given no further regard than we would give to feeding birds in the garden. Greece is the same. Two of ours are from Athens and there are thousands of stray cats in the city. People generally take good care of them and even put out food every day for particular groups. I’m sure the people at the office would have looked after Mystery if we hadn’t taken her in but I saw this little monster and my heart melted Manila is very different. I know that the two we have from there would have died if I hadn’t picked them up. People have other problems than feeding cats or bringing them to the vet. We actually still have two more that stay in Manila. Marla here is employed as part time MF admin when I’m busy. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amadeus Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 3 hours ago, Roger Mexico said:If Moggie Amadeus isn't hanging around with people with the latest iPhone, she's dead to him. Cat's got to show class. Well she’s not just a cat.... 3 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Non-Believer Posted December 4, 2021 Author Share Posted December 4, 2021 3 hours ago, Andy Onchan said: And we wonder why the urban bird population is dwindling! I'm not an avid "twitcher" by any means but it's worth taking a look at RSPB predation estimates for UK of 1 - 2 small animals and birds per cat, per week. They actually estimate the cat population lower than UKG's figure, at 8.5M. Even on that lower figure, it's between 8.5M and 17M per week. Over a year the figure is ..... 😲 Apply that to IoM numbers and we might understand why our small wild bird numbers are falling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 3 minutes ago, Non-Believer said: understand why our small wild bird numbers are falling? The issue is farming practices. I doubt that cat population has increased over the past few centuries. Likely more pet cats and fewer feral cats. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Non-Believer Posted December 4, 2021 Author Share Posted December 4, 2021 17 minutes ago, pongo said: The issue is farming practices. I doubt that cat population has increased over the past few centuries. Likely more pet cats and fewer feral cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the stinking enigma Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 This is why you'll find most psycopaths are cat lovers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Well, I must be a psychopath but I am also an animal lover. I have two dogs and three cats, I feed the birds in my garden (in the bushes and trees out of reach of the cats), encourage frogs and provide safe spaces for hedgehogs, the most frequent visitor is known as Russell. It's very simple, everything has a right to exist without cruelty or harm, particularly from humans who always have the upper hand and within their gift to help or harm. But I also acknowledge that the natural world is not a Disney plot line. So my basic premise is that live and let live. I even have ringies visiting the bird feeders, much to the horror of friends, but as long as they are outside why worry? And they are quite interesting to watch. I won't mention a penchant for encouraging a seagull invasion every now and then. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finlo Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 1 minute ago, Gladys said: Well, I must be a psychopath but I am also an animal lover. I have two dogs and three cats, I feed the birds in my garden (in the bushes and trees out of reach of the cats), encourage frogs and provide safe spaces for hedgehogs, the most frequent visitor is known as Russell. It's very simple, everything has a right to exist without cruelty or harm, particularly from humans who always have the upper hand and within their gift to help or harm. But I also acknowledge that the natural world is not a Disney plot line. So my basic premise is that live and let live. I even have ringies visiting the bird feeders, much to the horror of friends, but as long as they are outside why worry? And they are quite interesting to watch. I won't mention a penchant for encouraging a seagull invasion every now and then. The ringies are brilliant so intelligent in their quest for getting to food. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 1 minute ago, finlo said: The ringies are brilliant so intelligent in their quest for getting to food. Yes, very agile and acrobatic, it's quite a prvilege to watch. As long as they are outside, why worry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc.fixit Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 7 minutes ago, finlo said: The ringies are brilliant so intelligent in their quest for getting to food. Not when they are digging up the stuff in mu poly tunnel. Never mind, if the mog doesn't get them the ringie traps will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finlo Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 10 minutes ago, doc.fixit said: Not when they are digging up the stuff in mu poly tunnel. Never mind, if the mog doesn't get them the ringie traps will. My sympathies doc but they are still very intelligent creatures smarter than most footballers that's for sure! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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