Researchers track the secret lives of feral and free-roaming house cats

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS ^ | May 26, 2011 | Diana Yates

[Slings and Arrows]

[Califreak]

LOL!

Love that thievin’ meezer!

[rockvillem]

I bet a lot of us could have told them this part for free: The pet cats managed . . . despite being asleep or in low activity 97 percent of the time. On average, they spent only 3 percent of their time engaged in highly active pursuits, such as running or stalking prey, the researchers reported.

[Manly Warrior]

“Unlike other feline predators, such as bobcats, that are native to the Midwest, domestic cats are invasive species that have a disproportionately damaging effect on wildlife – either through predation or disease, Horn said.

Wild animals that have adapted to ecosystems that are already fragmented, such as the prairies of Central Illinois, are even more endangered because domestic cats are disrupting the ecosystem by hunting, competing with native predators or spreading disease, he said.”

I have known this for decades, and is the primary reason why I exterminate all (house) cats I find on my property with extreme predjudice. They do not belong and are pests.

If you have a kitty cat, keep them indorrs or under control if outdoors-they raid bird nests and rabbit dens and screw with what is otherwise supposed to be going on, competing with other predators that do belong (while being supported by their owners,kinda like liberals, huh?).

Yes, every one of them was endangering my livestock....

Dogs are not much different, but they usually harass critters to death rather than actually catching them...

[knarf]

Piece o'cake ..

they f*** and kill and eat and sleep.

[Lazlo in PA]

The pet cats managed this despite being asleep or in low activity 97 percent of the time. On average, they spent only 3 percent of their time engaged in highly active pursuits, such as running or stalking prey, the researchers reported. The un-owned cats were highly active 14 percent of the time.

I said it before and I'll say it again. My cats are like having a bunch of Hobos living with you. Lazy is their first priority.

[TheOldLady]

I love that video. Still giggling at it after all this time.

[Starrling]

Did the doctor say anything about rabies? Rabies was my first thought when I read your post.

[miele man]

What is in the cat’s mouth? A brassiere?

[patriot08]

Dahmer? Is that you?

[RichInOC]

Chasing pussy…you’re doing it wrong.

[TheOldLady]

What is going to be done with this information? Did they spend our money out of mere curiosity? Is this some sort of anti-cat, propaganda-generating project?

My kittehs stay in, and all four are healthy and happy. My Rocket has CRF, but he’s stable and doing well for a 16-1/2 year old cat.

[mbynack]

Feral Cat?

No. We're fostering it. My wife took it to the vet for shots and it got scared and bit her. It's had its rabies shots.

The doctor said that it's the second worst type of mammal bite to get; a human is the worst.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

There was a US military base in Germany overrun with feral cats, and a new post commander decided the way to handle it was to issue .22 caliber rifles to the privates assigned to temporary duty as post security.

After a little under 1 month, the program was cancelled due to the high cost of replacement broken windows. Fortunately there were no other than minor human injuries, mostly from policing up broken glass.

There were no cat injuries, either.

[etabeta]

I had that happen to me. Very painful. Fortunately the cat had had its rabies shot. The danger with these bites, as explained by my doctor, is sepsis which can be very serious.

[JoeFromSidney]

What is going to be done with this information? Did they spend our money out of mere curiosity?

There's an old joke from the former Soviet Union. A listener writes in to Radio Armenia and asks, "What is scientific Research." Radio Armenia replies, "As near as we can tell, scientific research consists of satisfying private curiosity at public expense."

[TheOldLady]

Thanks a lot, Joe. That was comforting. ;-p

[Fawn]

LOL...Love that cat. The ferals at my house go up on the roof I found out. Came home late one day to see two of the pure white ones watching me pull in from the rooftop...

[JoeProBono]

Yup. The cat has night vision

[Fawn]

You nickname hardly fits you...