New Zealand environmental advocate launches campaign to ban cats as pets

Fox News ^

[SMGFan]

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Gareth Morgan has a simple dream: a New Zealand free of pet cats that threaten native birds. But the environmental advocate has triggered a claws-out backlash with his new anti-feline campaign. Morgan called on his countrymen Tuesday to make their current cat their last in order to save the nation's unique bird species. He set up a website, called Cats To Go, depicting a tiny kitten with red devil's horns. The opening line: "That little ball of fluff you own is a natural born killer."

He doesn't recommended people euthanize their current cats -- "Not necessarily but that is an option" are the site's exact words -- but rather neuter them and not replace them when they die. Morgan, an economist and well-known businessman, also suggests people keep cats indoors and that local governments make registration mandatory.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/22/new-zealand-environmental-advocate-launches-campaign-to-ban-cats-as-pets/#ixzz2IkvYCHM1

[SMGFan]

You will never take my kitty!

[driftdiver]

My county estimates there are between 700 to 800 thousand feral cats just within this county.

My dog thinks there is a serious risk to several endangered species.

[C210N]

suggests ... that local governments make registration mandatory.

Hey, NZ, you know exactly where that's going!

[gleeaikin]

I was staying briefly in a duplex house in the country not far from Atlantic City, NJ a few years ago. The other renters had a cat which they neglected and feed intermittently. Every few days I would find remains of robins, chipmunks, bluejay, mice, and the like. This cat made a real dent in the population of local song birds.

[BenLurkin]

“That little ball of fluff you own is a natural born killer.”

And I love him for it. But he is an indoor kitty.

[Farmer Dean]

Natural born killer,that’s part of their charm.

[Bigg Red]

Cats are just killing machines. I have tried to convince so many people of the folly of letting their cats roam outside, only to be told that it’s the balance of nature.

[naturalman1975]

We tend to think of nature pretty much living in harmony, until evil mankind comes along with bulldozers and pollutants and kills off any species unfortunate enough to be born defenseless and/or delicious. But sometimes, nature commits that kind of genocide all on her own. It just takes a predator badass enough to wipe out every single member of another species.

That predator's name was Tibbles. It was a lighthouse keeper's cat that single-handedly wiped out the Stephens Island Wren.

Stephens Island is the most distant island off the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island and was known to hold a certain number of the wrens, little flightless birds which fed on insects and apparently went down pretty good with a bowl of milk.

It is unknown how these little walking feathered balls even got on the island, since they can't fly and all. But in true slasher flick fashion, the second they decided to camp out on that old isolated piece of land, the lot of them were slaughtered by a local demon beast.

For weeks, Tibbles has been hunting the wrens for sport, until his owner noticed that they looked like no bird he had ever seen. The unique species was then examined, classified... and declared extinct; within the same year. A small corner of Earth's ecosystem was changed forever, due to a lone house cat.

It's an interesting story (this version is taken from cracked.com), although it isn't quite true. There was more than one cat involved.

[Morris70]

Predators of the eastern chipmunk include hawks, foxes, raccoons, weasels, snakes, bobcats, lynx, and domestic cats. On average, eastern chipmunks live three or more years in the wild, but in captivity they may live as long as eight years.

[montanajoe]

As a side note Mr. Morgan is requesting government funding to feed and clothe his 197 poodles...

[VRW Conspirator]

I told my son to never date a woman with 3 or more cats.

I can say that on this thread, can't I?

[muawiyah]

Sorry, read that wrong ~ had it in my mind as ‘launches cats’ ~

[muawiyah]

Sorry, read that wrong ~ had it in my mind as ‘launches cats’ ~

[getarope]

ALVIN!!

[golf lover]

A better idea is to ban Gareth Morgan!

[Dr.Deth]

ban cats as pets