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AIBU?

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Original poster

If you have a cat you have to stop it scaring and eating birds

508 replies

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 16:10

Get a bell collar or something. Give the wildlife a chance. Can you train cats to leave birds alone?

OP posts:
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notsosweet16 · 10/11/2024 21:07

I mean, cats gonna cat. I have saved most of the birds my cats have brought in, including a pheasant 😱. But sadly not all of them. Luckily the murdering is slowing down a bit now they’re getting older. What I don’t understand is people who have both cats and bird feeders. Luring birds to where cats live is not a very bright idea.

Sortumn · 10/11/2024 21:05

Our cat is no match for our local seagulls.

Errors · 10/11/2024 21:03

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 20:47

What do spiders do?

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Apparently after a quick Google, spiders keep us from famine! If there weren’t enough of them then our crops would get consumed by insects because the spiders weren’t eating them

SpudleyLass · 10/11/2024 21:02

I'm leaving this here.

We need cats far more than a lot of people realise.

SpudleyLass · 10/11/2024 21:01

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 20:47

What? If I had a cat I'd also have the cats food and any animals it killed in my tally so yes it's true

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What's your diet? Do you drive? Pollution caused by producing the clothes you wear, go abroad for holidays?

It's not even close.

K0OLA1D · 10/11/2024 20:59

Wineat5isfine · 10/11/2024 20:54

Cats can be trained quite easily. It’s down to the owners to do this.

i have lots of responsible cat owner friends. And sadly, some neighbour owners who just don’t care.

They kill birds and baby squirrels in our neighbourhood and it’s heartbreaking. they also poo in our garden and dig up our fruit and vegetable patches.

I don’t buy “this is what they do” because I have a large hunting dog - and we don’t give him free roam to hunt. There would be uproar if we did.

I’ve also been approached by 2 neighbours saying I need to keep my dog INSIDE when their cats are out, because both cats stupidly try to gain entry to our house.

I'm sorry, if you have a cat who hunts you cannot train it to not hunt. Ffs

You can stop it sure, by keeping it in, but no, you cannot train a cat to not hunt. If you think you have then you've not had a hunter.

Wineat5isfine · 10/11/2024 20:54

Cats can be trained quite easily. It’s down to the owners to do this.

i have lots of responsible cat owner friends. And sadly, some neighbour owners who just don’t care.

They kill birds and baby squirrels in our neighbourhood and it’s heartbreaking. they also poo in our garden and dig up our fruit and vegetable patches.

I don’t buy “this is what they do” because I have a large hunting dog - and we don’t give him free roam to hunt. There would be uproar if we did.

I’ve also been approached by 2 neighbours saying I need to keep my dog INSIDE when their cats are out, because both cats stupidly try to gain entry to our house.

Original poster
lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 20:47

Errors · 10/11/2024 20:40

Exactly! They keep the soil good for growing food in and stuff

What else do birds eat? Spiders? I think they’re pretty important too

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What do spiders do?

OP posts:
Cuppachuchu · 10/11/2024 20:47

Some of the cats in my neighbourhood are so hard, the dogs are scared. My poor dog gets chased by a ginger thugcat till I have to scoop him up crying.

Original poster
lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 20:47

SpudleyLass · 10/11/2024 20:19

You have to know that isn't true?

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What? If I had a cat I'd also have the cats food and any animals it killed in my tally so yes it's true

OP posts:
Errors · 10/11/2024 20:40

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 19:51

I hadn't thought of that. We don't want a worm shortage

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Exactly! They keep the soil good for growing food in and stuff

What else do birds eat? Spiders? I think they’re pretty important too

Breadcat24 · 10/11/2024 20:39

@lasagnelle I was told Sir Alec Jefferys of the university of Leicester -who was brilliant but apparently a bit of a trial- had his PhD students doing DNA fingerprint analysis of dog shit neighbours left on his property

zaxxon · 10/11/2024 20:34

Argh yes, this makes me so sad. One year we had robins nesting in our garden and I watched the babies grow up and fledge. All got predated within a day or two - I even saw the neighbours' cat slinking off with one in its mouth 😥 they were very sweet

usernother · 10/11/2024 20:27

@mathanxiety Cats are top predators in the UK

I know. They are bloody great at it, aren't they Grin

K0OLA1D · 10/11/2024 20:20

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 20:14

Quite a few but less than if I'd had a cat

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Well I'm ok then as both me and my youngest don't eat meat, so our quota is taken up by my cats.

SpudleyLass · 10/11/2024 20:19

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 20:14

Quite a few but less than if I'd had a cat

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You have to know that isn't true?

EvilNextDoor · 10/11/2024 20:18

Evil cat 1 is currently outside killing all the rats which have made their way into my house (rural living is such fun…)

Evil cat 2 is currently resting from killing 2 rats last night!

Happy to continue with them being outside 🤷‍♀️

minionette · 10/11/2024 20:18

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 20:14

Quite a few but less than if I'd had a cat

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Nah, cats are not the problem.

Original poster
lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 20:14

minionette · 10/11/2024 20:11

Again, have you ever stopped to consider how many animals have died because of you?

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Quite a few but less than if I'd had a cat

OP posts:
minionette · 10/11/2024 20:11

mathanxiety · 10/11/2024 19:38

Cats are top predators in the UK. There is nothing out there stalking and preying on them. And there are millions of them out and about.

The damage to the gazelle/ rabbit/ worm populations is a drop in the ocean compared to the decimation of birds caused by cats.

Just because loss of habitat is a major concern doesn't mean being hunted by cats isn't something we also need to be seriously concerned about. Two threats can coexist.

Loss of habitat affects all wildlife. Cats will survive the destruction of the natural environment just fine.

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Again, have you ever stopped to consider how many animals have died because of you?

Wantitalltogoaway · 10/11/2024 19:57

Namechange9373 · 10/11/2024 17:56

Pretty sure humans are far more detrimental to wildlife to be fair.

Absolutely this.

Meowingtwice · 10/11/2024 19:51

Mine said OK, he's no good at it anyway though he did once eat a live fly.

Original poster
lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 19:51

Errors · 10/11/2024 19:44

I would imagine that if all of a sudden, the entire population of cats stopped killing birds that there would be a knock on, detrimental effect somewhere. Everything is within an eco system.

So, for example, what if the bird population soared (pun intended) and as a result, fuck tons more worms were caught and eaten which fucked up the soil…

I hadn't thought of that. We don't want a worm shortage

OP posts:
Sawlt · 10/11/2024 19:50

Herewegoago · 10/11/2024 18:53

That’s called ‘anecdotal evidence’ and isn’t actual evidence of anything. Maybe look at some official reports and statistics, you’re wrong.

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sorry did I miss your post with the peer reviewed research ??

Errors · 10/11/2024 19:44

I would imagine that if all of a sudden, the entire population of cats stopped killing birds that there would be a knock on, detrimental effect somewhere. Everything is within an eco system.

So, for example, what if the bird population soared (pun intended) and as a result, fuck tons more worms were caught and eaten which fucked up the soil…

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