Why I hate cats

Better start my book: Cats are from Vulcan - Dogs are from the Klingon Homeworld.

 

Nate,
I can see you don't care for pigeons... Well, I don't care for rats. Yea, yea, I know a lot of people feel pigeons are rats with wings. When I graduated from collage and applied to the post graduate program in psychology, I had a choice as to how to earn my masters within the quantitative program. (the use of statistics to quantify behavior) Everyone worked with human subjects. That was not my first choice so I inquired about using animals to use for my project.. I had 2 choices at SFSU, rats or pigeons. I didn't care for rats so, I chose pigeons. After working with them for 2 years I have a newfound respect for pigeons. I know it's weird. Fast forward 10 years.

Now, with 2 teenage girls and 6 rats I never thought I'd say it but rats are pretty OK too. A little stinky but really very sociable. Rather like my beloved pigeons that helped me earn my masters. Fast forward another 15 years. Now at Cal and going strong but with all my work with animals since those early days at SFSU I still can't handle cats. No matter how much I tried I just can't find them a house pet, domestic or otherwise. I have softened my views on rats, birds, turkeys, chickens, and even ground squirrels and rats. I have worked with new and old world monkeys, sloths, and even spotted hyenas. They all grew on me with time. In most cases I grew to love them for their purity and how they were so very good within their niche. All that said, and I have tried for my wifes sake, to like cats. I really have, but I can't! No matter how much I dislike cats I would never shoot them. I would urge you to find another solution to your dislike of pigeons. Try messengering or have a coup of them. I think you will find they are remarkable animals, sociable and very sweet. Please don't shoot them.

We all here at PC have made our choice to conserve our habitat for our future generations by buying a Prius. We all ARE doing what we can to do the right thing without being forced to do it. That habitat includes pigeons whatever you may think of them.
-Paul R. Haller- (flame suit on)

 

Well on that note I think its time for some fun! B)

Poisoning Pigeons

 

I think it's safe to say, based on all the responses here, that it's not actually the cat or dog itself that everyone seems to hate, but the totally ridiculous owners who do/allow stupid stuff to happen.
(Feral cats, possibly, the acception to be lumped in with rats and pigeons.)

Everyone talking about how irresponsible their neighbors are with pets reminds me of how I feel about how folks are with their kids. It's the same behavior, isn't it? To own a pet is to have a huge responsibility of training, housing, grooming, discipline, and reward (and of course, love). Take out any of those things, and you've got either cruelty OR a social problem.

Same with kids, ain't it?

And, btw, I have two dogs, two cats, used to have another dog; have owned a rat, hamster, fish, and a turtle. I love my dogs and my cats equally--they're just different.

I am a little disturbed about all the espousing of cruelty to animals that people have mentioned in here. Cayenne pepper in the grass and sprinkers are a great way to keep the cats out. And, like dogs, cats can be trained not to go places. But pellet guns? Pepper spray? Intentionally hitting with a car? You know, of course, that the first sign of a sociopath is cruelty to animals.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(livelychick @ Jan 12 2007, 08:27 AM) [snapback]374622[/snapback]</div>

If you frequent petstores on the weekends, the reason so many rescues are there is too many people let their pets roam unneutered. Also too many breed their pets to make a quick buck, posing them as a "purebred". Neuter all the cats and dogs and cities don't have to spend near as much on Animal Control, neighbors don't report nuicances, less concerns of rabies (although the main carrier is bats and rodents - not pets) Yes - irresponsible pet owners are the root problem - particluarly those that let theirs roam and breed.

Just skimming a couple of articles at http://www.bigcat.org/education/ would be good just to realize feral cats, and wild animals do not respond like civilized humans. They react according to how large you are, your posture(varies by species) , the pitch of your voice (lower is more threatening), "the pecking order", etc. I'm serious, even if it's somewhat funny - many drivers act like wild animals (one-upsmanship, size and status of vehicle, posturing, aggression...)


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(livelychick @ Jan 12 2007, 08:27 AM) [snapback]374622[/snapback]</div>

I'm also disappointed with the suggestions of animal cruelity made by a few. So many here raise concerns about an aggressive US foreign policy, death penality, saving the planet....animals are part of the planet. It's worth noting that one red flag of people who eventual murder is animal cruelity.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Delta Flyer @ Jan 11 2007, 07:43 PM) [snapback]374533[/snapback]</div>

I thought It would be Dogs are from Pluto.

 

I see cat poop on my lawn as a big nuisance, my dogs see it as great a great appetizer.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jan 12 2007, 12:36 AM) [snapback]374531[/snapback]</div>

certain breeds of dogs were bred to be "small animal aggressive" and meant for running into tight spaces, through brush and have a high prey drive.

I must be a horribe person for letting my dog run off leash in the cul-de-sac. He loves being off leash and is usually good with verbal commands (sit, down, come, and NO) He does however likes cats, to the point where he thinks cats are dogs and fun to play with, but not all cats feel that way about it.




yeah hes a goof. Ralph is just strange like that...

 

Please understand that my loathing of pigeons has nothing to do with the animal itself, and everything to do with the fact that they are a feral, invasive species that displace resources for native birds. Shooting them (pigeons) is the best way to reduce their numbers. Poisons end up in other birds, traps catch the wrong creatures, and spikes in their nesting areas and roosts displaces the native species.

Rest assured, if I found a rat in my house I would kill it. I hold no animosity towards the rat, but he isn't welcome in my kitchen.

To get back near topic, I have absolutely no problem voting for and paying for things like off-leash dog parks in my city (which I do). My neighbors love their dogs, and they really enjoy bringing their dogs there to run, jump, play, bark, and all the things that dogs are meant to do. I contribute money to the humane society, and will stop my car to retrieve a dog that gotten loose in the roadway.

I am politically supportive of people's desires to own pets while being generally annoyed at the way many owners seem to treat them as equal to human beings, you know, like calling them "my babies" and saying things like "Come to mama!" to their dog or cat.

Nate

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Jan 10 2007, 11:22 PM) [snapback]373964[/snapback]</div>

You probably irritate your neighbors in ways which you're not aware; how about doing them the kindness of not killing their pets?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(aaf709 @ Jan 12 2007, 10:17 AM) [snapback]374663[/snapback]</div>

Anybody very familiar with Star Trek can see how cannine the Klingons are. If I had a large dog - I'd name him after an "HONORABLE WARRIOR" - anyone know who?

An original episode > http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_Trouble_with_Tribbles The memorable ending...
"I gave them a very good home, sir."
"WHERE?!?"
"I gave them to the Klingons, sir."
"You gave them to the Klingons?"
"Aye, sir. Before they went into warp, I beamed the whole kit and kaboodle into their engine room... where they'll be no tribble at all."
- Scotty and Kirk, as Scotty explains the cleanup of the Tribbles


Tribbles are for all intents and purposes cats. Vulcans like them - Klingons hate them. In Deep Space Nine, it was learned the Klingons has a "Final Solution" for the Tribbles. Vulcans have a third eylid as cats do.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(livelychick @ Jan 12 2007, 06:27 AM) [snapback]374622[/snapback]</div>

LOL, yup thats me. I most of my waking hours I train for a degree in evolution, ecology, and biodiversity because I'm a sociopath. :lol:

All my joking aside (I don't intentionally hit them and it was my mom who shot them with rubber pellets, not me) I will admit that if so equipped I will "shoot to kill" a feral cat if I am in a wild area. They are an invasive specie and wreak havoc on natural populations. A cat is just another animal. Just because we have decided to domesticate them does not mean that they should have some special higher meaning and be exempt to the rules we use for other invasives (Brown Tree Snake, Cain Toad, Himalayan Balckberry etc).

There is a difference between good ecology and a bleeding heart response. We found that out the hard way with the Sierra Big Horn Sheep vs. the Mountain Lion in the 1980s.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Jan 12 2007, 01:11 PM) [snapback]374752[/snapback]</div>

Unless you're of Native American origin, *you* are an invader, too.

That lawn you've planted? Non-native.
Those pretty plants that produce those really colorful blooms? Non-native.
Look around your yard; most of the stuff there (just about anything you buy from the home and garden big box store) is probably an 'exotic' species...of *non-native* origin.

The gas you burn in your car is of non-native origin, too. Isn't this a problem for you?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Jan 12 2007, 01:40 PM) [snapback]374769[/snapback]</div>

I think "native" Americans were invaders too, no? Unless of course they were the first homosapians in North America.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(F8L @ Jan 12 2007, 12:27 PM) [snapback]374761[/snapback]</div>

Why don't you browse www.feralcat.com and see how The City of San Diego saved a lot of money with their approach to controling the feral cat population? They halfed the population.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ Jan 12 2007, 01:46 PM) [snapback]374772[/snapback]</div>

Okay, so the point is that we're *ALL* invaders.

Which means that our cat-hating friend's wanting to shoot these animals -- based on their being 'invasive' -- is, you'll agree, ill-founded.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Delta Flyer @ Jan 12 2007, 10:46 AM) [snapback]374773[/snapback]</div>

I fail to see how trap, neuter, release is most cost/time effective than simply killing. Sounds to me like some are just more worried about being nice to cats.

This has nothing to do with cat hating. I like cats, in fact, I was just petting my 17yr old cat I found on our street when it was about 4days old.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Jan 12 2007, 10:48 AM) [snapback]374775[/snapback]</div>

Completely invalid argument IMO and wouldn't hold water in any real ecological debate.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(F8L @ Jan 12 2007, 01:07 PM) [snapback]374788[/snapback]</div>

I like to think (and still do) of Prius Chat as a forum of thinking people that not only put thought into the cars they drive, but life in general.

Not only is exterminating feral cats a non-human solution, it's less effective and more costly. All to address neglegent people who allowed the cats to overpopulate to start with. There is plenty of documentation at www.feralcat.com on the effectivness of trap, neuter, release. It's been used over 30 years in Europe and Africa.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Delta Flyer @ Jan 12 2007, 11:14 AM) [snapback]374796[/snapback]</div>

Negligent people are obviously the root but curbing their behavior is far more difficult IMO. I looked at the site but maybe there is something I didn't see. I'll look at it in more detail. Maybe in the mean time you could list some comparisions (cost analysis) between the feralcat.com method and simply shooting one? I would think the time spent trapping then performing surgery, medication and food, the fuel used to transport back and forth between traps, and the loss of wildlife would be much more costly in the end but I'm always up for being wrong.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Jan 11 2007, 02:54 PM) [snapback]374219[/snapback]</div>

Naw ... water fowel are called that for a reason ... they LIKE water.