Do you think that your “whiskered-striped pet” is a pet? In The Cat That Walks on Its Own, writer Rudyard Kipling reminded us that these graceful creatures always remain wild, no matter how we tame them. But is it really necessary to let them hunt if they always feed at home? And who do we need to protect – cats or birds?
Your fluffy “baby” in the country suddenly turned out to be a fierce predator? A small and fragile “sofa” cat with the dexterity of a panther hunts for mice and birds and proudly brings them to your pillow?
Do not be afraid and show disgust: by sharing the prey, the pet showed that it respects you. It is not necessary to eat it, but the hunter definitely expects praise from you. However, whether to encourage such a “delivery” of rodents to a clean bed is up to you. And, as environmentalists from the University of Exeter found out1, in relation to the “predatory” nature of their seals, their owners are divided into 5 groups.
- “Responsible cat owners” are worried that their pets are damaging the environment and the ecosystem, destroying birds and rodents, because the issue of food is decided by the owners. So the murders are pointless.
- “Concerned Advocates” primarily think about the safety of the cats themselves.
- “Tolerant guardians” are not enthusiastic about the fact that a pet shows the habits of a wild animal and goes hunting, but in general they accept it as a fact.
- “Non-interference preachers” believe that this is not their concern, the animal just lives in their house. And what it does and who it hunts in its free time is its own business. That’s why she is a cat, to walk by herself.
- “Defenders of freedom” actively oppose all kinds of restrictions and attempts to prevent cats from showing their “wild” nature.
In fact, most domestic cats have lost their hunting skills or motivation because they get food at home without any effort. But there are also real hunters.
The constant ringing of bells, according to zoopsychologists, has an extremely negative effect on sensitive hearing and the nervous system of cats.
It seems that cats still remain true to their nature and still feel the urge to hunt. But disputes between the owners do not subside. Some foaming at the mouth are ready to defend the right of pets to be “wild” at least sometimes, others insist with the same tenacity that cats get the necessary food at home and there is no need to let them kill other living creatures in vain.
In addition, for some, the sight of a dead mole on their own pillow is disgusting – they would prefer to see “our bunny” in the kitty, and not a bloodthirsty predator. Some of them have gone further – they do not interfere with their pets, but put bells on them or bright BirdsBeSafe collars that scare away birds, which means: “Birds, beware.”
Given the illiteracy of birds, it seems that the inscription serves as a consolation for the ecological conscience of the “cat owners” themselves. And if multi-colored collars do not bring harm to cats, then the constant ringing of bells, according to zoopsychologists, negatively affects the sensitive hearing and nervous system of cats.
1 https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fee.2254