dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Sam Conway) (12/08/89)
My fellow subscribers, I beg you to listen for just a moment: I have seen all of the comments thrown back and forth about cats...I have seen a veritable war sprout up between cat-lovers and assumed "cat-bashers"...and neither side has stopped to think of what either is really saying. The people who advocate shooting cats: come now! Do we really think that these people are SERIOUS? Or are they simply being tongue-in-cheek? Yes, it may be a terrible thing to say, but harmless nonetheless, and I am certain they did not mean it. An explosion of outraged replies certainly isn't warranted. And it is certainly possible to love both cats and birds at the same time...after all, I do it, and have very little trouble. Allow me now, as a member and volunteer for the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, to quote advice which we have been giving to cat- lovers for years, advice which is designed to protect both "cat- rights" and "bird-rights", and which we have found to be very effective: Cats have a natural tendency to hunt and kill smaller animals. The single most effective means which we have found to protect birds is simply to BELL THE CAT. I've heard so many arguments against this, but please believe me, it does work. The bell serves to warn the bird of the cat's presence and to make it more wary. In general, birds that are caught by belled cats are too slow, or too weak to escape. These birds are probably not hardy enough to survive the dangers of the wild in the first place, so nature simply removes them in a fashion that is as old as the animal kingdom itself. The only time that we ask cat-owners to try to keep their pets indoors is in the springtime, from mid-March to the end of April. This is the nesting season, when baby birds are most vulnerable. Some young birds will fall prey to cats, but keeping the cat inside for this brief period will help to reduce the number of casualties. No doubt that after the posting of this article there will still be a few loud, emotional articles following, but may we please not let them get to us? We are all adults -- let us try to show it by ignoring childish name-calling and by resisting the desire always to get the last word in. We are also all lovers of birds -- let us show it by communicating rationally and enjoying one another's company. Thank you! Sam Conway (a bird-and-cat lover) (Pardon once more if this is again a repost -- if it is, I think that it bears repeating nonetheless.) -- Sam Conway dragon@eleazar.dartmouth.edu Chemistry Dept., Dartmouth College Vermont Raptor Center, VINS Save the Humans!