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Feral cats _Evolution_ by Stephen Baxter
In article ,
"Bill Reich" wrote: Well, cats are already pretty effective predators. Baxter has them all die off because they're "too dependent on humanity". Given how readily cats go feral, I'm skeptical. (And note that they tolerate a wide range of conditions, from jungle to desert to subarctic forest.) Cats also have a wide range of genetic variance: they would probably have a large capacity for speciation if given the chance. And they are naturally _predators_ upon rodents -- if the rodent population swelled, any surviving cats would feast. Sincerely Yours, Jordan Unfortunately for feral cats, the bobcat isn't anywhere CLOSE to extinct and considers his domestic cousin a good meal. In areas where humans live, urban or rural, feral cats thrive because the other predators have been discouraged. Feral dogs kill them but feral dog packs often get the attention of the authorities and get discouraged too. The bobcats have become exceptionally bold around Tucson -- rarely does a week go by when I don't see one in our suburb. Last year, one grabbed our cat off the windowsill. Fortunately, I was there and kicked the bobcat until it turned loose. $1600 in vet bills, and Precious is almost as good as new. She doesn't go outside anymore. In fact, I see about as many bobcats as domestic cats in our neighborhood, now. Could be worse. When my parents lived in Kenya, they had friends whose dog slept at the foot of their bed. Until the night when a leopard came through the (unscreened) bedroom window, grabbed the dog, jumped back out. While the couple were in bed, watching in horror. Cheers -- Pete Tillman |
#2
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In article ,
"Bill Reich" wrote: Well, cats are already pretty effective predators. Baxter has them all die off because they're "too dependent on humanity". Given how readily cats go feral, I'm skeptical. (And note that they tolerate a wide range of conditions, from jungle to desert to subarctic forest.) Cats also have a wide range of genetic variance: they would probably have a large capacity for speciation if given the chance. And they are naturally _predators_ upon rodents -- if the rodent population swelled, any surviving cats would feast. Sincerely Yours, Jordan Unfortunately for feral cats, the bobcat isn't anywhere CLOSE to extinct and considers his domestic cousin a good meal. In areas where humans live, urban or rural, feral cats thrive because the other predators have been discouraged. Feral dogs kill them but feral dog packs often get the attention of the authorities and get discouraged too. The bobcats have become exceptionally bold around Tucson -- rarely does a week go by when I don't see one in our suburb. Last year, one grabbed our cat off the windowsill. Fortunately, I was there and kicked the bobcat until it turned loose. $1600 in vet bills, and Precious is almost as good as new. She doesn't go outside anymore. In fact, I see about as many bobcats as domestic cats in our neighborhood, now. Could be worse. When my parents lived in Kenya, they had friends whose dog slept at the foot of their bed. Until the night when a leopard came through the (unscreened) bedroom window, grabbed the dog, jumped back out. While the couple were in bed, watching in horror. Cheers -- Pete Tillman |
#3
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"Peter D. Tillman" wrote in message ... In article , "Bill Reich" wrote: Well, cats are already pretty effective predators. Baxter has them all die off because they're "too dependent on humanity". Given how readily cats go feral, I'm skeptical. (And note that they tolerate a wide range of conditions, from jungle to desert to subarctic forest.) Cats also have a wide range of genetic variance: they would probably have a large capacity for speciation if given the chance. And they are naturally _predators_ upon rodents -- if the rodent population swelled, any surviving cats would feast. Sincerely Yours, Jordan Unfortunately for feral cats, the bobcat isn't anywhere CLOSE to extinct and considers his domestic cousin a good meal. In areas where humans live, urban or rural, feral cats thrive because the other predators have been discouraged. Feral dogs kill them but feral dog packs often get the attention of the authorities and get discouraged too. The bobcats have become exceptionally bold around Tucson -- rarely does a week go by when I don't see one in our suburb. Last year, one grabbed our cat off the windowsill. Fortunately, I was there and kicked the bobcat until it turned loose. $1600 in vet bills, and Precious is almost as good as new. She doesn't go outside anymore. In fact, I see about as many bobcats as domestic cats in our neighborhood, now. Could be worse. When my parents lived in Kenya, they had friends whose dog slept at the foot of their bed. Until the night when a leopard came through the (unscreened) bedroom window, grabbed the dog, jumped back out. While the couple were in bed, watching in horror. Cheers -- Pete Tillman Why would *anyone* continue to let their cats outside in that environment!! Not to start a flame or anything, but with big cats around, its just too dangerous. Have you seen those pics in abpa? Yikes. Karen |
#4
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"Peter D. Tillman" wrote in message ... In article , "Bill Reich" wrote: Well, cats are already pretty effective predators. Baxter has them all die off because they're "too dependent on humanity". Given how readily cats go feral, I'm skeptical. (And note that they tolerate a wide range of conditions, from jungle to desert to subarctic forest.) Cats also have a wide range of genetic variance: they would probably have a large capacity for speciation if given the chance. And they are naturally _predators_ upon rodents -- if the rodent population swelled, any surviving cats would feast. Sincerely Yours, Jordan Unfortunately for feral cats, the bobcat isn't anywhere CLOSE to extinct and considers his domestic cousin a good meal. In areas where humans live, urban or rural, feral cats thrive because the other predators have been discouraged. Feral dogs kill them but feral dog packs often get the attention of the authorities and get discouraged too. The bobcats have become exceptionally bold around Tucson -- rarely does a week go by when I don't see one in our suburb. Last year, one grabbed our cat off the windowsill. Fortunately, I was there and kicked the bobcat until it turned loose. $1600 in vet bills, and Precious is almost as good as new. She doesn't go outside anymore. In fact, I see about as many bobcats as domestic cats in our neighborhood, now. Could be worse. When my parents lived in Kenya, they had friends whose dog slept at the foot of their bed. Until the night when a leopard came through the (unscreened) bedroom window, grabbed the dog, jumped back out. While the couple were in bed, watching in horror. Cheers -- Pete Tillman Why would *anyone* continue to let their cats outside in that environment!! Not to start a flame or anything, but with big cats around, its just too dangerous. Have you seen those pics in abpa? Yikes. Karen |
#5
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The bobcats have become exceptionally bold around Tucson -- rarely does
a week go by when I don't see one in our suburb. Last year, one grabbed our cat off the windowsill. Fortunately, I was there and kicked the bobcat until it turned loose. $1600 in vet bills, and Precious is almost as good as new. She doesn't go outside anymore. In fact, I see about as many bobcats as domestic cats in our neighborhood, now. Let me get this straight. You see bobcats in your suburban neighborhood as commonly as domestics? *Suburbs"? I know bobcats are a threat; we have them here. But it's a rare thing for them to be seen in the daytime, near the house. . You must have a *tremendous* bobcat population...Has a news crew covered this yet? Are they even educatiing people about leaving garbage out, etc., to prevent encouraging them further? You're also very lucky you weren't seriously injured yourself. Sherry |
#6
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The bobcats have become exceptionally bold around Tucson -- rarely does
a week go by when I don't see one in our suburb. Last year, one grabbed our cat off the windowsill. Fortunately, I was there and kicked the bobcat until it turned loose. $1600 in vet bills, and Precious is almost as good as new. She doesn't go outside anymore. In fact, I see about as many bobcats as domestic cats in our neighborhood, now. Let me get this straight. You see bobcats in your suburban neighborhood as commonly as domestics? *Suburbs"? I know bobcats are a threat; we have them here. But it's a rare thing for them to be seen in the daytime, near the house. . You must have a *tremendous* bobcat population...Has a news crew covered this yet? Are they even educatiing people about leaving garbage out, etc., to prevent encouraging them further? You're also very lucky you weren't seriously injured yourself. Sherry |
#7
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On Fri, 9 Apr 2004 14:14:35 -0700, Karen wrote
(in article ): "Peter D. Tillman" wrote in message ... In article , "Bill Reich" wrote: Well, cats are already pretty effective predators. Baxter has them all die off because they're "too dependent on humanity". Given how readily cats go feral, I'm skeptical. (And note that they tolerate a wide range of conditions, from jungle to desert to subarctic forest.) Cats also have a wide range of genetic variance: they would probably have a large capacity for speciation if given the chance. And they are naturally _predators_ upon rodents -- if the rodent population swelled, any surviving cats would feast. Sincerely Yours, Jordan Unfortunately for feral cats, the bobcat isn't anywhere CLOSE to extinct and considers his domestic cousin a good meal. In areas where humans live, urban or rural, feral cats thrive because the other predators have been discouraged. Feral dogs kill them but feral dog packs often get the attention of the authorities and get discouraged too. The bobcats have become exceptionally bold around Tucson -- rarely does a week go by when I don't see one in our suburb. Last year, one grabbed our cat off the windowsill. Fortunately, I was there and kicked the bobcat until it turned loose. $1600 in vet bills, and Precious is almost as good as new. She doesn't go outside anymore. In fact, I see about as many bobcats as domestic cats in our neighborhood, now. Could be worse. When my parents lived in Kenya, they had friends whose dog slept at the foot of their bed. Until the night when a leopard came through the (unscreened) bedroom window, grabbed the dog, jumped back out. While the couple were in bed, watching in horror. Cheers -- Pete Tillman Why would *anyone* continue to let their cats outside in that environment!! Not to start a flame or anything, but with big cats around, its just too dangerous. Have you seen those pics in abpa? Yikes. Tucson is tough country for pets, bears, mountain lions, coyotes and I guess bobcats. I have a friend who lives there and says there is no feral cat population because of the coyotes. As much as the cats enjoy running around here if I lived there I wouldn't let them out. He has a Norwegian Elkhound and it was attacked by coyotes. 98 or 99 I think someone was killed by a bear. I think the idea that cats are dependent on man for their future survival is silly. There are many times as many feral cats world wide as there are living with people. The Maine Coon is said to be adapted to Maine from cats brought over and gone feral they survived and flourished. |
#8
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On Fri, 9 Apr 2004 14:14:35 -0700, Karen wrote
(in article ): "Peter D. Tillman" wrote in message ... In article , "Bill Reich" wrote: Well, cats are already pretty effective predators. Baxter has them all die off because they're "too dependent on humanity". Given how readily cats go feral, I'm skeptical. (And note that they tolerate a wide range of conditions, from jungle to desert to subarctic forest.) Cats also have a wide range of genetic variance: they would probably have a large capacity for speciation if given the chance. And they are naturally _predators_ upon rodents -- if the rodent population swelled, any surviving cats would feast. Sincerely Yours, Jordan Unfortunately for feral cats, the bobcat isn't anywhere CLOSE to extinct and considers his domestic cousin a good meal. In areas where humans live, urban or rural, feral cats thrive because the other predators have been discouraged. Feral dogs kill them but feral dog packs often get the attention of the authorities and get discouraged too. The bobcats have become exceptionally bold around Tucson -- rarely does a week go by when I don't see one in our suburb. Last year, one grabbed our cat off the windowsill. Fortunately, I was there and kicked the bobcat until it turned loose. $1600 in vet bills, and Precious is almost as good as new. She doesn't go outside anymore. In fact, I see about as many bobcats as domestic cats in our neighborhood, now. Could be worse. When my parents lived in Kenya, they had friends whose dog slept at the foot of their bed. Until the night when a leopard came through the (unscreened) bedroom window, grabbed the dog, jumped back out. While the couple were in bed, watching in horror. Cheers -- Pete Tillman Why would *anyone* continue to let their cats outside in that environment!! Not to start a flame or anything, but with big cats around, its just too dangerous. Have you seen those pics in abpa? Yikes. Tucson is tough country for pets, bears, mountain lions, coyotes and I guess bobcats. I have a friend who lives there and says there is no feral cat population because of the coyotes. As much as the cats enjoy running around here if I lived there I wouldn't let them out. He has a Norwegian Elkhound and it was attacked by coyotes. 98 or 99 I think someone was killed by a bear. I think the idea that cats are dependent on man for their future survival is silly. There are many times as many feral cats world wide as there are living with people. The Maine Coon is said to be adapted to Maine from cats brought over and gone feral they survived and flourished. |
#9
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#10
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