CATS...LOVE 'EM OR HATE 'EM

I think anyone who has read my blog realises I do have a great love of cats and they have always been a big part of life since I was a small child.  Here is a lovely photo taken by my daughter a few years ago showing our Precious in all her winter finery.  (she sheds in spring and becomes a short hair for a time during summer before becoming fluffy again in the winter):

I know I've popped her picture on her before but I always love to show her off.  My daughter had come to our place on her birthday and wanting to try out her fantastic new SLR digital camera she snapped this picture.  I have probably shown it before on here but I always love to show off our special friend.  This was taken in July of 2007 but she still looks about the same and we still love her very much.

At our exercise group on Wednesday morning the subject of cats came up as that was the subject discussed on Insight the previous night.  I didn't see the programme and am probably glad I didn't.  I think it showed the devastation that large feral cats can cause among the native fauna and I know this is very sad and true.  There would have been discussion for and against keeping cats in suburbia too.

You can often tell when people speak of cats whether or not they really like them or not.  I could tell one of the fellows there isn't at all fond of them so perhaps prefers dogs although I know that he and his wife have no pets a present.  They travel a fair bit so probably suits them not to be tied down and that is their choice.   Don't get me wrong they are a lovely couple and we get on with them so well.

I immediately went to the defence of cats saying at least, unlike dogs, they don't attack people and in some cases injure them badly or even kill them.  I mean of course domestic cats as I am quite sure feral cats would be capable of killing a small child as they can apparently kill a wallaby (this is a smaller Australian marsupial similar to a kangaroo).

One suggestion was that every house should have a cat run but they are terribly expensive and don't suit all types of dwellings.   I feel if you keep your cat in every night there is much less chance of native animals or birds being molested.  Precious tends to catch vermin if there are any about during the day and she is inside until after daylight each night.

Phil brought up the point that if there were no cats in suburbia then just how many rats and mice would there be.  I felt this a very fair argument although I am not sure it sat well with those not fond of cats.

To be truly serious I feel all cats should be registered/licensed and sterilised and anyone buying a cat should have to pay for sterilisation and perhaps micro-chipping before taking delivery.  Anyone found in possession of an unsterilised cat should face a fine of perhaps $5,000.  Sounds hard but we do have to try and prevent unwanted cats being dumped and roaming the countryside destroying our precious wildlife.  Our council does help towards the cost of cat sterilisation which I hope makes more people accept this responsibility but unfortunately, as with many things in like, some people just don't give a damn.

How could anyone resist this little sweetheart?  You'd have to be hard-hearted wouldn't you?