Gareth Morgan bored again

**oneofsix** · 23rd January 2013, 06:45

Originally Posted by Ocean1

Correct. Why is it that fucking environmentalists are so wrong so often?

The biggest killer of native birds is the ship rat, they don't get much bad press because nobody sees them, they're nocturnal. Reduce the cat population and the only thing that will keep rats under control is the extinction of their primary food source.

Ships rats get the focus from DOC and ecologists.

The attitude that cats can do no wrong needs to change, a lot of cat lovers are stupid about there furry killers and will not accept that they do kill. BTW I have owned more cats than dogs not that I have either at the moment, but still realise the risk they pose to native fauna.

And for your amusement; cats kill

**Scuba_Steve** · 23rd January 2013, 07:19

Originally Posted by Banditbandit

It's a reasonable suggestion - Cats will wipe out a lot of our native birds ... New Zealand as a cat-free zone is worth discussing ... they are just another introduced pest that thrives here ...

Dogs kill more native birds than cats do (this from the people who have to deal with the aftermath), cats mostly stick to helping control blackbirds & sparrows.

**Dadpole** · 23rd January 2013, 07:26

Originally Posted by Scuba_Steve

Dogs kill more native birds than cats do (this from the people who have to deal with the aftermath), cats mostly stick to helping control blackbirds & sparrows.

These cats would be the educated ones with the safety glasses and hi-vis collars then.

**malfunconz** · 23rd January 2013, 07:44

I propose to stop breeding under performing fund managers with wierd personality flaws and looks to match . Buggar off and go live on an other island .

**oldrider** · 23rd January 2013, 08:46

The cat problem has some merit (problems are mostly human) but using Gareth Morgan to front their campaign? What an epic "FAIL"!

**Banditbandit** · 23rd January 2013, 08:49

Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback

Say what?

Yeah .. Plato may well have been a faggot ...

**Banditbandit** · 23rd January 2013, 08:50

Originally Posted by BoristheBiter

You just said you swerve around possums where possums have a greater effect on the native bird population than cats.

No ... you got that wrong ... I swerve to HIT possums ... (at least on four wheel I do ... I avoid them on a bike ...)

**Scuba_Steve** · 23rd January 2013, 08:52

Originally Posted by Dadpole

These cats would be the educated ones with the safety glasses and hi-vis collars then.

daytime running lights, hard hats & safety shoes too. Also a yellow flag hanging from the tail for full OSH compliance

**Banditbandit** · 23rd January 2013, 08:54

Originally Posted by Oakie

No cats and I guess we get over-run with mice ... and rats ... the latter which eat bird eggs and baby birds.

Our old moggy is only a threat to lizards. He seems to catch and eat 3 or 4 a week at the moment. He catches the odd starling but just brings them inside and lets the feckers go!

You do realize that our native lizards are protected endangered species as well ???

**Banditbandit** · 23rd January 2013, 08:57

Originally Posted by Scuba_Steve

Dogs kill more native birds than cats do (this from the people who have to deal with the aftermath), cats mostly stick to helping control blackbirds & sparrows.

Fuck ... my little hunter has never got a blackbird or a sparrow ... gets yellowhammers, mice, (never rats - I have never had a cat that kills rats ) rabbits, eels, thrushes ... He has been known to kill three or four birds a day .. (rural cat, not a city cat)

I have owned dogs as well (including bush hunting dogs) and never had one that killed birds ... I've never seen a dog climb a tree after birds - but I've seen many cats do it .. not al our native birds live on the ground ..

**Scuba_Steve** · 23rd January 2013, 09:08

Originally Posted by Banditbandit

Fuck ... my little hunter has never got a blackbird or a sparrow ... gets yellowhammers, mice, (never rats - I have never had a cat that kills rats ) rabbits, eels, thrushes ... He has been known to kill three or four birds a day .. (rural cat, not a city cat)

I have owned dogs as well (including bush hunting dogs) and never had one that killed birds ... I've never seen a dog climb a tree after birds - but I've seen many cats do it .. not al our native birds live on the ground ..

Biggest threat to Kiwi is dogs. They don't hunt, they play but they end up breaking the kiwi's neck with their play. Whereas most cats won't go for things bigger then themselves, so pukekos, kiwis, Takahē's, wood pigeons, hawks, & to some extent tui's are all somewhat safe from cats. Dogs however aint so picky.

Our 3 cats have never touched a native & we have a decent amount of Tui's, silvereyes, fantails, wood pidgeons, pukeko's round our section. They have brought us a few sparrows & a couple (younger) blackbirds however & of-course the usual mice etc.

**Swoop** · 23rd January 2013, 09:22

Gareth Morgan really needs a hobby.

I guess he is going to "help" the nation by providing bells for every feline in the country? Or will you have to register your moggy, and a portion of that fee will go into a fund called "POTO - Pussies Own The Options"?

**puddytat** · 23rd January 2013, 09:23

Well I reckon we need to do something , especially when it comes to Feral cats. Every year we get the useless fuckers in our area dumping unwanted litters of kittens which either die slowly or go on to breed more ferals. Ive met far to many people who go "Oh what a beautiful little kitten" & cant get their shit together to de-sex them & every year another litter to deal with.
We have three cats...all desexed. The female especially hunts anything that moves, skinks ,fledglings, birds including catching a Tui,all 3 catch mice & rats & also the odd stoat.
Young rabbits are also a favourite.
What fucks me off is that since we've lived here & had cats, there has been a marked decrease in Fantails & Robins & yet they ignore the Blackbirds & Thrushes that fuck the apples, rob the Berries & rip the fuck out of the Garden.
So there are pros & cons of cats but I think that its time to make some rules around ownership & desexing. Maybe free desexing for a start.
If it was up to me I'd have no cats, but it would also mean I'd probably have no missus either...

**oneofsix** · 23rd January 2013, 09:40

Originally Posted by puddytat

Well I reckon we need to do something .

I reckon that was the whole point of Garth's rant too, and just look at how the cat lovers claws have come out. I reckon all cats should be registered with discounts like for dogs. Instead of a collar they can be micro-chipped and there should be a curfew as in some Aussie states.

As for cat catching mice, rats etc some breeds of dogs were created for that purpose and make better vermin catchers.