Gareth Morgan bored again

[Banditbandit]

So why ban cats when they have more of a purpose to us than rabbits?

I've seen cats kill rabbits - I have yet to see a rabbit kill a cat ..

Tho' this is interesting ...

[FJRider]

So why ban cats when they have more of a purpose to us than rabbits?

Rabbits provide more employment/income for people ... than cats do.

The total removal of rabbits would have more effect on our economy ... than the total removal of cats.

[Zedder]

Rabbits provide more employment/income for people ... than cats do.

The total removal of rabbits would have more effect on our economy ... than the total removal of cats.

Give us some figures FJR. What about vets and their staff, pet shops and their staff, drug companies and their staff etc?

[BoristheBiter]

Rabbits provide more employment/income for people ... than cats do.

The total removal of rabbits would have more effect on our economy ... than the total removal of cats.

The total removal of rabbits would have a bigger benefit. Just ask the farmers how much they lose because of rabbits eating their grass.

There will be a bigger feral rabbit population and that is the problem.

[FJRider]

Give us some figures FJR. What about vets and their staff, pet shops and their staff, drug companies and their staff etc?

Most ... if not all farms/stations employ one or more soley on rabbit control. Vets won't be out of work if cats "dissappear" ... less than 1-2 % of their business.

There would be 250-300 people in this area alone working and relying on rabbits for income. From killing them, to manufacture/processing of products, and produce from them. Skins/meat etc.

Sales of ammunition/poison/spotlighting gear would make up a large part of income for MANY farm/rural businesses.

The annual budget for rabbit control on some larger stations is well over $100,000 at least .. and there are plenty of large stations. To take THAT sort of money out of a local town economy ... would hurt a few. A lot more that NO CATS would. Some stations might even start MAKING money ...

[FJRider]

The total removal of rabbits would have a bigger benefit. Just ask the farmers how much they lose because of rabbits eating their grass.

There will be a bigger feral rabbit population and that is the problem.

Read post # 95 in this thread.

[Swoop]

The total removal of rabbits would have a bigger benefit. Just ask the farmers how much they lose because of rabbits eating their grass.

There will be a bigger feral rabbit population and that is the problem.

The eating of grass is one issue, the burrows can break the legs of cattle.
If we put the bounty back on the head of a rabbit (& other pests) so that a person has more desire to hunt them down as a form of living/income, there might be a better alternative to other methods used.
Not that the green party would be supportive of this, however.

[Zedder]

Most ... if not all farms/stations employ one or more soley on rabbit control. Vets won't be out of work if cats "dissappear" ... less than 1-2 % of their business.

There would be 250-300 people in this area alone working and relying on rabbits for income. From killing them, to manufacture/processing of products, and produce from them. Skins/meat etc.

Sales of ammunition/poison/spotlighting gear would make up a large part of income for MANY farm/rural businesses.

The annual budget for rabbit control on some larger stations is well over $100,000 at least .. and there are plenty of large stations. To take THAT sort of money out of a local town economy ... would hurt a few. A lot more that NO CATS would. Some stations might even start MAKING money ...

You're only looking at vets. I wrote about all the other job opportunities and sales.

[bogan]

Most ... if not all farms/stations employ one or more soley on rabbit control. Vets won't be out of work if cats "dissappear" ... less than 1-2 % of their business.

There would be 250-300 people in this area alone working and relying on rabbits for income. From killing them, to manufacture/processing of products, and produce from them. Skins/meat etc.

Sales of ammunition/poison/spotlighting gear would make up a large part of income for MANY farm/rural businesses.

The annual budget for rabbit control on some larger stations is well over $100,000 at least .. and there are plenty of large stations. To take THAT sort of money out of a local town economy ... would hurt a few. A lot more that NO CATS would. Some stations might even start MAKING money ...

He may have wanted actual figures, rather than some just pulled out of your arse FJ

In both cases it's just 'service' industry, if either were taken away the money would be spent elsewhere. However, rabbit control is a business expense, so their removal has more of an effect on the profitability of said businesses, so yes, I agree it would have more of an effect on the economy.

[FJRider]

I wrote about all the other job opportunities and sales.

Drug sales wont "disappear" with cats ..

Job "opportunities" ... and "other" relating to cats .. ???

Take the pictures of cats off cat food and put a dog on it. (dogs don't care about the picture on the can)

Done ...

[Zedder]

He may have wanted actual figures, rather than some just pulled out of your arse FJ

In both cases it's just 'service' industry, if either were taken away the money would be spent elsewhere. However, rabbit control is a business expense, so their removal has more of an effect on the profitability of said businesses, so yes, I agree it would have more of an effect on the economy.

Some figures (not pulled out of the air or arse), cats in NZ as of July 2011= 1.419 million of the furry critters. Average expenditure per cat by owner= $838 per year, ie $840 million spent.

[BoristheBiter]

Most ... if not all farms/stations employ one or more soley on rabbit control. Vets won't be out of work if cats "dissappear" ... less than 1-2 % of their business.

There would be 250-300 people in this area alone working and relying on rabbits for income. From killing them, to manufacture/processing of products, and produce from them. Skins/meat etc.

Sales of ammunition/poison/spotlighting gear would make up a large part of income for MANY farm/rural businesses.

The annual budget for rabbit control on some larger stations is well over $100,000 at least .. and there are plenty of large stations. To take THAT sort of money out of a local town economy ... would hurt a few. A lot more that NO CATS would. Some stations might even start MAKING money ...

In a survey in 2007 52% of households have a cat, only 30% have a dog.
900,000 to 1.5m cats and just under 500k dogs so i would take a guess and say it is a bit more than 1-2% of their business.

Hummm take to money out of the economy and put it back in as a result of profits, yes I can see how that would fail.

Ask any farmer what if there would rather have cats or rabbits and i bet i can guess the answer.

[FJRider]

In a survey in 2007 52% of households have a cat, only 30% have a dog.
900,000 to 1.5m cats and just under 500k dogs so i would take a guess and say it is a bit more than 1-2% of their business.

38 million sheep (at the last census)... dairy cow numbers increasing (in the millions) ... horses .. goats .. birds .. Cats are NOT the mainstay income of MOST vets.

If people can't have a cat ... they'll get a dog. Or a Budgie. People are funny like that.

Hummm take to money out of the economy and put it back in as a result of profits, yes I can see how that would fail.

It's not so much a fail ... just that real people depend on that income. And that income would be in somebody else's pocket.

Ask any farmer what if there would rather have cats or rabbits and i bet i can guess the answer.

Most farmers shoot cats too. The (my) issue was not about their preferred choice ... but who relies on that industrys money to live/survive.

[FJRider]

He may have wanted actual figures, rather than some just pulled out of your arse FJ

I would have pulled bigger figures out ... but my arse isn't that big.

"Actual" figures are available ... if he really wants them.

Google ... "New Zealand rabbit control" ... I think you'll find my figures actually LOW.

[oneofsix]

In a survey in 2007 52% of households have a cat, only 30% have a dog.

umm so cats are the bigger problem