Smokey, AKA the Klepto Cat
We all know how popular cats are. They’ve practically taken over the Internet with their cute antics, gorgeous photographs, and interesting tales of courage, stamina, intuition… The last statistic I saw indicated that cats rule around fifteen percent of the internet. That is, fifteen percent of what’s on the internet involves cats—cute cat videos, stories of cats doing unusual things, not to mention hundreds of cat blogs. And most of it is positive—favorable to cats.
This week, however, someone sent me an article from the LA Times lambasting the cat. Evidently because we’re doing so much to protect feral cat colonies throughout the world, we’re losing songbirds and other small potential cat prey by the billions.
One study completed in 2013 says that there are 84 million housecats in the US who are 
allowed outside and they estimate that these pampered pets kill four to eighteen birds a year and eight to twenty-one small mammals.
The feral cat population, however, numbering anywhere from thirty to eighty million, kills twenty-three to forty-six birds a year each and 129 to 338 small mammals.
It’s hard to think of that purring feline in your lap being a killer, but it is in her DNA. In fact, they say that the house cat is much closer to her ancestral roots of the wild cat than dogs are to their genetic beginnings.
What is the answer to this continuing massacre? The jury is still out where the feral cat is concerned. I’m sure that when a cat colony is being managed—the cats are being fed regularly—their need and urge to kill diminishes. But there’s more that we can do when it comes to our own pet cats. Keep them inside. I can promise, however, that this won’t keep them from killing any rodent that finds its way into your home or the wayward spider or fly that slips in through a tiny tear in a screen. Cats are hunters—it’s in their genes.
Trump Your Cat
On a lighter note, here’s a timely piece you might want to explore. It’s a site dedicated to “trumping” your cat. In other words, giving your cat a hair-do like Donald Trump. Want a good laugh today? Check it out. http://dangerousminds.net/comments/trump_your_cat_the_internet_takes_on_donald_trumps_hair_and_wins
