Cat Killing Poll

[chilli]

I caught a feral kitten, kept it in my jacket sleeve for a few hours and it calmed down and made a good pet for a lady we know.

This poll is so crap, sorry everyone, polls and scotch don't mix.

Edited September 16, 2007 by IllegalBrain

[incognito]

i really love cats, they r great pets as they really look after emselves and aernt out for u to constantly entertain them. Plus when they crawl up on ur lap and purr while u pet them really is cool, and always makes me feel a bit gangsta. Bit like the gadget dude. If i was to get another id get a cornish rex. they are much more personable and dont meow! they make a grunting kinda noise. trippy. and they aernt a huge fan of wandering. However i am much more fond of all the little creatures that inhabit my plants these days that would surely fall victim.

Cats do freak me out when im stoned, and im sure they fuck with me on purpose. Like sitting prone in the corner of the room at night staring fixedly at a point on the wall intensely, then its hair raising up and hissing and taking off. what do these craetures see that we dont? i believe they have been venerated historically by different culut=res of having the ability to see into the underworld? werent they the keepers of the underowrld in egyption mythology???

[ThunderIdeal]

look what i found while seeking out egyptian mythology.

"Such was the strength of feeling towards cats that killing one, even accidentally, incurred the death penalty."

---------------------------

"aernt out for u to constantly entertain them."

that's what bugs me. it's as if they don't even need you. this is the exact reason that dogs are the ultimate human companion: every last bit of their body language screams that you mean everything to them.

cats are skizo.

wasn't there a thread here, about how they harbour the virus that causes skizophrenia? even if there wasn't, it has been theorised for years that this pathogen is the cause of skizophrenia and is begotten from cat leavings.

[Monk]

Oh shit. Is there a connection between this and the Egyptian theme going on in my brew room right now, or am I just trippin'? I'm a little scared by your mention of this, ThunderIdeal. Someone tell me I'm just being superstitious, please.

[Ace]

Someone tell me I'm just being superstitious, please.

Meow?

[ThunderIdeal]

what is it you're worried about?

[Monk]

Thanks a bundle, Ace. There I was, sensors out of whack, and you post this. I'm glad I had retired for the night before I saw your post I was just strange enough to make some really weird connections that prolly weren't there.

what is it you're worried about?

That's the thing about superstition, I don't really know....but I have owned cats (and loved them,) but accidentally killed a feral kitten once 'cuz it looked so cute and cuddly that I picked it up. As soon as I did, the fucker clawed and bit the shit out of every part of my arm and my reaction was to hurl it at the ground Long story short, I'm just glad I didn't put the mandrake in that beer or I'd be scared for my life. (I guess I'm still having some irrational afterglow.)........................................

[chilli]

"aernt out for u to constantly entertain them."

that's what bugs me. it's as if they don't even need you. this is the exact reason that dogs are the ultimate human companion: every last bit of their body language screams that you mean everything to them.

Ultimate narcissist's companion, maybe.

ThunderIdeal, do you or have you personally had a cat for a pet? I find this kind of attitude is strongest in people who have never cared for a cat long term. IME, even the toughest, most aloof cat becomes a great companion given time; the trick is to discover their unique persoanlity. A dog's affection and loyalty is usually easily earned and instinctual for the animal, whereas cats actually choose to love or hate you. I guess that's what pisses some people off, but I think it's awesome.

Our three cats can be very affectionate and clingy, or they can sometimes be very independent, but what is most interesting is that over the years the grouchiest one has become the friendliest, the most nervous-nelly one has totally come out of his shell and the most violent one has become the most fun to play with... whereas our old dog still pisses on the carpet and eats its own shit as always!

cats are skizo.

wasn't there a thread here, about how they harbour the virus that causes skizophrenia? even if there wasn't, it has been theorised for years that this pathogen is the cause of skizophrenia and is begotten from cat leavings.

Mate, do you even know what schizophrenia is?

[blangschpeer]

I've had quite a few cats growing up and could never hurt one unless it killed something I loved. One of my cats was a feral kitten that found us when we moved into our old house and she was the ultimate killing machine (once she brought home a magpie, a wattle bird, a finch and a willy wag-tail all at once. And as an added bonus the magpie and the finch were both alive so she could teach us to hunt). One was old with no teeth but he could fight! He went cenile and quite a few times in winter we'd be putting some wood on the fire and he'd stand directly in front of the fireplace with his tail directly on the burning embers; then when we'd try to extinguish his tail he'd rip our arms to shreds. Our other one was a burman (almost identical to a ragdoll, just without the play dead reflex when you pick them up) He'd sound like he was being strangled when he was stalking anything, as a result birds would just stare at him til he was just outside of striking distance and then fly off in the other direction. He got taught to fight by the older one and once he'd killed the resident dominant feral (could have just about been the lithgow panther) by knocking it out of a tree and it was subsequently impaled by a branch close to the ground, he took over the entire territory and almost every kitten born for the next 2 years within a 10km radius was a little muscly fluff ball.

I wish I could have a cat now, but with 4 birds thats a bit stupid. Just because hunting instinct is bred out of it, doesn't mean it can't still corner something in a cage.

I'll stop rambling with my nostalgia now.

[ThunderIdeal]

heh crazy mog stories

what can be known brain, as i know that it's cause is not fully understood, and i know that i've read that, and i know that a similar article was posted here this year. don't take my declaration that cats are skizo too seriously.

anyway, i haven't owned a cat. i guess you're right about all that, it's just an attitude thing. maybe it does make me a narcissist. the thing is, if a beast is going to shit and piss on my things, it will at least pretend to be grateful about something every so often. otherwise i will go back in time and decide not to buy it, as i have done every other time.

[complex]

I have never owned, nor have i ever killed, or intend to kill a cat.

From a distance, i dislike cats, im not sure why. As soon as they come near me however, im all over them with that special brand of baby-talk reserved for animals. Then as soon as they leave im like "psssh cats". weird?

[chilli]

what can be known brain, as i know that it's cause is not fully understood, and i know that i've read that, and i know that a similar article was posted here this year. don't take my declaration that cats are skizo too seriously.

Mate, I am not bagging you or calling you narcissistic! Yeah, my comment about schizophrenia was related to you saying cats were schizo... I just think you were misusing the term. It is a bit like saying dogs have Down's Syndrome. Yeah I read that article too, but I don't believe everything I read

anyway, i haven't owned a cat. i guess you're right about all that, it's just an attitude thing. maybe it does make me a narcissist. the thing is, if a beast is going to shit and piss on my things, it will at least pretend to be grateful about something every so often. otherwise i will go back in time and decide not to buy it, as i have done every other time.

That's just what I was saying though... my cats don't shit and piss on anything except their cat litter, and my dog shits and pisses on anything and everything, eats out of the garbage and eats the cat shit out of the cat litter! Maybe the dog is schizo as a result ;) I have had some pretty weird cats growing up, but then they lived in a pretty weird environment.

Anyway, my point was that my cats are very affectionate and friendly animals... in fact, even as I am writing this, one of them is trying to get on my lap for a cuddle... if I ditch her off my lap, she will come back and sit there purring until I get sick of her. I have one that tries to get under the rugs and cuddle all the time and one that I chase around the house, and then he chases me! All I'm saying is that this kind of behavior has slowly developed as I have been more affectionate to the cats, whereas almost every dog in the street tries to lick my nus when I walk past!

Nah, but the truth is I love all living things, I love to cuddle cats and dogs just the same. Insects and plants and fungi and lichen are also great, but not quite as cuddly and affectionate and personable. Plus cats are hilarious, that is why there is so many lolcats.

[platypii]

a cat out at night is fair game and so is it's owner

I hope thats a joke. I wouldn't kill a cat for any reason. I can see why some would, but I would feel guilty and cruel.

[gerbil]

I don't understand your logic on that one platypii. The cat is an introduced animal, even in it's backyard (most) are classified as pest animals IMO simply on the basis of killing wildlife.

Would you feel guilty and cruel if that cat that's out at night went a killed the local resident platypus population? the endangered owls that live down the street? the frog that is barely hanging on due to human impact and all their related influences? The native rodents? etc etc. The fact is that cats should not be out at night in Australia, if ever.

Horses, goats, sheep, exotic dogs, exotic cats, foxes, exotic birds, pigs, exotic-fish etc. I see no problem with removing them if they are having a detrimental effect on the environment, often it is highly associated with the owners lack of responsibility if the animal is causing harm, though some species simply cause harm on the basis of them simply being present i.e. horses. If people want to keep animals as pets they need to be responsible for them and their influence on the landscape.

I do know plenty of responsible cat owners and have no issue with them keeping it as a pet if they keep the cat controlled, though I really dislike the exotic-domestic cat and once they start killing wildlife, that's where the line is crossed.

Pest animal management is a serious issue in Australia and is important to talk about even though it is very confronting for some people, but this poll is a little weird and quite ambiguous lol no offence IB. If the indigenous people weren't so nice, the 'white' pest animal, us, would be eradicated by now.

[trixxy3]

Our outdoor cat wears a bell and still manages to catch a few birds now and then, say 1-3 a month that we are aware of, on top of a lot of mice and other insects. But you've got to say, with all the land clearing and other garden makeovers etc that go on, habitat disturbances of animals, that laying blame solely on the cat is something a politician would come up with.

[gerbil]

Cats cause a massive amount of damage, IMO it's better to lead by example than compound the issue. I don't think we are laying the blame solely on the cat, if someone is to take that fall it would be white man/woman, but the fact remains that the cat has had and is having a huge impact on the Australian environment, just because something else bad has/is happening does not make the cat's presence okay.

[tardistestpilot]

i have owned /cat but it died and I have killed a cat .....i ran the pooor basterd over.......not mine someone elses it was in a heavey residential area ....I did search find the owner was very sad i do like cats but they are killing machines like us mabe

[XipeTotec]

i do like cats but they are killing machines like us mabe

true!!

[XipeTotec]

true!!

and I just scrolled up to a post by gerbil.... well said

[Vertmorpheus]

In most cases, the house that the cats owners live in poses more of a long term threat to wildlife than the cat they support...compare the hunting range of cats, with quolls...

I read an interesting thing awhile ago noting the link between animal cruelty and violence against women n children..seems RSPACA n police are starting to cross reference... the one man i can think of that really enjoys running over cats is NOT doing so for eco reasons as much as hes just a bit of a cunt. Seems dogs are ok as they take orders and submit but cats dont, bugs the old Dominant Male Self..

If you will kill a cat for "Eco" reasons, please come to my house and kill me for using coal gen'd power and driving a V6. What, murder in the name of the environment has its limits? But I have used pre emergent pesticides near local waterways. I should be held accountable for taking up the power needed just to make this post... oh... sorry.. being unpopular there.

Thats right... strictly a matter of convenience and popularity...justification and self interest. The time it takes to run over a cat, you could be planting some koala food trees...but that takes effort, unlike already having the car running , and something pinned in your headlights...

want to help the local critters ? Stop mowing your lawn...

In more balanced areas they can do a lot of damage , but if you live somewhere that possums monopolise the power lines and "wildlife" means "things that hang around your flouros" I really don't think a cat is quite a problem ppl think it is.. but it IS a nice "logical" target of misplaced anger and violence. Nice easy target for using up a few mls of petrol to run it over to start with.. or you can use a steel cage trap... though the eco cost of making the steel to start with gets me thinking....

let me know if you want an addy to come n kill an eco vandal... I dont even have a half flush toilet. though if you just happen to enjoy killing things like the weird boy you are, but have enough social conscience going to need a REASON , I guess local house cats are as good a target as johnny howard or local centrelink officials. The eco weight of the car might outweigh that of the cat , though. But cats are all bitchy n aloof arent they? Put us in mind of The Last Woman To Tell Us to Get Fucked....

Bloody cats... get over it... I think rainfall and habitat, emissions and crazily mutagenic compounds are somehow more critical issues.

Also, as an indigenous australian I find the instant link of whites with eco hell to be a lil simplistic, even ingratiating... get over it, do we realise a whole lot of landclearing was done BY blacks? Yes, whities orders... but conscientious objection never hutrs... Aboriginal australians even drive cars and own tv's now, fucks with the equation a bit dunnit? I even know a couple that use enamel paint for artworks and wear makeup....WOW!!..You think no blackfellas kid ever nailed a lizard and left it to rot ? think no black man ever poured out the unused DET in the sprayer ? Think all that burning off is really the most natural way to get things done... or just the acceptedly more beneficial? ecologists are starting to form renewed suspicions, thats for sure... I can find you an indig aussie at the drop of a coin that is runnning aircon too cold, car too hard, lights too often... bringing it back to skin shade or who had who has a grandad is just a lil bit silly... though Xavier Rudd thanks you, from the bottom of his white boy, plugged in, coca cola backed heart. Course, by blackfellas we just mean hairy lipped old aunties hanging out at the fireside, dont we... but what about the carbon emissions, international chemical betrayal of the match industry and links to Phillip Morris... all gets a tad complicated doesnt it , once you start thinking beyond skin, shade, locality and have to think about kero v flouros and clubbing endangered species v shopping for slow moving ruminants at Coles.

As for "animals that cause harm simply by being there" , I ask you to consider an area of SEQ known as Samford... a couple hundred years ago, it was open old growth rainforest. Then it was cleared for stock, farming etc...bare bones, burnt back, denuded area... as the "horsey set" has overtaken the "cow cockies" in the last couple hundred, trees are more and more prevalent... whilst a horse certainly isnt the most ecologically sound of animals to run on range in australian conditions, it would seem to be a lot more wholesome than cattle, whos existance saw the total clearing of an area, and whose declination and replacement with horses has seen a previously scarred area reach quite a pleasant balance between human use and ecological sustainabilty. Whats worse, a horse owned by the well informed` or a noxious plant species farmed by the well intentioned? Just that I am still digging lantana out of my area...and a LOT of SAB users took me up on the offer of Sida spp. seeds? and all the local old boys reckon they see more trees, natives, and well maintained waterways than they ever saw around here in "the good old days". Even with a much denser population, more cars, roads and whatnot.More cats, I'd say. Like my cat, who once bought in to me two feral hares whos mum had obviously copped it on the road somewhere... what does one do wit hthat situation? put the bubby hares in a sack and use em to beat the cat to death? Any rate, there aer a hundred times for trees (natives, at that) in that region then there have been since white settlement... gets even more complex, given many of the local inhabitants are public service/economics/trade based lifestyles....

combies dont emit carbon, just karma, baby

VM

as for humans being killing machines... makes sense...given our long springy legs, extended canines, night vision, noted endurance, oh thats right... thats all bullshit, and we rely on sharp sticks and propellants..making us one of the LEAST efficient killers...but what we lack in talent we make up for in numbers... and highly pollutive and disruptive pasttimes, like sitting around online talking about how eco dedicated we are.... sorry fellas, but this just reeks of poseur BS. Anyone got a yellow triangular "NO CATS" sticker I can borrow, or a DVD of a cat related Chaser sketch? Feeling all motivated here....

Edited September 28, 2007 by Vertmorpheus

[chilli]

I think I am actually in love with you, Vertmorpheus...

[Monk]

If anything can change your mind, VM, this will:

Evil Cats!

Terrifying, just terrifying.....

[Storm crow]

Brilliantly said Vertmorpheus

"WIRES estimates that 7,000 native animals are killed on New South Wales roads alone, every single day."

Cats can't begin to compete with the destruction humans participate in.

[gerbil]

In more balanced areas they can do a lot of damage , but if you live somewhere that possums monopolise the power lines and "wildlife" means "things that hang around your flouros" I really don't think a cat is quite a problem ppl think it is.. but it IS a nice "logical" target of misplaced anger and violence. Nice easy target for using up a few mls of petrol to run it over to start with.. or you can use a steel cage trap... though the eco cost of making the steel to start with gets me thinking....

This is most definitely not the case, only the other day did I meet an ecological researcher whose prime area of study is urban areas and her main task is changing peoples minds about exactly what you wrote. Their data suggests a highly different situation.

As for "animals that cause harm simply by being there" , I ask you to consider an area of SEQ known as Samford... a couple hundred years ago, it was open old growth rainforest. Then it was cleared for stock, farming etc...bare bones, burnt back, denuded area... as the "horsey set" has overtaken the "cow cockies" in the last couple hundred, trees are more and more prevalent... whilst a horse certainly isnt the most ecologically sound of animals to run on range in australian conditions, it would seem to be a lot more wholesome than cattle, whos existance saw the total clearing of an area, and whose declination and replacement with horses has seen a previously scarred area reach quite a pleasant balance between human use and ecological sustainabilty. Whats worse, a horse owned by the well informed` or a noxious plant species farmed by the well intentioned? Just that I am still digging lantana out of my area...and a LOT of SAB users took me up on the offer of Sida spp. seeds? and all the local old boys reckon they see more trees, natives, and well maintained waterways than they ever saw around here in "the good old days". Even with a much denser population, more cars, roads and whatnot.More cats, I'd say. Like my cat, who once bought in to me two feral hares whos mum had obviously copped it on the road somewhere... what does one do wit hthat situation? put the bubby hares in a sack and use em to beat the cat to death? Any rate, there aer a hundred times for trees (natives, at that) in that region then there have been since white settlement... gets even more complex, given many of the local inhabitants are public service/economics/trade based lifestyles....

I still think my statement stands strong, you even support it in your writings. I'm not comparing cattle to horses and who can bring about better succession in an area, If you look at soil degradation over the period of cattle and horse presence i'd be interested in that data. I don't feel I should write any more as I don't think it will go anywhere, alot of the points are fairly irrelevant, I'm well aware of human impacts no matter the colour of skin.

[-YT-]

Im down with Gerbil ;) Alot of land clearing was done by indigenous people but what sort here are we talking? back burning? or massive fenced off grazing land which within 50-100years degrades the soil composition and alters the ecology... good or bad i guess most of this stuff can be rectified with the appropriate planning and work but thats not the heart of it money is and was.. who gives a fuck about the land when i can be rich, does it matter if we clear large tracks of land for urban/mining/grazing and industrial area? depends where one stands on their viewpoint on society and or rather the state of our country and current climate... good question. And its true we all do things that arent good for the environment no doubt maybe its all too ingrained for most and why change.

But with all this climate change and environmental changes its not something that just happend in the last 5years or whatever its been happening ever since large amounts of people came to this land and started all the glorious agricultural and industrial exploits...

Oh yeah cats! lol they can be usefull what we should do is breed uber big hunting cats to hunt the other feral cats then train dogs to kill the uber hunting cats

Edited September 29, 2007 by -YT-