Cats kill more often than owners think

[klr]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/09 ... ller_cats/

Deadly pussies kill more often than owners think
New study: Most of the time they just leave victims to die

By Brid-Aine Parnell • Get more from this author
Posted in Biology, 9th August 2012 10:02 GMT

Housecats should be kept inside more often to keep them from their daily killing sprees, a study shows.

Those cute kittens whose faces are peer from endless posts on Pinterest are actually predators, and a third of those trailed in a county in Georgia are wandering around outdoors capturing and killing other animals.

The army of assassins was discovered by folks from the University of Georgia and the National Geographic Socity, who strapped video cameras around the necks of 60 cats to record their atrocities for a year in a project known as KittyCam.

“The results were certainly surprising, if not startling,” said Kerrie Anne Loyd of the University of Georgia, lead author of the study.

“In Athens-Clarke County, we found that about 30 per cent of the sampled cats were successful in capturing and killing prey, and that those cats averaged about one kill for every 17 hours outdoors or 2.1 kills per week.

"It was also surprising to learn that cats only brought 23 per cent of their kills back to a residence. We found that house cats will kill a wide variety of animals, including: lizards, voles, chipmunks, birds, frogs, and small snakes.”

The study, presented to the Ecological Society of America, horrified animal interest groups, who said that the cat carnage was taking out whichever animal they cared about.

“If we extrapolate the results of this study across the country and include feral cats, we find that cats are likely killing more than four billion animals per year, including at least 500 million birds," Dr George Fenwick, president of American Bird Conservancy, cried indignantly.

"Cat predation is one of the reasons why one in three American bird species are in decline."

Michael Hutchins, chief exec of The Wildlife Society, was equally terrified.

"I think it will be impossible to deny the ongoing slaughter of wildlife by outdoor cats given the videotape documentation and the scientific credibility that this study brings," he said.

The murderous beasts aren't just a problem for other wildlife however, they're also in danger in the outside world themselves. Nearly half of the felines can run into trouble crossing the road, while strange cats, storm drains and crawlspaces are all worrisome as well.

Videos and pictures from KittyCam can be seen here. ®

[Svartalf]

Catskills are deadly mountains?

[Clinton Huxley]

The catpocalypse is undeniable.

[colubridae]

Take their guns away!

[JimC]

Milky used to kill a few birds, but these days she sticks to rats. They are locked up at nights...

[Gawdzilla Sama]

If you don't like your cat, let it roam around the world without you.

[Atheist-Lite]

You'll never go hungry with a well trained cat.

[normal]

You'll never go hungry with a well trained cat.

Hell, if you can train a cat that well you don't have to worry about anything. World domination next!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

You'll never go hungry with a well trained cat.

Hungry cats don't hunt, they scavenge. No point in wasting energy in a stalk when garbage doesn't run away. The key to having a successful mouser is to keep them fed and willing to play (or "hunt" as you humans put it.)

[Atheist-Lite]

You'll never go hungry with a well trained cat.

Hungry cats don't hunt, they scavenge. No point in wasting energy in a stalk when garbage doesn't run away. The key to having a successful mouser is to keep them fed and willing to play (or "hunt" as you humans put it.)

Technicalities aside I am just about right here.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

You'll never go hungry with a well trained cat.

Hungry cats don't hunt, they scavenge. No point in wasting energy in a stalk when garbage doesn't run away. The key to having a successful mouser is to keep them fed and willing to play (or "hunt" as you humans put it.)

Technicalities aside I am just about right here.

I wasn't calling you on that, merely amplifying. People think if you don't feed your mouser it will hunt for food. True, but not food that takes work to find and kill unless that's all that's available. My back yard is a terrible place to be a mouse, 9 adult and adolescent cats lounging around and looking for some fun.

[Atheist-Lite]

You'll never go hungry with a well trained cat.

Hungry cats don't hunt, they scavenge. No point in wasting energy in a stalk when garbage doesn't run away. The key to having a successful mouser is to keep them fed and willing to play (or "hunt" as you humans put it.)

Technicalities aside I am just about right here.

I wasn't calling you on that, merely amplifying. People think if you don't feed your mouser it will hunt for food. True, but not food that takes work to find and kill unless that's all that's available. My back yard is a terrible place to be a mouse, 9 adult and adolescent cats lounging around and looking for some fun.

Unlike hungry human beings who can go to extremes for a loaf of bread. The difference a large brain makes.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Unlike hungry human beings who can go to extremes for a loaf of bread. The difference a large brain makes.

I think you miss my point. The amount of energy expended to find food is deducted from the value of the food. So the best recourse is to eat the most readily available food, all else being equal. If a person went to great lengths to get a loaf of bread repeatedly they'd wind up in a negative energy budget situation. Cats know this instinctively. Humans are aware of it.

[Atheist-Lite]

Unlike hungry human beings who can go to extremes for a loaf of bread. The difference a large brain makes.

I think you miss my point. The amount of energy expended to find food is deducted from the value of the food. So the best recourse is to eat the most readily available food, all else being equal. If a person went to great lengths to get a loaf of bread repeatedly they'd wind up in a negative energy budget situation. Cats know this instinctively. Humans are aware of it.

The cat just can't be arsed. It's evolving towards being a ground sloth. Energy isn't the issue. This is a absence of motivation. If it wanted to it could buck the trend and catch mice anytime. It just doesn't want to.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Unlike hungry human beings who can go to extremes for a loaf of bread. The difference a large brain makes.

I think you miss my point. The amount of energy expended to find food is deducted from the value of the food. So the best recourse is to eat the most readily available food, all else being equal. If a person went to great lengths to get a loaf of bread repeatedly they'd wind up in a negative energy budget situation. Cats know this instinctively. Humans are aware of it.

The cat just can't be arsed. It's evolving towards being a ground sloth. Energy isn't the issue. This is a absence of motivation. If it wanted to it could buck the trend and catch mice anytime. It just doesn't want to.

I won't follow you down that rabbit hole.