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"scared straight" for folks with cats



Carolinabirders,

While I do not currently own a cat at the present time, let me preface the
following by stating that I in no way harbor hatred toward domestic cats as
predators, but like most birders I would strongly prefer that their owners
keep them indoors since they are exotic. Just yesterday, I went out on a
hawking excursion with fellow falconer John Thedieck and his Harris Hawk duo
(thankfully no shot hawks on this outing!). At the end of the hunt we had
tallied 3 cottontails and one, albeit small, cat. Perhaps the most
surprising thing was the fact that it was the 20 ounce tiercel, rather than
the larger female that grabbed the fairly young kitten. I suppose the
take-home message is this: raptors can and will when presented the
opportunity, take cats, be it a falconry bird or a wild bird. In this
instance we're talking about a kitten being taken by a fairly small Harris
Hawk, but no doubt a Great-horned Owl could take a fairly large cat
considering that they do prey on raccoons and skunks. Personally I like cats
(indoors) and derived no pleasure from having to put a feral kitten out of
its misery after it was mauled. This might be another angle to approach with
folks who insist on letting their cat have its "freedom" and roam outdoors.
Keep in mind that coyotes also prey on domestic cats as well.