Chương 189: Chapter 755: Stray Cats
Fang Ye explained, "In a healthy ecosystem, a web of relationships forms, with various species increasing and decreasing in numbers, but all staying within certain limits to maintain a dynamic balance.
However, when cats, which do not belong to the ecosystem, are introduced, they prey on birds, reducing the ecosystem's ability to control insects. This leads to a lack of food for raptors and medium-sized mammals that also feed on small animals.
Ecosystems have evolved over long periods, with species competing, repelling, adapting, and mutually benefiting from each other over hundreds or thousands of years, forming close, interdependent relationships.
When an invasive species is introduced, it may be excluded if it cannot adapt to the new environment. But if there are no natural checks or balances, it becomes a true invader, disrupting the balance and altering or damaging the local ecosystem, severely impacting biodiversity.
The most famous ecological disaster caused by cats is the case of a cat named Tibbles, who wiped out the unique bird species, the Stephens Island wren, in just one year.
That was in an isolated island environment where no animals could cope with such a perfect predator. In China, in the wild, predators like the leopard cat and red fox, which share the same ecological niche, can control stray cats, preventing them from causing much trouble.
However, in cities, stray cats that would naturally be eliminated can survive by eating kitchen waste and even receiving food from humans, allowing them to reproduce in numbers that small carnivores in the wild could never achieve.
With an unnaturally high population, and being animals that hunt out of boredom, stray cats pose a significant problem in urban areas.
This not only affects birds and other animals but also brings public health risks such as toxoplasmosis and rabies."
Some viewers, who liked cats and even fed them, felt a bit ashamed after hearing Fang Ye's explanation.
They had previously fed the cats out of a sense of kindness and love, not realizing the negative impact. It turns out that random feeding is not a good practice and is similar to the irresponsible release of animals into the wild.
A viewer asked, "So what should we do?"
Fang Ye replied, "First and foremost, we need to prevent cats from becoming strays.
Owning a pet requires money and effort, but many people only think about the joy pets bring, not the trouble. When they no longer want the pet, they abandon it, which is very irresponsible.
For example, in universities, students keep pets even though it's not allowed, letting them roam outside. After graduation, they leave the pets behind, increasing the number of stray cats on campus.
Some people let their cats roam freely, or the cats escape through windows and get lost. If you have a cat, don't let it roam free and make sure to secure your windows. Cats kept indoors are healthy and live long lives. There's no need to let them outside, where they might harm birds.
For stray cats, control yourself and don't feed them.
The life of a stray cat is undoubtedly harder than that of a house cat. They get hit by cars, pelted with stones, go hungry, and fight for territory. In winter, they freeze. Feeding them only temporarily improves their situation. Once they reproduce, there will be more stray cats suffering in the city.
Saying stray cats are pitiful and that those who abandon them are hateful, while feeding them, makes you the person you dislike.
Another important measure is neutering!
Some people are strongly opposed to neutering cats, thinking it robs them of part of their life experience and their right to reproduce, making them unhappy.
This view is entirely human-centric.
Animals mate based on instinct. Most do not feel pleasure during mating; it can even be extremely painful. A cat's penis has barbs.
Neutering spares cats the agony of mating and makes them healthier. What's wrong with that?
If you insist that cats enjoy mating and should experience it once before being neutered, remember that cats don't have the concept of 'I want to have a child.' They reproduce purely out of genetic instinct.
Consider the exponential growth if cats are allowed to reproduce without limits.
A female cat can have up to 12 kittens per litter, at least 2, usually 3-6. A healthy cat can have two litters a year.
In ideal conditions, a pair of unneutered cats can produce 2 million descendants in 8 years.
If you want to preserve their right to reproduce, what about their offspring's right? And their offspring's offspring? Can you care for all these descendants? If not, they will be abandoned or given away, potentially becoming more strays."
Fang Ye paused, then continued, "Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is a humane method to reduce the stray cat population.
Volunteers capture cats safely, qualified veterinarians perform neutering and vaccinations, and the cats are returned to their original area. Their ears are clipped to mark them, preventing repeated surgeries. Friendly cats can be put up for adoption.
I recommend adopting rather than buying if you want a cat.
TNR is praised by many but is not a cure-all. It requires stopping the source of stray cats, achieving a 71%-94% neutering rate, and managing centralized feeding to be effective. The key is not to feed strays or abandon pets.
A community with three to five neutered strays is manageable. Residents can enjoy petting them, children can learn compassion, and it brings people closer to nature.
Conservation work often starts from such simple acts of kindness.
However, a city with tens of thousands of stray cats far exceeds the ecosystem's capacity.
As for culling, the issue of stray cats is not just an ecological problem but also a social one.
Simple and brutal culling can effectively reduce stray cat numbers but will provoke strong public backlash, making it counterproductive.
Unless the ecological environment is severely threatened, or we need to protect endangered wildlife or control serious infectious diseases, culling should not be used.
Euthanasia is also a good method but faces acceptance issues, which we need to address through continuous education."
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