this post was submitted on 29 Apr 2024
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Unpopular opinion: There are already way too many domestic cats and they are responsible for the extinction of various species, mostly birds. They are amongst the most problematic invasive species in the world. Its probably not a good idea to increase their lifespan...
Popular opinion: I love cats
In your country perhaps, cats aren't a problem everywhere. Even the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds maintain that cats are not a major cause of bird decline (in Britain).
I'm not only talking about my country, but you're right: The location matters. It's a fact that cats have a noticeable impact on global biodiversity. There is an interesting article on the matter here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42766-6
Forgive me if I don't treat Britain as an expert on biodiversity, given their history of hunting most of their wildlife to extinction.
Well the RSPB shockingly are quite against hunting animals, who'd have thought it? And careful throwing stones from your glass house, didn't your lot hunt the bison almost to extinction the moment they landed?
You can get them fixed.
The reason birds are going extinct is humans. Hunting, habitat loss, and climate change are far, far more impactful than cats. As much as they kill, cats shouldn’t even be making a dent in bird populations in most of the world (yes, there are islands and a few microbiomes where they have an outsized impact, and that is an issue that needs to be addressed).
Cats only have such a big impact because we drove those species of birds to the edge of extinction already.