Concern over cats in New Zealend

[King Oberon]

Gonner old bean,

Sadly RL had me by the short and curlies for a while but things have settled down, such is life 

Never anti-dog, I've owned 3 and loved them to bits but you can't compare the two.

Cat's as you know can't/won't be trained (which is another reason I prefer them!) so I can hardly do a list but then are we judging an animals/pets worth by how much you can train/force it to do things?

I had both and both have their advantages and disadvantages but for me earning the trust and affection of a cat is far more rewarding simply because they don't just give it away they like you or not on their own terms. Dogs are still devoted to even abusive owners, step on a cat by accident and it might not forgive you for weeks!!! 

[Brownie]

King Oberon (love your name, tempted to change mine to Queen Titania but afraid people would talk), I've trod on cat tails more often than I care to remember and, apart from a howl, the experience has never alienated my cats from me.  They are quite devoted, two more than the other two.  One of the other two prefers my husband, also likes sitting on the car in front of the house and flirting with passers by,  and the other one seems to like both of us equally and is quite vocal.

My big Thomas who is gorgeous and loves me in a very laid-back blokeish way is extremely protective of the pretty little cat next door, Pixie, whom my neighbours got as a kitten last year.  She is small and will never be a big cat, very lively and inquisitive.   Just this morning my neighbour was saying how, if he's in the garden with her and an unknown cat or very big bird (we have crows occasionally and have been known to have a goose dropping down for some refreshment), he sees them off.   The two of them, Pixie and Thomas, play together and even 'knock' for eachother to go out to play.  It's quite charming.

When I have been particularly ill over the past few years, the sensitivity shown to me by two cats in particularl is really touching.

I've also been 'told' things by them from time to time, followed them and been shown something that I didn't know about or had forgotten and I was quite gratified.  However they are not service animals and cannot be trained so.

(edited for a couple of careless spellings/grammar)

[SqueakyVoice]

It's not just the cats they're coming for. It's the rats, stoats and possums as well.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/25/no-more-rats-new-zealand-to-exterminate-all-introduced-predators

The prime minister, John Key, said on Monday it would undertake a radical pest extermination programme – which if successful would be a global first – aiming to wipe out the introduced species of rats, stoats and possums nation-wide in a mere 34 years.

According to the government, introduced species kill 25m native New Zealand birds a year including the iconic ground-dwelling, flightless Kiwi, which die at a rate of 20 a week, and now number fewer than 70,000.

[floo]

We have had many cats over the years, for vermin control, but most disappeared into some black hole or other never to be seen again. At our previous property they were most likely shot as there was a pheasant shoot in the meadow next to our home. When the last cat disappeared in the early part of this century we didn't bother to replace it.

[Brownie]

I don't blame you for not replacing the cat, floo, because, much as I think the world of my cats, I certainly won't have any more pets when this lot have popped their clogs.  They are aged 16, 2 aged 15 (mother and two daughters), and one aged about 10.  One of the sisters is very ill atm though she appears to feel alright which is the important thing but I think I've had enough having nursed so many pets over the years.  I'll leave it to the next generation to have pets.

[floo]

We generally have a gerbil in residence which we use as a paper shredder, and very useful it is too. We have had many over the years, and replace them when they turn up their toes, they only live about three years or so.