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Comment by ForestCritter | Hacker News Reader

Before they were housecats fed from the grocery store, how many birds did they eat a day? A natural predator does not make their prey extinct.

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Cats are an invasive species. They are not natural predators. That is the problem. I say this as a cat owner.

You are the owner of a domesticated species. Feral cats are part of natures food chain and natural balance. Without them there would be no stopping the rodent population.Not liking them being there doesn't make them invasive.

No, they're not. They're an invasive species brought to different locations around the world via human activity. The feral cats being discussed originated in the middle east and were brought to different continents by humans. North America's native cat species do not naturally target mice.

This is like saying the argentine black and white tegu is a natural part of the food chain in Florida. Please understand that humans bringing a species to a new location doesn't suddenly convert them to part of nature.

Cougars, wolves, coyotes. eagles, snakes (venomous and constrictors), hawks, and owls are natural predators of cats. Their populations have been decimated mostly by loss of habitat (same with birds). Peronnally I'd much rather be overrun by feral cats than rats any given day.

You have not responded to my statement about cats being an invasive species. I will interpret this as conceding the point.

Most housecats (that are allowed outside) don't kill prey for food. They do it for pleasure/instinct.

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