this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2025
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Mate, cats are not a native species. They hunt for sport and wind up absolutely destroying the local ecosystem. Outdoor cats should be killed onsight like literally any other invasive species.
"These are non-native predators that, even using conservative estimates, kill 1.3–4 billion birds and 6.3–22.3 billion mammals each year in the U.S. alone (Loss et al. 2013, Nature Communications)"
I personally care more about my local ecosystem than some cat that someone is too lazy to play with and keep entertained.
While I agree with your main point (which to me sounds like "don't let your cats outside as they're an invasive species and will do serious damage to the local ecosystem"), suggesting to kill them on sight is a bit harsh and won't make you many allies.
We have much more humane options to capture, return, and if needed rehouse cats. Remember that these objectively invasive animals are also people's companions, and that some folks simply don't know better than the old belief that "cats should roam".
If my cat escapes one day and you shoot it, we have problems :)
Other than that bit of insanity, I think I fully agree with you.