THE EDUCATIONAL HUMANE SOCIETY 



12 = 



Birds or Cats?— Which? 



The present discussion by various 

 magazines and newspapers of the com- 

 mon cat as the greatest enemy of our 

 birds, is timely and necessary, as the 

 matter is growing more and more seri- 

 ous. "Forest and Stream" makes a plea 

 against the cat in behalf of the common 

 game birds, especially those in parks 

 and says : 



"These birds nest, lay and hatch each 

 year, but then what happens? The 

 common or garden cat comes along and 

 takes its toll from among the progeny 

 as well as the progenitors. The result 

 is that instead of thousands of game 

 birds in this great park, we have thou- 

 sands of cats and few game birds. Park 

 Commissioner Higgins, than whom 

 there is no more conscientious and act- 

 ive commissioner, knows little about 

 conservation of game birds, conse- 

 quently a great opportunity is lost. A 

 law should be passed by all city govern- 

 ments, and if city governments will not 

 take care of it, the Conservation Com- 

 mission should take it in charge, forbid- 

 ding all residents on park property from 

 owning or housing cats. City author- 

 ities should order all cats in city parks 

 destroyed . If this is not done, all un- 

 housed game birds in city parks soon 

 will be wiped out. Why not a bounty 

 on the scalp of the ex-house cat? When 

 it was a house cat it had a mission ; now 

 that it has ceased to be a house cat, it 

 should have a dismission." 

 The simple question is, Should cats 

 have privileges not permitted to men 

 and boys ? It is strictly against the law 

 to go gunning for biras, yet here in 

 Sound Beach I have positive evidence 

 that cats kill more birds than would 

 several boys or men with their guns. 

 The gunner would here and there shoot 

 a bird in the tree tops, but the cats make 

 wholesale destruction of the young 

 birds in the nest. This spring there 

 were several nests of red-shouldered 

 blackbirds in the marsh near by. The 

 dry season evaporated the water so that 

 these nests were easily accessible, and 

 it is my belief not one young red-shoul- 

 dered blackbird has been permitted to 

 live. The same is true of some other 

 birds. There should at least be a law 

 against ownerless cats and providing 

 that the wardens of the Fish and Game 

 Commission may shoot them or other- 

 wise dispose of them. The cats can 



hardly be blamed for capturing young 

 birds, as they must at times, take the 

 birds or starve. Then too, it should be 

 provided in the law that cats shall 

 not be permitted to roam at will, espe- 

 cially in the months of May, June and 

 July. It is a remarkable fact, in view of 

 all the laws and efforts for the protec- 

 tion of birds in all parts of the United 

 States, that there has been absolutely 

 nothing done to prevent this great 

 slaughter by cats. 



Why should there be an exception in 

 favor of this four-footed animal any 

 more than of oxen, cows or horses? 

 They are not permitted to roam at will 

 over everybody's property. Horses or 

 cows left to go at will over a neighbor's 

 lawn or garden, would not cause a 

 greater financial loss than cats cause 

 when left to roam at will over his chick- 

 en yard. This is said in kindness and 

 good will toward one of the best house- 

 hold pets. We should not condemn the 

 starving cat for seeking food, but should 

 preferably change the lax methods of 

 caring for the cat. The time is coming 

 when this difficulty must be adjusted. 

 Summer dwellers at seaside resorts take 

 their cats, and leave them at the end of 

 the season. With the cat it is either to 

 prowl and hunt and become half wild, 

 or to die of starvation. Consequently 

 the birds suffer, the cats suffer and are 

 condemned, while the guilty summer- 

 visitor, thoughtless, careless and greatly 

 to blame, goes free. Is there no occa- 

 sion for a change here? And is there no 

 occasion here for a little missionary 

 work ? 



The Cat and Birds. 



Oradell, New Jersey. 

 To the Editor : 



The cat is not such a monster as he 

 is reputed to be by his enemies. Do 

 you know — indeed you must — that cats 

 brought up from kittenhood with birds 

 are harmless as far as birds are con- 

 cerned, and that the cat bred for a pet 

 is not as a rule a hunter? We never 

 even guarantee any of our cats to be 

 mousers, unless they have been farm- 

 raised cats accustomed to hunt, though 

 again, any cat may be trained to it as 

 was my own at the age of three years 

 when necessity compelled it, as the rats 

 and mice were getting ahead of us and 

 I do not believe in poison or traps if it 

 is possible to avoid them — the natural 



