Yes, feral cats are considered an unwelcome invasive. Just ask any field biologist or the Audubon Society http://www.audubon.org/local/cn/98march/nasr.html
Warren W. Aney Senior Wildlife Ecologist Tigard, OR 97223 -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Blanc, Lori Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 12:30 PM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: invasive species and cats Hi all -- In all the discussion so far about introduced/invasive/non-native species, I don't recall seeing any mention of cats. I've heard a lot about the impacts of cats on wildlife in Australia, but not as much about cats here in the U.S. Indeed - this can be a sensitive issue, since so many people have cats for pets, and let the cats have free roam outside. For example, I recently saw an article in the New York Times (Nov 13), which presented the case of a birder in Texas who shot a feral cat, which he had observed stalking endangered piping plovers. This case is in court, with many people upset about the cruel treatment (i.e. shooting) of the cat. The person who shot the cat faces up to 2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for shooting the cat. So, this raises a few questions: 1) Are house cats considered an invasive species in North America? 2) Do cats have a significant negative impact on avian populations in North America? I realize that I can do a quick literature search on this topic to learn more, but I'm also curious to see what the general opinions are of the ecologists on this listserv, especially within the context of the recent invasive species discussion. Thanks, Lori ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lori Blanc, Ph.D. Dept. of Biological Sciences Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University 540-231-5256
