Unfortunately the real issue is not whether a species is invasive but whether it is charismatic. Cats, mustangs, and even panda bears if they were released into the wild and could survive in N. America, are charismatic. Whether they fit into the ecosystem is politically irrelevant.
Birds of course are also charismatic, but I think that cats trump piping plovers. Bill Silvert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Blanc, Lori" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 8:29 PM Subject: invasive species and cats > 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
