A soft purr, a gentle paw. A pet cat is a luxury that humans have indulged in for thousands of years, from their beginnings in Africa and the Middle East, all the way to homes here in 2014. Cats rival dogs as the most common pet in the United States, with 30.4% of houses owning 2.1 cats each (“U.S. Pet Ownership Statistics”).While working cats, such as farm cats, barn cats, and other rural, semi-feral animals may be kept for specific purposes of keeping pest animals at bay, the vast majority of kept cats in the US are pet cats, kept in homes for companionship and affection. Cat owners want the best for their pets, and as such is important to keep pet cat indoors, for their own safety as well as the safety of the local wildlife.
The modern world is a hazardous place for house cats. It is important to realize the many dangers that lay in wait beyond the front door. While a healthy indoor cat has an average lifespan of 12-15 (and even as many as 25!) years, the average lifespan of an indoor/outdoor cat is reduced by 2-3 years simply by going outside (Indoor and Outdoor Cat Life Expectancy Differences). A cat who goes outdoors also has a minefield of risks to manage every day, most of them created by humans. Feral and pet dogs are a major risk to outdoor cats, and, although it is said that cats will avoid busy roads, there is no evidence to support this, and car strikes take down countless cats each year. In 1993, the newspaper “Animal News” published findings that as many as 5.4 million cats were hit by cars that year. While this does include feral, stray, and otherwise unowned cats, it is important to realize the dangers that cars present to your cat. Another danger that presents itself is humans themselves. While it may be...
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...w can there really be any choice at all? The answer is clear- keep your kitty safely inside, and enjoy the years of love that she offers.
Works Cited
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"Indoor and Outdoor Cat Life Expectancy Differences."Vetinfo. np, 2012. Web. 28 April 2014.
"Indoor vs Outdoor Cats."American Humane Association. np, n.d. Web. 28 April 2014.
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"Roadkills of Cats Fall 90% in 10 years."AnimalPeople. np, Nov. 2003. Web. 28 April 2014.
“Tick-Borne Diseases and Your Cat.” PETMD. petMD, LLC, 1999-2014. Web. 28 April 2014.
“U.S. Pet Ownership Statistics.” AVMA.org. American Veterinary Medical Association, 2014. Web. 28 April 2014.
At one time, the lynx lived all the way along the Continental Divide clear up into Canada. Now, after being gone from Colorado for 25 years, the animal has been reintroduced into the lower tip of the lynx's historic habitat, the San Juan Mountains (Rogers). So far, out of 33 lynx that are being tracked, all of them are roaming in 276 square kilometers of the southwestern portion of Colorado that runs from the New Mexico border up to the I-70 corridor and from Monarch Pass over to Taylor Mesa (Shenk). In an attempt to find out how the animals, which look like bobcats with black tufts on their ears and huge paws, act in nature, scientists are tracking them with radio collars and airplanes (Lloyd).
Weeks, P., & Packard, J. (2009). Feral hogs: Invasive species or nature. Human Organization, 68(3), 280-292. Retrieved from http://wk4ky4tk9h.scholar.serialssolutions.com.library.esc.edu/?sid=google&auinit=P&aulast=Weeks&atitle=Feral Hogs: Invasive Species or Nature's Bounty?&title=Human organization&volume=68&issue=3&date=2009&spage=280&issn=0018-7259
Quarterly, Wilson. "When Cats Ruled The World." 24.1 (2000): n. pag. Web. 11 Mar 2011. .
The Web. 18 Jan. 2014. Levy, Sharon. A Plague of Deer. BioScience 56.9 (2006): 714–21.
Coyotes and bears are a common sight in the woods. These animals, along with others, are predators that help to control deer population but also decrease the amount of land allowed to the deer. In Western NC, deer rates have fallen and bag limits have been reduced. In Pennsylvania, biologists have conducted a lengthy study to determine fawn mortality and predation. Predators killed 46% of fawns, (Hart). A study about coyotes in Ohio found that even though they kill numerous fawns, the population of deer continues to grow, (Hart). It would be critical to maintain...
Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/wild/animal-intervention/interactives/exotic-animal-incidents/. Kendall, Jodi. (n.d.) Wild at Home: Exotic Animals as Pets. National Geographic. Retrieved March 5, 2014, from http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/wild/animal-intervention/articles/wild-at-home-exotic-animals-as-pets/. Parry, Wynne. A.
In the last decade, from the Rockies to New England and the Deep South, rural and suburban areas have been beset by white-tailed deer gnawing shrubbery and crops, spreading disease and causing hundreds of thousands of auto wrecks. But the deer problem has proved even more profound, biologists say. Fast-multiplying herds are altering the ecology of forests, stripping them of native vegetation and eliminating niches for other wildlife. ' 'I don 't want to paint deer as Eastern devils, ' ' said Dr. McShea, a wildlife biologist associated with the National Zoo in Washington, ' 'but this is indicative of what happens when an ecosystem is out of whack. ' ' The damage is worse than anyone expected, he and other scientists say. Higher deer densities have affected growth, survival, and reproduction of many plant species which have aesthetic, economic or ecological value. In some cases, many species of trees have also been shown to have reduced growth as a result of high deer density (Environmental Benefits of Hunting, 1). Deer prefer certain plant species over others and frequently feed on economically valuable tree species. For example, they prefer oak and sugar maple seedlings, as well as acorns, over less palatable species like American Beech and striped maple. Thus, less marketable species are more likely to survive to maturity,
Estimates are that at the turn of the twentieth century, over two million wild horses roamed free in the western United States. However, having no protection from their primary predator, man, by the 1970’s their numbers had dwindled to less than thirty thousand. In 1971, after a massive public uproar, Congress by a unanimous vote enacted the “Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act” (Act) that characterizes wild horses and burros as national treasures and provides for their protection. “Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene. It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.”
For many cat owners, their cat’s impulse to scratch can become a disastrous problem. Cat owners believe that the only logical solution is to have the cat declawed. It’s natural for cats to scratch and use their our claws to live their daily lives. Cats use their claws to play, climb, and in many situations as a form of self-defense. So the question that presents itself, is it really necessary for cat owners to have cats declawed. The only problem with declawing cats is that it is unnecessary and inhumane mutilation. Many cat owners should be more aware take advantage of the other safer and more humane alternatives for their cats.
Thesis: The population of white-tail deer in Alabama has drastically increased over the past century causing significant damage to property and homeowners, caused by hunters being less active.
The cat is a household pet his life is good. He never has to do any
The first point we need to look at is a cat’s habitat. One benefit of a cat’s habitat is that they live with humans. And living with humans gives cats shelter, food, and unlimited amounts of affection. Cats no longer have to hunt for hours tracking and animal to eat. Now they just wander over to the food dish to get an excellent blend of natural meats and vegetables, which would not be available in the wild. Also, cats no longer have to spend
The Black Cat, a story written by famous horror author, Edgar Allen Poe exhibits all five elements of horror genre; fear, surprise, suspense, mystery, and spoilers. Edgar Allen Poe wrote stories to play on the fears of readers. Poe grew up in the 1800’s. As a child, he faced many fears himself as he grew up poor and watched his family die from disease.
There are the many differences and similarities between the most popular household pets, dogs and cats. These pets really do make a wonderful addition to the family; but, before you decide on which pet to bring home think about the different attention, grooming care, and bathroom usage for each of these pets, to make sure you are able to provide proper care for your pet. Having a pet is a lot of hard work, but in the long run it’s very
Sikes, Roberts. and William L. Gannon. "Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research." Journal of Mammalogy 92.1 (Feb. 2011): 235-253. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.