The Best of the NT News - Part # 1052

A great initiative, but doesn't go far enough. Cats should be banned outright, and every one of them killed, without exception. We did our bit in Darwin - the local DPI would rent out "possum traps" (ha), and locals used to give wandering neighbourhood moggies vertical swimming lessons in wheelie bins ... those were the days.

Ian, you are runnng a risk here of being accused of tormenting daycat, hope you don't get banned.

Cats should be banned outright, Why?

Got a cat trap once to get the feral creature which was harrassing my darling little moggy - I managed to catch a magpie then my own cat.

Ian - why so vehement?

Well, certainly in NZ there is much evidence that birds' eggs are eaten by possums and rats. Whereas cats don't eat possums, they certainly keep the rat population down, at least ours definitely does and, yes, she is desexed.

Not vehemence at all - it's nothing personal; just cold hard logic regarding Australia and cats - they do not mix. All should be exterminated if we are serious about indigenous fauna. Every single cat hunts - even fat lazy suburban ones that owners swear sit inside all day munching of SnappyTom.

if cats, why not dogs? I am house-sitting in sydney's northern beaches at the moment. yesterday morning i nearly put my foot in a puddle of warm bandicoot guts, courtesy of the resident jack russell terrier. he was so proud. and i think he somewhat misinterpreted my look of abject horror.

by contrast, my cat has only ever killed vermin. one, because there are no bandicoots in the inner west, as far as i know, and two, because he's old and ill-equipped to deal with saltatorial wildlife, but still: he's solely a rat-catcher, and in inner sydney, that's not to be sniffed at.

Well ... yappy horrible little Jack Russell dogs too then ... gas 'em all I say! Leaping lizards nette - saltatorial is a cool word (had to look it up).

it is a cool word, isn't it. not one you can often justifiably pop into conversation very often, though. you have to seize these openings when you can.

oops. two 'oftens'. how embarrassing.