+bonifartius 𒂼𒄄
is it ok to have a cat outside to help with mice and rats, considering cats are bird killers (but rats are invasive too..)?
@special-boy
yes, maybe it's fine. birbs should have enough places to hide here, bird houses already are in place :)
@bonifartius i guess this depends on where you live.
@Sibylle smack in the middle of nowhere.. there are some stray cats already. i think it is fine, still, it like birds very much too.
Since birds (generally) fly, they have a fair advantage over cats.
Also, I had a house cat that was so "humanized" that after catching a mouse, it played with it for a while, then let the mouse and go to get some food from us humans. "Killing? Eating raw meat?? ME???"
@niclas @bonifartius birds can fly -BUT...
At night, the cat is in advantage, when the birds sleep. Not sure about most birds night vision, either. Young birds in flight training often fall victim to cats, too.
And there are a lot of species that suffer from a high cat density, too. Like lizards, mantis...
Also in countries like new zealand the endemic species are not used to predators like cats, they do not escape.
@bonifartius @niclas i prefer having some side catch over using poison for mouse control.
I guess cat birth control is crucial. Feral cats are terrible to the environment.
@Sibylle
Locality is a very good point, I give you that. Fall victims, tough but life isn't fair. No star for trying, in nature.
Rats are too big for a cat, so they generally don't risk attacking a rat unless they're starving, as there's a good chance the rat will injure the cat.
A bell on the cats collar helps with birds, but only during the day.
@Suiseiseki we had a dead rat here with bites in the neck. either was a stray cat or a weasel, maybe a fox? either way if a cat acts as repellent thats enough for me ;)
Birds can be invasive too, @bonifartius, balancing the ecosystem (for our benefit) is a bit more complex than a yes/no decision. My favorite (uneducated) solution to this is fucking about and finding out.
@bonifartius I'm of the opinion that it's not ok to have a cat inside, so you obviously have my blessing. Let the beast have fun as it was always intended, i say.
On the other hand though..... In my experience, a pair of jack Russell terriers is better at killing rats than an entire swarm of cats. Something to perhaps consider 😂
@ThatCrazyDude yeah, a dog does work too but i'm not sure if i can properly care for it right now. if i get an animal i want to do it right ;)
Robert_Thankfully 
🇷🇺 ⛪🦃
They're also willing to dig up a rat's burrow and shred the little fucker.
Cats will rat but if you give them an opportunity to fuck up everything else as well, they probably will. Bells on the collar work, but not well enough.
Owls are also a good option, they're not overly hard to encourage to nest on your property but that requires a healthy owl population. I've got a few nesting on my land (I've built plenty of boxes etc for them,) but I doubt someone in more urban areas would.
@Robert_Edwardly @SpaceElf i thought about getting a dog, but as pack animals dogs need more care than cats and i'm not sure if i can guarantee that i can give them enough attention right now. maybe some owl boxes are a good idea, worst case is i get some owls.
i just don't want to do the poison route because that kills birds of prey and other animals who hunt.
put up a birdhouse or two and dont worry
make sure that its woodpecker safe tho