Note: this is a deliberately provocative post.

The idea of exterminating the outdoor-domestic, stray and feral cat from North America is quite popular amongst that segment of the American population who have the illogical belief that non-native animals are less valuable than native animals and that humans are not a non-native species.

They also have the idea that life will be better if America was returned to some utopian state when all the species on the continent were native. That is meant to be better than today solely on the grounds that the species were native! It is ridiculous.

Non-native species in North America are those that exist on the continent due to the intervention of humans. Native species evolved on the continent since time immemorial. On that definition all American citizens other than native Americans should jump onto the nearest ship and plane and leave the country! It is ironic that the immigrant Americans all but destroyed the native Americans and now some of them complain that non-native cats are killing native wildlife. It is a bit hypocritical isn’t it?

Also the idea that non-native species should be seen as less valued than native species is very odd. The people who believe that the cat, a non-native American species is of lesser value than a native American bird that it hunts as prey hints at ethnic cleansing. They are all animals of equal value in the eyes of God.

From the people who wish to exterminate the cat from North America, there is no mention of the hidden benefits of the cat in keeping down rodent populations nor of the horrendous damage done by people – a non-native species – to all species of native animal in North America through all manner of means including destroying habitat or just plain shooting at the animals for the fun of it or for their skins.

Also why should these people single out the cat because it kills birds (at a level much lower than claimed)? If you kill the cat because it kills native birds you have to go the whole way and kill dozens or hundreds of other species. Where will it end?

Finally, the notion that you can actually kill all the feral, outdoor-domestic and stray cats in North America is highly impractical and absurd. One interesting and ironic aspect of the desire to kill the cat is that the veterinarians of America would be up in arms and protesting massively in support of the cat! Think of the billions of dollars they would lose from declawing over the years if there were no cats!