Cats without microchips to be culled by Auckland city council

Auckland City Council main building. Photo: Wikipedia.

This is the latest development in the war against cats by the authorities in either New Zealand or Australia. Any cat is in the firing line: domestic, stray or feral. There are many great cat owners and lovers in these countries but their elected lawmakers are paranoid about cats.

Auckland city councillors have come up with another cat killing scheme. Any cat caught without a microchip in a nature reserve will be killed to protect native species.

Around Auckland, the country’s largest city of 1.5m, there are five large ecologically sensitive areas. Cats found in these areas will be deemed to be pests and liable to be killed. It won’t matter if the cat is someone’s beloved pet. They’ll all be seen as pests even if they provide companionship to their human caretakers.

The authorities want to protect wildlife. We know this. They keep dreaming up different schemes but they have one common element: kill the cats.

There is no attempt to do something humane such as TNR. Or trap and return the cat to the owner if possible and then make microchipping and confinement mandatary.

They authorities say that cats kill native species such as kiwis. Apparently cats have contributed to the extinction of at least nine species of native bird. I don’t have details. I suspect that this is an exaggeration and I’d like to know how many species have been made near extinct by human activities.

Upset cat owners

Of course cat lovers and owners are up in arms. Anne Batley-Burton, president of the New Zealand Cat Foundation, said, “You would end up with people’s pets getting killed, you would end up with the poor strays being wiped out. These are sentient beings and their lives should not be taken lightly”.

The plan is to take effect in March 2019. The SPCA say there is not enough time to get all the cats microchipped. Furthermore microchipping is not obligatory under the existing law.

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Comments

Cats without microchips to be culled by Auckland city council — 19 Comments

Ostrich Spotter on September 19, 2018 at 3:59 pm said:
“I suspect that this is an exaggeration and I’d like to know how many species have been made near extinct by human activities.”
I fail to understand your blatant disconnect. You are also responsible for all extinctions caused by humans. Since cats are an activity of humans and are caused by humans, on top of all other extinctions you are also responsible for those caused by your cats too. If you weren’t here your cats wouldn’t exist anywhere on the planet.
What don’t you understand about this and why do you think the actions of your cats are separate and apart from all other human values and behaviors? Killing another animal with your cat is no different than if you killed an animal with a gun, or a hunting-dog, or a raptor that you trained to hunt for you. (Well, there is one difference, killing an animal with a gun is far far more humane than killing an animal with a house-cat.) A cat is just another extension of the human hand. No different than if you slashed a handheld knife across the throat of every animal killed by a cat.
The problem is always caused by someone else, isn’t it. By other humans, by cats, but never you. Right? Sorry, you’re the cause of the greatest number of extinctions on this planet, even more extinctions than those caused by humans who don’t promote the existence of cats.
That’s reality. May you one day come to terms with the reality of being the most destructive of all types of humans on the planet. You are the absolute worst people on earth when it comes to being a good steward of the environment. That’s a scientifically confirmed FACT. You kill, by torturing to death with your cats, about 1,000 times more animals than those who don’t promote the existence of cats. That too is a confirmed scientific FACT.
Perhaps you have some mental illness where you enjoy being the most hated and despised people on the planet. I can find no other reason for why you do what you do and continue to choose what you do. Maybe you can explain it to us.
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- Michael Broad on September 19, 2018 at 6:43 pm said:
  “I fail to understand your blatant disconnect”
  There is no disconnect. We are writing about damaging the survival of native species of Australia and NZ. Humans endanger native species far more than cats. The connection is the endangerment of wild species and humans are the main culprits. You know that.
  I am not personally responsible for the extinctions caused by humans but being human I take responsibility and I keep my cat confined. I can’t do more personally. The problem is not always caused by someone else. The big problems regarding wild species are caused by the human race. We know that. There are countless examples: tiger: gradual extinction, many small wild cat species are very endangered because of palm oil plantations for example. I could go on for hours about it.
  I don’t think I am hated. The opposite in fact. You are hated by me and by many others. You are an unpleasant individual. I am a nice person. I have been kind to you and published your comment. You need to provide a current photo of yourself and upload it with your next comment if you want it published. Read the comment rules. You are a troll on this site.
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  - Ostrich Spotter on September 19, 2018 at 7:45 pm said:
    Translation:
    “See my cute and fuzzy four-legged hunting knife? I keep mine at home, even though I posted photos of my cute and fuzzy hunting-knife ripping a bird to shreds, but I don’t care what anyone else does with their cute and fuzzy four-legged hunting knife. So if their four-legged hunting knives get out to slash the throats of any animals they find, that’s the fault of everyone else. So what if our four-legged hunting knives are killing 1,000 times more animals than people who don’t own nor promote the creation of four-legged hunting knives. That’s still not my fault nor the fault of anyone else who owns, promotes, or sustains the existence of cute and fuzzy four-legged hunting knives. Everyone just hates our four-legged hunting knives, that’s all, they’re just trolls. We’re not to blame, we’re not hated for this. They hate our cute and fuzzy four-legged hunting knives! Not us, they don’t hate and despise us at all! They’re just four-legged hunting knife haters and trolls!”
    People who promote and own cats are now far more socially unacceptable than tobacco smokers and those who cause oil-spills today. More ocean life is dying from your cats’ Toxoplasma gondii parasite than all oil-spills in the history of humanity. That’s how bad you’ve become in the eyes of the whole world.
    As for your demands of my posting a photo of myself, is this so you can cyberbully yet another person? It appears to be your favorite hobby.
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    - Michael Broad on September 20, 2018 at 5:51 am said:
      You are so full of shit it spills out of your foul mouth.
      “More ocean life is dying from your cats’ Toxoplasma gondii parasite than all oil-spills in the history of humanity. “
      Prove that you idiot. God, you are so full of bile and bias. You father indoctrinated you to hate cats. There is no other explanation.
      How many animals are killed by sport hunters for pleasure? How many iconic species like the lion and tiger have been shot for pleasure? How many Bengal tigers’ penises have been eaten by idiot Chinese so they can get an erection! The trade is animal body parts and live animals is worth billions annually. Humans are greedy shits and callous. The destruction of rainforests in Asia is massive and destroying wild species, some rare and beautiful. They don’t give a shit. I think your username is not quite right. I should be The Ostrich because your head is firmly in the sand.
      Unless you provide a picture of yourself, this conversation is over.
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      - RobotRhino on September 20, 2018 at 6:54 am said:
        Answer, cats torture and slaughter on average 4 BILLION birds annually. They are reflex-killers. Human hunters in the US only kill a tiny fraction of that. Aren’t you sorry you asked?
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        Michael Broad on September 20, 2018 at 9:46 am said:
        You are using estimates from small scale studies extrapolated. These are unreliable. Sport hunting in the US is a small part of the wildlife destruction caused by humans. As I said the international exotic animal trade is worth billions annually. This includes live animals and body parts. Hundreds of millions of animals are killed and treated brutally. Also millions of dogs and cats are killed in Asia annually for their fur. They are killed brutally. I could go on and on but you are not worth it. Sorry you commented?
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        RobotRhino on September 21, 2018 at 6:22 am said:
        Only in that your opposition to the exotic pet trade (which like it or not you support with your promotion of exotic cat hybrids) is something about which I agree with you, as I despise that particular flesh-trade as much as I do the exploiters of abandoned animal misery who call themselves “nonprofit rescuers”. I’ve seen the destruction of said trade close up. However, your argument is still flawed in that (1) what you call estrapolation from “small scale studies” is predicated on a sample-size of tens of thousands (Woeinarski et al, 2018 and on quantitative data from hundreds of such studies (Marra, Loss et al, 2012, 2013, 2018)–data bases which are easily representative enough to demonstrate the accuracy of such “estimates”, and (2) everything you say in this regard is merely deflection–perhaps the most frequently employed of logical fallacies by cat-nutters everywhere. PS: Loss, Marra et al recently published refutation of all those who, like yourself, have raised spurious claims against the “reliability” of their work. I obtianed a copy before it was released–wanna see?
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        Michael Broad on September 21, 2018 at 12:06 pm said:
        You don’t need a scientist to know what is causing the 6th mass extinction: It’s us….
        https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/11/sixth-mass-extinction-habitats-destroy-population
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        GaillenT on September 21, 2018 at 3:11 pm said:
        And it is the “us” who promote the existence of cats that are killing off 1,000 times more animals worldwide than all the other “us” who don’t promote the existence of cats.
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        Michael Broad on September 21, 2018 at 7:12 pm said:
        You can’t make such preposterous statements without proving evidence. You’re the kind of person who is blind to the 6th mass extinction caused by people like you.
        GaillenT on September 22, 2018 at 2:12 pm said:
        I’ll post proof, but you’ll just stick your head in the sand yet again.
        Michael Broad on September 22, 2018 at 2:50 pm said:
        Have a look at this:
        http://www.chrispackham.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peoples-Manifesto-Download.pdf
        There are 57 pages. On page 42 cats and dogs are mentioned. All the other pages refer to wildlife threats from people. Head in sand?! It’s you guys. Of course cats kill birds and small mammals but you have to realise that people are a far greater threat to wildlife than cats and dogs.
        GaillenT on September 22, 2018 at 2:14 pm said:
        Or this one:
        Michael Broad on September 22, 2018 at 2:51 pm said:
        Read this. It refers to UK wildlife under threat. One page of the 52 pages refers to cats and dogs.
        http://www.chrispackham.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Peoples-Manifesto-Download.pdf
        GaillenT on September 22, 2018 at 5:21 pm said:
        You are the very last person on earth who should attempt to act as a spokesperson for what causes animals to go extinct.
        dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2568524/Englands-lost-world-421-species-including-mammals-birds-butterflies-extinct-past-200-years.html
        capitalbay.news/news/478599-uk-s-extinct-421-species-including-mammals-birds-and-plants.html
        That’s over 2 species PER YEAR that YOU have made extinct with your cultural values, beliefs, and words. INCLUDING your one and only NATIVE cat species, The Scottish Wildcat, that you have now driven to total extinction with your own man-made invasive species moggie that’s sitting in your lap, and whose life you’ll defend to your very last breath.
        Anyone living in the UK is a total laughingstock on the world-stage of conservationists and ecologists. That is most certainly YOU. And you keep proving it. Do it yet again. We need more worldwide laughs at people in the UK. Just like you’ve already provided and continue to provide to the world.
        The only thing that is befuddling me at this point is why you and everyone like you haven’t crawled off to some dark urine-soaked corner, curled-up into a fetal position, and died from terminal shame and embarrassment decades ago.
      - Denial Hunter on September 20, 2018 at 11:27 am said:
        Tell us how many seals, dolphins, sea-otters, and whales need to die from your cats being in existence before we should call you on it and when you’ll start to take responsibility for all their deaths. Oh, and tell us how many native cat species must be driven to extinction by feline diseases being spread by your house-cats before you take responsibility for those too. Rare and endangered Florida Panthers have already been found dead from FLV directly traced back to a single house-cat that infected them with it (by genetic tracking of the virus to its original source). How many of those too must die before you start to feel responsible for all the wild-cats’ deaths on all continents caused by your house-cats’ diseases. More big-cats are dying from house-cat diseases today than from hunters. We’d really like to know how many animals your “hobby” is going to kill before you decided it’s not such a good hobby after all.
        Calling you a tobacco smoker would be compliment compared to what you do to every life around you. You are walking-death.
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        Michael Broad on September 20, 2018 at 2:50 pm said:
        “More big-cats are dying from house-cat diseases today than from hunters”
        You’ll have to prove that through studies. If you can’t you are simply demonstrating your heavy bias and hatred of domestic cats.
        “Tell us how many seals, dolphins, sea-otters, and whales need to die from your cats”
        Why are u asking me!? You tell me. There are no detailed studies on this. You are guessing all the time.
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        Just Wow on September 20, 2018 at 6:49 pm said:
        So, you’re not going to answer how many animals must suffer to death just so you can run your website? Just how would anyone else know how many animals must suffer to death until you realize the only thing you are doing with your life–causing the deaths of countless billions of animals every year just so you have some fur in your lap. Is getting a fuck from your cat THAT important to you? I guess it is! May your cat die a slow and excruciatingly painful death. Then maybe you’ll stop all this advice on how to torture to death all other animal lives on the planet by using your cats for that purpose. You most certainly deserve your own cat dying a slow and torturous death compared to the countless billions of animal deaths you cause each year with your words. Of that, the karma of the universe is certain. Enjoy your slowly dying cat. This curse will not be removed.
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        Michael Broad on September 20, 2018 at 7:29 pm said:
        So, you’re not going to answer how many animals must suffer to death just so you can run your website?
        What in God’s name does that mean? It’s gobbledygook. I did not read the rest of your comment as it is pointless.
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