I recently had a phone call from a very distressed friend who has spent a lot of time and money over the last few years creating a wildlife friendly garden with a great deal of success.
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Her daughter had just witnessed their neighbour's cat kill an adult crested pigeon and two chicks in a nest that the birds had built in a thick bush just outside her girl’s bedroom window and she was inconsolable, having been encouraged to quietly watch and observe the process from nest building to the chicks’ maturity.
This same cat killed the kids’ pet rabbits and a dozen day old chicks and would be killing a multitude of wildlife in gardens in the area, a cat's average travelling radius being 3 kms.
A dog that killed hens recently was put down by the ranger and no doubt justifiably so, but it seems quite o.k for a cat to be able to roam night and day and kill whatever it likes and nothing is done.
I know that there are are quite a few people who care enough about their cats to keep them in cat runs which stops them roaming and killing, and congratulations to these responsible owners.
There are some extremely good cat runs available or they can be made up locally.
Our animals and birds are having a very tough time at the moment due to the drought and a lot are trying to find food and water in more built up areas specially where people are aware of their plight and are trying to help them, and with council encouraging people to plant water wise gardens which, more often than not, results in the planting of our lovely native plants, which in turn attract wildlife.
I find it incomprehensible that more cannot be done in Tamworth to keep the domestic cats restricted to their own yards and at least be kept in at night as dogs have to be.
It would be a very positive move if council decided to make a definite move on this ever increasing problem.
Baids McIntyre
Tamworth
