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A Call to all Cat Loving Aussie Patriots

Posted by: Bob Maumill | 14 April, 2009 - 11:59 AM

Let me be very clear about this. I do not hate cats.

My kids played with our family cat Pussy Maum, for many years. We loved Pussy Maum.

At a time in our lives when my family moved around a lot Pussy Maum the cat and Peggy the dog were first into the old Ute before we took off.

Pussy Maum lived well into her teens. She is still spoken of with great reverence.

Pussy Maum was like most cats. If she liked you and was in the mood she would sit on you lap. If she was not in the mood and you were not on her list of persons to who she would show occasional affection, she would, in a most cat-like way display cold, rebutting indifference, if that didn't work Pussy Maum would assume a curled crouching position and hiss her displeasure.

That was usually enough to dissuade unwanted cuddlers. Pussy Maum was loved and is still missed.

Attempts by Pussy Maum to satisfy her natural hunting instincts were confined mainly to stalking mice in farm sheds and stables. But that hunting instinct caused her to stalk and occasionally kill native birds.

We kept her inside as much as possible and encouraged her to concentrate on mice and rats.
Sadly though when the rare opportunity arose, Pussy Maum, despite wearing a collar and bell, would pounce on and kill native birds.

It wasn't Pussy Maum's fault, she was born a killer. She was genetically programmed to hunt and kill.

After Pussy Maum, I have never kept a cat as a pet.

Hundreds of thousands of Australians do keep cats as pets and most of those cats are much loved and well cared for but many of those cats inflict enormous damage on our Australian wildlife heritage.

Cats kill birds, reptiles, frogs, rare marsupials, even moths and butterflies. That is why we need strong cat control laws.

People should be required to have their animals micro chipped and sterilized.

There should be heavy penalties for the dumping of cats and our state government should maintain and support a vigorous feral cat eradication programme.

I am deeply saddened when I learn how many of our unique animals marsupials, amphibians and reptiles are now extinct or under dire threat.

Cats are not wholly responsible for the decimation of our wildlife population. We humans are the guilty ones. We destroy wildlife habitats, we pollute waterways, and when we build our housing estates and industrial estates and roads and freeways, we seem to care little for the damage to those creatures that make our Australian wildlife heritage unique.
Preserving that heritage is our duty.

A necessary and patriotic duty. You can show your love of our country and do your duty by becoming a responsible pet owner, and supporting laws that will regulate the ownership and breeding and dumping of cats.
And yes, Pussy Maum was sterilized and if she was alive today our family would unhesitatingly agree to having her micro chipped and registered.

That's what any cat loving patriotic Australian would do.