Barking Mad's Australian cat thread

[barkingmad]

Guess which villain is which, the fluffy white pussy might provide a clue for those of a slower intellect?

The cat is always the villain. The minion, on whose lap the cat sits, is merely there to provide food, comfort and other necessary services.

There is now a risk that the villainous white fluffy pussy and it’s alternatively coloured relatives may not rule the roost for long if the Oz wildlife folks have their way;

https://theconversation.com/australia-m ... ugh-154931

Hopefully the same controls will be imposed in EUrope and in the UK where it is estimated the felines senselessly kill 50 million songbirds per annum.

Additionally they are a feral wild animal which craps in other folks’ gardens*, have a contemptuous distant relationship with their owners and use up valuable veterinary services best allocated to other critturs.

* https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/toxocariasis/

There, that’s settled, I now await incoming heavy fire from all the O-N pussy lovers...

[barkingmad]

Aaaw Admin2, you shouldn’t really have done that, sooh generous of you to award me a new thread ! ! !

Still, at least if it takes off we’ll soon discover who are the pussy lovers and who are the ‘undecideds’.

[TheGreenAnger]

The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"

Historically the Australian attempts to manage non indigenous fauna have been mired in ineptitude and the laws of unintended consequences, vide. camels, myxomatosis, cane toads etc.

Why should pussies be any different?

[TheGreenAnger]

With respect to the Australian cat curfew conundrum, I did see this device suggested as the basis for allowing one's feline friend out.... (NB - the RSPCA doesn't recommend this though)...

https://catharnessaustralia.com.au/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... d-out.html

As a Welsh girlfriend once said to me "you can take the cat out of Swansea but you can't take Swansea out of the cat". I guess in the Aussie case that should read "with this harness you can take the cat out in New South Wales, but you still can't take Swansea out of the cat!"

[Hydromet]

TGA, I''m not sure why Myxo would be lumped in with those failures. Although it didn't eradicate rabbits, it substantially reduced their numbers, which were in plague proportions.

Unfortunately, the report in the daily mail quoted above is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a complete load of bolix. There may be some local government areas in other states which have imposed curfews. In most states there are none, and in NSW, local councils don't have this power, and the state government is too gutless to either give them that power or to use it itself. Unlike for dogs, there is no law prohibiting cats from roaming, and the law does not specifically permit anyone to trap a cat on their own property. The pro-cat lobby here is noisy and politically powerful.

[G-CPTN]

there is no law prohibiting cats from roaming, and the law does not specifically permit anyone to trap a cat on their own property.

[TheGreenAnger]

TGA, I''m not sure why Myxo would be lumped in with those failures. Although it didn't eradicate rabbits, it substantially reduced their numbers, which were in plague proportions.

Unfortunately, the report in the daily mail quoted above is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a complete load of bolix. There may be some local government areas in other states which have imposed curfews. In most states there are none, and in NSW, local councils don't have this power, and the state government is too gutless to either give them that power or to use it itself. Unlike for dogs, there is no law prohibiting cats from roaming, and the law does not specifically permit anyone to trap a cat on their own property. The pro-cat lobby here is noisy and politically powerful.

Hydro I meant to imply the rabbit plague that occurred when wild European rabbits were introduced by European colonists (I should have been more precise). The introduction of alien fauna, and flora, see the South African hakea issue noted below, has always been a very risky and problematic issue. No anti-Aussie intimation intended if my comment came over that way.

Originally Australian hakea was introduced in SA by the early English settlers to protect isolated cattle and farms on the Eastern Cape frontier from raiding Xhosa bands but has become a huge problem in the last 60 years.

https://invasives.org.za/fact-sheet/silky-hakea/

As for enclosing the Daily Fail quote, what was I thinking?

[EA01]

.......my wife and I used to make like rabbits...

[barkingmad]

.......my wife and I used to make like rabbits...

Didn't we all ? ! Aaaah sweet mammaries...

Something else about which we may have forgotten;

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... ister-says

Seems like Oz and UK were in lockstep...

[Hydromet]

TGA, no offence taken, I was just curious as to why Myxo was included. Australia certainly has a record of bad choices when it comes to importing fauna & flora. I wasn't aware of our export record re hakea, but Australian eucalypts, iconic here, are a pest species in many other countries.

Mrs Hydro & I were only yesterday talking about how we haven't eaten rabbit for years. During the depression, it was known as underground mutton, and even in the '50s and '60s, was quite inexpensive. Mrs H's mother used to cook it quite often, and we used to have it when we shot some while visiting relations in the bush. The last time I ate one was about 1976, when we shot some while working in the far north of South Australia. They are now considered a delicacy and are only available from specialist delicatessens.

I wonder what cat tastes like.

[PHXPhlyer]

I wonder what cat tastes like.

I would suggest that you consult with the coyotes around here.
The NextDoor website is full of comments by owners of missing cats and small dogs who are presumed to be meals for the coyote population.
I had one in my backyard a few weeks ago. My daughter was trying to get her three small dogs (part Chihuahua) back in the house when she encountered it. Cinderblock six foot high walls seem to be no obstacle to them.
We see them more in the neighborhood, coming down from the Mountain Preserve, in late summer and fall, especially when it is extra dry.

PP

[TheGreenAnger]

Wiley E eh?

Meat not the Acme though I guess.

[G-CPTN]

I wonder what cat tastes like.

Probably like a fishy-flavoured chicken.

[G-CPTN]

I have enthusiastically eaten pussy . . .

[TheGreenAnger]

I have enthusiastically eaten pussy . . .

I must go to bed, my paws are heavy, my whiskers are like lead!

[TheGreenAnger]

On the subject of cats, my favourite cat name, was given to the swine Mancunian Dragon Li half breed, named "Chairman Meow" that used to bully my better half's sister's moggie!

[G-CPTN]

my favourite cat name

Has got to be Magnificat!

[TheGreenAnger]

my favourite cat name

Has got to be Magnificat!

Ah! A homophone that sounds just like the title of one of my top ten most favourite films...


viewtopic.php?p=362226#p362226

[Hydromet]

Our late cat, a rescued feral kitten, was named Clawd, as that's what he did.

[Hydromet]

.......my wife and I used to make like rabbits...

We still do...but I have to say, I'm getting sick of eating nothing but lettuce and carrots!