[TN-Bird] FW: Birders vs. Cats vs. Birds
- From: "Raincrow" <raincrow@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:20:50 -0800
Forgive me if I'm repeating this material; I have Halfs-heimers. For the first
time in 40 years of cat ownership, I now have a bird-killing specialist. If I
would stay home and play "string" with her by the hour she would have
absolutely no interest in hunting, but alas I haven't won the lottery yet. My
boarder (who also owns an old male cat who, like my 2 old males, does not care
to hunt anything but Friskies and the occasional vole or skink) found a product
that seems to really have done the trick: the CatBib(TM), which I got thru
supplier www.catgoods.com for $8.95. It's a triangle of very thin neoprene that
attaches with velcro to a standard $2-to$4 breakaway safety collar, and has to
be custom trimmed so the cat can climb trees to escape predators, bend down to
eat catfood, etc. Little Girlie looks like she's wearing a little Supergirl
cape when she naps with her bib on. Wearing it is enough of an impediment (and
a flapping flag that alerts even the most inattentive of b
irds) that she can't rush the feeders effectively. She also hates it enough
that some days she opts to stay inside, where she is rewarded by having us take
the cussed thing off. The only evidence my boarder and I have seen of a recent
bird kill came right after little miss kitty escaped the house without her bib.
Our biggest problem right now is the sun angle on my glass-intensive house, now
appallingly perfect for bird strikes, particularly by Titmice for some reason.
We've rescued and revived several. (Hawk silhouettes the cure.)
Gardening supply websites also sell little mats of flexible plastic "punji
stakes" designed to keep cats from using flowerbeds as litterboxes without
actually injuring the animal. My ex uses his own homemade version of this
product to keep my stepcat -- a hardcore catnip-aholic -- from tearing up the
catnip patch, and it works wonders. This kind of product is excellent for
keeping cats from sitting motionless beneath a feeder until the birds drop
their guard.
Finally, here is an article all but guaranteed to annoy all my anti-cat friends
on TN-bird. http://catnet.stanford.edu/articles/understd_pred.html
Had our first Purple Finch yesterday.
Liz Singley
Kingston, TN
------- Original Message -------
From : cpnichol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx[mailto:cpnichol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent : 11/14/2007 7:50:19 AM
To : tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc :
Subject : FW: [TN-Bird] Birders vs. Cats vs. Birds
New York Times
November 14, 2007
Birder Admits Killing Cat, but Was It Animal Cruelty?
By KATE MURPHY
GALVESTON, Tex., Nov. 13 Â? Jurors heard opening arguments on Tuesday in the
trial of a bird-watching enthusiast who fatally shot a cat that he said was
stalking endangered shorebirds.
The defendant, James M. Stevenson, is the founder of the Galveston
Ornithological Society and leads bird-watching tours on this Gulf Coast island
60 miles southeast of Houston. If convicted on animal cruelty charges in the
shooting last November, he faces up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
Mr. Stevenson, 54, does not deny using a .22-caliber rifle fitted with a scope
to kill the cat, which lived under the San Luis Pass toll bridge, linking
Galveston to the mainland. He also admits killing many other cats on his own
property, where he operates a bed and breakfast for some of the estimated
500,000 birders who come to the island every year.
In her opening statement, Paige L. Santell, a Galveston County assistant
district attorney, told the jury of eight women and four men that Mr. Stevenson
Â?shot that animal in cold bloodÂ? and that the cat died a slow and painful
death Â?gurgling on its own blood.Â?
She said that the cat had a name, Mama Cat, and that though the cat lived under
a toll bridge, she was fed and cared for by a toll collector, John Newland. He
is expected to testify.
Whether the cat was feral is the crucial point in this case. Mr. Stevenson was
indicted under a state law that prohibited killing a cat Â?belonging to
another.Â? Prompted by this case, the law was changed on Sept. 1 to include all
cats, regardless of ownership.
Ms. Santell argued that because Mr. Newland had named, fed and given the cat
bedding and toys, the cat belonged to him and was not feral.
Mr. StevensonÂ?s lawyer, Tad Nelson, admitted in his opening statement that his
client went to the San Luis Pass toll bridge with Â?an intent to kill.Â? but
that he had planned to kill a wild animal that was preying on endangered piping
plovers. Â?This man has dedicated his whole life to birds,Â? Mr. Nelson said,
pointing at Mr. Stevenson.
The case has prompted emotional commentary on the Internet. Cat enthusiast
blogs have called Mr. Stevenson a Â?murderous fascistÂ? and a Â?diabolical
monster.Â? Birding blogs have defended his right to dispense with a Â?terrible
menaceÂ? and have set up funds to help pay for his defense.
In an interview in a courthouse elevator during a break in the trial, Mr.
Stevenson said heatedly that cat fanciers who have condemned him and sent him
hateful correspondence Â?think birds are nothing but sticks.Â? Â?This is about
wild species disappearing from your planet,Â? he said, adding, Â?I did what I
had to do.Â?
Testimony followed from police officers and the veterinarian who performed the
autopsy on Mama Cat, a white and gray tabby mix. The jurors were shown several
photographs of the bloodied cat, reminiscent of an episode of Â?CSI: Miami.Â?
Pictures of the crime scene showed trays of cat food, blankets and cat toys
hanging from strings under the bridge. The .22-caliber rifle Mr. Stevenson used
to kill the cat along with his magazine full of Remington hollow-point bullets
were also on display.
The prosecution and defense wrangled repeatedly about whether witnesses could
accurately assess the catÂ?s state of mind.
Â?HeÂ?s not qualified to know what the cat was feeling,Â? said Mr. Nelson, when
a police officer, John P. Bertolino Sr., testified that the cat was in terrible
pain when he arrived at the crime scene. The cat died en route to a Humane
Society facility.
The trial, which is expected to take a week, had few spectators save a handful
of bird lovers and cat lovers who sat on opposite sides of the courtroom. One
side nodded emphatically at Ms. SantellÂ?s arguments, and the other nodded
whenever Mr. Nelson objected.
Â?How people feel about the trial depends on who you talk to,Â? said Victor
Lang, a local historian, adding that bird-watchers and cat fanciers obviously
had the strongest views.
Though others may argue passionately about whether Mr. Stevenson should be
punished, Mr. Lang said he did not have strong feelings about the case.
Â?But you see, IÂ?m a dog person,Â? he said. Â?If he had shot a dog, then IÂ?d
be more upset.Â?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/us/14cats.html
Chuck Nicholson
Norris, TN
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-------------------------------
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__________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society
Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
endorse the views or opinions expressed
by the members of this discussion group.
Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------
Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
Cleveland, OH
-------------------------------
Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ARCHIVES
TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/
EXCELLENT MAP RESOURCES
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com
_____________________________________________________________
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