As a newbie (sorta') on this site, I would say it would depend on how the 'experts' are planning on answering the questions posed to them.
For some reason, it seems like that if you ask a question in here, or in other places that concerns birds AND cats, you will get hateful answers...or no answers at all. As if its a taboo subject or something. ( Those eeeevvviiillll cats!)
I personally find it offensive because if I didn't care about birds ( or any animal for that matter), I would not come to a specialty bird site to ask a question in the first place!
I am a responsible cat owner in that I have saved three cats from being killed in a shelter ( not at the same time
), and probably have spent more money on their care, daily and medical than most people spend on their children ( I have some of those too). My cats are indoor/outdoor cats( Come and go as they please-I am their personal doorwoman)- but they are in all night ( In bed w/ us I might add)! I watch them and notice if they are becoming too interested in anything outside, whereby they are swiftly swooped up and brought in... sometimes its quite comical. I have rescued, and taken to the vet's office, many squirrels ( how come people don't try to save them more often???) birds and other people's animals who have become hurt or whatever due to my cats or other people's cats AND DOGS I might add...Its not like birds are the only animals that live on Earth and cats came from Mars and have taken over the birds' habitat...bird habitats change over the years due to several things, but the SMARTER ones learn to live w/ and around their surroundings---or they die-plain and simple. The same for people , fish, plants, etc. Survival of the fittest.
Now, having said that, I don't go out of my way to make ANY animal prey to my cats-I actually go OUT of my way to do so.( I actually asked a question concerning this on this forum , and it did not go unnoticed that it wasn't answered because I had the word 'cat' in the question I posed...) I have saved dozens of birds who have been entangled in Idiot Fisherman's nets and lines when I lived in Florida- I have sat w/ birds, who because of old age, disease or whatever were taking their last breath and I just could not leave them by themselves ( Nobody should die alone...)
I have lectured Idiot neighbors about how to care for cats when they are on their fifth one because they keep running away or getting hit by cars or left out all year long to fend for themselves...the same people who spend thousands of dollars on their DOG and leave it outside all year long as well. These same people hunt and kill birds, squirrels, deer and other animals, and think of it as family outing...which I cannot relate to AT ALL but I digress....
I spend more on bird seed and feeding devices than the average bear does...and by evidence of how many birds we have on my land here in Memphis, despite the three cats, we are going strong and I dare say I have done more to further the birds' lives around here than any one else within several blocks-even w/ the cats.
So, I say that we should have an area deveoted for questions that pertain to birds and other animals that live w/ them or in the same area with them, just so people who enter this site will have somewhere to go and feel welcomed to ask these questions. Some people are stupid or mean and don't care about anything but themselves- I'm still waiting for the 'Survival of the Fittest' theory to catch up with these folks, but maybe, just MAYBE having a place where they can GAIN some info may change their behavior and save one bird now, and maybe many , many more down the road !
That's it...have to go make dinner....
Just my 2 cents...
Wendy
