From "The Cat Lockdown That Divided a German Town/Cats in Walldorf, Germany, can’t go outside when crested larks are breeding. Is it cruelty or conservation?" (The New Yorker).
June 2, 2023
"Mimi and Fluffy refused to use a litter box for weeks, but Tredwell couldn’t open the windows for fresh air, lest the cats escape."
"The cats threw up, shredded the furniture, and clawed her face while she slept. She was allowed to let them roam with expensive G.P.S. tracking collars, but the cats ran away from her when she tried to steer them away from lark territory. She gave Mimi and Fluffy to her mom, who lived outside the lockdown zone, but they disappeared and turned up at Tredwell’s door two days later. When she was finally allowed to let them out again, on September 1st, they disappeared for another three days.
Many residents of Walldorf started to think that efforts to enforce the lockdown went too far. 'There were people running around taking pictures, trying to gather information about the cats'.... When I visited Tredwell at her home, she seemed exasperated. 'I’m vegetarian,' she said. 'I’m really trying to take care of my carbon footprint. And now I’m getting treated like I’m a bad person.'"
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42 comments:
The New Yorker pandering to their crazy cat lady subscriber base.
"The cat’s in the well and grief is showing its face"
I have an easy answer for this problem...
It's not really about the larks, is it?
Now that the authorities have run the pilot program, residents can expect a permanent cat lockdown sooner or later.
Europeans seem culturally disposed to informing on their neighbors, don't they? I think it's different over here. Even in the lefty area where I live, if someone was taking pictures of someone else's cat compliance, they'd be a pariah.
Couldn’t open the windows for fresh air? Have the Germans not heard of window screens?
Cats should never be allowed outside. If they are allowed, they should be taken to the pound.
Hard to believe what some people will put up with!
Mimi and Fluffy would have been "former" cats, in my household. Can't see any reason to put up with that sort of behavior.
I don't think cats should be allowed to go outside at all--which would make enforcement pretty easy (cf. Woody Allen in Bananas). But then, I'm not a cat person.
Looks like Mimi and Fluffy owned her, instead of the otherway round. You can't let cats come and go, and then suddenly stop them from going outside. they consider the outside part of their territory and they MUST patrol it.
That's why they freaked out. 30 years ago, when we had to keep our cat from going outside, she tried to tunnel under the back kitchen door. Its amazing how much damage she did in two days! good thing about dogs is they obey, and they don't climb trees.
"'I’m vegetarian,' she said. 'I’m really trying to take care of my carbon footprint. And now I’m getting treated like I’m a bad person.'".
This is the most 2023 line, ever.
Cats are natural and part of nature. Cats hunting birds is a natural behavior. If the birds' behavior can't adapt to the cats, then maybe they're supposed to be wiped out.
We're so busy trying to prevent anything from becoming extinct that we've forgotten that extinction is a valid and necessary part of nature and evolution.
If you want to save the larks because they're pretty and you like them, then say so. Why not domesticate the larks and keep them as pets?
There are more tigers in captivity than in the wild, but tigers will never become extinct.
Is it cruelty or conservation? It is stupidity, that is what it is.
i have a pack of bird killing murders.. BUT!
'I’m vegetarian,' she said. 'I’m really trying to take care of my carbon footprint.
i mean, SURE, my cats murder birds.. for fun! But i'm woke! i'm taking car of my carbon footprint
Harvest the larks for their tongues. Larks tongues are some really good eating.
No larks, no cat problems.
This is what democracy looks like(tm) isn't it? The people elect representatives who pass stupid laws like this. Then they keep electing the same people over and over and over and over again. And complain about the people they voted for.
I know, Germany. But I am assuming it is like Chicago, or springdale KS where people just keep electing the same politicians. Or even homeowners associations.
John Henry
you Know who else was a vegetarian, and worried about his carbon footprint.. Adolf Hitler
Am i saying that these bird killing murderers are as bad as Adolf Hitler??
NO! No i am Not saying that. I'm saying that they are a MILLION TIMES WORSE THAN HITLER
The Left solves every problem by making it worse.
If the locals were serious about this, pellet guns would be issued to bird lovers, along with carte blanche regarding cats seen outdoors.
'I’m vegetarian,' she said. 'I’m really trying to take care of my carbon footprint. And now I’m getting treated like I’m a bad person.'"
Larks over the douchey enemies of civilization, any day of the week.
Plus, will your neighbors actually notify the authorities if they see your cat outside? Freakin' Huns.
The cover price of The New Yorker is $8.99. The print version contains 88 or so pages. So it's about 10 cents a page. For content like this? People tearing up the metaphorical furniture over...bird mating, neurotic pets and climate change?
The whole thing is cat litter.
"couldn't open the windows for fresh air"
These stories from days of yore, those frightful days before screens were invented, really give me the willies. I shouldn't have read this article; I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight.
Fuck cat privilege. The Germans used to know how to handle an undesirable population.
And anyone who names a cat "Fluffy" deserves fully whatever may follow.
MrAmerica: Have you no window screens?
EuroPrisoner: What are these "window screens" you speak of?
MrAmerica: explains
EuroPrisoner: This sounds decadent and American. We've always done it our way.
MrAmerica:Fine! Bye!
Joke #1: EuroPrisoner:*thinking*"Perhaps some diced apple, grapes, celery, bit of mayo..."
Joke #2: MrAmerica: Don't think you'll be able to tread well without some help there! Hawhawhaw!
"Human immiseration in the service of virtue is one of our most important products." - der Katzen-Stasi
That's all crazy but she could have done more things to make the situation liveable for her kitty-cats, such as by putting screens on her windows. Putting screens on your windows is what adults do when they want fresh air, without ingress or egress opportunities for little animals and insects.
Alex, I'll take "Why would anyone keep a cat for a $1000?"
I'm going with the answer that cats never need to go outside.
If cats are refusing to use a litterbox, there is probably another problem besides "they want to go out". Since these are older cats, the litter might be too deep - it feels unstable to them, especially if they are developing joint problems. Or they have a UTI. Or they don't like the scent/texture of that particular brand of litter.
Indoor cats live longer and are healthier and cats being outside does make a big impact on the local songbirds. Whether the larks are plentiful enough to not need this much protection is another matter.
This is why your veterinarian keeps the Pepto Bismol pink IV in stock.
A work colleague of mine used to subscribe to a DVD service that sent short documentaries once a month. One of the shorts described efforts of a red squirrel conservation group in Britain, whose efforts to "save" the red squirrels from habitat intrusion by grey squirrels consisted of.....KILLING the grey squirrels.
Seems a similar thought process is in play here...
I don't think cats should be allowed to go outside at all--which would make enforcement pretty easy (cf. Woody Allen in Bananas). But then, I'm not a cat person.
Personally, I think confining a cat indoors their whole life is a form of abuse, and I've lived with cats my whole life. Some of them I've owned, and others just started hanging around. I am opposed to letting dogs out to roam free. Dogs form packs and become a threat, cats will either ignore you or beg for food and pets. I do support dog parks.
Cats are like humans in that they enjoy hunting, even when it is not necessary for food. Cats need to hunt in order to be the best cat that they can be.
Lastly, as this post discusses, it can be very difficult to keep a cat indoors that wants to be outdoors. First the cat will be extremely persistent in trying to get out. Second the cat's behavior will become very unpleasant. Cats are not dogs, they don't see you as their alpha, but as an equal.
described efforts of a red squirrel conservation group in Britain, whose efforts to "save" the red squirrels from habitat intrusion by grey squirrels consisted of.....KILLING the grey squirrels.
There is some logic to this case. The red squirrels were native to the area and the grey squirrels were an invasive species.
That's all crazy but she could have done more things to make the situation liveable for her kitty-cats, such as by putting screens on her windows.
A) Screens on windows is not a common thing in Europe. More than likely, they would have to be custom made if available at all.
B) Most cats I've owned have been strong enough to force themselves through all window screens I have owned.
Most cats would probably be content with a catio however.
If you really want to save the larks (I used to use pandas for this) then come up with a tasty recipe for them, and have Kim Kardashian eat them on TikTok.
There's a reason cows will never go extinct. They taste good.
"Have the Germans not heard of window screens?"
Actually...no. German windows are amazingly engineered. With a flick of the handle they'll swing wide or tilt at the top. Sheer curtains waft in the breeze and keep the bugs out. And every house on a sunny day has the window open and the comforter hanging over the sill to air out.
My dear mother used to have a gigantic Rottweiler named Fluffy. She's let him roam free in the local park. When he would take after some other animal you would hear her shouting "Come here Fluffy!" Great fun. I am not making that up.
Outdoor cats where I am are short lived creatures. They may kill a few birds, but they will soon be eaten by a coyote or an owl. People generally assume that cats will need to be replaced every couple of years.
The problem with the "cats are part of nature" argument is that pet cats have protection from the things that prey on them, even if they're indoor/outdoor cats. It's as if the zoo tigers are allowed to roam free to hunt, but can retreat to their enclosures in gun-free-zone zoos whenever an armed human appears.
To take that analogy further, a zoo tiger's cub will be carefully nurtured, even bottle fed, if the mom tiger can't or won't care for it. So tiger populations rise much faster in zoos than in the wild (admittedly they can only mate when and if zoos let them, but zoos seem to like having tigers). Similarly, pet cat populations have risen dramatically because nothing preys on them, people think of them as "part of nature" and don't get them neutered or spayed with as much regularity as dogs, and kittens are super cute and get adopted by people who want furry affection without much responsibility.
I like cats. I've had cats. Both of my cats were rendered infertile, but we're indoor/outdoor because they predated the hue and cry about cats' decimating songbird populations, and because I didn't know any better. But if I had a cat now, it'd be indoor-only - I live in a place with both coyotes and songbirds.
The problem with the "cats are part of nature" argument is that pet cats have protection from the things that prey on them, even if they're indoor/outdoor cats. It's as if the zoo tigers are allowed to roam free to hunt, but can retreat to their enclosures in gun-free-zone zoos whenever an armed human appears.
Not where I live. Coyotes, owls and hawks all take their toll. In fact my Mom won't give me any more strays because so many of my cats have ended up in the cycle of life.
Animals that don’t have to worry about predators become fat and lazy. Just look at the pigeons on a city sidewalk. In fact, just look at the people on a city sidewalk.
Nice little lodge in the French alp foothills. Summer. No ac. So I pop open the Windows for a little air, and go visit in another room. Apparently word went round fast, because the entire fly population in town (did I mention there was a pig Farm around the next bend? There was a pig farm around the next bend) decided to holiday in my room.
Screens work, folks. There are even clever, mechanically sophisticated screens, expensive enough to keep any German happy.
Lockdown was stupid, but cats outside have 1/3 the lifespan of inside cats & they go after birds. It's what they do. My wife has rescued & placed cats in homes, including our & never had that much trouble bringing one in from outside.
Dante took to the litter like a swine to a truffle, like a mother to her baby, like a father to his child, like a male and female robins to a nest of eggs then chicks on parade.
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