As you might have guessed, I’ve gotten lots of email on my cat column. Here’s a fairly representative sample. Obviously, you’re under no obligation to read — or care — but I figured it’s late night and no one else is in here.

#1

I take care of a colony of wild cats on my property….as soon as the first official or otherwise person sets foot on my posted land to shoot any cats I will be happy to blow them to kingdom come.
This “study” is so laughable I hardly know where to begin. Cats in the wild kill far more rodents than birds, which is a good thing. Both rodents and birds spread more disease than any mammals, except humans. And the bird population, like other animal populations, is more affected by human development than natural predators. Just as the wild cat population is the result of human irresponsibility in discarding once domestic pets or their offspring and not spaying and neutering them.
This “plan” sounds like nothing more than the brainchild of some “gimmick sicko”. If we started eliminating the twisted upright animals , then we might be getting somewhere.

#2

…what …are you just bored today? Haven’t been abused enough? Got a new Kevlar vest you’re just itching to try out for efficacy? Why don’t you just paint a target on yourself? – You are really, really going to make some people upset over this.
NOT – mind you – that I’m in disagreement with the numbers, and what they’re showing. Off the [feral] kitties then (and I like cats). Good riddance. No sentiment here!
Jonah, you’ve shown more guts then I’d have in your position, by writing a column in support of killing domestic cats (even if feral) for any reason, however logical. But you’re also certifiable. This column is proof. Hope you survive the firestorm.

#3

Mr Goldberg;
I’m sure you’re going to get a lot of e-mails about your cat article, but I
do have to take exception to a couple of things you say (perhaps in jest).
First, you seem to make an assertion that feral cats are not ‘natural’.
This seems to me to be along the same lines as those who say that a beaver
dam is natural, while the Hoover Dam is not. That is, that humans are not
natural. Big stretch? No, because if a beaver dam, erected by beavers, for
beaver purposes is natural, then the Hoover Dam, erected by humans, for
human purposes must also be natural, unless humans themselves are not
natural. We may have a feral cat problem, but to say that they are not
’natural predators’ is to say that cats themselves are not natural. The
other point I have to take exception to is the assertion that feral cats
’massacre’ birds for fun and sport. This is not the case. Cats, feral or
otherwise, hunt for food and to train their young. They do not have
classrooms where the kittens can learn these skills. Even when cats kill
birds and rodents and leave them on our doorsteps, this is part of the
training program. They are trying to train us, since they don’t understand
such ‘natural’ things as supermarkets.
Is there a feral cat problem? Are there too many? Yeah, probably, which is
why I don’t really see a problem with reducing the numbers by whatever
means are deemed neccessary. And I am a cat person. I grew up with cats,
and have always had at least one in my home. But we must be sure we don’t
have too many people indiscriminately shooting whatever cat they see. I can
see a situation where house cats, people’s pets, are killed because the
’hunter’ didn’t look to see if it was wearing a collar.

#4

I cannot believe I am arguing with you about this.
#1 – I am glad you reserved your weakest argument ever committed to print for a non-issue about kitten hunting
#2 – Why did you print this, “… a respected study found that felines kill between 7.8 million and 217 million birds in Wisconsin alone.”? If you were making a point about the devilish use of statistics, I’d hear you, but you make this point as if to bolster your core argument. I know that you know better, I know that you are smarter than that. It’s too late now though, you printed it … it’s committed with your name on it.
#3 – “This raises an outrageous double standard. Dogs — our closest allies in the animal kingdom — can be shot for harassing wildlife or livestock. But free-loading cats are protected when they massacre birds for sport. Where’s the justice?”
Again, I know you are smarter than this. You usually can be relied upon to be consistent in your application of principle, so why are you playing both sides now?
Wildlife, i.e.: bears, mountain lions … can become a hazard to people if harassed by hikers’ dogs. Livestock is property. Birds are neither.
#4 – and lastly, dogs eat poop, their own, yours, your cat’s, the neighbors cat’s, … its a fact, get used to it.

#5

I eagerly watch for your writings because I’ve grown to expect to find good
cause to applaud – and share with family and friends. But alas, you missed
it on feral housecats. Too much time in too big a city. Get outta town
once in awhile.
Do domestic housecats go feral? Yes, they’re almost the sole exception to
domestic pets that can and do survive in the wild. But do they do so in
large numbers? No. And do the one’s that do go feral breed in large
numbers in the wild? No. I simply cannot buy the magnitudes you describe.
I don’t believe the numbers.
Also, I’m curious why you sprayed this with DDT. Seems irrelevant, unless,
you wanted to use it to vent on Rachel Carson which is the way it came
across to me. I think you and me would see eye to eye on environmental
extremism so please know that I do not come from that reference at all.
However, Silent Spring did do one thing that did make it pivotal: it
brought to light the extraordinary persistency of DDT and the multiplying
effects in the food chain. That was new then, correct, and a vital
contribution. She deserves credit for that.
I will continue to eagerly watch for your commentaries. Hey, I’m flexible,
and besides, you only have strike one and you’re a better hitter than I am a
pitcher…

#6

Dear Mr. Goldberg,
The above salutation my be the kindest thing you will read for many, many days. Or ever. Do you have any idea how obsessive cat lovers are? Do you know what you have unleashed on yourself? Cat lovers would rather live without any wild birds at all than do anything to reduce the number of stray cats. I have heard more than one cat lover say in all seriousness they would rather change husbands, or do without them all together, than get rid of a cat. Why do you think there are no pooper-scooper laws for cat owners? And let me tell you, cat waste smells much worse than dog waste. Do you know that window flower boxes are really just litter boxes? Just don’t open any windows to smell the flowers. Look, I’m with you on this and have been for a couple of decades. If cats are so great, why aren’t there any seeing-eye cats? And, I just love the way cats customize furniture. And, why is it anyway that cats only “use” the clean laundry? And, why do cats go straight from the litter box to the nearest table with food on it, or your lap?
Should you decide to publish this, if for example it is the only sympathetic email you receive, please do not use my name. I still have to live in this country. Criticize cats? What were you thinking?

#7

Why don’t you drink a DDT cocktail and see if it really causes cancer.

#8

The only natural predator here is you. Your loathsome use of this story to discredit science and fit your theories into your absurd hard right position doesn’t even qualify for Jourmalism 101.
It would be good for you to: learn how to write a story based on fact checking….not ideology.
Then, it would be good if you somehow realized that you can’t.

#9

You must love getting hate mail ….
But as a cat-lover and dog-barely-tolerator, I have to say you’ve hit on a real problem. Also feral cats usually die nasty “natural” deaths due to disease, injury or starvation, but not before they breed like, well, cats.
My problem with this is the fact that cats are not as easy to bell or collar (being smart enough to figure out the collar thing quickly), and there is a certain level of bird-killing that is natural, so this will be very hard to regulate.
Also lots of cat haters are horribly sadistic, and will kill every cat they can. I can easily see my neighborhood’s pet population being wiped out by overenthusiastic ‘hunters’ sitting in their backyard plinking every cat they see just to watch them die. Collars are easily removed. I can tell you that if my (belled) cat was shot, somebody’s going to the hospital.
Withhold my name, please, if you print this.

#10

Mr. Goldberg;
Just a few observations on your on-line column today;
1. The Wisconsin study on bird mortality from feral cats appears to be the
usual left-wing b****s**t. Many wildlife biologists have criticized it for
sloppy methodology, small sample size, and poor extrapolation techniques.
It is in fact very much akin to Rachel Carson’s “science” in Silent Spring.
Most wildlife biologists agree that by far the greatest number of songbird
losses are from loss of tropical habitat, but since this can’t be blamed on
the U.S (at least not credibly) it tends to be ignored by leftists. As an
additional point, it should be noted that, even in the fatally flawed
Wisconsin study, the overwhelming number of birds caught by cats were in no
sense endangered species – most of them were sparrow, blackbirds, and other
species whose numbers are actually increasing.
2. The whole “feral cat” question is just the tip of the iceberg. There is
s segment of the environmental community that is absolutely HYSTERICAL over
“alien” species (believe me, I work with some of these people), even
though double-blind studies conducted by many wildlife biologists indicates
that the overall impact of “alien” species is indistinguishable from that
of “native” species. After all, every species was once an “alien” species
somewhere. The aim is to eliminate all “non-native” species by demonizing
them. Dogs will be next – just wait.
3. As is indicated by your comments on Rachel Carson, birds have long
played the same role in environmental politics that “the children” have
played in other areas of liberal social policy – people tend to like them
(as do I) and tend to automatically support anything billed as helping
them. Actually, a good deal of the whole “songbird” business is based on a
deliberate misunderstanding – when biologists refer to a “songbird” they
are not referring to just any bird that sings – they are not referring to
cardinals, wrens, sparrows, bluejays, bluebirds, meadowlarks, chickadees,
orioles, nuthatches, robins, grackles, blackbirds, or most of the other
birds you see around your bird feeder. “Songbirds” actually refers to a
very small subset of birds, that most people seldom see (or hear), but the
impression is left that ALL singing bird populations are declining. If
anything the opposite is true. Many bird populations are actually
increasing, due to bird-feeding ( another “non-natural” activity many
environmentalists oppose).
4. There is a good deal of controversy as to whether songbird populations
are declining at all – counting migratory birds that are rather rare is as
you might guess rather difficult.
5. Hunting cats wouldn’t do any good anyway. We hunt deer and, in my part
of the country, their numbers are exploding. All the Wisconsin law would do
is satisfy the ire of a few cat-haters (what IS it with these people
anyway?) and would further tar the image of hunters in the public mind
(which, as a hunter and a member of the NRA, I am very sensitive to..)
6. You are absolutely right about DDT. The ban was and is BS, cost millions
of lives, and probably didn’t save a single bird – there is plenty of
evidence that the eggshell thinning problem started prior to the
introduction of DDT, and was not stopped by it..The DDT ban didn’t do a
damned thing for birds, and neither will cat hunting..
Put me down in favor of cats, birds – and DDT!
Dr. [Name withheld] (if you publish this please withhold my name – I don’t have tenure yet!)

#11

Jonah,
You realize there are people all over the English speaking world praying for your demise.
The only question that your article brought to my mind which you failed to address – is it politically correct to stuff and mount the dead cat, or must it be stuffed and set on the floor as a door stop?

#12

Hello Mr. Goldberg,
Just finished reading your column titled “Kill The Cats”.
I deduce from your article that you are clearly not a cat owner. You see,
any cat owner would immediately realize that declaring open season on
“feral” cats would inevitably result in the tragic, brutal killing of
thousands of beloved domesticated pets.
Picture a mortally wounded Fluffy managing to drag herself home, only to
die bleeding in the arms of her traumatized toddler owner.
If, after considering this aspect of the proposed Wisconsin law change, you
continue to endorse it, I can only conclude that you are One Sick Puppy.

#13

Your op-ed piece of killing cats is sickening. They are feral and often diseased because humans are heartless enough to abandon them or not bother to spay them.
You’ve just lost a regular reader and supporter, for good. I suppose it wouldn’t do much good to ask you to feel some shame, would it?
Thought not. Goodbye.

#14

re column: kill the cats..
cats are predators that kill off the weakest and sickest of the birds, contributing to the survival of the fittest and evolution of the species. Without cats birds would soon devolve back into dinosaurs that would pick off old women standing in line at the piggly wiggly. We owe it to our elderly citizens that this not be allowed to happen. Only cats can save the lives of millions of medicare recipients.

#15

My god you’re an idiot!