Look! I'm Famous!!

http://birdadvocates.blogspot.com/2007/01/blogger-brags-her-cats-have-killed.html

When I read the comment by Bird Advocate, I had to go to his blog. I was delighted to find that he considers my quiet little knitting blog to be of such importance! And I figured I should return the favor. Here are my responses to his concerns, in no particular order:

1. I have a gift for hyperbole. While it is true that Ed has a fondness for bunnies, he has not truly managed to kill as many as I may have implied. About two in the last two years, I believe. Additionally, this area has a serious overpopulation of bunnies, thanks to complete idiots who adopt them, don't want them, and dump them. Frankly, I think it better to euthanize them than dump them (and better still not to adopt them if you don't plan to keep them for life) but I would rather have Ed kill one occasionally than watch them die slowly of disease and starvation. Call me crazy.

2. I am the owner of a feral cat whom I adopted and keep indoors. Because of me, there is one less cat out killing things. (Gussie) Probably more, in fact, seeing as how my intervention has kept her from reproducing and creating still more cats to kill off wildlife.

3. I am also the owner of another rescue cat that remains indoors. (Gracie)

4. The only reason I have outdoor cats at this time in my life is because the lovely man I married had outdoor cats when I met him. They grew up in farm country and their lifestyle is healthy and logical for them. They are all neutered and spayed and have their shots.

5. I still live in a very rural area which has a very healthy rodent population.

6. My neighbors, contrary to Bird Advocate's opinion, frequently express their gratitude that our cats keep the rodent population down in the neighborhood.

7. We have mice and wood rats around here. I hate to be overly logical, but rodents like these carry disease. I'm okay with my cats killing and eating a few of them.

8. My husband is a scientist who specializes in infectious disease and he asked me to point out that significantly more birds die each year due to West Nile Virus than to any amount of feline hunting. Also pollution (I wonder if bird advocate drives a car....?), and human hunting.

9. While bird advocate might think it better for me to allow the "critters" in the neighborhood to live happily, I find this to be a bit of an idealized view. Rodents breed like crazy and have a disturbing tendency NOT to be anthropomorphized Disneyesque characters who turn into coachmen and break into song. Sadly. Rather, they damage property, carry fleas and, as noted above, spread disease.

10. Human land use and development has wildly damaged the ecosystem, eliminating many of the natural predators for rodents, such as coyotes. Perhaps bird advocate lives in a treehouse or something and, as such, can speak from a loftier position than I.

11. This would probably surprise bird advocate, but I am an animal lover. It is for this reason that I would far rather allow some feline hunting than the arguably greater cruelty of poison and traps.

12. While I would agree that domestic cats do not need to live and hunt outdoors, it is worth noting that humans domesticated cats for their own pleasure. Cats did indeed start out as wild creatures with every right to hunt in the outdoors. True, if I feed them and keep them indoors, they will not hunt. This could be said of all predatory animals. Truth is, our cats clearly serve a valuable purpose out here.

13. If bird advocate would kindly send me his address, I would be delighted to send him a crate of moles for him to save. Frankly, I'm getting tired of turning my ankle in the holes they leave in the yard.

Not that I have opinions on this sort of thing or anything. You know, I wouldn't have said a word if he hadn't put me on his blog....but now I kinda gotta--if only to clarify the apparent misunderstandings (such as his seeming belief that I am the proud owner of the world's most efficient bunny-killing machines and think it's funny).

To move on, I have for Monica, a little Ed beefcake:

This was taken just after I told him that you lust after him, Monica. I think you made his night. (And he loved the scritch.)

And finally some weather pics:

Isn't it purty?? Just for kicks and grins (and because I can't resist playing with new toys), I did another one all artsy-like:

A happy Thursday to all. I'm going downstairs to pet my vicious predator (who is currently curled up in front of the fire, looking ever so terrifying.)