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Some people think that Stan Temple and the prince of darkness are close allies. Indeed, some might say they are one and the same.

"They do! They think I'm the devil incarnate," he said.

And the reason that some people think this is because Temple, an ornithologist and professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has some pretty strong opinions about cats: He doesn't think they should be roaming the streets.

"I always start my lectures off with a comparison," he said, referring to a speech he gave to the American Veterinary Medical Association's annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn., earlier this month on the dangers of re-releasing feral and stray cats into the wild.

"I ask the audience to think of another sentient creature that lives near humans. That has fur" -- and that we have no qualms about euthanizing, he continued.

It's "the rat," he paused, then half snorted. "I always get laughs with that."

But, he really does believe that a parallel exists between these two animals. Both contribute to disease in native wildlife. And they are overabundant in urban and semi-urban settings.

The difference, according to Temple -- who has pet cats himself -- is cats are more dangerous than rats.

Cats are voracious hunters that have brought numerous species to the brink of extinction, Temple said. Examples include the local extinction of petrels on Marion Island (in the sub-Antarctic) and New Zealand's Stephen Island wren.

But the notion that cats pose a major threat to native wildlife strikes many as ludicrous.

"Anyone, in any environment -- whether they are an environmentalist or not -- will tell you that the No. 1 cause of the decrease in bird populations is habitat loss," said Donna Wilcox, executive director of Alley Cat Allies, a non-profit alliance group based in Washington, D.C., whose mission it is to trap, neuter and then re-release feral and stray cats.

"These population losses are directly related to the behavior of man," not cats, she said.

"Have you ever watched a cat hunt? Yes, some are good birders. But most aren't. Saying that 10 million cats kill 200 million birds -- well, it just doesn't fly," Wilcox said.

Maybe not.

But according to research that Temple and a graduate student, John Coleman, conducted in 1993 and 1996, the numbers still are pretty staggering.

In Wisconsin alone, there are at least 1.4 million free-ranging rural cats. And, if Temple and Coleman's numbers are correct, these feral cats may be killing as many as 7.8 million birds every year.

Unfortunately, Temple said, people refuse to see their pets for what they are: bloodthirsty killers.

And he believes that the only way to stop the killing is to restrict pet cats to the indoors -- and euthanize the others.

Notice that "no one has a problem doing this to rats," he said.

According to the Wisconsin Humane Society, there are about 430,000 cats living in Milwaukee County. Half of these have homes -- 215,000 do not.

And according to Kevin Crooks, another wildlife ecologist at UW- Madison, both populations -- feral and pet -- are dangerous.

"Cats are recreational hunters that kill for fun," he said. They generally don't hunt for food.

Most natural predators are sensitive to the ups and downs of their prey's populations. If the number is low, a predator will look elsewhere for food, letting the prey population rebound to its normal level.

But, Crooks said, because most cats aren't killing for food, they don't act like natural predators.

Aggravating the situation, the Wisconsin Humane Society reports that 17.5 million Americans feed stray and feral cats: creating a population of animals who don't hunt for food -- but kill for fun.

With more than 215,000 cats prowling the streets of Milwaukee County -- possibly being fed by benevolent cat lovers -- the activity of feline recreational hunting could be high.

Indeed, the society currently supports individuals who establish feral cat colonies -- semi-permanent groups of cats that congregate around a steady food supply -- in and around the city.

"We provide feral cat givers -- people who are feeding and maintaining the colonies -- with free services: spaying, neutering, testing and vaccinations. We provide them with supplies . . . at no cost to them," said Victoria Wellens, executive director of the society.

Alley Cat Allies, both the American and Wisconsin humane societies and the Dane County Veterinary Medical Association all support re- release programs and the maintenance of cat colonies.

In fact, the Dane County association has received more than $80,000 from the Maddie Fund, a foundation in Alameda, Calif., that promotes the no-kill policy of feral cats.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:27 AM