Cats are the world’s top predators

Tershia Botha’s letter refuelled my intention to let cat owners know that their cute, purring feline pets are among the top predators on the planet (Snakeman Dave to the rescue, Courier September 27).
Tershia’s black cat “Bok” who wakes her up at night to proudly show off his catch, including a snake, is one of thousands of domestic cats in the Ballito area doing the same thing. If cats caught rats only that would be good. As Tershia writes her cat Bok caught a snake.
Snakes also catch rats as a part of their diet. The snake is Tershia’s story was not identified but was more than likely a harmless brown house snake caught while hunting for a meal in the night.
Two years ago Getaway magazine published an article on domestic cats being among the most efficient predators on the planet! A researcher from the University of Cape Town, Sharon George of the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute, put tracking collars on domestic cats to find out what they got up to at night when their owners think they are sleeping on the special blanket next to their beds.
I quote from the article:
“What Sharon found was a testament to how little we know about our moggies. Take Scamp of Vredehoek, an inner city Cape Town suburb. He was fitted with a small GPS recorder and tracked for 168 hours. He covered an astounding 42 hectares, roaming many kilometres a day.
“Truffles, Drooler,  Bengie and Stompie were not far behind. Drooler outdid them all in straight-line stakes, having logged nearly a kilometre from home. What were they doing out there? Apart from yowling, sniffing and checking the neighbourhood, they were killing. With deadly efficiency.”
The article went on to point out that there are nine million households in South Africa from which, each year, 2.5 million cats emerge to kill more than 47 million wild creatures. Why are domestic cats among the planet’s top predators? It is because we feed them, pay their vet bills, keep them safe and warm. They’re remorseless killers protected by the most successful predator of all – us.
If you’re a responsible cat owner:
* Put a bell on your cat’s collar – it halves the prey capture success. Two bells are better than one.
* Restrict the movements of your cat – allow it out by day and keep it in at night.
* Feed it as often as you can, the best-fed cats have lower predation rates.
* Limit the number of cats to one in your home and have them spayed.
* Report all ringed birds caught by your cat to SAFRING, University of Cape Town.
SEAMUS THOMPSON
Salt Rock