Must Cats Die So Birds Can Live? { non-fiction }

       I read the article "Must Cats Die So Birds Can Live?" by Jessica Pressler over the weekend and it really got me thinking about nature and what humans have done to affect it. Pressler describes the situation as an "animal-lover civil war," cat people on one side and bird people on the other. Pressler pulls apart the cat persona, the good, the bad, and the adorable. It is America's favorite pet, after all. But the issue with the cuddly mammal is that it is also a predator, killing the bird population for sport. She explains the trap, neuter, return strategy that many people use, nicknamed TNR. At first it sound great: trap a stray, bring it to the vet to get it neutered or spayed, and release it back onto the street where it won't be able to produce any more homeless kittens. People even set up colonies of the released cats and feed them periodically. Personally, I support and have assisted in TNR, but I do see how it doesn't help. The colonies of cats become a nuisance, and there will always be those two cats that haven't been caught that build up the whole population again. Pressler also explains the struggle of the bird people trying to get people to notice the horrors befalling the birds. They claim that the cat people are turning a blind eye, and that it is important that the population of is diminished for the sake of the birds. Plus, most strays are just going to be killed anyway by a passing truck or drinking anti-freeze, bird people point out. Why not just kill them now before they end another animal's life? But one cat advocate scoffs, "that's ridiculous... I could get hit by a bus tomorrow. Should I be killed?" Cat people are also asking to see the carcasses of the supposed billions of dead birds slaughtered by cats. It's true, how many times have you seen a dead bird that was not run over by a car or fallen from a nest?

      

       I was really surprised that Pressler could stay so neutral while writing this article, as I was about to jump out of my seat to defend the cats and TNR. The only issue with the article is that it does focus so much on cats, so you begin to forget about the birds and therefore any sympathy for them. Also, after Pressler finishes discussing cats, she pretty much moves on to the cat person vs. bird person aspect, not even the birds themselves. And the problem is, I couldn't empathize with the bird people because I just don't have a soft spot in my heart for birds, and I'm guessing most other readers don't either. In my opinion, cats are just these adorable little fur balls that you would never purposefully murder, and Pressler may have that opinion too. I have reached this conclusion by analyzing the way she writes about the bird people. She writes that cat people believe "conservationists are only targeting them because of a deep hatred for cats." This opens up the reader to the possibility that the bird people/conservationists have a hidden agenda: get rid of cats. This definitely made an impact on me, because I know there is a fine line between cat lovers and people who just can't stand them. Pressler also uses many quotes from cat advocates, which strengthens their argument. One of the only bird people she quotes must have been at a bar or restaurant when he was interviewed, because he was drinking alcohol and cursing in his statements. Because he is representing them, it doesn't make the bird people look very good. I believe Pressler may be showing her bias through her writing craft.

       

       This article was very interesting and thought provoking. I am a die-hard cat person, but I am open to hearing the opposing opinion. I don't like the idea of killing cats, but I do believe that humans caused this problem by abandoning cats, so we have to fix it. I believe that TNR is a way to decrease the feral cat population even if it takes a while and I will continue supporting it. This article was written in June of 2013, so I want to know if there have been any advances in the situation. If they are killing cats to save birds, it probably wouldn't be publicized because of the amount of protest it would cause. But I believe that everyone should have a say in what goes on in our country.

Read the article! http://nymag.com/news/features/cats-and-birds-2013-6/