2013-PATS-logos---joint 

In This Issue
Vets should share some of the blame for falling pet welfare standards
Are you an SQP? Earn valuable CPD points at PATS!
OATA hits back at tropical fish alarms
HiLife launches ultra premium pouch dog food
Hollings adds to dog treat range
Bird-lovers encouraged to be part of the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch
English Setter no longer at risk of extinction
Pet shop murder probe reopened
Top 10 pet names revealed
Colombo Bactuur water treatments bring ponds back to life
Surge in sales of dog coats
Puppies snatched during Kent pet shop raid
ORIJEN announces 'Whole Prey' concept
Campaign to rid New Zealand of cats angers animal-lovers
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Campaign to rid New Zealand of cats angers animal-lovers
 

A campaign to eradicate cats from New Zealand in a bid to preserve native birdlife has left pet lovers howling with outrage.

The controversial call to rid the country of cats is being led by Gareth Morgan, a prominent businessman, who tells owners on his newly created Cats to Go website: "The fact is that your furry friend is actually the friendly neighbourhood serial killer."

Under a picture of a kitten with red devil's horns, the website asserts "cats are the only true sadists of the animal world" and that they "torture their victims slowly and without mercy".

It goes on: "Every year, hundreds of millions of birds are murdered by cats.

"Some cats will kill over a thousand birds each year."

Although the campaign stops short of calling for cats to be euthanised, it points out that is an option.

It also calls on cat owners to keep their pet inside 24 hours a day and, when the time comes, "ensure this is the last cat you ever own".

Cats should also be neutered and have a bell hung around their necks to warn birds they are nearby, it says.

The website asks for signatures on a petition calling for cats to be registered and micro-chipped like dogs.

"Imagine a New Zealand teeming with native wildlife, penguins on the beach, kiwis roaming about in your garden," Mr Morgan says.

"Imagine hearing birdsong in our cities."

New Zealand is renowned for its unique birdlife, most of which flourished for thousands of years without predators.

So benign was the natural environment that species such as the kiwi, the national symbol, became flightless.

But Mr Morgan's campaign was bound to spark an angry backlash in a country that owns more cats per capita than any other, with nearly half of all households having at least one.

Cat lovers were quick to take to the internet and talkback radio to air their protests. Some have even set up anti-Gareth Morgan web pages.

More than 70% of visitors to the Cats to Go website expressed disapproval of the proposals, while on news websites, comments such as "Mess with my cat and I'll mess with you."

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