Do you have any invasive species in your area and hows the battle going?

Holly mackerel thats a lot of invasive species. Cheers and happy weekend!

Y'all probably got that many too.   Just don't realize it.

So many of ours came from the St. Lawerance and Great Lakes Seaway.   It's been nothing but a disaster.

Send them over here! 

It's astonishing how many people will deflect the fact that feral  cats are invasive species with huge impact on native wildlife.

Ahh now here's where we fall out... Didge was right you don't like cats... soo here's some info I know will be hard to accept but I will say it anyway.. cats to NOT spread diseases.. remember these are PETS if they were a human hazard they would be killing people left right and centre.. Sure there are SOME diseases we can get from cats but they are mostly self limiting and only really a danger to pregnant women.. so unless you are.. you should be safe..  A super vet told me that human bites are WAY more dangerous than cat ones.. seriously P I'd have thought better of you than to buy into sensationalism and shoddy facts!

As to damage to wildlife.. well yea they do.. I cannot deny that.. but you are seriously over stating the case here.. the effect on wildlife is NOT proven, as a whole and there are way more serious threats.. such as habitat fragmentation, habitat destruction, ( we are a seriously congested country) and environmental pollution and damage.. Now see I knows this cos I is an environmentalist.. an amateur conservationist.. so I knows stuff..  And I knows that a) not ALL cats hunt.. and of those that do b) most don't make a kill every day or even every week and c) there is MUCH that can be done to make it harder .. bells on collars etc... 

Re fleas.. you need to be clear.. and factual.. the fleas you mention are NOT human fleas.. different species.. yes they can bite humans but we aren't their preferred food.. and you CAN get rid of them and most people DO.. with flea treatments... The statement we pretty much got rid of fleas.. is misleading and in that context inaccurate.. the HUMAN fleas we got rid of due to better hygeine and living conditions..  that had NO effect on cat OR dog fleas... not same species as I say.. so cats did NOT bring them back...

Now I say this as a the PET owner of 6 cats.. yea i know that makes me a baddie right.. I can live with that..  but lucky for me my cats have NO fleas and they happen to be indoor only cats.. my reasoning is this.. while cats DO NOT generally make a significant impact on wildlife.. as a conservationist and wildlife advocate I personally couldn't cope with having mine kill ANY wildlife.. 

Re squirrels.. you may be interested to know that they are talking about feeding them contraceptives that make them infertile..  I just thought I'd share that me being a wildlife advocate an all.. this will hopefully see a resurgence of our native red squirrel populations.. which would be cool huh.. 

I hope you take my informative response in the spirit it's intended.. I can see you feel passionately on this but it's very important to stick to facts and not get sensationalist.. Blessings x

And just to add to this.. since we were mentioning Didge.. we DO have to accept that in the case of Australia that's a whole different story when it comes to cats having an adverse impact on wildlife.. it is WELL acknowledged that cats there, in AUstralia cause significant impact.. there are good reasons for this.. .and I don't claim to be an expert but I believe it's something to do with marsupials, mainly.. I am sure DIdge will correct me.. marsupials whch are a feature of Australia cannot cope with predation such as happens with cats.. they have no defences.. birds can fly.. but marsupials are way more vulnerable.. 

Personally as a CAT LOVER I would advocate that in the more delicate and sensitive setting of Australia ALL cats should be kept indoors/outdoor enclosures to minimise the impact on the delicate wildlife.  

I ask a favour.. if i get a comeback on this please someone alert me... as I don't always see replies.. equally if someone just wants to discuss this with me.. please feel free to contct me.. but I stand by what i've said.. simply cos it is the truth.. and it's important that people not be misled..

I leave you with this... from the RSPB.. to those who don't know RSPB is a very respected organisation in the UK.. heavily involved with conservation... advocates particularly of birds.. they say no proof, no scientific evidence and indeed I know from my interest in conservation that many of the endangered (red and amber species) are actually IMPROVING in numbers and the thinking is that the ones who can adapt to more urban environments are thriving BECAUSE of gardens and people puttign food out.. since urban environments are where most cats are.. the numbers are still growing despite these terrible hunters as some put it.. 
One last thought.. cat's don't only kill birds, arguably birds are harder to catch than mice.. cats DO catch mice.. and rats.. and if we are being factual here.. MICE and RATS can and DO pass diseases... mice damage houses.. rats can cause leptospirosis... there is an argument in the UK for cats being useful.. that IS what they were originally kept for... to control mice and rats...  so while in some countries cats are a menace to delicate ecosystems.. that's NOT the case in the UK... facts is facts...
PS my doofus cats couldn't catch a bird if they tried.. they have an enclosure in the garden.. a pidgeon got in.. there were three cats one bird.. lots of feathers where the bird tried to get out.. but the cats just sat and stared at it... until I let it out.. poor understanding of cats is understandable.. but please learn. 

Hey, we're not going to fall out.

Be clear about a few things. I am a conservationist, active member of the RSPB and RSPCA, long-term amateur naturalist, countryside dweller. Kent Ornithological Society member and a really nice bloke.

Honestly, the most damaging thing for the most significant small wildlife in the UK are domestic cats. Really. Honestly. Yes, really.
In case that was not really obvious. It's cats.

Despite that. I do understand that people like cats and will defend their pets against the obvious evidence. So, instead of treating the cats in my garden in the same way that they treat the birds and wildlife. I let them live.

For this consideration, they despoil my garden, leave excrement out there for my children (and now my grandchildren) to find.

Fleas? After an infestation in a close relative's house, we were told. "These are cat fleas, you can't stop them, human fleas have almost gone, but we can't deal with cats."

Domestic cats kill (at least) 8,000,000 birds in the UK alone, and many millions of unrecorded small rodents. And for what? The introduction of domestic cats into much of the world has resulted in a subsequent crash in the populations of ground-dwelling birds and small mammals.

But, as I said at the start, I know that they are pets for many people, most of whom see nothing wrong with them. And we are not going to fall out about it.

Personally I have always *felt* you to be a reasoning and reasonable person.. lol so far anyway.. you seem a typical Brit to me.. happy to discuss and debate and listen to the other side.. so I am glad you aren't mad at me over this... 

I am super happy that you are a conservationist!! I am betting that you saw enough from me to know that I genuinely am too!  And I have been for well over 30 years.. I used to be well known in the area and consulted on a fair few things.. was all set for a career in wildlife conservation.. but then got achilles tendonitis.. or I had it for ages but it got to where I could hardly walk.. anyway that's another story.. 

>>Honestly, the most damaging thing for the most significant small wildlife in the UK are domestic cats. Really. Honestly. Yes, really. 
In case that was not really obvious. It's cats.<< but but but.. we speak the same language here and the truth is that there is no evidence to support that.. as I say species that use gardens are actually improving in number and a fair few that were on the amber and red list, (you've heard of that?) have gone down a category.. so the evidence doesn't fit with the theory that cats have a major impact.. and our mutually beloved RSPB say it doesn't.. you quote numbers.. but the fact is that no one really knows. they can't .. .so it's all just estimates.. and that my friend is a fact.. the evidence we do have shows they are not having a major impact.. and lets face it we have had cats here for hundreds and hundreds of years..  recent declines are factually more likely due to human impact.. insect poisoning due to car pollution is thought to be a major factor... as is habitat fragmentation and loss... thems facts.. honestly.. I am as passionate about wildlife and conservation as you here.. if I thought cats were to blame I'd say so.. I've said in countries like Aus cats should be made to be indoor only cos there the impact is proven.. here it isn't...  and I've said mine are all indoor cats. cos I refuse to allow even one bird to be killed...  

>>Despite that. I do understand that people like cats and will defend their pets against the obvious evidence. So, instead of treating the cats in my garden in the same way that they treat the birds and wildlife. I let them live.<< not all cats hunt... I've had oh I don't know.. 30 or so cats in the last 30 years... and of them  I only had one hunter...  mine truly couldn't catch a bird if it landed on them.. and they dont go out anyway.. . but my point is.. there is NOT the evidence.. you are basing on feeling... belief.. there isn't evidence.. truly.. I promise.. as per the RSPB link.. 

>>For this consideration, they despoil my garden, leave excrement out there for my children (and now my grandchildren) to find.<<  Another reason I keep mine in.. its NOT nice.. I agree.. but it doesn't make cats major killers of wildlife.. dispassionate here is the order of the day.. don't let your personal dislike of kitties get in the way of evidence.. pretty please? 

>>Fleas? After an infestation in a close relative's house, we were told. "These are cat fleas, you can't stop them, human fleas have almost gone, but we can't deal with cats."<< 
again lets be analytical... we are intelligent reasoning beings.. I KNOW you are cos you demonstrate wit and an ability to play with words, impressively so...  so we KNOW as reasoning human beings that not everything we are TOLD is true... so lets use logic.. there are products.. ADVANCE, ADVANTAGE and these kill fleas for upto 3 months.. I don't use them myself as my cats have NO fleas. they dont go out to get any.. so I've not treated mine in years.. but I once had a cat, long time ago, who was allergic to fleas.. just one bite would set off his allergy like crazy.. so I KNOW fleas can be eliminated.. that's not emotion.. it's not defending cats.. it's just fact.. there are products now that eliminate fleas.. in a house you can de-infest AND treat the cat... it might go get more fleas, (another argument for keeping them indoors) but ANY flea biting a cat treated with these products will die.. so they can be eliminated.. they just can... 

Now with my wildlife and conservation hat on.. we DO know that certain wildlife have fleas.. hedgehogs for instance are riddled with them... and I believe other creatures can get them... I suspect they are species specific.. but just saying... it's not like cats are the only carriers of fleas.. and in cats it CAN be treated.. so whoever told you that they can't do anything about cat fleas was talkin out of their arse.. and you can an should question everything you are told.. not just believe some dipstick cos in this case truly they were wrong.. ignorant to say the least.. fumigation for the house and treating the cat.. sorted.. 

>>The introduction of domestic cats into much of the world has resulted in a subsequent crash in the populations of ground-dwelling birds and small mammals.<<  Now that we CAN agree on.. and I was the first to say so.. I said clearly that there are places where cats ARE a proven problem.. usually in countries or islands where the wildlife has not evolved to be able to deal wth them.. no defences.. like birds can fly.. in most cases they get away.. and dont even get caught.. mammals are predated by many things here... so they have evolved to deal wth that. and use strategies like massive birth rates to get round it.. here we have had cats for hundreds and hundreds of years.. sudden declines have other reasons...  but yes in some parts it IS a problem.. I cited Aus.. 

Re cats in the UK.. I found this... "The cat may have arrived in England with the Phoenicians who traded for tin in Cornwall, though it is most likely the Romans who first brought cats with them some time before 4 AD. Cat footprints have been discovered in clay tiles at Caesaromagus (Chelmsford, Essex). Further cats arrived with the Vikings.I am horribly logical.. it's a fault of mine.. facts.. information.. " and other sources seem to concur.. we've had kitties here a long time.. logic dictates therefore that however much you may dislike them.. any recent decline in wildlife MUST Be attributable to other factors.. in the uK anyway.. it just is... sure cat's don' help but we've had them hundreds an hundreds of years.. if anythign there are less cats now out an about cos many pedigrees are kept indoors.. 

Bad arguments all along. And mainly REALLY  badly-informed (but that is not your fault (and please forgive my wording)).
We're not going to agree (or fall out).

We have a type of invasive hog weed here - it can cause rashes and even kill people that have breathing problems. Cheers and happy weekend!

We have a business in Nanoose Bay called The Bug factory they raise and sell what they call Beneficial insects and micro organisms. I used to think it was a good way to control garden pests but now I'm not to sure. Cheers!