I love… cats! *meow*

Since this is my first blog post, I will start with one of the many animals that you will come across in cities, the domestic cat.

Cats (Felis catus) has been in close association with humans for at least 9,500 years (Pickrell, 2004). So now, wherever there are humans around, you are likely to find both feral and pet cats.

Cats, being animals with great adaptability to human-populated areas have also unfortunately become one of the world’s top invasive species (Global Invasive Species Database, 2005a). Even domestic cats have the tendency to hunt and occasionally bring back a few of the kills for their owners. Their prey includes native fauna such as small mammals or birds and this might have drastic decline of the prey population. A similar declining trend of population numbers are seen when other fauna or flora are introduced to new habitats where they were previously not found, check out the list of 100 World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species (Global Invasive Species Database, 2005b).

In Singapore, stray cats can be commonly seen at void decks or common areas. Since they share the same environment as us, Cat Welfare Society term these cats as community cats.

These my own photos are of Singapore’s community cats found in different areas of Singapore.

 These photos are of cats found at my void deck. Most are transient, only staying for awhile before moving on.

However, my favourite community cat, Meowy, who has been around in the same area since 2009. She has a sweet temperament, always appreciative of a nice little back massage and shows her contentment by sticking her tongue out *=p*

Cats are definitely one of the animals that you will encounter in any city. Even though as a group, they might be deemed as ecologically damaging to native populations, on the other hand, many still treat cats as their dear companion. This is not an easy battle to tackle, in the end, we will have to strike a balance and find a way to resolve this conflict.

Literature cited 

Global Invasive Species Database. (2005a). Felis catus. Accessed Jul 08, 2010.

Global Invasive Species Database, (2005b). 100 of the World’s Worse Invasive Alien Species. Accessed Jul 08, 2010.

Pickrell, J. (2004). Oldest Known Pet Cat? 9,500-Year-Old Burial Found on Cyprus. National Geographic News. Retrieved Jul 09, 2010.