Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer

Cat Wars paints a revealing picture of a complex global problem, and proposes solutions that foresee a time when wildlife and humans are no longer vulnerable to the impacts of free-ranging cats. This compelling book traces the historical and cultural ties between humans and cats from early domestication to the current boom in pet ownership, along the way accessibly explaining the science of extinction, population modeling, and feline diseases. It charts the developments that have led to our present impasse—from Stan Temple’s breakthrough studies on cat predation in Wisconsin to cat-eradication programs underway in Australia today. It describes how a small but vocal minority of cat advocates has campaigned successfully for no action in much the same way that special interest groups have stymied attempts to curtail smoking and climate change.