Recently I have noticed a few letters complaining about cats and in praise of birds, which are indeed lovely in their place, as are all live creatures. I would like to remind us that all nature is predatory in some way, as is the human species. Birds are too, every spring they destroy my vegetable seedlings, often two or three times so I have to replant continuously it seems, and in rural areas birds will often ruin grain crops as well as fruits.
Very sadly I recently lost my cat of over 12 years, whom my daughter had rescued from Vancouver after someone had moved away and abandoned her. She was a great cat, affectionate and responsive, clean and companionable. She did catch mice and likely some birds when younger. She loved to sit on the front step, although the back yard was fenced, and was probably there when the coyotes saw her and ran her to death in two blocks up my street.
Somehow it does not seem fair that in a city like Penticton with lots of licensing and bylaws that there is no protection for humans or pets from wild animals, which seem to becoming more prevalent as well as predatory. Personally, I think if deer were discouraged from coming here to eat our gardens, the coyotes would soon disappear too. It is not good for them or for us. What do you think?
Rae Fowler
Penticton