The Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, has classified domestic cats (Felis catus) as an "invasive alien species". However, this decision has caused an uproar amongst several people, especially cat lovers, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
The Polish scientific institute has cited the damage caused by cats to birds and other wildlife as the reason behind categorising the feline creature as "alien".
Some cat lovers are not happy with the institute's decision and have reacted emotionally. Wojciech Solarz is the biologist at the Polish Academy of Sciences who entered Felis catus into a national database run by the Institute of Nature Conservation.
Decision To Classify Cats As ‘Invasive Alien Species’ Has Caused An Uproar
According to the AP report, a disapproving public response followed the scientific institute's decision to enter Felis catus into the database for invasive alien species, and Solarz was not prepared for the response.
As many as 1,786 species had already been listed as invasive alien species in the database, before the inclusion of Felis catus. However, no person had objected to the inclusion of the 1,786 species, Solarz said Tuesday (local time), according to the AP report.
Felis catus was the 1787th species to be included as an invasive alien species. According to Solarz, this resulted in a lot of uproar because some media reports had created the "false impression" that the Institute of Nature Conservation was calling for feral and other cats to be euthanised.
Solarz said there is a growing scientific consensus that domestic cats have a harmful impact on biodiversity. According to him, cats hunt and kill birds and mammals, thereby impacting biodiversity.
Quoting Solarz, the report said that the criteria for including the cat among alien invasive species are 100 per cent met by the cat.
Last week, Solarz faced off against a veterinarian in a television segment aired by independent broadcaster TVN. The veterinarian had challenged Solarz's conclusion on the dangers cats pose to wildlife, the report said.
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Dorota Suminska, who wrote a book titled "The Happy Cat", said there are other reasons behind shrinking biodiversity. These include urban buildings and a polluted environment, all of which can kill birds in flight.
She argued that cats were unfairly assigned too much blame. "Ask if man is on the list of non-invasive alien species," she said.
According to the report, Solarz said that every year, cats kill about 140 million birds in Poland.
The Polish Academy institute published a post on its website earlier this month. The institute cited the "controversy" and sought to clarify its position.
The Institute of Nature Conservation stressed that it was "opposed to any cruelty towards animals", and argued that its classification was in line with European Union guidelines.
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The institute justified its decision to categorise cats as "alien" by stating that "Felis catus" was domesticated probably around 10,000 years ago in the cradle of the great civilisations of the ancient Middle East. According to the institute, this made "Felis catus" alien to Europe from a strictly scientific point of view.
The Polish institute said that it was recommending that cat owners limit the time their pets spend outdoors during bird breeding season, according to the report.
Solarz said he has a dog, but he does not have "anything against cats".