I had a call from the producer of the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 out of the blue today. He asked if I would like to come into the studio to talk about the effect that domestic cats are having on Britain's wildlife on Jeremy's show.I agreed to it, but stressed that both the RSPB and the BTO were undecided as to the general effect that cats have had because the research is lacking. Whilst waiting to go on air I got chatting with Jools Holland, who was also in the same room. I told him that I first met him 5 years previously whilst at a party in Mick Hucknall's house - as you do. Now, before you cry 'name dropper!', I must stress that I gatecrashed that party because I was on a mission.
You see, I knew that the late George Best was attending with his wife Alex. My cunning plan was to ask George if he minded signing a photo of himself for my mate. He was only too happy to oblige. Mr Hucknall, however, wasn't best pleased and took great exception to what he wrongly thought as his guests being harassed. He duly asked me to leave. I didn't like his party anyway!
Jeremy Vine was a nice fellow and my time on air was shared with a lady on the phone line who ran a cattery. I explained to listeners that I had nothing against cat owners and that I welcomed some research into their impact on birds.
The cattery woman also claimed that foxes actively attacked cats. I found that hard to believe.
2 comments:
I too find it hard to believe that foxes would actively attack cats. We had foxes (with 4 pups ) in the back gardens a few years ago. Foxes and the local cats mainly ignored each others, and if one was more wary of the other it was the foxes. No fun being on the receiving end of those claws...
I am a cat owner, my cat is mostly an indoor cat and contributes to the birds' welfare by shedding her hair which the tits seem to appreciate a lot to line their nests...
I agree Nathalie - before we moved to Mull, we had foxes as regular visitors to the garden and they never seemed to bother the cat - here on Mull my cat isnt really interested in the birds - its the voles she is after - and there must be hundreds of them as we have a barn owl, buzzard, hen harrier, kestrel that hunt behind the house! I wouldnt want to be a vole!
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