Livestock Facts: Feline
These last two species are mostly considered as household pets but they do have large roles on a farm/ranch as well. This week's animal is a feline or cat. Lots of people have cats but do not know how important they are in the agricultural world, so I am providing some facts!
Cats have lived alongside people for over 10,000 years but only 5000 of those years were we working together providing different benefits for each other. According to Science.org, “Ancient felines hunted crop-destroying rats and mice for farmers, and in return we provided food and protection.” Later on in the paragraph they describe how scientists have unearthed skeletal remains of felines who had hunted/ate rodents in early Chinese farming lands from 5000 years ago.
Most of these “farm cats” are not very friendly however. Called a “door yard cat” in an article I read claimed that they were friendly enough to tolerate some attention, free food, a safe home as long as the people did not get too close to them. It also said that the cats were friendlier if they grew up around the people to know to trust the human but to never let them in your house. I fully agree with the fact that you should not let them in as you don't know what disease(s) they could have, they most-likely don’t have regular vaccines, and are constantly around wild rodents which carry a variety of dangerous diseases.
Your typical house cat isn’t the only kind of cat that plays a role in agriculture. The large, very unfriendly wildcat helps keep prey and other animals in the food web near or on farm/ranch lands in check. Without these animals small coyotes, rodents, rabbits, etc. would run rampant, overeating and ruining crops stored in silos through winter to feed the farming family and other people over time.
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