The cat is not an invasive species

 

The cat (Felis catus, or the domestic cat) is classified in the invasive species list, like the dog and the ferret, as a companion and hobby animal, and the definition of an invasive species should not be applied to the cat. Dogs or ferrets, which are classified as companion and hobby animals in the same way as cats, are not found in the invasive species directory. The cat should also be removed from the vieraslajit.fi list.

 

Defining the cat as an invasive species is problematic in many ways. The cat has a long history as a human companion, and it does not enjoy the same clear status as a pet or a companion and hobby animal as, for example, the dog, if it is also classified as an invasive species. The cat is not a wild animal, nor is it comparable to other invasive species. By definition, an invasive species refers primarily to a species introduced accidentally or intentionally through human action. An invasive species has adapted to its new environment and integrated into the ecosystem. In practice, a cat cannot survive without human assistance. Even population cats—so-called "feral" cats—are born and survive often with human aid. As far as is known, wildcats (Felis silvestris) have never been encountered in Finland, which means the domestic cat cannot, for instance, interbreed with a wild cat population.

 

In its current form, a feral cat that obtains all its food from nature is defined as a harmful invasive species. However, regardless of its background, a cat is the same Felis catus and domestic cat, and it should not be defined as a harmful invasive species under any circumstances. The Hunting Act recognizes only the feral cat, and according to the law, a feral cat may be killed. It is difficult to distinguish a pet cat from a feral cat in a trap or in the wild, which makes the invasive species classification questionable in practice. Many pet cats panic in a trap or fear unfamiliar people. The risk is that a pet cat will be killed due to an erroneous interpretation.

 

Classifying the cat as an invasive species also causes problems regarding attitudes toward cats. If a cat is considered an invasive species that, at worst, "must not be released into nature," the debate proves to turn easily toward goals of outdoor confinement bans for cats, straying further from our views on the natural outdoor needs of other animals, such as dogs. Precisely at the end of this type of questionable public debate, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry lawyer Karin Cederlöf took the stance that a cat's outdoor roaming cannot be considered "releasing it into nature," as the assumption is that the cat returns home.

 

When speaking of cats as an invasive species, the term "alien predator" often emerges, along with claims that the cat is a proficient predator that kills large numbers of birds and other prey animals. However, the cat is not included in the national alien predator classification alongside the raccoon dog and the mink. The cat is a companion and hobby animal.

 

Research data concerning cat predation is frequently derived from abroad, where the study environment may have involved an ecosystem and climate different from those in Finland. Kissojen Oikeudet ry has collected predation statistics on over 100 free-roaming cats, and light shed by preliminary data indicates that previous estimates of cat predation amounts are radically exaggerated. The majority of cats with homes do not hunt at all, or they hunt very little. The cat primarily preys on rodents, such as mice and voles.