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Cats in Hawaii are not new. They have been around since the first ships set ashore centuries ago during the age of exploration. They had been brought along to control the mouse population aboard ships. But, some of those little furry friends decided to jump ship when they found the paradise of Hawaii. They quickly overpopulated on naive native prey who had never seen a cat before. The cat population had grown so quickly that Mark Twain noted in 1866 that there were “millions of cats.” Today, there is a huge cat population problem.

Where are they?

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The biggest populations are near the oceans where the tourists love to feed the little furry beggars. But, they are everywhere. You can find little packs on top of the mountains or deep in the tropical forests. There is not one place on the islands of Hawaii and Oahu that have not been claimed by a cat. Be careful where you step.

Cat Population Decimates Bird Populations

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Shortly after the immigration of the cat, people started noticing a decline in the bird population. By the Great Depression, it is estimated at least 30 different species had either gone extinct or were close to it. If the food supply gets to the point where it can’t sustain the out of control cat population, what will they develop a taste for next? What does a cat think when his eyes glisten when looking at you?

Disease carriers

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The cats are passing on diseases to several species on the islands. The biggest one though is Toxoplasmosis. It can affect all life from birds to marine life. From the mountains to the oceans. It is even a danger to pregnant women.

Range

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How far does a cat travel to find its food? A cat can range anywhere in an eight square mile territory. With millions of cats on the islands, there is nowhere that is safe from the nocturnal, feline hunting party. It is almost like a bad horror movie. “You can run but you can’t hide!”

Taking over

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Cats are literally underfoot wherever you go in Hawaii. The Egyptians used to revere cats as gods. Maybe this is how it came to happen. They are taking over. Everywhere you look, you can find a cat laying around, walking to the next playground or sunning himself at the beach, waiting for his next subject to feed him a tasteful morsel. They are learning from us and using it against us. You can clearly see from this early evidence of the first “cat-selfie” ever taken. They have learned well.

How would you co-exist with the ruling cat class?

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