{"product_id":"cat-wars-the-devastating-consequences-of-a-cuddly-killer-9780691167411","title":"Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy our cats are a danger to species diversity and human health\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1894, a lighthouse keeper named David Lyall arrived on Stephens Island off New Zealand with a cat named Tibbles. In just over a year, the Stephens Island Wren, a rare bird endemic to the island, was rendered extinct. Mounting scientific evidence confirms what many conservationists have suspected for some time--that in the United States alone, free-ranging cats are killing birds and other animals by the billions. Equally alarming are the little-known but potentially devastating public health consequences of rabies and parasitic \u003ci\u003eToxoplasma\u003c\/i\u003e passing from cats to humans at rising rates. \u003ci\u003eCat Wars\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of the threats free-ranging cats pose to biodiversity and public health throughout the world, and sheds new light on the controversies surrounding the management of the explosion of these cat populations. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis compelling book traces the historical and cultural ties between humans and cats from early domestication to the current boom in pet ownership, along the way accessibly explaining the science of extinction, population modeling, and feline diseases. It charts the developments that have led to our present impasse--from Stan Temple's breakthrough studies on cat predation in Wisconsin to cat-eradication programs underway in Australia today. It describes how a small but vocal minority of cat advocates has campaigned successfully for no action in much the same way that special interest groups have stymied attempts to curtail smoking and climate change. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eCat Wars\u003c\/i\u003e paints a revealing picture of a complex global problem--and proposes solutions that foresee a time when wildlife and humans are no longer vulnerable to the impacts of free-ranging cats.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeter P. Marra\u003c\/b\u003e has written more than 175 scientific publications, is the coeditor of \u003ci\u003eBirds of Two Worlds\u003c\/i\u003e, and directs the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. \u003cb\u003eChris Santella\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of many books, including the Fifty Places travel and outdoor series and \u003ci\u003eThe Tug Is the Drug\u003c\/i\u003e. His writing has appeared in such publications as the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eTrout\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50491910488338,"sku":"9780691167411","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ff16504e-f152-402f-9c22-d227ac4d365d.jpg?v=1730561452","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/cat-wars-the-devastating-consequences-of-a-cuddly-killer-9780691167411","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}