CATS have never lost their wild side. Their independence makes them convenient pets, but their rapacity makes them formidable foes for the other mammals and birds they meet.
Concern over their toll on wildlife has led to calls to restrict cat ownership and movements, even though the impact of their hunting on ecosystems isn't clear. In some places, cats may actually help diversity by killing rats.
But there's another reason to think twice about adding to the feline population. Cats are often little friendlier to their own kind than they are to sparrows and mice: they find living within a whisker of non-relatives stressful.
So a responsible pet owner might wish to learn more about how moggies think and act before bringing one home (see "More than a feline
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