Love the Bird, Kill the Cat

Here is an article about someone up on charges for killing a cat to save a bird.

Jurors on Thursday began weighing the fate of a prominent bird watcher accused of animal cruelty for shooting a cat that lived under a bridge.

The trial has sparked a hot Internet debate between cat lovers who decry Jim Stevenson 's actions and birders upset by the toll feral cats take on bird species. It's also raised questions about what makes an animal a pet, especially if it lives outside.

Stevenson, founder of the Galveston Ornithological Society, would face up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted. He said he shot the cat last fall because he saw it hunting a threatened species of bird near the San Luis Bridge Pass.

I have a hard time with this killing. I don't doubt that cats may present a threat to certain birds. But who is this guy to decide this question?

Photo by JJY.