A Polish scientific institute has categorized domestic cats as an “invasive alien species”. The Polish Academy of Sciences has designated the domestic cat (felis catus) as “alien” as it was domesticated in the Middle East and has considered cats as “invaders” due to the “negative influence of domestic cats on native biodiversity”, they explained. in a statement. The Academy has a long list of animals it considers “invasive alien species,” including Japanese knotweed, raccoons, moths, and mandarin ducks. They state that such species pose an “unforeseen risk to local wildlife,” citing a study showing that cats in Poland kill and eat 48.1 and 583.4 million mammals, respectively, and 8.9 and 135.7 million birds annually. The criteria for including the cat among alien invasive species is “100 percent met by the cat,” Wojciech Solarz, a biologist at the state-run Polish Academy of Sciences, told the AP. Cat owners and cat lovers have expressed outrage at the classification, as they worry it will encourage the abuse or mistreatment of domestic cats. Some media outlets are reporting that given the false impression that the institute was calling for feral and other cats to be euthanized, the AP reported. Comments on the Academy’s Facebook page saw people say the institution’s classification was “simply stupid and harmful”, with one saying, “you’re rubbish and don’t deserve your name”. The Polish Academy of Sciences advised cat owners to limit the time their pets spend outdoors during the bird breeding season. Jennifer DiMatteo/Insider Speaking to the AP, Wojciech Solarz, a biologist at the state-run Polish Academy of Sciences, said he did not expect such a response to adding Felis Catus to the database, saying no other entry has elicited such an emotional response. Such was the fury that Solarz faced with cat champion Dorota Suminska, author of a book called “The Happy Cat,” on national television. Suminska, a veterinarian, said, “Ask if humans are on the non-invasive alien species list” when discussing shrinking biodiversity. and argued that the cats were wrongly accused. Solarz suggested that the negative comments may stem from a misunderstanding where people think the Academy is implying that people are harming their cats.
The Academy only recommended that cat owners limit their pets’ time outdoors during the bird breeding season. In a Facebook post earlier this month, referring to the classification and the criticism that followed, the Academy said it was “opposed to all animal cruelty”. He explained that defining the domestic cat as an invasive alien species does not justify any abuse against them, nor does it justify the abandonment of cats.”