Natural born killers: the problem with cats

A feral cat with its prey of a Major Mitchell's cockatoo. (Credit: Lisa Wilson) MANY OF US LOVE CATS. I love cats. But has the time come to break our addiction to them? They have been great companions since their domestication in the Middle East 10,000 years ago, and today they number more than 500 million worldwide. But the partnership is one we need to reconsider.