---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 2 Aug 1994 09:23:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: Charles Easterberg <easterbg at u.washington.edu>

When I first came to Seattle 25 years ago, california quail were common in
the city and at the University. Over about 5 years, we trapped and
removed over 100 feral cats from campus, including several road kills.
However, several people feed cats regularly and systematically, and in the
period of time this has gotten well under way, quail have disappeared from
campus; I haven't heard one for years. Simililarly, I rarely hear a quail
on the way to work along the Burke Gilman trail or in my neighborhood
anymore. I suspect a big boom in cats as pets today vs two-three decades
ago. Dogs are almost invariably confined to urban yards unless the owner
wants to lose them, and could not be a significant cause of urban quail
mortality. Cats, however, due to their independent and roving nature,
rarely seem to do well confined to homes, although I know a couple which
won't set paw 1 outdoors.

I am concluding that where man goes with his cats, the quail is a certain
casualty.