Pets and Pests? Framing Human–Cat Moral Ecologies in the Canary Islands, Spain

Felis catus is considered a domestic species, but the individuals belonging to this taxonomic category navigate along the domestic-wild-feral spectrum. This ethnography draws attention to the plethora of adjectives used by three social groups, namely biologists, hunters, and animal-rights campaigner...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Pons-Raga, Ferran
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/369623
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/369623
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Canary Islands (Spain)
cat (Felis catus)
domestic/wild/feral spectrum
framing
moral ecology
http://metadata.un.org/sdg/3
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
cats
Descripción
Sumario:Felis catus is considered a domestic species, but the individuals belonging to this taxonomic category navigate along the domestic-wild-feral spectrum. This ethnography draws attention to the plethora of adjectives used by three social groups, namely biologists, hunters, and animal-rights campaigners, to examine the ways in which these terms serve to frame cats concerning different moral ecologies in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). The use of these adjectives is always morally charged and pursues specific political agendas regarding how cats should be framed, whether as companion domestic animals to care for or devastating feral predators to kill based on their negative impact in the environment. By teasing out the rationales behind these adjectives, this ethnography reveals how the variables of space and time are key to bringing cats in or pushing them out the human sphere through synchronic or diachronic moral ecologies.