Cats

[Shadow]

last thing I'd want is grab a cat in a trap, squirt something on it, and let it go-
how many here have actually handled a cat in a trap

as kids dad gave us 4 traps- "catch the cats, do what you want with them"
nasty critters in a trap

we prefered slingshot- got quite good- but weren't against setting out a 1/2 leg hold trap and carrying our catch into the house- great fun with big sisters- but then again- we had to get by mom and then toss it into big sisters room and run

haven't seen any cats out here on the farm for some time now- got a couple leg traps ready-
think it would be like childhood days to catch one- can you guess what I'm going to do when I catch one- we grew up with cherri bombs and M80's

[FCSpringer]

Well there is plenty of SPORTSMEN, who believe feral cats are a huge problem in some areas, including mine. They are varmints. I am not talking poor little girls fluffy cat named rags with bells and pink collars. It is a problem with wild cats here. I have thousands invested and time in birds all year. Wild cats are unwelcome disease ridden varmints. A bigger percentage of sportsmen around here realize the problem, and so has the state of MN, they have discused season for wild ferral cats. Trapping and or eradication of problems should be done humainly when necessary.

[Kismet]

Googling "cat predation" pops up a bunch of sites, many quoting the same study. These are house cats. I know of at least one group which advocates capturing feral cats, neutering them, and then releasing them back to the wild. That makes no sense to me.

Here's an excerpt from one site on ?responsible cat ownership:

Cat Facts - Effects of House Cat Predation on Our Native Wildlife

While many cat owners may believe that their pet cannot possibly have a significant impact just because it hunts, the cumulative devastation of cat attacks on wildlife is substantial. With many species in danger due to habitat loss, predation by our house cats is yet one more hardship we humans impose on wild animals already struggling to survive.

Isn't hunting by cats a natural thing? While it may be instinctive for a cat to hunt, house cats are not native to North America and they cause an imbalance in the ecology of an area by killing so many wild animals. Because their population numbers are artificially large due to being kept as pets, cats are far more common than natural selection would normally allow native predators, such as fox or bobcat, to be. Predators are supposed to be rare, not abundant, in nature.

Consider these studies:

Researchers studying 70 cats in a small English village estimated that pet cats in England were responsible for killing 70 million native animals per year, including 20 million wild birds.

In a study of radio-collared farm cats in Wisconsin, researchers Stanley Temple & John Coleman estimated that each year cats kll at least 19 million songbirds and 140,000 game birds in the state of Wisconsin.

A researcher at Point Reyes Bird Observatory in California, noting that there are approximately 55 million cats in the U.S., of which 44 million are permitted outdoors, suggested that the toll may be as high as 4.4 million songbirds per day in the U.S.

Cat predation can also negatively impact our native predators, especially hawks and owls. A study in Illinois concluded that cats wwere taking 5.5 million rodents and 2.5 billion other vertebrates from a 26,000 square mile area, effectively depleting the prey base necessary to sustain wintering raptors and other native predators.

Animal intake data from wildlife rehab centers across the U.S. corroborates the toll of cat predation that the above findings document.

Overwhelmingly, cat predation (including cat attack cases and animals orphaned by cats) is the single largest reason for admission to many wildlife centers. Typically, less than 10-20% of cat attack victims survive. Even when external damage appears minor, there is usually massive internal hemorrhaging & sift tissue damage from crushing and even minor puncture wounds expose the victim to over 60 types of bacteria known to exist in cat saliva.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects native birds from being killed or kept by people. Any person who willfully allows his or her cat to injure or kill migratory birds is, in effect, in violation of this federal law. While this may seem like an extreme interpretation of the law, the "sport" hunting of wildlife by our well-fed pet cats is a waste of life.

[koja48]

Reckon I'll just keep right on live trapping them. Ferals/unidentified pets will leave; collared pets will either get a free bath or a free "perfume" application before release to go home. Persistent offenders will earn their owners an (or another) visit from the animal control officer (I love that municipal statute!).

[1GB]

Originally Posted by FCSpringer

Well there is plenty of SPORTSMEN, who believe feral cats are a huge problem in some areas, including mine.

So you delete my post because I spoke out against catching cats and attaching M80s to them?!

I believe they are a problem too, but excess cruelty is not sportsmen-like.

[moellermd]

Originally Posted by 1GB

I believe they are a problem too, but excess cruelty is not sportsmen-like.

I am not much of a cat fan either. But I do believe you are correct.

[oldandnew]

I don't mind cats within reason, but they need to be controlled, fact is there are just to darn many! I don't want to shoot anybody's petcat,and the sad fact is that well fed sleep in the kids bed by night, is likely to be the biggest offender when it comes to songbirds and gamebirds. Quail in particular are walking banquets for cats. I won't cry any tears over the cats impact on raptors, since the mantel of Federal protection was bestowed upon raptors, you can't pass a fence post without seeing a hunting hawk of some variety. There are quite a few of those which are highly efficient songbird and gamebird predators as well. Can't leave out the coons, possums, skunks, weasels, minks, foxes et. al. which collectively do a number on nesting gamebirds. We need to make a choice,lack of habitat makes the birds more vulnerable, protection of predators either privately or governmental tilts the table in favor of the predators. We used to have government trappers!

[kansasbrittany]

Originally Posted by moellermd

I am not much of a cat fan either. But I do believe you are correct.

I'm with you guys on this one! I also feel feral cats should be exterminated. However, M-80's on cats....really? I won't get into how I feel about that from a moral stand-point b/c I'll get kicked off the site, BUT as an outdoorsman and member of the site I ask that you please not post things of this nature; be it here or on any other site, you're not doing us any favors.


I ask that if any of you decide to exterminate me that you do so quickly. Don't use me for entertainment before dispatching me

[FCSpringer]

Originally Posted by 1GB

So you delete my post because I spoke out against catching cats and attaching M80s to them?!

I believe they are a problem too, but excess cruelty is not sportsmen-like.

I thought you were trying to take this thread to a argument again just like last time. Calling people horrible sportsmen I believe should do the job of leading to that. If you wish to take this to further discusion please do it via PM instead of public arguing that will not be tollerated as the rules state. I agree as said also problem animals should be dealt with humainly.

[FCSpringer]

I saw no post of M 80 nature, and agree as well about cruelity and posting it. I also saw the way this subject went before. The first time someone calls another out it goes down hill to a big bashing session. Forgive me if you feel Violated. Not my intention, just trying to my best ability to avoid conflict.