Feel kinda crappy.....had to shoot a cat

[New adventure]

Unionwirewoman, I admire you for doing what you did, putting it out here for everyone to opine about,and then re-explaining yourself. It's hard not to let compassion get in the way of common sense.
I find it interesting that no one mentioned the other terrible things that happen to feral cats: getting torn apart by the feral dogs, hit by the speeding cars, starving or freezing to name a few. I helped my neighbors son bury a cat that froze in a tree after a dog chased him up it. Poor thing!

 

[amazondoc]

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Please don't interpret anything I've said in this thread as an attack against your choice, because that's not how it has been intended. My intention was only to defend the practice of TNR against those who have been trying to dismiss it as the actions of a few "crazy cat ladies".

Would *I* have shot that cat? No. But I'm not in your situation or living your life. You came to your choice thoughtfully and not carelessly, and I'm not judging it. I'm just trying to discuss an alternative for others who might be faced with a similar choice in the future.

 

[ChicknLover]

You made the right choice, as a fellow huntress and previous responsible indoor pet cat owner I can understand how you felt. But true it is just so irresponsible of the person who was the origin of that stray cat. There are just too many wild cats out there, and little control over them. Wild cats are like an invasive species that needs control. Yes you can trap them and spay or neuter them, but then IMO you become their caretaker, otherwise they are still able to kill wildlife/songbirds and carry disease, use kids sandboxes as their own etc.

 

[Chihuahuamom]

I think that's just WRONG ! You should have trapped him and had him neutered and relocated or just let him live his life there, after they're neutered they mellow out. To just shoot a cat without a care is just not right !

 

[Boyd]

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You were kidding right?

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:

You were kidding right?

Boy, I sure hope so. Who wants to pay for the neutering of all the strays that roam my property? Certainly not I. And I doubt you will, either. If she had decided to trap it, that would be a decision she would live with, as well as the one she made. Every one of us must decide how to handle predators..and make no mistake, a feral cat is a predator and a potential disease vector.

 

[KathyR]

I hesitate to respond to this thread but It upset me to read it and I guess I have to put my two cents in. As a true animal lover I take in strays, dogs and cats. I get them spayed or neutered, and try to find them homes. If I cannot afford it at the time there are rescue groups who help with that sort of thing. There are so many irresponsible owners that don't take care of their pets and unfortunatly for the animals they often end up dead. I should hope that most areas do have some sort of rescue groups available. I live upstate NY , a rural area, and we have many around here. I agree that people cannot sit back and let their own animals be put in jeapordy but would hope that there must be some alternative to death. It seems such a shame. Put in that situation, putting a little effort to find the alternative would probably allow a person to feel a little better about themselves, knowing they helped a poor starving animal. By the way, I have never been bitten by any of the animals I helped, but I do not make it a habit to handle any feral ones either.
Kathy

 

[Boyd]

Hey kathy, for the most part, they are all feral here. In front of my house seems to be a dumping ground for all kinds of unwanted animals, cats more than anything else. I literally cannot afford to house neuter/spay close to 20 some cats a year (if they never get pregnent). If they stay out of trouble, I dont bother them, they dont bother me.

They go after my birds though..... well, they had their chance.

In michigan there are Soooooooooooooooooooooo many cats that get dumped and taken to the shelters, well taking a cat to the shelter is a 100% chance of death penalty unless it is a rare or valuable breed (but those are never dumped....) who would have thought..

The dogs that wander through, I can usually catch them before they even get close to the birds because of my puppies. And dogs are very easy to place. I love animals too, but the "left behinds" to use someone elses words way back in the thread, shouldn't be a threat to me and mine...

It's a tough world out there sometimes.

 

[pointyp]

Do you have the option of having the humane society or the pound come and trap the cat? They will do it for free & find the owners (if it even had any) or re-habilitate it if it's not too feral. Sorry you feel bad about shooting that cat, it had to be difficult.

 

[KathyR]

Around here there are groups that will help with ferals. They will trap them, spay them and relocate them if they are healthy. They don't charge to do it. I helped one feral that ended up placed in someones barn and did very well. Not all strays are feral. My crew of 20 cats proves that. I do actually have one feral that lives in my house, gets along great with the others but after about 5 years still will not let us handle him. We had him neutered, tested and his shots when we first got him and thankfully he has been healthy since.