feral cat

[MMPoultryFarms]

Quote:
feral cats are part of the eco system reguardless how anyone may see it.they keep the mice and rodent population down, which in return keeps the diseases down. sadly life isnt a 1 sided story theres 2 sides to it all. JMHO

 

[knaup109]

Thanks for all the reply, I will take him to the animal shelter.

 

[jjthinkagain]

And just in case not clear to anyone reading this thread, an animal shelter will likely kill him (unless a no kill shelter). A rescue group will spay/neuter and possibly rerelease. Spayed/neutered ferals in an area will largely keep non spayed/neutered ferals from moving in (territorial thing). If a 'vaccuum' is created, the unfixed kitties will move in.
JJ

 

[Domestic_goddess]

I have many feral cats in my area and have never had a problem with them getting my chickens, I only think they would if the were desperate and probably only the chicks. Like others have said, most feral cats will be put down if you take it to a animal shelter...they have too many other animals to care for. Good luck!

 

[Mattemma]

I would call the shelter or AC to take the cat.I used to catch cats and AC would come get them.

Back in the days when I kept what I caught I trapped a feral cat.Took me 6 months and a few bites on the hand before he trusted me.Sweet cat that I kept for many years before euthanising him.AC will probably put it down and hopefully they do it humanely.A vet would charge you about $20 to put it down.A shot in the head is fast and better than the heart stick I hear some places use on dogs.Don't know if they use those on cats or just mass gas.

 

[Tomhusker]

Quote:
feral cats are part of the eco system reguardless how anyone may see it.they keep the mice and rodent population down, which in return keeps the diseases down. sadly life isnt a 1 sided story theres 2 sides to it all. JMHO

They are not a natural part of the eco system. They not only carry and spread disease, but kill young game birds, song birds and mammals BESIDES the mice and rats that are mentioned to justify their existence. The only way to get a handle on the problem is to eradicate the existing population.

 

[arherp]

Night before last a caught a feral cat in a trap. I yelled, shook the trap, sprayed it with water, etc etc.. let it go. Guess what graced my trap last night..










Yep, the same cat. You can't just let them go, they will come back.
They do tame down though

 

[NoelTate]

Feral cats are likely here to stay in our country. They are here due to human actions, not due to their own. They now have a space in our ecosystem. The responsible thing to do is to humanely control their numbers. In an area with feral cats, removing one or more simply creates an open spot into which other feral cats will move. The smartest thing to do is to trap feral cats, spay/neuter them, then release them back into the same location. That way they will fill that spot so other ferals do not move into that location. Because it has been spayed/neutered, it will live out a natural life then die without reproducing and contributing dozens of other animals to the problem. Shooting them or taking them to the "shelter" to be put to sleep does not eliminate the problem. Trapping, spaying/neutering, and releasing is the best option.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Shooting them or taking them to the "shelter" to be put to sleep does not eliminate the problem

I've never had further problems with any that I've shot.
Spaying and releasing does nothing to stop them from killing or spreading disease​

 

[Catstar68]

Well, here's JMHO-
We are not part of the 'natural' ecosystem either. We build houses with shiny windows that songbirds fly into and break their necks, we spread chemicals on our lawns that kill insects (then feel good about ourselves when we fill our birdfeeders) and wash into our rivers that in turn kill fish, turtles and amphibians, we drive big trucks on habitat-dividing paved roads that slaughter raccoons, opossums and what-have-you, we introduce non-native species and then trap and kill the native species that are just hungry because we've plowed down their habitat to build a Walmart where you can buy rat poison, Scotts Weed and Feed, raccoon traps, hunting ammo, beer and birdseed all in one convenient stop.
Most people care nothing about the natural ecosystem except when it serves their purpose. We can justify killing feral cats with lofty arguments such as they impact native wildlife and spread disease but lets face it, the real reason is because we're looking out for what is ours. Humans rarely do anything unless it is of benefit in some way to themselves. This is the unflattering truth about ourselves.

I'm not saying feral cats are not a problem - I'm in animal rescue and I know the frustration. If you eradicate a population then another population moves into the void since food sources have become available. It's crazy. Take the cat to a rescue group and at least give it a chance. A shelter will most likely euthanize it, they rarely have the time or the resources to deal with ferals.
I agree with NoelTate, we've had great success with this and feed several stable colonies currently but sometimes people just don't believe in having cats around. Some people just flat-out don't like them. Those voids will always be death zones for these animals.
It's not the cat's fault, it's just trying to survive a bout of someone's irresponsibility, ignorance, cruelty or neglect.