Feral cats...

[P-Funk]

Egg The House.

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
Please don't.

 

[P-Funk]

Kidding. I'll admit I'm bored 'cooped up' from the heat. If someone told me they were going to cook my girls - an egging would be the least of their worries.

 

[KyleInTheHenHouse]

Quote:
There is no "positive or beneficial return" to having feral cats around.

Eradication works quite well, and saves the lives of native species

Bear Foot, the statement they made was perfectly sound, no need to go so strongly against it. One; the "positive or beneficial return" statement did not regard simply having feral cats around, it was aimed at the issue of "eradication," which, by your thinking, would keep chickens safe. They did not state having feral cats being around was a beneficial thing, they simply stated eradicating them would not be beneficial as they'd repopulate and return. Read into it correctly before stating your negative thoughts to the contrary.

Two; are you indicating a specific tactic behind "eradicating" feral cats? Care to share? May net some jail time with the whole felony issue with animal cruelty (In NC anyways). I'm not even asking about "native species..."

K, on topic. I don't believe cats are predatory as I've seen chickens can defend themselves. If they're too young, they perhaps should not be outside unsupervised.

 

[little_grey_bantam]

Quote:
There is no "positive or beneficial return" to having feral cats around.

Eradication works quite well, and saves the lives of native species

Bear Foot, the statement they made was perfectly sound, no need to go so strongly against it. One; the "positive or beneficial return" statement did not regard simply having feral cats around, it was aimed at the issue of "eradication," which, by your thinking, would keep chickens safe. They did not state having feral cats being around was a beneficial thing, they simply stated eradicating them would not be beneficial as they'd repopulate and return. Read into it correctly before stating your negative thoughts to the contrary.

Two; are you indicating a specific tactic behind "eradicating" feral cats? Care to share? May net some jail time with the whole felony issue with animal cruelty (In NC anyways). I'm not even asking about "native species..."

K, on topic. I don't believe cats are predatory as I've seen chickens can defend themselves. If they're too young, they perhaps should not be outside unsupervised.

What irks me is that to people, it's alright to go killing wild animals posing any potential harm to a person's animals... BUT when it comes to a feral CAT actually being harmful, it is wrong to trap it and take it to the pound or kill it (of course, where legal).

I believe Bear Foot was trying to state, what good reason is there to have feral cats around ESPECIALLY when no one will be there to supervise them? Sure they kill rats and mice, but they also kill native wildlife, when they themselves are an highly invasive[b/] animal (that is fixed hopefully, because they are highly good at reproduction). Thank goodness these guys are fixed.

I think people have this twisted sense of vision where death is not a part of life... and that EVERY animal should live whether it should or not. Let's face it, millions of kittens are born a year, saving a couple thousand feral cats does hwat? There are, I'm sure, millions of friendly to be "pet" kittens that need homes... there is NOT a place that is going to be able to save all of them. Some of them are going to have to die. I would prefer a friendly cat have a good outdoor home than a feral cat (of course, I don't believe any pet cat should be an outdoor cat - barn cats are a different story I suppose).

Plus, the other person stated they were all fixed, I suppose? Trapping them and taking them to the shelter will mean they have a high chance of being put down as well (and cost money lol to the shelter who could use the money for something else other than putting feral cats down) but at least you will not have to eradicate them.

Also, I've had cats come into my yard to steal turtles AND adult chickens. I just trap them and to the pound they go. Yeah if they get put down, that's the owner's fault, but I shouldn't have to continue spending MORE and MORE money to protect my animals in my own yard, because let's face it, lol, my rescue dogs aren't always fast enough to get to the cat first to scare them off!

Plus to say that eradicating feral cats kills animals/ends a life unnecessarily, I find it truly disgusting that it's alright to go killing possums, snakes, coyotes and other wild animals (and it's even more alright to kill a dog coming in to kill your birds) to protect the flock, yet it's NOT right to "kill or eradicate" feral cats. Most people don't bat an eye at killing a wild animal, but to kill a feral cat is taboo is unfair.

Whoever said chopping a snake in half is humane? And how come it's alright to shoot a coyote or a raccoon, but not a feral cat posing threat to your animals (or native wildlife)? Tell me that. Sounds a bit "animal-racist" to me.

 

[P-Funk]

Rambo is a ferel cat who chases foxes away and keeps my feet warm at night.

Granted I found him when he was about the size of a golf ball.

 

[Velvet Hairpiece]

Quote:
Bear Foot, the statement they made was perfectly sound, no need to go so strongly against it. One; the "positive or beneficial return" statement did not regard simply having feral cats around, it was aimed at the issue of "eradication," which, by your thinking, would keep chickens safe. They did not state having feral cats being around was a beneficial thing, they simply stated eradicating them would not be beneficial as they'd repopulate and return. Read into it correctly before stating your negative thoughts to the contrary.

Two; are you indicating a specific tactic behind "eradicating" feral cats? Care to share? May net some jail time with the whole felony issue with animal cruelty (In NC anyways). I'm not even asking about "native species..."

K, on topic. I don't believe cats are predatory as I've seen chickens can defend themselves. If they're too young, they perhaps should not be outside unsupervised.

What irks me is that to people, it's alright to go killing wild animals posing any potential harm to a person's animals... BUT when it comes to a feral CAT actually being harmful, it is wrong to trap it and take it to the pound or kill it (of course, where legal).

I believe Bear Foot was trying to state, what good reason is there to have feral cats around ESPECIALLY when no one will be there to supervise them? Sure they kill rats and mice, but they also kill native wildlife, when they themselves are an highly invasive[b/] animal (that is fixed hopefully, because they are highly good at reproduction). Thank goodness these guys are fixed.

I think people have this twisted sense of vision where death is not a part of life... and that EVERY animal should live whether it should or not. Let's face it, millions of kittens are born a year, saving a couple thousand feral cats does hwat? There are, I'm sure, millions of friendly to be "pet" kittens that need homes... there is NOT a place that is going to be able to save all of them. Some of them are going to have to die. I would prefer a friendly cat have a good outdoor home than a feral cat (of course, I don't believe any pet cat should be an outdoor cat - barn cats are a different story I suppose).

Plus, the other person stated they were all fixed, I suppose? Trapping them and taking them to the shelter will mean they have a high chance of being put down as well (and cost money lol to the shelter who could use the money for something else other than putting feral cats down) but at least you will not have to eradicate them.

Also, I've had cats come into my yard to steal turtles AND adult chickens. I just trap them and to the pound they go. Yeah if they get put down, that's the owner's fault, but I shouldn't have to continue spending MORE and MORE money to protect my animals in my own yard, because let's face it, lol, my rescue dogs aren't always fast enough to get to the cat first to scare them off!

Plus to say that eradicating feral cats kills animals/ends a life unnecessarily, I find it truly disgusting that it's alright to go killing possums, snakes, coyotes and other wild animals (and it's even more alright to kill a dog coming in to kill your birds) to protect the flock, yet it's NOT right to "kill or eradicate" feral cats. Most people don't bat an eye at killing a wild animal, but to kill a feral cat is taboo is unfair.

Whoever said chopping a snake in half is humane? And how come it's alright to shoot a coyote or a raccoon, but not a feral cat posing threat to your animals (or native wildlife)? Tell me that. Sounds a bit "animal-racist" to me.

I don't think anyone on this thread said it was okay to kill any other creature. I posted a comment on here earlier today and it got deleted by a moderator. So let me try and state my point more clearly this time.

Killing ANYTHING because it exists is wrong in my book. We share this world with all the other creatures. Humans are not
more important, it is not our land. If you were hungry, would you go after an easy target? I know I sure would. As a pet or livestock owner or parent, it is our duty to protect our flock. To me, that doesn't mean murdering something just because it glanced our way. Is a snake or an opossum going to steal eggs if they're hungry. Hells yes. Would I do it? Hells yes. Just got to invest the time and resources to keep them out, to protect the flock.

And speaking of invasive species, what do you think humans are? Yes.. we are a VERY invasive species- and more destructive to the "native habitat" than any other creature on this planet. So to me, playing the "harming native habitat" card is null. We also brought cats and dogs and chickens and horses and (etc etc etc) so...

This has nothing to do with the OP's original post I know. It's going much farther than she intended I'm sure, and I truly mean no disrespect. The way her neighbor's daughters are treating her is appalling, the way that they are shucking and abandoning their responsibilities (disregarding their inheriting of the cats) is disgusting human behavior. It's part of the reason that we have feral cats, and stray dogs, etc. etc. WE as a species need to step up and take responsibility for our actions, hold ourselves to the commitments we make to other creatures, because they depend on us. And if we don't, they end up taking care of themselves. They shouldn't be drowned or shot, or stuck in a trap to starve or die of dehydration. How horrible is that? If humans are going to act like the better species then we all need to act like it. I'm not convinced that we are.

 

[little_grey_bantam]

killing a human is illegal. I believe humans are invasive too, but alas, what can I do about it? It's stupid people who shouldn't have animals is the problem (and more so, shouldn't have children, but as stated, WHAT can you do?). So you as the person must fix it.

I see how the person can be stuck... you can't kill a feral cat (IF it is harming your animals). You can't trap it and take it to the pound, cause they'll kill it. What do you propose me to do? I got stuck in this situation once. "Oh you can't kill it.... well you can't take it to the pound either... they'll kill it. Well how about you adopt it? Well... if it pees on your stuff, well... but you can't keep an outdoor feral cat inside... give it away!" Reasons for all the ways on why not to dispose of a feral, wild-like animal or to pass the trouble onto someone else

So how is it anymore wrong for me to shoot, or take to the pound, the cats in the neighborhood that HAVE been known to kill our animals? To others, it's wrong. But it's alright to kill a wild animal even if it glances your way. I'm sure you would kill a raccoon close by to you, because let's face it, it's going to come eat your birds. Unless you have a fort knox. I don't know about you, but if someone sees a coyote on their property, they shoot it EVEN if it has not killed their animals. Funny thing, we had a couple that came into our yard nightly. Never ate any of our birds, because we had a guard cow there. Guess what? I even left the coop opened once or twice due to emergencies and running off. But OTHERS would shoot a coyote if they glanced or was found wandering in their yard. Why? Because they pose a potential threat, just as a feral cat would. But no, you can't remove the feral cat, because "they'll put them down at the pound" and you can't shoot them, because no animal deserves to die. So what do you do?

Anyways, how do YOU expect us to put up with the millions of pet-quality kittens that ARE going to be born yearly? I run into too many people TRYING to save everyone and everything. While I do NOT believe in people shooting things just for the hell of it and I wasn't aiming it in that direction, I just believe it's insane how cats can roam wild and free, but any other carnivore must die, including "roaming dogs" - how many chicken owners will not think twice to shoot a "roaming dog" but a "roaming cat" is fine? Isn't that ironic?

Funny how you point out how if a possum or snake steals eggs, you'll kill it... but what if a cat does that? Will you kill it too?

And yes, you're right. I WISH we had more responsibility as humans. But let's face it, those girls don't want the cats cause they're a hassle AND they do NOT want to take them to the pound (where they'll be put down and be considered causing the doom of lives) so they can avoid the "indirect life ender" If I were them, I'd take them to a rescue, if there is no rescue, I suppose to the pound they'd go. But let's face is, while I am not stating to kill them, I do want to state that there are times, when lives just cannot be saved and that expelling all resources may drain you and there are just better ways to handle it. Me personally, thank god all I did was have to trap 22 cats (in a 2 day span!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Darn lady was bringing home every stray she found) and take them to the pound... and I STILL got chastized for sending them poor kittays to their doom! See how it's a lose lose situation?

As for P-Funk - I meant feral cats who cannot be tamed and who are strictly wild and crazy and do not want human contact. I do not mean a feral kitten or cat who became use to human contact and now "sleeps at the bottom of your feet" at night.

 

[Velvet Hairpiece]

Quote:
If you're talking directly to me nothing about what I said is ironic. I never said I would kill a snake or opossum. I said that if I were said snake or opossum and I was hungry that I'd take eggs from an easy target. I for one have never killed either of those creatures, and we've had plenty. Just got some photos a month or so ago of a huge black snake crawling along outside our sunroom. We took photos and let her go on her way. We also have the other standard predators, most of which we've seen in our yard- Opossums, raccoons, snakes, and we hear coyotes all the time. This winter they came right up to our front door 'cause we saw their mud tracks- and there aren't any stray dogs where we live.

There isn't a solution to the overpopulation of pets, I know. I just know that I would never kill a cat or dog or opossum or snake or raccoon just 'cause it was on my property. I just don't think killing a creature is the answer. The shelter's view on just "euthanizing" aka murdering an animal because it's feral is barbaric.

But I digress as this is all off-topic. If you want to make a thread talking about it all I'd love to join in.

 

[little_grey_bantam]

We'll apparently we're on the same boat

I'm just tired of having to always do this or do that, so I can avoid cats from causing damage to my "property" on my "property" (whether it be destroying property or killing animals under my care) especially when it is from someone's pet cat that could easily have been solved if they just kept the booger in. It's funny, because a neighbor can always buy cat repellent, build a better coop, roll up their vehicle windows, keep their homes openings closed, etc. etc. etc... but for the outdoor cat owner or the feral cat, spaying/neutering, keeping your cat indoors or building them an outside cattery, taking your inheritance cat or pet cat when you move or whatnot is apparently too much work. And then it is said neighbors fault for taking care of the problem, whether putting them down or taking them to the pound where they have a high chance of being put down. Somehow the blame is placed on everyone but the individual who could have stopped everything or at least someone next in line that could stop the cycle. I really do wish people were more responsible.

I believe, they euthanize the ferals, because let's face it, lots of animals are being born a year... you have to choose the lesser of two evils... either put a feral cat down and allow a perfectly possible-pet-to-be kitten hopefully find a home, or put down a kitten who has a future of being a pet so a feral, already wild and living cat can live. I think it's a bit barbaric too, but it's a choice that has to be made. Thank goodness I don't have to do it!

Anyways, I'll stop here.

I wish this poster luck in their cat problem and whether they choose to "eradicate" them themselves or trap and take them to the pound, more power to them! I hope NO ONE has to go through this! And by golly, I hope people will become more responsible!