Feral cats...

[Bear Foot Farm]

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, 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.

Their statement was mainly meaningless, emotional rhetoric.
Not one cat I've "eradicated" has ever "repopulated" anything at all, and it does make my animals safer to have fewer wild cats running around

NC law says I can kill any animal destroying my property.
It doesn't place restrictions on how I can do it, and I promise you it's not nearly as cruel as letting them die in the wild of disease or starvation

If you "don't believe" cats are predatory, then how do you think they survive in the wild?

If you think killing them is a bad idea, send me your address, and a $100 retainer, and I'll start shipping the ones I trap to you, as long as you continue to pay all expenses.

Read into it correctly before stating your negative thoughts to the contrary

My thoughts aren't negative.
On the contrary, , I'm absolutely POSITIVE eradication it the simplest way to handle feral animals​

​

 

[CariLynn]

What one does to cut down on feral animals is often times hard and gut retching for some. I do agree that it is very irresponsible of the deceased person's family members to leave the 5 or so feral cats at the home for the next person who buy's the place to deal with, as who knows if they will be compassionate or kind and want to feed them? Who knows what will happen to them if we have another hard or bitter cold winter and no one is feeding them, I don't wish starvation on anything.

My husband said to S.S.S and go on our way, he does not like to find the cats in our hay barn, walking all over our vehicles, or spraying our horse blankets and having to contend with that smell. I haven't trapped one yet, I have trapped everything else that is in the wild but not a cat, so they are safe for now. They can't go and take a hen as the new fencing would keep our horses out, so they are safe and I can breath a little easier now. Not sure what we will do in the long run, but between this woman next to us and the other "Cat Lady" down to the right of us who feeds the wild cats and had 7 cats of her own at last count, it does get old.

As for getting off topic, it has been interesting reading other's views and comments on this. I do agree she was rather rude about things, however, I took it from the source and maybe she was having a bad day.

 

[goldtopper]

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.

This is the funniest thing I've read in years. When emotions overrule common sense, it's no wonder that human life is undervalued.

 

[gypsygirl1421]

From the Wildlife Society website:

Feral and free-ranging domestic cats are exotic species to North America. Exotic species are recognized as one of the most widespread and serious threats to the integrity of native wildlife populations and natural ecosystems. Exotic species present special challenges for wildlife managers because their negative impacts on native species are poorly understood by the public and many exotic species have become accepted as a natural component of the environment.

A growing body of literature strongly suggests that domestic cats are significant predators on small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Feral and free-ranging cats also serve as reservoirs for several diseases, including rabies, toxoplasmosis, bartonellosis, typhus, and feline immunodeficiency virus that can have significant effects on the health of humans, wildlife, and domestic animals. Because humans often feed free-ranging cats, they can reach population levels that may result in abnormally high predation rates on wildlife and increase the spread of diseases. Domestic cats have tremendous impacts on wildlife and are responsible for the extinction of numerous mammals, reptiles, and at least 33 bird species. As a society we do not expect to solve dog overpopulation problems by turning unwanted dogs loose in the streets; the same should be true for cats.

 

[Velvet Hairpiece]

Quote:
So as you see, it's actually human's negligence. So, let's "humanely euthanize" those irresponsible ones, yes?

 

[goldtopper]

Quote:
So as you see, it's actually human's negligence. So, let's "humanely euthanize" those irresponsible ones, yes?

Perfectly illustrating my point a couple post up!

When emotions overrule common sense, it's no wonder that human life is undervalued.

 

[gypsygirl1421]

Feral cats are one of those wildlife management issues that are so interesting to me. They get a lot of attention from all sectors. As a die hard bird lover who has worked on conservation programs for some rare species of songbirds, my gut tells me they should be managed. I wish and thought that could mean homes found for all. I got a stark view of reality while working with an extremely large airport that serves as the hub for many national and international flights. Trust me, if you fly, you've been there. The feral cats were crawling onto the Very Light Jets (commuter jets) for shelter and becoming stuck in the landing gear, flaps and other essential equipment. After two close calls, we trapped over 30 cats. We worked with them to see if they could be re-homed. The reality was, some are so close in temperament to their wild cousins that it was impossible to tame them. After 3 months of attempted handfeeding, the 22 were just spitting, scratching miniature versions of bobcats. They would sooner tear you apart then let you near. It was a bit of a reality check for me. It seems like they can revert to being truly wild and self sufficient so much easier than our dogs! Of course, the cute little kittens were an easy sell! LOL.

 

[Velvet Hairpiece]

Quote:
I saw your original post, and from my perspective, based on my observations, I find that human life is incredibly overvalued.

And btw, I've always thought of myself as a very rational person.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

So as you see, it's actually human's negligence. So, let's "humanely euthanize" those irresponsible ones, yes?

Isnt it better to be realistic about the situation?​

 

[bullyforme]

Whomever stated they didn't believe cats are predatory should have seen the neighborhood tom stalking my pullets yesterday. I don't have a gun, but that cat surely did receive a thump to the butt from the rock I tossed. Unfortunately, these neighborhood cats keep coming back. I find one on my porch a few times a week; the other day - one on top of my coop. I'm thinking of getting a trap and a BB gun. And these cats aren't "feral." But they sure are "predatory." If neighborhood (owned, domestic, pets) cats are predatory, then wouldn't it stand to reason a feral cat that had to feed itself would be too?

ETA: Apologies for joining the off-topic train, and kudos to the OP for her common sense/humane approach to the situation.