Had Cat in Coop, warning shot gone wrong, HELP!

[TammyTX]

I didn't read through everything. But if no one has said it yet...if you are asked you were protecting your property. In Texas we have the right to protect our property, even using deadly force against HUMANS, not to mention animals.

The cat was a predator looking for a kill. Your mother (to the best of her "aged" ability *don't hate me mom*) tried to protect your property by the best means possible while keeping her personal safety intact.

 

[Chicks R Friends NOT Food]

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Well said. This thread just makes me happy that my kitty keeps her boundaries very close and ignores chickens.

 

[Cara]

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Trapping and releasing them elsewhere does not solve the problem, it just passes the problem onto someone else. It's no better than letting a cat roam in the first place

It's also completely irresponsible, drop them off at the pound or the local shelter.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

The bottom line is if you're going to shoot an animal USE ENOUGH GUN, and with a cat the minimum is a 22 preferably an LR load with a hollow point. I strongly disagree with the suggestion that a pellet gun is adequate for a cat. Also, a warning shot with a bb gun is next to useless, sorry but that's the truth. Take a hint from law enforcement, if you shoot, shoot to kill by aiming for the vital region of the chest. Never aim at an animals head unless it point blank and the animal that doesn't know it's coming, like when you slaughter a hog. Sorry if this sounds mean spirited, but I'm a hunter, and I firmly believe that when you shoot an animal there's right ways and wrong ways to go about it. When you pull the trigger on an animal its your responsibility to see that it doesn't suffer.

 

[LittleFeat]

This whole thread has kind of bothered me from the start....The original post said she did NOT aim toward the cat yet the whole thread seems to be assuming SHE shot the cat (other than the responses about a possible chicken peck and not even a bb). I think if I were in this situation I would not be accepting at all that I had anything to do with the cat's injury....period. Just my opinion. Also, where I live (and it's county not city, and not sure about other areas) the leash laws not only apply to dogs but cats as well. You have to confine your cats to your property.

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

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Trapping and releasing them elsewhere does not solve the problem, it just passes the problem onto someone else. It's no better than letting a cat roam in the first place

It's also completely irresponsible, drop them off at the pound or the local shelter.

I agree! We live in a very rural area and people are always bumping cats and dogs. It really ticks us off that due to others irresponsibility that we have to take on the responsibility of getting rid of the cats/dog before they kill wild life and beat up on our cat causing us vet bills. The Humane Society in our area CHARGES you to bring in feral animals! The best thing is get rid of the cats and don't make others do it for you. Even if where you drive them to there are no chickens in the area feral cats do a lot of damage to the wild bird population.

 

[redstars]

Anything near my chickens that is cosidered a threat gets tipped over and topped off with dirt! Those people should be gratefull to see there cat again They could have put up very different flyers. As far as the land don't fall for that! Is the suveyer a freind to them? Did he make a few bucks on the side to "give them a little more" Find out for yourself.

 

[TammyTX]

....just wondering....if she says she wasn't aiming at the cat would that be considered "reckless conduct" instead of protecting your property?

....hmmmm.

 

[LegHorn-BusHorn]

I did not read all the posts. but my feeling is..If you have an outside cat that just goes and does what it wants the owner is responsible for what happens to it. I have an outdoor/indoor cat and, yes, I would be devastated if anything happened to him. That being said, I am responsible for anything that happens to my cat, I am the one that let him out to free range. And the same holds for chickens, if you let them free range and something happens, unless there is a leash law, who is responsible?

 

[twentynine]

Land-survey-taxes issue.

If the accepted boundry was in error and their surveyor corrected the error, you have not been paying taxes on that portion of property any how. Let me explain.

Your lot size by deed says (pick a number) is 200' wide by 200' deep, with 200' of road frontage. However when you built your fence you missed the line by 5' so now you are 205' wide. How ever the paperwork that the tax man holds say 200'. They do not survey everyones lot, they look at the deed make the ass. and you pay. Now on the other hand the neighbors have been paying taxes on five foot of property that you have taken control of.

If the surveyor was/is a state liscensed surveyor he would be a fool to knowingly mark a boundry wrong, he could face a fine, lose his liscense, and reputation. All over a small strip of property that holds no value to him. You think your neighbors bribed him? Just how much do you think a narrow strip like that is worth? Unless it's in downtown Manhatten noway would it be worth the amount needed to bribe the surveyor. No selfrespecting surveyor that makes a living as such, would move a line for a $100 bribe. Talk about ignorant, lose your living for $100 or even a $1000 bribe.

I suspect maybe just maybe the line may have "slipped" one way or the ther over the years. I worked as a rodman with a survey team for a number of years and we'd see that type of thing all the time. Some one begins cutting grass along the edge of the property moves over a little bit every year, the next owners of the property accept that the previous owner only cut his own property. Or: They plant a row of bushes along the property line but because they want control over the bushes they plant them 3' inside the boundry. Years later some one removes the bushes, every one assumes the base of the bushes is/was the line, but the line is actually 3' on the far side of the base. Believe you me you see this type of thing all the time.