Hello from Salem MA

[drumstick diva]

PS I hope you will bring up the topic of cats spreading disease and ask what are they doing to 'restrict them'?

 

[gander007]

Funny they pick on chickens.

Cats can spread toxoplasmosis to the extent that pregnant women are told to have someone else clean the litter box. I don't see any ordinances against cats running loose (who can catch or count them) and eating rodents which gives them the toxo. Cat scratch fever is no picnic either. Cat's always get off scott free. & so do their owners unless they end up in the news for hoarding hundreds of live and dead cats in their one room house.

Alright now I normally stay out of these kinds of conversations for the sake of sanity but for some reason I am compelled to step in and for some unknown reason agree with drumstick diva on this as I pop a lot of cats for destroying my flock and yes a good number of Bob-Cat's also and other domestic creatures but nothing like the house cat that people get and just let run free and one of my neighbors who lives some 3 miles away according to the Sheriff's Department was complaining about loosing so many cats and the families complaint was I should have to put all my birds in safer cages so the cat's would not be compelled to hunt in my yard and that most likely I was just popping their cats for just looking but they also did not think it was right for them to pay for lost chickens so the total last year was 3 box's of 25 shells each box or just over 75 rounds were fired but I can see the bad in this as I do live just on the edge of town with a population of just over 900 people so the Deputy's decision was if they catch one of my animals in their area they can go by the law and keep it but the law also say's up here if live stock is being threated then a .22 or shoot gun can be used and nothing bigger and I found out a .223 is not considered a .22 by the courts that case was funny but also took place in the city limits over by the horse stalls in the middle of town ..



Sorry I have fencing 360 degrees around the property to keep my poultry in and others out and do apologies for the run on gab ....