How can I get rid of a cat?????????

[ChickenCanoe]

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That's just sad!

 

[southerndesert]

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[Dirty Farmer]

A true "feral cat", that has been fix and released will have the tip/point of one of their ears snipped off. This way if it is ever traped, it will signify that it's feral and has already been fixed.

 

[bobbi-j]

Are you sure the cat is after your chickens? After all, you do have feed and water around, which will attract mice and possibly rats. Maybe the cat is on rodent patrol and you don't even realize it. I have cats that hang around my barn & chicken coop area. I don't put food out for them in the summer - they earn their keep. I do feed them in the winter, however, when it's a little harder for them to hunt. Just something else for you to think about. As far as getting rid of it, the possibilities are endless. If you want to kill it, please do so humanely. If you want to bring it to a shelter so they can put it down for you, that's fine, too. If you just want to make it go away, maybe you should invest in a super soaker or something similar - a good blast from you every time you step out the door will, at the very least, teach it to run when it hears your door open. At least you won't have to look at it that way.

 

[War Chicken]

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we have cats around here and they would watch our chickens as if thinking living chicken nuggets, we have a trap set for dogs and we caught a cat today, we let it go, but if it comes back, it will be gone for good, we are whiling to give none killing animals a chance (unless it is stray dogs, then they are a goners )

If you trap and remove feral cats, most times more come in to take their place. Studies have shown neutering and releasing decreases the feral population over time.
Trapping and removing causes a vacuum effect. More animals come, in to fill the vacuum.
I trapped and neutered and released probably at least two dozen or more feral cats when I had a huge feral cat problem in rural OK and it made a huge difference over a few years time.

TNR doesn't work:

http://tnrrealitycheck.com/studies.asp

Even PETA is against TNR:

http://www.peta.org/living/companion-animals/feral-cats.aspx

And feral cats carry plague in CO:

http://outbreaknews.com/2011/07/29/colorado-stray-cat-tests-positive-plague/

Hookworms in FL:

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...01123_1_hookworm-infections-feral-miami-beach

Flea outbreaks in AZ and HI:

http://www.yumasun.com/articles/cats-51506-feral-fleas.html

http://archives.starbulletin.com/2001/07/13/news/story4.html

 

[ChickenCanoe]

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I'm going to get a lot of flack for this stance but here goes!

Unless you live in persia, israel, egypt or anywhere else in the fertile crescent - Cats are invasive species and should be treated as such. It's a housecat.
If you own one keep it in the house. If it's outdoors it should be eliminated. It plays havoc with native wildlife and competes unfairly with native predators.
It's a domestic animal and as such has no native range and are non-native species in natural systems worldwide.
Native prey species have no evolved defenses against this exotic predator.
How is it that leash laws apply to dogs and everyone ignores the application to cats.

If you don't agree, you truly don't understand the impact cats have on the environment worldwide.
I am making an assumption that most people on this forum are animal lovers and by extension I suppose nature lovers as well. These people are the very ones that should be concerned most about the impact free roaming housepets and feral cats have on wildlife.
Take the blinders off.

Conservative estimates in scientific studies show that cats kill at least a Billion wild birds in the US every year.
A survey in Virginia of prey brought home and not eaten showed that an urban cat kills 26 native vertibrates and a rural cat kills 83 vertibrates each year. That doesn't count the animals not brought home uneaten.
Multiply that by the 180 million cats in the US and 600 million cats on all 7 continents.
Domestic cats are the most abundant predator in the UK. A 5 month survey in a small English village where all residents who owned cats participated and the results, extrapolated to the 9 million cats across the UK, resulted in 57 million prey mammals, 27 million birds and 5 million reptiles and amphibians brought home just in that 5 month period which means 100 million native animals are killed by cats in the UK every year.
In Australia cats have been found to eat more than 186 species of native birds, 64 species of mammals, 87 species of reptiles and 10 species of frogs.
Throughout the world, introduction of cats has caused permanent negative impact on native ecosystems.

Cats are natural vectors for rabies and other diseases and parasites including toxoplasmosis, hookworms, feline immunodeficiency virus, and feline infectious peritonitis. Many of our native predators are susceptible to these infections and are weakened and killed.
Trap Neuter Release is an honorable concept but -
Research shows that Trap, Neuter, Release does NOT eventually reduce the population. It's impossible to neuter every cat in an area and TNR colonies are dumping grounds for unwanted pets and with 3 litters per year with an average of 5 per litter it's a losing battle. Most cats released in these programs are NOT vaccinated for rabies.

That's my soapbox position for today.
Please give it some thought.

 

[War Chicken]

http://wildlifeprofessional.org/blog/?p=3610

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/nuis_exo/dom_cat/cat.html

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/04/14/18644737.php

 

[gertieandspeck]

I'm really sad that I'm even having to look for a solution to this problem. We have numerous stray cats in our neighborhood, 2 of which have been going hot and heavy after our girls and boys this week.

I hate cats anyway, but even more now that we lost a bird to one of the dirty disease carriers.

As I was digging a hole earlier, shooting sounded great. Now it seems that trapping and turning over to AC is more reasonable.

Have I mentioned how much I hate cats?

 

[ChickEngineer]

Years ago my son had birds in an aviary. The club members recommended the use of a "kitty kicker". Charged the wire with a low voltage (7 watt bulb), would not hurt a cat, just discouraged them from climbing on the aviary and scaring the birds. I have also used this method for poison training dogs.

 

[bufforp89]

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Wow that's a really interesting point of view on feral cats/cats. I agree.