I hate my town (stray cats and corrupt bureaucrats)

[Knittycat]

My town is an absolute HIVE of stray and feral cats. I do my best to protect my chickens, but there is only so much I can do. They're locked up tight today, and for the next several weeks I'm sure, because of the new neighbors and they're habit of feeding the ferals and strays.

Don't get me wrong. I *love* cats. I really really want one of my own, but I simply can't right now.

I'd trap them, but we are not allowed to use our own traps. We are required to use the ones the animal catcher provides. However, the animal control officer has lent them all out to her friends, and has done so for nearly a year now. "We only have so many traps! There simply aren't enough to go around!" Yeah, sure hun, especially when you've admitted from your own mouth that the only people you lend them to are your friends. "They keep catching them, so I just leave them out there!"

I cannot poison, shoot with a bb or pellet gun, or in any other way injure them. If I shoot, I have to shoot to kill. Ok, except discharging a fire arm in the city limits illegal. So no SSS.

I don't want to hurt the cats. I understand that if I'm going to dispose of them it has to be quick and painless. Aside from the ethical issues (I do like cats after all), it's a felony. Animal cruelty and all.

I am basically completely tied up in red tape and favoritism and cannot protect my livestock, which is supposed to be allowed by city, county and state laws.

So I get to listen to my chickens freak the frack out 24/7 while they're cooped up with cats in the yard.

I can't wait to move the hell out of this stupid corrupt small down and into the country where I can just shoot the **** things.

Just ranting, thanks for letting me vent.

 

[TheDuffields]

Can you build a covered chicken run?

 

[Knittycat]

They have one. They're going to spend a LOT of time in it until I can figure out a way to get rid of the cats. Unfortunately, like I said, this will lead to the chickens screaming all day long that there is a cat in the yard. They won't lay, they'll annoy the rest of my neighbors, and the city will make me get rid of them as 'nuisance animals' because they squak in fright for hours on end. They weren't a nuisance until the idiots across the street started feeding every **** stray in a 10 block area!

 

[cracked egg]

Sounds like hell. My boys would be doing a lot of practice on moving targets with their longbows, if I was in that situation.

 

[Knittycat]

Not allowed to fire bows in town either. Freakin' sucks. Oh, and heaven forfend if a cat is found with one of your arrows through it! It's felony! Animal cruelty doncha know? Like it isn't cruel to make prey animals live in a constant state of high alert and panic? But it's just a chicken after all

I really need to figure out a way to dispose of these cats. Perhaps trapping them secretly and then taking them out to the country to 'dispose' of them with my 22? Of course, I'd get in bucket loads of trouble for that too. Maybe I should write to my governer or something for a special permit to fire in city limits to protect my livestock.

 

[erinszoo]

Get a tom cat of your own. He'll defend your flock and your yard against all other strays. We keep two toms in our yard and have no problems with the many other strays in our neighborhood being in our yard at all. Our toms run them off. Cats are very territorial. ... Just a thought. If you can't fight the fire with water (or bullets), try fighting it with fire.

Not sure what you can do about corrupt beaurocrats though. Not sure you could find one of those to keep in your yard ... at least not one that is rabies free.

 

[zazouse]

I do not mean this in a mean way

but perhaps it would be better to wait till you live out in the country like you said you wanted, no sence in getting into trouble with something you have no real control over and it sounds like folks don't mind the cats in the area cause if enough folks complained they would not be there.
Just sayen

Good neighbors are hard to find and bad neighbors are hard to live around, keep it on the down low.

 

[Knittycat]

It's a real pity, since there was no problem what so ever until the new neighbors. I have a right to own chickens. I have a right to protect my property and live stock. I just need to get someone's attention so I can actually do it.

Hmmm, now that I think of it, since the new neighbors are feeding these strays, I might be able to get them fined for "harboring vicious animals". Any animal that "(1) Any animal that has, on one previous occasion without provocation, attacked or bitten any person or other animal;

(2)​

Any animal which, when unprovoked, chases or approaches a person upon the streets, sidewalks or any public or private property in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack such that the person reasonably believes that the animal will cause physical injury to that person;

(3)​

Any animal with a known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack unprovoked, to cause injury or to otherwise threaten the safety of persons or otherwise domestic animals; or

(4)​

Any animal which a city-designated veterinarian has reason to believe has a dangerous disposition likely to be harmful to humans or other animals."

is considered vicious. These cats certainly qualify under 1 and 3. And feeding them denotes ownership.



Sec. 14-8. - Vicious animal.

(a)​

A vicious animal is:

(1)​

Any animal that has, on one previous occasion without provocation, attacked or bitten any person or other animal;

(2)​

Any animal which, when unprovoked, chases or approaches a person upon the streets, sidewalks or any public or private property in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack such that the person reasonably believes that the animal will cause physical injury to that person;

(3)​

Any animal with a known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack unprovoked, to cause injury or to otherwise threaten the safety of persons or otherwise domestic animals; or

(4)​

Any animal which a city-designated veterinarian has reason to believe has a dangerous disposition likely to be harmful to humans or other animals.

(b)​

Any vicious animal found running at large may be destroyed by a peace officer or animal warden in the interest of public safety.

(c)​

The municipal court, after a notice and hearing, may order any owner or person having care, control or custody or any vicious animal to take such animal permanently from the city, or the court may, upon making a finding that such animal is vicious or that it represents a clear and present danger or nuisance to the citizens or other animals in the community, order the animal to be euthanized (killed) in a humane manner. This animal must be removed immediately following receipt of such an order, even if an appeal is initiated.

(d)​

If the owner or person having care, custody or control of a vicious animal fails to remove such animal as provided for in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, such animal may be impounded and/or destroyed.

(e)​

The owner or person having care, custody or control of a vicious animal must report the disposition and relocation of such animal to the chief of police in writing, within ten days after the expiration date for removal of such animal from the city. Each day thereafter such information is not provided shall constitute a separate offense.

(f)​

The chief of police or his deputy shall be authorized to obtain a search and seizure warrant if there is reason to believe that an animal ordered removed from the city for being vicious has not been so removed.

 

[Knittycat]

The trick is to get someone in the gubment to actually, you know, DO something.

 

[redsoxs]