Kitten

[CompostQueen]

I have to say that I am so glad to have caught him (in addition to all the obvious reasons) so that you all can see how cute he is! It was so surreal to have him as a predator you picture big nasty raccoons and possums not teeny adorable little kittens!

 

[bywaterdog]

Quote:
Baby raccoons and possums are very cute, would you have re-homed one, or have it killed? Sorry, a predator is a predator no matter how "cute" it might look.

 

[mommyofthree]

Awww, he's adorable!! I'm so glad that you found him a good home, it sounds like he will be very happy and well taken care of with your friend!! And I'm glad you liked that article.

I do think you should talk to your friend about getting the kitten fixed, I have trapped and spayed/neutered 16 strays (including the ones waiting to go in next week) on my street just this summer, so I am obviously a huge spay/neuter advocate.

I'm sorry people are bashing you for your decisions. I think what you did was great. I really doubt that tiny kitten killed your chicken....and if it did it was only because the poor thing was starving. I have 3 barn cats of my own that kill bunnies, birds, etc and none of them have given my chickens a second glance. And they free range while the cats lay in the yard. We also have many strays (obviously!) around us and some are extremely feral and we have never had a chicken attacked yet. If the cats are well fed they are a lot less likely to go after a full grown chicken...I'm not saying it would never happen but it's unlikely. Thank you for caring enough about the kitten to find it a new place to live.

BTW, outdoor and feral cats can live long healthy lives if they have a place with consistent shelter, food and water and someone to care for them if they need vet care. One of my barn cats is 8 years old, another is 6 and one is 1. They are all thriving, and I have only ever had to make one vet trip when the 8 year old had a viral infection this summer and she's fine now. My grandparents have an outdoor cat that they found when it was full grown and they've had him for 14 years now!! So having a feral or outdoor cat does not automatically mean the thing is going to have a short life. And even if it does, at least it didn't go to a shelter and sit in a tiny cage for weeks before it was euthanized. That's just my two cents.

 

[nonseq]

That kitten is exceptionally cute! Adorable! Looks like it might have Siamese or Himalayan in it with the blue eyes and the seal points.

 

[roosterdog]

Quote:
I agree with you. The cat might be rabied. You could lock him up and see if He is Rabied. My Vet told me if I didn't ...I might want to start a list of people I wanted to bite later.

We chose to send the head off because this kitten became very sick and died.....the next morning after it bit me. And It was a nasty bite right thru the thumb nail!

 

[bibliophile birds]

Quote:
i've re-homed several opossums. when i lived in the city, they would wander into my neighborhood from an adjoining park. i had 5 little ones end up on my porch (on 3 separate occasions). i caught them and took them to a wildlife rehaber who raised them up a bit, monitored them closely for illness, and released them in the national park. it's not the wildlife's fault that we've broken up all their foraging land and travel corridors.

there isn't anything wrong with relocating healthy critters, so long as you do it responsibly. it's important to remember that raccoons and opossums (and other "pests") are integral parts of a healthy ecosystem, even when that's inconvenient. i've got no problem with someone "dealing" with a threat to their livestock, and taking precautions is important. but i'm not about to start sanctioning the wholesale destruction of every animal that has the bad fortune to wander onto my property.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Emphasis on responsibly. In the case of this thread, I believe the kitten to have been respnsibly re-homed; it was not "dumped.". In the case of raccoons and opossum and ..., they need to be rehomed so that they are farther than the distance of their typical territory from inhabited areas (to include farms, etc.) The middle of a national forest or preserve is usually adequate. In many, if not most cases, this is not practical.

 

[bywaterdog]

bibliophile birds;

I am also someone who thinks that the mindless destruction of any animal is wrong. I just see such a prejudice against other predators on this site, a lot of folks on this thread would be full of " SSS" is the way to go If it were a dog killing chickens, but A "cute kitten" is different that a dog who kills chickens, How?


mommyofthree wrote:

BTW, outdoor and feral cats can live long healthy lives if they have a place with consistent shelter, food and water and someone to care for them if they need vet care. One of my barn cats is 8 years old, another is 6 and one is 1. They are all thriving, and I have only ever had to make one vet trip when the 8 year old had a viral infection this summer and she's fine now. My grandparents have an outdoor cat that they found when it was full grown and they've had him for 14 years now!! So having a feral or outdoor cat does not automatically mean the thing is going to have a short life. And even if it does, at least it didn't go to a shelter and sit in a tiny cage for weeks before it was euthanized. That's just my two cents.

No shots? Not nurtured? One "trip to the vet." in 8 years?....................................................................

 

[ShrekDawg]

Quote:
bywaterdog, im pretty sure she means she only HAD to take him cause he was sick, I'm sure she gets them their shots and stuff but meant only had to take them for being sick once, as in outdoor and feral cats can live long healthy lives, to prove a point, note she says only HAD to take him once, im pretty sure she gets the shots when their needed but aside from that only takes them when theyre sick, pretty sure thats what she meant and pretty sure shes a responsible pet owner. please stop bashing people, and that goes for EVERYBODY, I agree with some others, this forum has gotten a little more, well, dfferent, lately and idk what it is...

also, sorry if i sound kinda rude or like a hippocrite (sp?) or anything, not trying to be, im just sick of people bashing each other and then some people bash back and then it makes the whole forum more unpleasent for people, and idk, its just kinda annoying...

 

[bywaterdog]

Wikipedia:

North America
Cats are effective at controlling small-animal populations such as rats and mice, which is one of the major justifications for the keeping of farm cats. Conservationists argue that feral cats contribute to the killing of songbirds and endangered birds, with estimates that bird loss is at 100 million a year because of predation.