shooting an animal guilt.

[fire pirate]

So 2 days ago i go make my rounds. I get to the Japanese bantam enlosure and find my proud little rooster without a head. He was pulled through the bars only enough to eat his head. I wad angry and saddened. So that night, i take his poor little body and put it i a trap. Next morning the trap was tripped but no villan inside. To top it off now all my hay smells like cat piss!!! A cat is the culprit, Im sure of it now. Ok... Trap to small. So i goto the feed store and get a much bigger trap. I think my 16 month old could fit in it. i bury the poor rooster, put a can if tuna with the lid still floating inside and leave it at that. Next morning, SUCCESS! A feral rather large tomcat was hissing and spitting. So since he has a thing for chickens and we are over run with strays. I shoot him. .22 point blank and he gone. Now i have avenged the poor rooster, but i took a life of an animal that was just trying to survive. I have 2 cats but i responsibly had them spayed young. i feel real bad that the poor creature was even put in this position in the first place. Moral if the story, please fix your cats. Not all will have a home and all those homeless ones gotta eat. Some resort ti even our feathers friends. Easy prey. And now a guilty conscience. I thought of giving him to the barn cat project. They fix ferals and release them back to farms to keep rodents down but who would want a chicken killer on their farm? *sigh* sorry fir the long story. Just needed to get it off my chest. Not the first feral around here that resorted to eating my animals. I wish people would stop dumping cats here and at least bring them to the humane society. They multiply fast. ( rant over)

 

[UrbanScratch]

All i can say is i am sorry for your loss, but way to go on the cat! You determined the problem and corrected it. Problem solved. Do the same in the future. I promise, the second kill is always easier.

And look at it this way. Ya the cat was trying to survive, but you get eggs from your chickens, and chicks with the help of your roo, which help you survive. So it is really just the way of life. You killed something that compromised your survival and your way of life.

Cheers!

 

[moetrout]

I am a hunter and even I had some remorse killing feral cats. I do it without hesitation, but still feel bad pretty much every time. We had a bad neighbor that moved out 2 years ago that left all their barn cats behind. I think I killed 6 of them that summer. No fun at all. It takes a person with strong fortitude to do what needs to be done, and that is what you did.

 

[ReikiStar]

Fire Pirate, thank you for sharing your kind heart. So often people are vicious about killing predatory animals -- seeming to enjoy it. That's certainly their prerogative. But its nice to see someone who genuinely didn't want to take this course express their reservations about taking a life. Maybe a little hot wire around your coops to stop anyone else who's just looking for a meal?

 

[bj taylor]

i understand your feelings. i have had a coyote recently stalking my chickens. i realize the necessity of killing a predator that is intent on taking your animals - but it doesn't make killing them any easier.

 

[redsoxs]

Yes, feral cats can be very efficient predators. It's never an easy thing to do. When I read the damage that cats (tame and feral) do to song birds, I don't feel as bad.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

here is some data from the USWLS about domestic and feral cats and the damage they do. The second worst thing someone who says that they care about the natural world or the balance of nature can do is to trap a feral cat "FIX" it and then release the cat back into nature. If "Fixed" feral cats live longer than Non-Fixed (or broken) cats do it may then even be the worst thing that you can do to the Earth.
http://www.wbez.org/blogs/chris-bentley/2013-01/cats-kill-billions-birds-each-year-study-says-105233

don't think of it as killing a wild out of control disease ridden tom cat for the good of nature and of your chickens, think of it as having the tom cat's parents "FIXED" retroactively.

 

[Deerling]

Fire Pirate, thank you for sharing your kind heart. So often people are vicious about killing predatory animals -- seeming to enjoy it. That's certainly their prerogative. But its nice to see someone who genuinely didn't want to take this course express their reservations about taking a life. Maybe a little hot wire around your coops to stop anyone else who's just looking for a meal?

X2

I'm sorry you had to deal with that. It sounds like you did the right thing, the right way. Sorry you lost your little roo and for the damage to your hay. Hope you are feeling better soon

 

[jruhle]

You did the right thing, feral cats are a menace to wildlife. I've seen a cat that was rescued from being dumped out the road and had no ears or tail from frostbite. I'd probably feel guilty too, but you have a responsiblity to protect your livestock.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Sorry you had to go through that. I just started raising my first flock, the babies only 3 days old, and your post opened my eyes to what I might have to do in the future. I never even considered cats, and I should have. I know we have coyotes, foxes, hawks, skunks, coons, and possums here, and an occasional black bear spotted once every few years...I knew I may have to shoot one of those animals, but I never thought of a cat.