Why Can't We Have Ordinances to Control Cats? Please?

[MuckyPuppy]

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Things that make you go Hmmmmmmmmm.

I have never yet seen a cat camp outside a rat hole for 24 hours waiting for rats to come out either. You must have some patient and very starving cats.

I'm sure that there are lots of people without cats and with chickens that are not over run with rats. Just like I am sure that there are people that are over run with rats and don't keep chickens. Having one does not preclude or include the other.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Sounds like you need the Pied Piper to help you out there in Canada.

 

[MuckyPuppy]

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If I couldn't trap it myself, I personally vote for the exterminator ........... It helps keep people employed.

 

[animals1981]

also helps empty ur wallet LOL also i am sure u there is many u dont know about that are living around lots of vermin u just have no idea about yet.. I bet you dont get on ur hands and knees inspecting the droppings of ur barn floor not all are so brazen to attack chicks just yet they start off with eating little bits of grain here and there.

I exagerated the 24 hour thing but they will camp outside of hole hiding in ambush and wait one of my cats really loves to do that. Ad i never starve my cats if u starve they will leave and find someone who will feed. Cats with established food source and territory that have been taught as kittens to hunt have no life but to hunt vermin all day around the property and house. because of the huge coywolf population feral cats dont really exist here anymore if they do they are eaten quick its really rare to find one now. WHen i was in cali i saw a cat all the time every corner here they are a rare rare species lol My protection dog keeps wild dogs away.

 

[chikinwing]

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the difference is that these are DOMESTIC cats. It would be like you saying "It's ok that my chickens go into my neighbor's garden and eat the veggies. They are chickens and birds eat veggies" It's ok to free-range your chickens or your cats. The line is drawn when your chickens/cats/dogs enter your neighbor's property. Any damage they do then is entirely avoidable; if they eat the songbirds in your yard, the birds can leave your yard. If the cat is roaming, it will just follow them to where ever they are. Non-feral cats ARE greater danger to songbirds than feral cats. Feral cats (and starving dogs) will kill to eat. They don't have energy reserves to waste just attacking animals for fun. Pet cats are well-fed. They have energy to burn and can enjoy a fun game.

Please read the original post! This IS about a neighbors cat not FERAL! I have very well fed neutered/spayed rescued not bought or bred cats! I know and understand quite exactly what this thread is about and I am very aware of being a responsible pet owner. Which is is why I rescue and adopt animals from shelters and other rescue organizations. I am also a member of the National SPCA as well as my local animal shelter, which by the way I donate both money and items of need to. I also help out with their annual rabies clinic. Believe me I put my actions behind my words. Also, some of my friends are local vets as well as animal control, and wild life and game employees. As I stated earliier, the original poster should and has the right to contact the neighbor or scare away her neighbors cat. Chickens, can will and do beat up on each other and have a pecking order. It IS survival of the fittest in the lives of chickens. The most dominate get to eat first, the lower on the pecking order they are, they get picked on by other chickens, no animal reasons and judges like we do as humans. It is up to us to be responsible, reasonable, kind, considerate, compassionate, forgiving, loving, and educated.

 

[MuckyPuppy]

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After this I am going to bed! It's past midnight here.

I don't have a barn. Does a garage count? My chicken feed is in my utility room and I am sure there are no rats or mice in there. There might be mice in the yard that may have been attracted by mine or one of the neighbor's compost bins. They even may have been attracted by my fruit and veg garden but I am sure that they were not attracted by my chickens because my chicks are only just over 5 weeks old and have only been going outside for just over a week. We also don't have wild dogs. The wildest things we are having right now are the youths tearing up the city centers. I have a lot of things to say about them but I'm being good.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

I have never yet seen a cat camp outside a rat hole for 24 hours waiting for rats to come out either. You must have some patient and very starving cats.

I have a cat who will sit next to a gopher hole for hours on end. Has never caught one yet. Worthless.

 

[MuckyPuppy]

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the difference is that these are DOMESTIC cats. It would be like you saying "It's ok that my chickens go into my neighbor's garden and eat the veggies. They are chickens and birds eat veggies" It's ok to free-range your chickens or your cats. The line is drawn when your chickens/cats/dogs enter your neighbor's property. Any damage they do then is entirely avoidable; if they eat the songbirds in your yard, the birds can leave your yard. If the cat is roaming, it will just follow them to where ever they are. Non-feral cats ARE greater danger to songbirds than feral cats. Feral cats (and starving dogs) will kill to eat. They don't have energy reserves to waste just attacking animals for fun. Pet cats are well-fed. They have energy to burn and can enjoy a fun game.

Please read the original post! This IS about a neighbors cat not FERAL! I have very well fed neutered/spayed rescued not bought or bred cats! I know and understand quite exactly what this thread is about and I am very aware of being a responsible pet owner. Which is is why I rescue and adopt animals from shelters and other rescue organizations. I am also a member of the National SPCA as well as my local animal shelter, which by the way I donate both money and items of need to. I also help out with their annual rabies clinic. Believe me I put my actions behind my words. Also, some of my friends are local vets as well as animal control, and wild life and game employees. As I stated earliier, the original poster should and has the right to contact the neighbor or scare away her neighbors cat. Chickens, can will and do beat up on each other and have a pecking order. It IS survival of the fittest in the lives of chickens. The most dominate get to eat first, the lower on the pecking order they are, they get picked on by other chickens, no animal reasons and judges like we do as humans. It is up to us to be responsible, reasonable, kind, considerate, compassionate, forgiving, loving, and educated.

Well that explains everything.

Now I'm going to bed.

 

[bertman]

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MuckyPuppy, my wildlife rehabber wife is not what you would call thrilled that our cats are outdoor cats when they do bring in a victim, but we are not about to have ANY animal as a pet that cannot enjoy the outdoors. As I mentioned in my post, we have a very good population of wild birds of every kind that are found in our area of the state. We also have a growing and healthy population of other critters that are considered prey to cats. We also have at least one other cat that frequents the area, so that's three cats that are moving about quite freely but are not devastating the wildlife population.

My wife has been involved with rehabbing wildlife for about ten years. One of the things that she believes in is 'The Circle of Life'. All those cute little creatures that we humans consider so adorable and precious--such as bunnies, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, voles, etc.--are the bottom of the food chain. They give life to other creatures who live off of them. A lot of people involved with wildlife rehabilitation are so wacky about saving wild creatures' lives that they overlook the reality of those creatures' purpose in nature--a food source some other animal or bird or reptile can live off of. Often a person will find a baby bunny or a nest of bunnies that were injured while the lawn was being mowed. They bring the bunny into the clinic for help and the workers there assess the chances that the little creature will survive. If it seems to be healable then they begin the process of healing the animal so it can be released into the wild. BUT, if it is badly injured and they think it is going to die, they euthanize it and throw it in the trash.

My wife advocates for taking those injured creatures back to the wild and allowing other creatures to use them as food as would happen if they had been left where they were injured. So she is much more of a 'naturalist' than many of the women (probably 95% of the folks in wildlife rehab are women--at least where we live) with whom she volunteers to help rehabilitate wild creatures.

If our cats were having a negative impact on our local wildlife population we would certainly make changes in the amount of time they spend outdoors. Right now we fit them with 'cat bibs' to restrict their ability to catch critters when they are 'free ranging'. But usually that's only during the nesting season--spring and early summer--when the young and vulnerable are out and about.

 

[DvanderSlik]

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Can I please come over and give you a big hug?

From a shelter worker... we need more people like you that understand the importance on TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return). This is the best way to manage feral cat colonies. People don't understand that when they kill feral cats, it creates a vacuum effect, making room for more to come in and feed on their resources (cat food/rodents or whatever). Feral cats do not live long. It's best to let them live/die naturally but spayed/neutered so there aren't any offspring.