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This has a good possibility of passing...

"La Crosse firefighter Mark Smith, 48, helped lead the cat-hunting proposal. He wants Wisconsin to declare free-roaming wild cats an unprotected species, just like skunks or gophers. Anyone with a small-game license could shoot the cats at will.

At least two other upper Midwestern states, South Dakota and Minnesota, allow wild cats to be shot -- and have for decades. Minnesota defines a wild, or feral, cat as one with no collar that does not show friendly behavior, said Kevin Kyle with that state's Department of Natural Resources.

Every year in Wisconsin alone, an estimated 2 million wild cats kill 47 million to 139 million songbirds, according to state officials. Despite the astounding numbers, Smith's plan has been met with fierce opposition from cat lovers."

excerpted from here- http://www.cnn.com/2005....ex.html

Quite frankly, I am a proponent of this. I am not an evil person and I do not hate cats. I have 8 of my own and they receive routine veterinary care as well as annual vaccinations and my cats are all indoor only companion pets to insure they do not spread disease, mutilate or "kill" wildlife, or annoy neighbors. I am saddened when I hear of people who are so frustrated with stray/feral cats that they resort to poisons and some even resort to jaw traps. This is inhumane in my humble opinion as it is not the cat's fault.

The havoc wreaked in the environment as a result of stray/feral cats is irrefutable. The public health issues associated with these stray/feral cats alone warranted this type of action decades ago. Illinois is an extremely liberal state so I am hoping this passes in Wisconsin as it has in other states as hopefully we will follow suit. Our DNR is virtually broke and spay & neuter aka TNR (trap neuter release) does not work. Additionally, the possibility exists that TNR may ultimately be found to violate the Migratory Bird Treaty Act as well as the Endangered Species Act.  Sadly, there are alternatives to allowing these stray/feral cats to roam however one rarely sees them discussed given so many cat lovers subscribe to anthropomorphic ideologies.
 
i am with you 100% on this Laura. i view feral cats as no different than any other wild varmit. i have had to shoot several wild cats that were terrorizing my ducks and geese. i have no problems with pet cats but feral ones do way more harm than good.
 
I voted yes. Unfortunatly, it is only a conservation congress question. Which has very little actual bearing on state regulations. It would take a vote by the state congress to actually get this passed into law.

I do have to say in my counties meeting 90% of the people where in favor of this. Most wanted more information on the matter.
 
This topic is another on that has the potential to get out of hand. I'm sure everybody knows what has happened here yesterday and a few weeks ago. I beg you to keep this civil. I don't want there to be any hurt feelings over this, but if it even looks like it's about to get out of hand it'll be locked.
 
I work so darn hard in my wetlands that I actually get upset when I see frog legs dangling out of the side of a stray/feral cats mouth. Amphibian populations are in serious decline. Uneaten birds in piles of feathers in my yard don't exactly thrill me either given the decline in songbird populations. So senseless. Those animals are part of that wetland ecosystem. They belong just as the CPs that grow there belong.
 
It probably comes down to which is cuter, cats or birds, for a lot of people. I'm not a fan of anthropomorphizing either.
 
true Ozzy, problem is this is one of those gray areas. it is a political thread but it has direct ties to conservation. this is where i get worried about banning political threads cause it will have serious impact on the conservation forum.

anyways Laura placed this up cause she fully thinks it has direct ties to wetland conservation(among other areas). it has been a long known, and well documented fact that the average pet cat has more to do with song bird decline in citys and decently populated rural areas than most anything else. cats are just extreamly efficiant hunters.
 
I'm not questioning the fact that the subject is valid. I just don't want us to lose anymore members over something like this. I have seen topics like this explode. I just don't want it to happen here, again. I just asked that everybody be civil.
 
i can shoot cats in my state?

Cats are a invasive speacies no doubt about it
 
  • #10
I like cats, I even rescued a wild kitty (which was a real pain... tons of fleas, it wanted to be with me ALL the time, and holy guacamole have you ever tried to give a cat a bath? I am NEVER trying that again... he also almost killed one of my birds, etc... but I still liked it and actually I like cats more because of it... I nicknamed him "bean" lol.)
so even though I like cats, I think it's not fair for wildlife so I agree with Laura
 
  • #11
i saw the numbers on the results expected today and its a yes vote by a couple hundred. it wont be the end of it as it moves trough the sprcess and there are petitions right now to halt its actions on the spot
 
  • #12
Very poor timing to have posted this thread. My apologies as I have just seen a few others that make me incredibly uncomfortable. It was not my intent to start a political riot.

This past weekend I was outside weeding and planting and I didn't run into even one owl pellet but I did see cat feces in an area that I had just amended a few hours earlier. I must admit that was upsetting to me too. They evidently prefer to cover their do do with nice loose soil particularly at this time of year as there are still many frozen spots. Trust me, I know what cat feces look like. Sometimes I get frustrated when what I do around here seems to always get undermined.  This too shall pass. Funny thing, just 10 years ago I was a major proponent of TNR. Now I have learned enough to be in a position to make decisions that are best for me... and for my family. My decisions may not be for you, but at least I know there are others out there who struggle like me.
 
  • #13
Well, I discussed this on the phone with Laura, and all I have to say is this:

1) Skunks are really rare around here, I haven't seen one in ages.  I like them. I wish there were more of them.  They're cute and stinky. They will de-grubify your lawn.  

2) I have friends who have had their barn cats and chickens shot by hunters. Not while the animals were out roaming...no...right up against the barn.  In the barn-yard. Not to mention the fact that these hunters were shooting TOWARDS a house, from about 50 yards.  

3) I have a friend who lives in Ohio who, in the fall, has to bring her horses into the paddock nearest the barn.  Then she has to paint her horses with orange stripes so they don't get mistaken for deer, because, you know...horses look a lot like deer. I have heard, but don't personally know anyone, that people with Guernsey cows are in particular danger of losing them to hunters, because, you know...brown cows look so much like deer. I also read a story in the newspaper a couple of years ago about a hunter who shot a dark brown shetland pony(in it's shaggy winter coat)because he thought it was a BEAR. The cops caught him skinning it out.  One of the cops picked up one of the pony's legs and said to the guy...."bears have hooves?"

The point is this...some hunters will blast away at anything that moves. Do you really think they're going to take the time to see if the cat has a collar on?  This is one of the many, many reasons I'm against letting cats out of the house, ever.  This are some of the reasons I'm against letting any doofus with a hunting license and/or a gun to shoot cats..stray, feral, or "Fluffy" on walk-about. It's a job for Game Wardens.

When can we start shooting feral/stray dogs, BTW? They do lots of damage, too.

All these cats are trying to do is survive. This makes me feel bad for them. I can't blame an animal for trying to survive. I agree that they're a problem, and I agree that shooting a stray or feral is a lot kinder demise than a leg-hold trap or poison, or getting eaten alive by a coyote, for that matter.  

PS..dog meat has a fine, pungent, sweet kind of flavour. Very nice marinated in soy with green onion and garlic. Yum!  
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 april
 
  • #14
any dog collar or not that is harrassing livestock is shot in most any rural part of Montana. its almost impossible to break a dog of chasing cows or horses for fun. cattle dogs that work cows for a living require LOTS and LOTS of training. April as to your concerns all i can say is what those "hunters" are doing is illegal. complain to your fish and game department and anyone else i am a hunter and i hate that kind of idiotic behavior. prosicute them to the fullest extent of the law.

also as a point its not feral cats doing all the damage. well fed house cats will "hunt" birds too and will do so on a regular basis. a study over in England on one well fed house cat that was allowed to run free outside during the day and was brought in every night actually racked up one heck of a score of song birds and rabbits. however i do not advise the extermination of all house cats. however i would prefer if they werent allowed to run free at all.
 
  • #15
Hi April.

On yer points 2 and 3. Those people aren't shouldn't be called hunters. Unfortunate as it is a few bad apples ruin the whole bunch. Most people do take the time to identify what it is they are shooting at.

And on the leg hold traps, advancements have been made since the cartoonish bear claw traps most people think of. The traps are designed not to damage the animal in anyway. Coyotes are most often found curled up and sleeping when caught in footholds. The traps no longer cut off cirrculation to the animals foot/paw, so that they don't chew their foot/paw off. 99.9% of animals caught in footholds can be released back into the wild with no injuries. I don't know if they have such programs in your state, but a trapper education program even if you are completely against trapping would be very informative.
I have never trapped, but my opinion has changed since taking the class.

Dave
 
  • #16
I agree with you rattler...house cats don't belong outside. Ever. Dogs belong on leashes, in fenced back-yards or in runs, unless they're working dogs.  I am not going to say anything against barn cats or working dogs..who earn their keep.  They provide a valuable service.

Fun Fact:  Windows in buildings kill hundreds of millions of birds every year, by a factor of 10 more than feral/stray cats do..so.. Can we start shooting out these deadly, bird killing windows?  I used to be a delivery driver in downtown Chicago..and during spring and fall migration, in the mornings, around 6AM or so...the sidewalk around the Sears Tower and Hancock buildings would be littered with the carcasses of hundreds and hundreds of birds.  Every day of the week, and that's just 2 buildings in one city.

BTW, I'm pro-hunting,..i just couldn't do it myself. I can hardly bring myself to kill anything except mosquitoes. April
 
  • #17
Dang a cat that brings down a rabbit?? Wouldnt wanna mess with that kitty!
 
  • #18
When can we start hunting feral people?
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Oh... I don't hunt by the way.
 
  • #19
I dont understand why if feral cats are in your area why not put out live traps? They do it here all the time and take the cats to the shelter.
 
  • #20
Pure economics, a 10 cent cartridge is much cheaper then a shot to put the cat down at the shelter. Plus the state makes money off of the small game licences. Wild cats are a huge problem here. People get cats and dont take care of them and they breed and breed until there are cats everywhere. I hope they open up cats to legally hunt here in Michigan.
 
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