Feral Cat Problem

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Sound like the perfect problem for that Marlin Guarden Gun (dont know the model number). It a single shot smooth bore that fires 22mag bird shot rounds. Should solve the richocet and over penn. problems. I've also heard the gun is fun for wing shooting dragon flies and other large flying bugs.
 
12-34hom
Quote
"Quail mortality run 80% per year regardless,
of feral cats, foxes, or any other predator spiecies."

Please provide a link to the stats that you have quoted. Thanks.

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"Lead, follow or get the HELL out of the way."
 
I've avoided this thread since it started, since I'm an ailurophile and the prevailing sentiment in the gun community seems to be rabidly anti-cat.

That said, I've gotten into some pretty harsh discussions/lectures with irresponsible cat owners as well as people who kill cats out of hatred. Trapping ferals that are actively damaging your property, OK. Give them to the pound, where they'll be killed anyway. But, people who let their cats run (usually the same people who refuse to spay/neuter) are the larger problem.

This isn't the wild, and tame cats aren't equipped to deal with urban environments. Keep your pets indoors, or be prepared to lose them, either to cat haters or natural hazards.

FWIW, my(?) 2 cats never go out, except when I take them to the vet for their annuals. They're both in perfect health and are happy. Yes, cats *can* be happy living indoors, and indoor cats tend to live much longer that cats that run loose.

Off the soapbox. Bottom line, trap.

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http://pub6.ezboard.com/blibertarian
 
DorGunR: These stats i found while attending college, getting a degree in Grounds & Turf management. I also took several classes in the Parks and Conservation program while attending. While there several classes dealt with wildlife and there management, lifestyles, etc..

It was brought up one day that some people consider wildgame as "thier own" if it's located on land they own. Mortality rates were discussed of different spiecies was brought up in this discussion. The instructor of this class had worked in - Iowa [for eight years] prior to teaching; for the Louisa county conservation board, also had a Masters degree in wildlife biology. This is where i got those figures from was from one of his lectures. I'm sure this could be backed up if i have to do some reasearch on mortality rates of bobwhite quail.

Feral cats do take game bird spiecies,[granted] along with many other predators. But in the overall picture, it's just an excuse used for people who enjoy killing cats, and need an excuse to justify there actions. [no flame on anyone here!!] Most of these animals are turned out, or dumped and they revert back to being a wild animal.

Hope this answers your question.
 
12-34hom
Thanks for your reply.
I was quoting from what some Game Wardens told me while hunting near Augusta GA. in 1968. (I was stationed at Fort Gordon from Nov 1967 to April 1969.)
You could very well be correct, as I received my info second hand so to speak.

Stay safe. :)

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"Lead, follow or get the HELL out of the way."
 
I happen to love cats. I like dogs too, but THOSE creatures are very high-maintenance, BESIDES (usually) being dumb as dirt. Besides, God didn't give me the gene that allows me to potty train a dog.

Throw a cat on a box of sand, and they INSTANTLY know what to do. Go away for a day, and your cat doesn't attempt to attack you for attention (well, usually ;) ).

If memory serves, the average lifespan of an indoor cat is 15 years, while that of an outdoor cat is about 3.

Keep that in mind.

And yes, when we lived in the country, I DID "thin the herd".... (Insert wicked grin here)
 
12-34hom
Yes I was.....check your e-mail.

Take care. :)

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"Lead, follow or get the HELL out of the way."
 
Pigeons usually die here because either a
cat or a Weihrauch air rifle made very short
work of them. These grey-whitish critters decided
to dump their sh** onto my balcony, until one day,
it bothered me too much to clean it up.

Took the rifle, took some Diablo bullets and
"tack" and one heard the dead pigeon hitting the
pavement 8 meters below.

Discharging guns is usually forbidden here, unless
the backstop's a dangerous criminal or another
danger that can only be avoided by gun usage.

I suspect no one would notice a silenced .22 here.
However, neighbors noticed the Weihrauch.
 
Try this on for size. In Germany you have to get a license to hunt. The tests are held about twice a year in various areas. ONLY 5% of applicants pass the 95% try again later. I knew a gentleman in Berlin that had been going to shool nights for about 6 years and had flunked the test 5 time. He had spent about $10,000 trying to get his license. What does this have to do with feral cats? If you see a cat that is more than 200 meters from the nearest house in Germany, in other words the thing is out hunting, you are REQUIRED to shoot the cat. If someone finds out you did not shoot the cat you face a fine and possible loss of your hard earned license.
 
I have personally observed the remains of a covey of bob whites after a feral cat was done. 15 dead quail, one eaten. House-cat tracks.

Yes, dove and quail normal mortality is some 80% of any year's hatch. I have watched the day-by-day decline of quail coming to my feeder, from normal predation and I assume some disease.

The only numbers of which I know about feral cats and their depredation are from an article in (I believe) "Sports Afield", some five years back. The State of Wisconsin's wildlife department enlisted some biology majors for a study. Results: An estimate of around 100 songbirds per year killed by feral housecats. An estimated feral/farm/ranch housecat population in Wisconsin of one million. The first number is easily believable, if you've ever watched feral cats. Even if the second number is off by an order of magnitude, it's still ten million songbirds a year.

Make your own decisions.

Art

"I like cats, too. Wanna trade recipes?"
 
"Kill them (cats) all...God will know his own"(the original quote for "... and let God sort them out").

I have little use for cats and think that they should be dealt with silently, swiftly and efficently. The quality adult air rifle, .22 CB caps or the best route, a suppressed .22 firing subsonic should make "good kittys" of any in need of such treatment.
 
I am not a big cat person, but they are a lot like some of us TFL members. Willing to go it alone if necessary, do what is necessary to survive and spit in the eye of anyone that interferes with them. All except LawDog he is just an cranky old manstiff. :D
 
I've given this a lot of thought. The topic is feral cats, not someone's "out for a good time, night on the town, Oh baby,Oh baby, meow" house pet right? Since the location of posters can range from city to farm, north to south and where ever, the answers should be all over the place. I would say trap if possible, but if live trapping presents a danger of disease, dispatch in the most humane possible way, in observance of any local laws. Rabies is a very possible problem in some areas, and trite as it gets at times, a feral cat isn't worth some kid's life. Then again, blasting up the neighborhood as the local cat-man-don't-do-do-round-me, hardly presents the image of responsible gun owner either. A little judgement and common sense could apply. If the neighbor's kitty is inside my fenced back yard, on a hot August day, and acting a bit touched by something, that's one thing. Sitting on the fence, howling or pissing, I mean come on, a garden hose can cure both.

Jst my.0?
 
Domestic cats aren't native to the USA or Australia therefore they are feral. If a cats away from a house out in the fields its feral and fair game.
Cats kill for fun so the little buggers can get a bit of their own medicine.
Im organising a feral animal hunting competition weekend for our hunting club, the categories will probably be rabbits, foxes, cats, pigs and goats.
I'll make sure and post a photo of the results :)
 
Last night a smart cat managed to lick the tuna bait off the trigger stick of the box trap without getting caught. We'll just have to see how the next round goes. The current bait is half a turkey liver wired tightly to the trigger. If they can pull off a bait theft this time its hats off to the cats, and time for an improved weapons system.
 
LOL @ OkieGentleman.

Don't tell anyone, but I've got three cats, too. ;)

I find that a quick shot of pepper spray usually convinces our local outdoor-type cats to vacate the premises.

It's just my opinion, but out-door cats that have a home to go to do more damage than the feral ones.

The ones that have a home and don't need feeding--they just kill to satisfy an instinct.

The feral cats kill for food, eat their kills and don't kill when they're not hungry.

Y'all must not have very many coyotes. Coyotes tend to regard feral cats as appetizers, and a coyote pack will wipe out a feral cat population in a hurry.

LawDog

[This message has been edited by LawDog (edited March 25, 2000).]
 
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