Hunting feral cats, what weapon? [YES THIS IS A SERIOUS QUESTION]

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Fat Moe

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This is my first post on here, finally joined the other day. This is my first question, and I humbly ask that you please reply with serious answers if you can contribute. I'm not looking to be judged or bashed. I apologize if I waste your time with the long description below, but I hope to avoid some bashers by being honest up front for my reasons wanting to hunt feral cats.

I'm going to visit a friend in Minnesota next weekend. There it is completely legal to hunt feral cats. Right now my neighborhood is overrun by feral cats. They defecate on my lawn constantly, the whole yard reeks of cat urine, they kill mockingbirds and pigeons leaving piles of feathers everywhere, they are up all night mating, fighting, they will scratch the roof of my cars including the blue Cadillac I recently bought and perhaps worst of all they are constantly producing new liters. The kittens sound like babies in distress at night and that has woken me up many times. I tried raccoon traps and had a few spade and neutered but they are simply too numerous.

Anyhow, I've reported this many times to animal control but they never get around to rounding them up. So, I'm thinking I'll at least let a little steam off in Minnesota if I get to shoot a few of them nasty varmints.

Has anyone here ever shot them? What would you all recommend to use? I'm sure you cannot discharge a firearm near roads or homes in Minnesota either. I'll probably be in the woods so sound doesn't really matter. I was thinking maybe I could get away with a high powered air rifle? My buddy has a couple .22's and .223's but would the .223 be overkill?

Thank you all
 
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First off, IMO there's no such thing as "overkill". There's "more than you really need", sure--but you use whatever you have or whatever is handy and don't worry about it.

A .22 rimifire is limited as to range. A borrowed rifle with iron sights might limit you to 25 to 50 yards. A scoped .223 that you can check on a 50- or 100-yard target will let you reach out easily to 200 yards.

It's not unusual for a small animal to recover from a .22 wound, and recuperate enough to keep on being its usual self. However, any sort of center hit with a .223 would create cat-splatter.

I have found that a .22 CB round will not be at all "too loud" if fired from a rifle inside a room. If fired through an open, screenless window, the noise ordinances will not be violated. One should be careful, of course, to not endanger any person who might be in the area. The round's potency is adequate for squirrels to some 20 yards.
 
I use either my 257rbts or 223 WSSM on our wild cats, coyotes and foxes. I can pick them out of our post/wood yard out to 300yds before they go down a dip in the ground.

My brother got the last wild cat (maybe for a little while) 2 days ago with a 17 mach 2.That thing is perfect for cats. He had to shoot it in the barn ,but he was about 40 yds away and it only made a tiny enterance hole and no exit, but the insides sloshed around like water.

It sounded kinda nasty but was very affective. Think I might have to find a 17.

I dont know anything about the bullet, but it was a plastic tipped one.



Art darn ya...
Thought I was going to be the first but I type too slow!
 
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For close range and silent wet work, a 10-22 with subsonic hollow points work fine, for longer ranges a 22 magnum will be just the ticket.

I had this cat torture me when I lived in AZ, this thing was evil and malicious. It would run around on top of my roof, scratch the living shyte out of any car parked in the driveway, sit on the fence and hiss at my miniature pincher dogs, and caterwaul in front of my window at 3am. For 3 years this thing tormented me, but as soon as I would exit the door, it would be gone. It was also the ugliest cat I ever saw, it looked just like the cat in Steven King's Pet Semetary.. :barf:

One morning just before I left for work, I let the 2 dogs out, and they started making a racket. I went outside, and sure enough, they cornered the cat in the backyard, and it was inside a bush hissing at them. I ran inside, got the 10-22 with the subsonics, and one shot it was over. You probably could not hear the shot more than 50 yards away. Put it inside a garbage bag and disposed of it in a dumpster on my way to work.
 
When I lived in a rural area, I also encountered a cat problem. All to often, city folks think they are being humane by taking their cats for a ride in the country and letting it loose, to fend for itself. Nothing is further from the truth. They use to get into my garage and nothing smells worse that cat urine and feces. For a time, I used a HavaHeart trap and when I caught one it got dispatched in a humane manner. In one two week period, I caught eight and only released those that wore a collar. I also shot them with a pellet gun on those I got in my garden. After a year of doing this, the problem was under control. I have also shot them with slingshots. Currently I live in town and we have one cat that roams the around our block and during this winter, I have fed it. If it becomes a problem, it's back to the pellet gun. May I suggest defining what your local laws allow as well as determining which cats belong to your neighbors.

Now, while in the field, it's open season on cats as they get into quail and pheasant nests. I have also taken ferel dogs.

Be Safe !!!
 
A .22 LR works about as well as anything. The CB shorts that Art mentioned work great for trapped cats, or "urban" purposes where noise is an issue.

I've shot more than my share of feral cats that were causing problems. The last one was in my grandmother's hen house. She'd lost a chicken a night for nearly two weeks, and hasn't lost one since.

The feral cats have mostly killed off all the quail that my mother had around her place, so I've eliminated several from there as well. She raises a lot of poultry, and feral cats are a problem with such things.

Daryl
 
If it were me, I would get a high power air rifle and declare open season on the cats in my back yard.

As for in the forest in Mich. I would bring both my m4 and .308. If the range was there I would love to hit cats at over 500 yards with the .308 that would be fun. Mostly I would use the m4 though. I would have to shoot some close with the .308 though I just couldn't resist it.
 
I've seen MANY feral cats killed with .22CBs out to 50 yards. Some ran a ways but succumbed. A Golden Retriever was employed to locate them. The CBs were used because the hunts took place in residential rural areas.
 
Once had around 50+ cats hanging around farm buildings every time the cows got milked.....while doing some vehicle maintenance had an open pan of antifreeze out one winter, unintentional consequence. Cold below zero, it was the only liquid that wasn't frozen.....only two survived. A .22 would have been more humane.
 
only released those that wore a collar
Click to expand...
On a job, I make the customer aware that the only cats I will let walk are those described by the customer. Color of collar on a certain cat desribed in detail... Otherwise, collar just means "well dressed feral cat" to me.

When under 50 feet, I have had excellent efficacy with the Gamo 1,000 .177 Air rifle. From 25 feet to 60 yards, It is my .22 with scope. When I am hunting over bait in the surrounding fencelines or woods of a feral cat removal job, I like the 500 short barrel 20 gauge and #4 hottish loads.


Brent
 
The problem with killing feral cats in Florida is that this is a grey issue in the law. No, they are not a protected species as far as the FWC is concerned. However, you can be charged with animal cruelty for killing them - even humanely.

The best way to get rid of them is to use a large live-catch trap (they can't resist sardines). If any nosy neighbors see you trapping them, you can easily say that they are being taken to the county animal control which is perfecty legal. Then, when they aren't around, you can pop them off with a .22.
 
Thank you all for the quick replies

Sounds like almost anything will work in Minnesota. I might just use whatever my buddy has on hand and maybe get some good practice with .22CB's. That would be a quiet round that perhaps could be used in other places as well. It would be good to get familiar with it over there while I can.

Hmm, yes it is quite illegal to shoot them here in Florida, especially in the City of Miami limits. The sensational media would make a huge deal out of it. Whoever did such a thing would probably get hit with any number of trumped up charges. Animal Control will not capture or round up stray cats either. FWC would charge you with cruelty to animals like someone posted.

There's nothing that anyone can do about them "legally."

But I did get some good ideas. The Gamo 1,000 poster led me to the Whisper 22 air rifle which has good reviews, but it's a little on the expensive side for an air gun.

Again, thank you all for the quick and informative replies. I love living in Miami, but sometimes I get the feeling you have a lot more freedoms living in some of the places y'all replied from.
 
I always discreetly check the county/local laws and regs regarding the feral domestic felines.
Most cities have one ordinance or other that will block the shooting of cats, either shooting limitations or "pet" type staus protecting them.
Brent
 
As for FWC, you might take the time to call and talk to a high up LE/Biologist with them.

I spent plenty of time discussing feral/invasive species with them. Their stance as of a year or so ago was that they wouldn't promote eradication on the website or in literature but will honestly inform of the destruction the feral cats pose to the ecology.

They are quick to warn folks about possible local laws as well as to watch out for the tree huggers.

One guy I spoke with said he never feared for his safety in his LE division career as much as at a public lecture regarding content on feral cats and the legal repercussions of letting them loose or taking care of feral cats.

Brent
 
Feral cats are a huge problem. Especially with "Collectors". I'm in Connecticut. A couple years ago there was a "family" renting a house down the street from mine. The mother was usually gone and left the 20'ish year old older kids to look after the younger "slow" kid. The younger kid knocked out the windows to the basement and started feeding every cat that would wander onto the property. We had upwards of 40 to 50 cats defecating all over everyone's yards, flower beds, etc. Dead birds and animals all over the place. It was a real mess. I called the town, the dog warden, even some outfit called "MEOW" that is supposed to rescue cats. No one wanted to do anything. And as far as I know you cant "off" cats. So the neighborhood basically had to endure these people and "their" cats until they were evicted. It took the landlord 6 months to gut and repair the inside of the house. Finally the "MEOW" wingnuts came in after the family moved and left all the cats there. They removed something like 40 cats. The basement was full of feces and laundry. Unfortunately up here you don't have very many options when it's a problem no one wants to handle.
I think a nicely tuned 10-22 with subsonic ammo and a suppressor (if you want to spend a little dough and end up with a nifty rifle at the end) would work out well. I would build some sort of safe backdrop on your own property to do what you have to do (if it is indeed legal to do it).
 
Collectors, old "cat ladies" and people from 3rd world countries

Here in Miami, we have problems with the above three groups of people feeding stray cats. In my neighborhood the source of the problem is all three. There is an elderly Cuban/Puerto Rican couple in their 80's who "collect," cats. They will feed and put out water for them. They also feed pigeons, so its a case of National Geographic in our neighborhood. The pigeons roost on the wires on the next house over to the old couple (MINE) and defecate all over the vehicles up and down the street.

This elderly couple also feeds chickens and roosters. Contrary to what I thought, roosters don't just crow at 7am and shut up. These will crow at all hours of the day and night. There is a city ordinance prohibiting keeping chickens and roosters but it's not enforced either.

As far as FWC is concerned, I spoke to some higher ups and they told me to try trapping the cats and not risk shooting them or I'll be in a hell of a lot of trouble by the tree huggers.

The last thing I will mention regarding FWC, is that I went to the state police academy, Pat Thomas, in Gadsen county up north. I made quite a few friends with the FWC instructors next door and recruits that I keep up to this day. These are the guys who told me to be very very careful. I won't give any more information about myself away.

Thank you again for all the posts, I'm very frustrated right now. I lived in a decent neighborhood until a few years back when the 80 something's dinosaur of a mutt dog died. Then they became cat, chicken & rooster, and pigeon collectors!

Sorry for going off topic. If a moderator feels it is appropriate to close this thread, please feel free to do so. At this point I'm only ranting, I have the information I wanted.

Take care all
 
By all means, kill all the stray cats you can! Use whatever means necessary. It's been over five years now since I've seen a single rabbit or quail here. But when it gets dark the cats are every where. I live a few miles out of town and it's a dumping ground for strays and they multiply too fast. Wack em with a board or dunk em in a puddle if you have to be quiet, but get er done!
 
Wow, we need that law in Illinois! I live in Central Il and the town I live in prohibits the firing of a firearm or pellet gun within town limits. So, I can't shoot the feral cats. But they suck around here.

My girlfriend knows where they come from, there's a woman that leaves food out for a brood of them one town over. The police have ticketed her and animal control has rounded up a few, but this woman is some kind of crazy tree hugger psycho who doesn't understand that these things make it hell for other animals to live. Animal Control won't do anything major about them and I've heard that's because they fear reprisal from the liberal student body in the town. But that's just a rumor I heard.

If I could, I'd sit out by the dumpster of my apartment building with a pellet gun and pick these things off. Cause once it gets warm out: dead and half eaten rabbits, birds and snakes all over town. Once one left part of the fetus of a bird from a bird's egg on my stoop. Loved that.

edit: strange thing with my town is that some of the ferals actually look like, if they had a bath, they'd be beautiful cats. A friend of mine actually took one in further up north (of which I was a bit perturbed by) and the cat has actually turned out to be a halfway decent house pet for her family. Still pisses anywhere it pleases, though.
 
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I used to shoot the wild cats with a 410 with bird shot. It didn't kill them but they NEVER wanted to come around again. The problem with that approach is that it's LOUD.

If I lived further out in the country or outside a subdivision, I would probably kill them.

But I own a cat (neutered male and he has a collar and stays close to home). I have gotten to know some of the cats in my neighborhood and I am always worried about killing someone's family pet. Yeah the wild ones tend to look beat up as hell but living in a subdivision, I don't take chances. We still have lots of wild rabbits, birds, chipmonks and squirrels (where I live, no cat ever catches a squirrel - Georgia squirrels make cats look like they are moving in slow motion) so I don't see wild cats as a problem here for now (we also have coyotes that probably keep the cat population under control anyway - we lost one cat to coyotes a couple of years back).
 
Try one of the pellet guns...I use a Gamo Whisper..not too much noise and the destruction is minimal....dead but not too big of a hole. Used to be that one could get a reasonable amount for the hides also...Used to catch them frequently in my traps when I was trapping. Skinned them and sent them in. Might help pay for the ammunition!!!:) PS...they are a bit*h to skin:)
 
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