feral cat

[FAIR CHASE]

Please re-read my post. I'm defending DIY hunting and the right to do so. If you want to stir the pot, go do it on Facebook and Instagram. Don't bring your "I do it because I can" tough-guy act on here. Go flex somewhere else.

Um OK. Your comment is a bit ironic since not a single one of my posts in this thread have been directed at any one individual that does not like the photos or killing feral cats. Lets see, you accuse me of "flexing", being a "tough guy" and "stirring the pot" all in one post. PM sent where we can continue and not in this thread.

 

[duckhunt]

Please re-read my post. I'm defending DIY hunting and the right to do so. If you want to stir the pot, go do it on Facebook and Instagram. Don't bring your "I do it because I can" tough-guy act on here. Go flex somewhere else.

Wow

 

[mdhunter]

I am following this thread only in that I feel so in the minority. In all my years of hunting I have never seen a feral cat never mind killed one.

 

[FAIR CHASE]

I am following this thread only in that I feel so in the minority. In all my years of hunting I have never seen a feral cat never mind killed one.

That is good and I don't care if someone does see a feral cat and chooses not to shoot. I have a good friend that does not like it when I kill one.

But, there is a lot of documented (i.e. scientific) info out there that supports the major damage from feral cats and the good that comes from decreasing the population.

 

[Big Fin]

Some peer-reviewed facts for the sake of this discussion.

Feral Cat Predation on Birds Costs Billions of Dollars a Year

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/dr_relling Feral cats—domestic cats that live outdoors and are ownerless—account for $17 billion in economic loss from predation on birds in the U.S. every year, a...

www.audubon.org

Cats Pose an Even Bigger Threat to Birds than Previously Thought

Photo by Ian Barbour / CC BY-SA 2.0 Cats’ bad reputation among bird-lovers may be well deserved. A new study estimates that domestic cats, considered a global invasive species, kill...

www.audubon.org

 

[ShadowFast1]

Predator hunting is predator hunting. These are not domesticated cats.

 

[elkantlers]

We had a feral cat problem in my neighborhood several years ago. My son was about 10 at the time. I showed him how to set the 2 live traps i had so he could catch the cats. First night he had 2 cats. I called the animal control lady to come get them as I had to work that day and didn't have time to "take Care" of them. She was more than happy to come get them and told my son just to give her a call when he caught others. Well the next day he had 2 more. She hurried right over and got them. I was telling a guy at work about it and he just laughed. Turns out she was getting $10 per cat from the county. I told my son next time she came to pick up cats to tell her he wanted $5 per cat or she couldn't have them. He ended up making like $50 the next few weeks.

 

[Big Fin]

I've received a lot of requests to delete this thread. I'd paraphrase a summary of those comments as "Showing dead feral cats is not good for the image of hunting."

As the owner of the forum, I get to make the final decision on those moderation requests. Moderating this one surely requires some factors to be weighed.

I do agree that showing dead feral cats will strike a chord with some as being abhorrent. Some will say that it is not hunting, rather pest control and has no place being associated with hunting. Some will say it offers ammunition for those who want to attack hunting.

Hard to deny any of those comments. I have to weigh moderation with the benefits of the discussion, also.

Benefits being, affirmation that feral cats are a huge problem, maybe to the same degree of non-native snakes in the Southeast states, or feral hogs, or feral horses/burros. Forcing us to have the uncomfortable decision about feral cats, a relative of the species some have sitting on their couch, can have benefits. It can force us to think about our own biases; force us to think about native species and habitats, even when a species we have as pets is doing significant harm. It forces us to think about the impacts on native non-game species such as songbirds; with native non-game species being a topic I find very important in light of how much habitat is being lost for these native songbird species. We are forced to think about our personal anthropomorphic tendencies for species we have as pets compared to complaints we might make when others do the same with wolves, bears, big predators.

Not saying I have answers, at least not the definitive correct answer, about whether this discussion on shooting feral cats is net benefit or detriment. For now, the discussion is going to stay here, pending some behaviors that cause the thread to be closed or pending some evidence provided in a compelling manner that gets me to reassess how I have weighed the plus/minus of this moderation responsibility.

 

[rwc101]

I'm just glad I don't spend over $200 per bird I shoot.

 

[FAIR CHASE]

Well stated as usual.

I would be willing to bet that the majority who choose to kill feral cats are not anti domestic cat.

 

[FAIR CHASE]

Regardless how this thread ends, it brings some awareness to a mostly silent major issue.

 

[Seeleylakehunter]

MO. I've read the entire thread. I truly don't see an issue with the pictures. Maybe it would be a good thing to have this blow up a bit more . Bring some attention to this subject that not many people are aware of. Where I live we don't have a problem with feral cats that I know of.
Thank the good Lord above.

 

[rwc101]

Right, you started a thread with pictures of dead cats displayed and talk of "spreading the love" to spark a level-headed conversation on the topic of songbird conservation.

 

[FAIR CHASE]

I'm just glad I don't spend over $200 per bird I shoot.

Explain?

 

[mtmuley]

I got banned from another forum for blasting the wolf idiots. Thanks for letting us work it out Randy. mtmuley

 

[sharpshooter97]

Feral cats are nothing but a nuisance, where there is one there is 20. Sure there are people that have housecats that won't like the picture but it's not like Fair Chase is out there mowing down people's pets. They overpopulate and kill a ton of native wildlife, I guess some people are just too sensitive.

 

[stevejfarms]

You’re sick!!!
As a cat dad I am both offended and triggered AF right now!
Look at my profile pic for Christ’s sakes.
Sad!

Cat dad...you fathered it?

 

[DouglasR]

Cat dad...you fathered it?

You’re insinuating that I fu&$ed a cat?
How clever.
I’m her adoptive father.
She never knew her real dad.

 

[Red Fox]

After reading all the comments about this post I went and split some wood and was thinking about how some people were upset at it. There is a problem with feral cats and should be taken care of. I looked at it as a great time to spend with your kid teaching him about the fundamentals of hunting and making good shot placement. To say that we should hide this because some people will be offended this, they all ready hate any kind of hunting so why hide from them.

Congratulation on a great day of hunting and time spent outside

 

[bluespruce]

There was a veterinarian that got fired and her license revoked for this. This being shooting a cat and posting it on the internet. To my knowledge, she was never convicted of anything criminal or animal cruelty --- but only convicted by the masses of what amounts to bad optics for posting the photo. The decision to revoke her license came from highly educated people who should be able to fully understand the problems feral cats pose. She looks to be in her 20s or early 30s and her career is likely already over (I mean who would hire her and risk bringing the animal rights activists' wrath down on your clinic?? I certainly wouldn't). Based on my understanding of the case, I find what happened to her very worrisome for licensed professionals and business owners (or heck, anyone with anything to lose).

Point being, the ramifications of something like this can go far beyond what you expect if the wrong people get ahold of it.
http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/texas-cat-killing-veterinarian-loses-state-supreme-court-appeal