Destroying Feral Cat Colony

[Guest karl]

It is not something I look forward to doing, but I will protect my animals.

 

Dr. Hess

 

I agree.

I had to get one of those traps from the local ASPCA.

A young and strong cat took up residence under my front walk.

The Hippie, being kind, fed her over a wet and stormy Christmas, so the cat kept coming back.

I felt bad about it, but the stray would have killed Tawny who is no longer a young cat.

So the stray had to go to the pound.

For once Cali is doing something right it seems, I did have to post a deposit on the cage, but got it back when I returned the trap. That was good both for me and the cat.

 

karl

[fritz]

If I may, I'd like to mention something here that has just come out in our weekly paper.

 

The county commissioners court has been supporting our local animal control program (dog pound). It was only a token sum that they put in the budget each year for the support of this much needed program. The local pound has some very dedicated people working there, and they have twice come up with solicitations from donars to help pay for a spay and neuter program, along with a local vet's cutting the price. I had a spayed there in the last one, but I also put some money in the pot.

 

Now, the commissioners have allocated in the budget a $10,000 per commissioner raise. And to add insult to that injury, my precinct commissioner (the one who I had the squabble with over the culverts on my road) suggested that the county no longer fund the animal control center. It seems he feels that the people in his precinct can solve the problem of strays without county money!

 

Well, mrs fritz just came up with the answer to his suggestion---let's all round up all the strays and turn them loose in HIS yard!

 

I have no doubt that before long (and that is his name) he will be asking the county for funds. After all, we are now watching him every minute.

 

That's why we need a complete house cleaning in our county the next election--and I ain't talking cats. Yeah maybe in a way, but fat cat county commissioners who will now be making $50,000 a year for a part-time job. Every single one of them has another line of work.

 

No money for the cats, but money for them! It's the schitts. And it will be the feline and canine kind if they have their way.

 

fritz

[fritz]

724wd

 

That video is the one! Thanks for posting it. I think it fits this situation just right!

 

And I too have noticed a lack of cats and dogs in the border towns of Mexico. That is why I doubt if I will ever eat in Mexico agan. Hell, you can't drink the water without getting sick, so why trust the "entree"?

 

fritz

[Doble Troble]

I see all of this as another perfect example of the problem with our Disneyland culture.

 

Its not nice, its not fun, but if an animal is causing a problem it needs to be killed - as quickly and humanely as possible. Is it more or less stressful to a cat to be blown-up with a rapidly expanding 22 cal bullet, or to be trapped, driven to a vet, anesthetized, have its gonads cut-out and returned to the "wild". If you were the cat in question which course would you prefer? Who is being humane?

 

To have such common sense somehow become against the law is a big part of what has gone wrong with our country. Stupid unrealistic people have been allowed too much influence. Its time to start calling a spade a spade (and an idiot an idiot). When "feelings" become unrealistic they also become dangerous. Given the current pressures from outside, we're rapidly getting to the point where we won't have the luxury of being able to tolerate this kind of stupidity for too much longer.

 

In cases where even a rapidly expanding bullet may not be safe I can see the value of trapping - followed by putting the animal down as quickly and humanely as possible.

 

P.S. Why waste good meat? From my younger days I recall many strangely delicious tacos consumed in Baja CA.

[fritz]

I agree with the above post, but I fear we have become too "civilized" to be allowed to do anything that makes sense anymore.

 

I had an old friend, a retired CPO who put in 10 more in civil service, who used to have a pellet gun handy for the strays that got in his yard. He became known as the "mean old man" in the neighborhood (Corpus Christi). He was brought up in a rural area, and was a very dedicated serviceman for 30 years before he retired. He never could serve on a district court jury, simply because of his past experience with military justice.

 

And he died the way he lived, he never changed his ways to satisfy the PC people. I miss him dearly. Sadly, there ain't many like him left out there.

 

fritz

[usmc0332]

I ate cat on the grill in the Philippines back in '90. It sure is good with that banana ketchup. Is eating them inhumane? I had dog trouble living in town. I asked the local police what to do after several complaints. These were dogs that were more than a little iffy with my kids. I was told off the record that it is very hard to locate a single shot, but more than one is easy. Now that is the kind of advice I can live with. I bet those poor kitty cats are thirsty. I bet they would love a little Prestone Koolaid.

[fritz]

Update on the county dog pound--

 

The other 3 commissioners (there are 4 precincts) voted to keep supporting the animal control center with a measly $2500 this year. While that won't buy much food for the cats and dogs awaiting adoption, it is better than what my precinct commissioner wanted, which was no help for them.

 

I still plan to round up a bunch of strays and turn them loose in his yard. And I plan to tell him to his face that other people are going to do this also if he gets his $10,000 raise (while only giving $2500 to the animals).

 

The raises will be discussed at budget hearings open to the public, and I feel that they will not get them.

 

But he's still going to get my cats!

 

fritz

[z1r]

Fritz,

 

Stop off in Schertz and pick up the 6 stray kittens someone dumped at my Mom's. Just don't tell her your plans .

 

I remember years ago when my Opa, who was a security guard at the time, pulled out his service revolver in the back yard to "euthanize" a wounded animal. Boy how times have changed. Now, he'd be hit with discharging a firearm in city limits, reckless endangerment, cruelty to animals, etc. How cruel is it to let the animal suffer when no one will claim them. Also, how is it the responsibility of the person who happens to be unlucky enough to have the animal stray into their yard?

 

I'm opposed to cruelty to animals, but what about stupidity? In my opinion sometimes the best thing is the least palletable. It takes stones to do the right thing. Sadly, most folks think stones are what they paved their driveway with.

[Emul8]

Well, I don't have what are euphemistically called "stones", but I do have guts on occasion, and had there not been an early suggestion of feeding these feral cats a lead lunch, I would have gone with fritz's idea of the "3 S" plan. In this case, I think that approach is the right thing to do.

 

Yes, that's even as opposed as I am to cruelty to animals. I think it's far crueler to allow these animals to roam at will, spreading their toxoplasmosis-infested feces and indiscriminately inbred progeny over everything. I do not remotely view a feral cat on the same level as that of my own fat, happy kitties. The sad thing is though that if I were to dump my cats into the wild, provided that they survived, in only a matter of weeks they would go feral. Such is the nature of a cat.

 

There are times when I am willing to see matters from an animal's point of view, for example, when a subdivision is built smack in the middle of a deer wood, and the new human inhabitants start crying about how they can't grow a garden because it gets decimated by the deer. I say "tough", the deer were there first. But feral domestic cat colonies have a direct line to humans, particularly irresponsible humans who didn't get their animals fixed and didn't stick to keeping the animal for the long haul. I would think it would suck to be behind the trigger aimed at some former "Fluffy", all because "Fluffy"'s former owner didn't have the stones to do the right thing in the first place.

 

I also think that I would have to pass on cat meat...it's not kosher!

[Horsefly]

Emy,I think your saying ''shoot the stupid jack-asses that dump cats,not the cats'',and I'm with you.I bought this place with 2 1/2 acre lot on the edge of town,and now they're building a sub-division on the west side of us,and the townies are raising hell because of the coyotes.A little spring fed creek runs through the middle of my place,and I get such a kick out of going there in the mornings to watch a beaver that made a dam and hole of water on my place,but now the townies are screaming to get the beavers under control because somebodies trees in their landscaped yard got chewed on.The animules were a selling point for me.I think the coyotes are taking care of the cats right now.I drive up I-35 4:30 in the mornings to work,and see lots of cats where there aren't any houses.There hasn't been any quail in this part of the state in years,and everyone blames fireants,but I say it's feral cats.Jerry

 

I'd like to hear what Dave H has to say about feral cats.I say a filmclip on the cat problem in Australia's outback,and so far we really have no problem compared to them.Jerry

[z1r]

Emy,

 

I think we're on the same page.

 

Oh, and if anyone around here has stones, it's you!

 

I agree that the dumpers are the real problem.

[Emul8]

I think it's on the Shotgun World forums where I saw an Aussie who posted a photo with him and his biggest (shot, dead) cat yet. The Aussie's post seemed to get a few folks at that forum in a tizzy because I think they thought of the cat as most of us do. We seem to conveniently forget that it doesn't take cats long at all to go feral, and they can therefore be dangerous.

 

And yeah, I don't blame the cats for doing what it is in their natures to do...that's survival, but man, I would love to kick some serious butt on the idiots who are so despicable as to dump their unwanted animals out in the "country", where they potentially become someone else's problem.

 

I wouldn't want to have to deal with having to shoot any animal that was dumped close to where I currently live here in beautiful, non-CA, New Mexico -- LOL, but if it came down to saving my livestock or my own pets, I would load up my rifles with those lovely little subsonic cartridges and take care of business, probably crying as I did it.

 

But that's because I'm a wuss about those things.

[Dr.Hess]

Found the solution:

 

http://www.buckstix.com/CoehornMortarHunt.htm

 

 

[Horsefly]

I saw a bumper sticker once that said "ASK ME ABOUT MICROWAVING CATS FOR FUN AND PROFIT".Also"CAT,THE OTHER WHITE MEAT".

A young black cat showed up a couple months ago at my barn,and since he made it his home,I haven't seen one mouse,rat,or snake.As long as he does his job,he has a home.He has a possum and coon buddy though,and he lets them hang around.Jerry

[fritz]

I think that most farmers and ranchers will welcome a cat in the barn (as long as they don't have cats of their own).

 

I have one here at the barn, and as Jerry said, I have not seen any mice or rats. Hence no rattlesnakes (they only hang around the barn as long as there are mice).

 

I have never had a problem of the barn cat dominoing, maybe it's a tom. The only tame cat we have is in the house (and he is neutered).

 

Without a barn cat, look out for snakes! They go where the mice are.

 

snake hater fritz

[Horsefly]

fritz,you surprise me.Every Tejas native son knows,if you don't bother a snake,they won't bother you.Poor little copperheads get such a bad rap,when all they do is hang around and eat mice.You should welcome them and be thankful for the good they do.Jerry

[montea6b]

Jeez, this is crazy stuff! Isn't there any kind of animal control program there? PITA, ASPCA, and Humane sociteies all ought to be interested in keeping non-native animal from breeding out of control. How are they putting that responsibility on you?!

 

Fritz, what are the "three S's"?

[Emul8]

Not to pre-empt fritz here, montea6b, but the "3 Ss" are "Shoot, Shovel and Shut Up"...a method brilliantly adaptable to a multitude of uses, as well as a multitude of creatures.

 

Personally, I like the plan but haven't yet had much of an opportunity to use it.

 

My neighbor has a dog that she clearly detests, a foundling that some suburbanite dumped out here in the area less than a year ago. She could probably benefit from the "3 S" plan, but secretly she probably likes having the dog around...it gives her something to yell at when she's out cutting her hay! LOL!

 

Montea6b, organizations like PETA and the Humane Society are really only into soliciting funds from people under the premise of disbursing those funds in the "defense" of animals, but they don't do it. What these people are best at is generating great PR at the expense of the truth, they don't really give a large poo for the animals, they just want to tell the rest of us how to live.

 

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