Feral Cats are a legitimate predator!

Wildman Billy, I seen an Australian program, showing what your on about. What a problem them Ferals cats are causing with your wildlife.
If I see a cat out when I'am shooting, it visited the Big Kennel in the sky. Bye Bye Kitty.
The distruction of wildlife all over the world must run into millions with them.
An owner in Britain once showed how proud they were with the amount of Mice,Birds,Rabbits,etc that his Cat had caught in one week, quite a few. I'am afraid that if that Cat was in my area, it would be No1 target.
As for what I shoot them with, what ever is at hand, mainly 12g. I have never knowing one yet that doesn't kill for the pleasure of it. At times torturing their victims.
So to all you Cat lovers who put bells on them, with the excuse that it stops them from catching wildlife, the next time you let them out at day/night, just remember that HOLLOWPOINT 22 collects BELLS.

Hollowpoint 22.
 
They sure are fun to shoot and shoot at! Even when they're not hit they jump a mile high. Good times. They do a number on waterfowl and pheasants year-round. They are usually shot on site with whatever is handy; usually a 12 ga or 22 lr. Fun to shoot with any weapon. My dad use to shoot them with his blowgun.
 
Are you guys crazy?! Starting a post about feral cats?! Even posting pics?! Well I never! How long are we going to be allowed to run this thread? How many pics can I post? I'll tell you the first animal I ever killed was an old nasty feral tomcat. Haven't lost the urge yet. Some of you know how I love these dear critters. My feralating is what brought me to Pmasters forum by the way. I had heard about calling cats and yotes but knew nothing about it. So I poked around the web 'till I found PM. I have rarely missed a day since. MNot only for all the great info, but darn fine folks too. I am so lucky, I have access to a couple pieces of property that are really overrun with the things. I feel that there's no caliber better suited to a big ol Sylester is the 22 Magnum. Not too much, not too weak. I almost always get a bang/flop with it. I've shot more ferals than anything else...including squirrels. My favorite mouth call for them is the squirrel distress whistle and they LOVE the rodent distress on the JS Preymaster. Just today I was taking a break in the truck and my employee who knows of my love for cats said "Hey...your gettin' slow over there." as he nods toward a garage door across the street. There sits the biggest orange tabby I've seen in a while. The only call I had in the truck was a Primos Power Crow, so I pinch the end with my fingers and it actually made some pretty good rodent squeaks for me. So Morris starts our way. Walks through all the branches we have piled up ready to go in the chipper looking for Mickey Mouse. (No I didn't think about the chipper 'till now.) He mosies on and now I'm playing with a flock of crows just goin' nuts with the power crow like a cats got the crow and here comes a big 'ol black tabby. The crows came over and the kitty split. If I'da been on legal hunting grounds, I be posting pics of my taxidermy mount of two cats fighting over a dead crow! Two votes for "Feral cats are a legitemate predator!"
 
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markntennesse, where did you find that pic. of the free cat?




I think it was Big-Boy.com is where I found that pic, But I'm not sure I have had it for a while on the computer.
 
Went out to Feral central this evening...nada. Gotta stay away for a while, let em forget me. I saw the big grey tabby haulin' butt into the bushes as I walked up the road. I tried a few lip squeaks real quick but he just puffed harder on his big ol' cigar and tipped his fedora as he went under the branches. I think I heard him say something about me "playin' a worn out tune..."
 
Seems our state doesn't see it that way. Shooting a cat here could get you charged with felony animal cruelty (assuming you get caught) which means mandatory jail time and losing your right to own a gun and vote. You can shoot dogs without collars that are running game but if it has a collar on and you shoot it and get caught - same thing.
 
I've been thinking about a livetrap (tell people that I am takeing it to the pound), then drowned it somewhere. I get at least three a year decideing that my garage is a good place to live and I'm in town so can't shot the ---- things.
 
Several years ago, my wife and I bought a house and the former owner left his 3 cats, unaltered half wild females...they had every Tom in the area serviced, and had littlers, and the stinch was so bad the kids couldn't open their bedroom windows...I went door to door in the area, and told folks I would be using a live trap between 10 PM and 7 AM in my back yard that was enclosed with a 6 foot cedar fence. I suggested that they keep their pets inside, because the cats that ended up in my trap would be killed.

I caught and disposed of 29 cats in about 2 months...The neighbors got a petition together and presented it to my boss, the Sheriff to have me fired, and charged...he quietly explained that I had a right to protect my property and suggested they keep the pets on their property...He then ordered me to quit trapping the cats...

My mistake....I was too honest...I should have just trapped and killed...and not told anyone I was going to....Lesson learned.
 
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Seems our state doesn't see it that way. Shooting a cat here could get you charged with felony animal cruelty (assuming you get caught) which means mandatory jail time and losing your right to own a gun and vote. You can shoot dogs without collars that are running game but if it has a collar on and you shoot it and get caught - same thing.



Now that is just plain crazy, the shooting of any animal can't be defined as "cruel" just because of the species shot. Sounds like your lawmakers have been infiltrated by the radical element that believes that all killing is "cruel" no matter how humane the method. They can’t see that cruelty is in the method of the killing not in the fact of killing.

We have them over here and they cry cruelty when they hear about the exploding rabbits that some guy was shooting, even though there can't be cruelty involved by virtue of the rabbit being well and truly dead milliseconds after the bullet exploded them.
When I shoot cats I try as hard as I can to kill them humanely and that means blow there heads off with the 22.250. The fact the cats lose their heads makes it humane but if a radical cat lover was to see the results they would want my house burned down.


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Several years ago, my wife and I bought a house and the former owner left his 3 cats, unaltered half wild females...they had every Tom in the area serviced, and had littlers, and the stinch was so bad the kids couldn't open their bedroom windows...I went door to door in the area, and told folks I would be using a live trap between 10 PM and 7 AM in my back yard that was enclosed with a 6 foot cedar fence. I suggested that they keep their pets inside, because the cats that ended up in my trap would be killed.

I caught and disposed of 29 cats in about 2 months...The neighbors got a petition together and presented it to my boss, the Sheriff to have me fired, and charged...he quietly explained that I had a right to protect my property and suggested they keep the pets on their property...He then ordered me to quit trapping the cats...

My mistake....I was too honest...I should have just trapped and killed...and not told anyone I was going to....Lesson learned.



As good a case for “shoot, shovel, shutup” as I have ever seen.
 
One thing I have discovered is these ferals wise up about as fast as a coyote if they experience a couple near misses, makes the stalk much more exciting and educational for the hunter too. Most of the trespassers I harvest are old mangy all tore up and nasty toms with leg muscles like wood and balls the size of walnuts. I can tell it's time to go on the offensive when I smell that disctinctive "Odore de Felini" around the house about this time of year. Jump shooting them on the run when they fly out of the shrubs with low-brass 20ga #6 shot is good practice for rabbits too. My beagle won't trail them stinky things either, a good thing I'm sure.
 
There was an article quite a few years ago in one of the outdoor magazines. The article was the results of a study done by ?The Univeristy of Ohio? ,I think, the study was about the effects that feral cats have on small game and songbird populations. I don't rememeber the actual results but I do remember that the numbers of small game deaths and various birds/songbirds was a very large number.

I would love to find this study or a more current one.
 
If you all are happy cat shooters, I can tell you, your really missing out on some big fun....feral dogs!!
Nothing comes closer to giving good balllistic results for coyotes and other predators, like seeing what your rifle and load will do to dogs. Out west here, it's not uncommon at all to see dogs roaming around, and if you think cats terrorize wildlife and domestic stock, dogs are real demons. Nothing like a 55 grain ballistic tip in the boiler room of a 50 pound dog to get the blood stirring.....shoot em all!!!!
 
How ironic is this post, I just got back in from trying to call in some feral cats that are on a farm I hunt.
I'm an avid rabbit hunter, and on this farm rabbits are
almost nonexistent because of the feral cats.
I actual cut my teeth on calling feral cats, when I was a kid. A lot of these cats are huge, and can be pretty challenging. I spotted a large feral cat this afternoon, and tried to call him in but he didn't buy it.
I will be going back after him soon. A feral cat can take
far more game than any other wild predator. I shoot every cat I see when I'm out hunting. I too tried to do the right thing by live trapping a feral cat in my yard.
The people at animal control gave me such a hard time, that
from now on it's as good as dead. They seemed to think it was cruel that I set the trap at night and the cat could have injured it's self by being in the trap to long.
Never mind the fact that these feral cats were harassing my
rabbits in my hutch.
I try to help every rabbit I can now by putting a little lead in its diet.

PredatorSniper37
 
Want to call feral cats? Predation call has a Bobcat in distress that sucks them in like a vaccum. Have actually had them try to crawl into the call speaker. Incredible.
 
Maybe this post should properly be named Pet Owner Responsibility. Most feral animal problems start because some !@#$ bunny hugger won't take responsibility for his/her pets.

When I was in 3rd grade my Dad made me shoot the first dog I ever owned. After he killed a neighbor's chicken I didn't keep him tied like I'd been told, though I'd been warned. After the second time he got a chicken, Dad made me shoot him. Dad helped me bury him and gave me a long talk at the same time.

A strong lesson learned and remembered!

My family has always had cats and dogs (and parrots/fish/snakes/lizards/tarantulas/scorpions, etc) and my grandson has em now, but RESPONSIBILITY is a must.

In particular I've always taught my kids that cats that are let outside are expendable and are fair game for just about anything, yote, bobcat, owls, hawks, dogs, coons, bigger cats, and yes, even neighbors if the cat is a nuisance.

This has led to more than a few tears but hey, sometimes reality sucks and that's a lesson I strongly believe kids should not be sheltered from.

I may be an animal lover but I've killed more than my share of feral animals (cats and dogs) and consider it to be akin to a duty for good wildlife management to do so. I just wish I could find the former pet owner and have a little "talk" with him too.

When you get permission from a farmer or rancher to hunt ask them about cats. Some of them have "barn cats" to keep rodents out of the feed and they are often indistinguishable from feral cats (cause they basically are). I know in NE NM they wouldn't appreciate them being shot as they lose most to yotes etc already and rodents in the feed are a real problem.
 
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