Feral Cat Placement

[svandamme]

I had a cat like that when i was a kid, Adhemar, it didn't bother me that he was a bit wild.

his brother was worse, he would not be picked up, or come in the house.. he was ugly to, no hair on his tail or butt, as if he had fallen in a bucket of hot grease as a kitten.. not to impossible as we had a snackbar , and big drums where we would keep our dirty frying grease , hot when it goes in the drum...But he would come near me , and when i petted him he'de start to drool.. pick him up, and i'de be scratched up good...

If you know they aren't fully domesticated , and keep that in mind, they're ok to have around..

[Jeff Higgins]

I always find it amazing just how little people understand, or perhaps more accurately, are willing to understand about feral animals in general, and cats in particular. These are not, and never will be, the fuzzy wuzzy cute little purring companions many enjoy in their homes. There is absolutely no way to domesticate these things.

Our neighborhood had a problem with feral cats some years ago, before development took over in the last open spaces around us. Some of our neighbors were actually leaving food out for them (along with the racoons and other such vermin). Then they started wondering why their fuzzy wuzzy little house cats would dissapear all the time. Between the feral cats, racoons, and coyotes, they simply didn't have a chance. Even my larger dogs (Labs and Golden Retrievers) had a few run-ins over the years with these critters.

They are nothing to mess around with. When you start seeing them, it is time to start killing them. Period. I'm no cat hater or anything, but they are what they are - wild animals that pose a very real threat to pets, through the diseases they carry and their ability to procreate quickly. They are like rats; if you see a few, there are far, far more you don't see. Trap them, shoot them, poison them - whatever works to eradicate them. Don't get all sentimental about it, and don't let your wife get that way, either.

Interesting little factoid from an ex-cop (retired) buddy who found his share of dead, decaying bodies in homes and apartments (the kinds of folks who die and no one misses for awhile): dogs will starve to death if their master dies and can no longer feed them. Cats will not. They will feed on their dead master's body. Sentimentality only runs one way in this relationship...

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

dogs will starve to death if their master dies and can no longer feed them. Cats will not. They will feed on their dead master's body. Sentimentality only runs one way in this relationship...

depends on the dog really, there was one of those cases in Belgium not to long ago... dog did eat the dead masters corpse...

Frankly, i don't mind the cat mentallity.. they aren't so dumb to starve themselves ...

like my uncles Berner Sennenhund, if uncle went on holiday, dog didn't eat.. if uncle would have gone away for longer then 2 weeks, dog would have been dead...

Cat's look after themself , just like we would, it just makes sense that way.


but i agree that feral cats are a problem if not dealt with... Cities usually have catch-neuter-release programs... but i can fully understand that it doesn't work like that in the country side...

[TerryH]

This place is so predictable. You get helpful advice from the handful that actually read and try to understand your plight even though they might not agree. Thank you, I appreciate it.

On the other hand you get the same cowboy crap from the yahoos with no compassion for anything but themselves. If it don't make them happy... "put a bullet in it." And it takes 4 paragraphs just to get to that point.

If anyone does have a solution to our needs. Please IM or email me. I would like this thread to end.

Out!

[Burnin' oil]

Hey, I resent that. I got to the point in one line, not four paragraphs. And, FYI, I am a compassionate person that sympathizes with your predicament but keeping feral cats alive is not necessarily the "compassionate" thing to do.

[john70t]

I personally like cats, but one feral feline equals a couple hundred(or more) wild birds, chimpmunks, etc... every year.
They also don't destroy other large random predators such as raccoons, foxes, etc.

[Rick Lee]

How compassionate is it to let feral cats back into the wild, where they most certainly will die of starvation or a very violent death by predator? Otherwise, you can try to domesticate them. Putting them down is the best solution for everyone, whether it's with a .22 or a shot of sodium pentathol.

[targa911S]

+1 on Ricks post.

[Bill Douglas]

I offfered a bit of background on what I thought the right thing to do at the time was. And how it turned out so you don't end up in the same trap. But you probably will.

[Tim Hancock]

Just curious if folks who are opposed to killing feral cats are also opposed to killing any of the following: (it might help those of us with different backgrounds know whether or not we will offend someone by posting here or not)

1) Ants
2) Mice
3) Rats
4) Woodchucks
5) Scorpians
6) Flies
7) Mosquitoes
8) Moles
9) Coyotes
10) Starlings

Oh and just for fun, maybe include you're position on abortion. I would surely think anyone who is against killing any of the pests I have listed above will also be against abortion, but you never know with today's "modern" society.

I am generally not too keen on the idea of killing innocent unborn people, but have no problem with eliminating pests on my property... I guess I am just weird that way.

[dd74]

I'm certain the fact that a feral cat is still a cat has a lot to do with someone not wanting to kill it (them).

LA City Animal Services has a no-kill policy for dogs, cats and rabbits, and will go to every length possible to get either of the three adopted. It's a hugely successful program. I believe L.A. has the lowest euthanasia ratio of any city in the U.S.

So maybe it's a Cali thing where some just don't see the benefit in poisoning or shooting animals that aren't yet know to have attacked a human.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

I am generally not too keen on the idea of killing innocent unborn people, but have no problem with eliminating pests on my property... I guess I am just weird that way.

By today's standards, that makes you a veritable freak of nature. Probably someone to be watched at all times. Such utter disregard for not only other living things, but a woman's right to choose. Why, if you had any scrap of morality in you whatsoever, you would join the effort to "relocate" and/or put up for adoption these poor, innocent, cute, fuzzy little denizens of nature. When you're not busy with that, you will of course join the chorus touting abortion over adoption because, well, there are just too many people as it is. After all, evil mankind is a blight on this planet, and we should be ashamed of everything we do or have ever done, especially killing little kitties.

I only wish I could have made all of that up on my own...

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

By today's standards, that makes you a veritable freak of nature. Probably someone to be watched at all times. Such utter disregard for not only other living things, but a woman's right to choose. Why, if you had any scrap of morality in you whatsoever, you would join the effort to "relocate" and/or put up for adoption these poor, innocent, cute, fuzzy little denizens of nature. When you're not busy with that, you will of course join the chorus touting abortion over adoption because, well, there are just too many people as it is. After all, evil mankind is a blight on this planet, and we should be ashamed of everything we do or have ever done, especially killing little kitties.

I only wish I could have made all of that up on my own...

Well I must admit that I generally "frown" on abortion, but I can kind of accept the idea of it for cases of rape or when the mother's health is in jeapardy. I truly am curious though if there are folks who are perfectly fine with mother's electing to kill their babies, yet would come on here and chastise others for killing a small pest.

[vash]

my wife did the same damn thing. i didnt know her at the time, but one year before we met, she captured a full on feral cat. she took it to the pound, and said if nobody adopted the cat, to give her a call. well, big friggen surprise, nobody called! she went and saved the cat from the needle, and got her fixed. then she simply put the cat in a quiet room. the damn thing is still alive and is now "our" cat. good cat! never jumps on any table, doesnt eat human food..she is getting old and having issues, but best cat ever.

our other adopted cat needs a boot up the arse...

[924slover]

this is going to end up in parf real soon. but just to show my position i try not to kill any animal but also see where in some circumstances it is better to put the animal down then let them suffer or injure/kill anything else. I own pet rats but I'm not really bothered when my cat kills a mouse or other small animal. and i support abortion.

[vash]

feral cats overrunning a place is a real problem. culling the herd, should be kept on the "down low".
we had hundreds in our area. i suspect my neighbors swung into action, with .22 pellet rifles. i went into this old lady's house, and she had a scoped pellet rifle! she told me several of the neighbors have the same model...i didnt ask.

the squirrels are coming back.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by 924slover

this is going to end up in parf real soon. but just to show my position i try not to kill any animal but also see where in some circumstances it is better to put the animal down then let them suffer or injure/kill anything else. I own pet rats but I'm not really bothered when my cat kills a mouse or other small animal. and i support abortion.

I am not trying to start a religious or political argument, I just have often wondered how people develop their core sense of right vs wrong when it comes to taking the life of various types of animals (insects/livestock/varmints/game) or human beings for that matter.

For me, I would feel bad about killing a loved pet or hunting a species to extinction, but have no problem killing a mangy stray or varmint, a garden robbing bunny or thinning an overpopulated deer herd. I have no problem shooting starlings in my back yard, but would never shoot a bald eagle.

[fastfredracing]

I am not going to get in on this argument, but I will say they are mean little sob's. I was working on a customers Jaguar ( kind of fitting huh?) a couple of years ago, and when I reached down to remove a power steering hose, the side of my arm got ripped open by a couple of feral kittens who had made their home under the under hood fuse panel. I had to put on my welding gloves, jacket, and goggles, and go at them . It was a real battle to get them out of there. All the while they were hissing, and pawing at me. They really are wild animals.

[Joeaksa]

We had an abandoned cat show up at the house just about a year ago. No idea how long it had been on its own. Was bordering on being a feral cat but showed just a bit of being friendly so stupidly gave it some food.

Now she comes in the house to feed and when its over 100 degrees AND I am home will bring her in, sometimes as long as for several days. Now that its getting cooler she comes in to eat otherwise stays outside.

"Home based indoor cat" is finally not hissing at the outside cat and they are kinda friendly to each other when the screen door is closed. Still cannot see letting the cat starve.

She was worth far more than dispatching and has actually turned into a very loving critter, and will not leave me alone at times wanting petting.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by svandamme

I'll have to disagree with you on that, if a cat is truly feral, you will never get it out of their system again...
You might get them to occasionally feed near your house , but not pick em up, and have them sit on your lap purring, let alone come to you to be picked up.


Now if you get kittens from a feral nest, no problem, the younger the better,
but a fully grown, feral cat, is never going to be a house cat.

To dispute..."Da Boots"...feral at first...it took 4 years, but eventually a loving cat.
May she rest in peace...we miss her.