Arrrrg! Dang Cats

[SS MAYFLOAT]

My neighbor and I have put several brush piles around to get the rabbit population back. It has been working so far until lately. There were a den of rabbits that were living in my wood pile. This morning I go out onto my back porch only to find the remains of 5 small bunny's by the wood pile. Then about 120 feet away was a big fat black cat licking blood off its paws.:devil:

So I sneak back inside, get the Ruger out. Get the rascal in my sights and see that it has a collar and tags. Now knowing that it belongs to someone, my heart got heavy and didn't have the strength to shoot the critter. ..............So I put a shot through the little aluminum tag. Hopefully it scared the cat enough not to come back for another feast. Plus hopefully the owner will get the message his cat is going to be the next target vs the tag!

Then the wondeful animal activists wonder what is happeing to the wildlife. Cats are not as innocent as people think. They are a preditory animal that will kill for the thrill of it.

I'll shoot the strays, but I won't shoot someones pet. After all it could belong to a child as well and I don't have the heart to break a little persons heart. Just wish there were more laws confining cats as they do dogs.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

[colour=blue]I agree, domestic cats kill for the thrill. Downunder, that is a huge problem. An even bigger problem is the domestic cats that go feral, they turn wild and live in scrubland killing harmless little native animals - and they grow BIG.

 

[technostingray]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

How do you tell a pet cat from a stray and further how do you know if it is the one killing the rabbits? Until now it hadn't occured to me but this probably accounts for the fact that our cottontail population is so low. It appears that current band of ferral cats is not growing so maybe the rabbits will return to dine in my garden. Choices, choices choices.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

Techo, I like both rabbit stew and my vegetables. Cat just doesn't seem to be fit for an appitite.

If the cat has a collar, I'll just scare it off, on the other hand, my neighbor is an older gent and doesn't care. BTW, he likes rabbit also.

 

[technostingray]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

Techo, I like both rabbit stew and my vegetables. Cat just doesn't seem to be fit for an appitite.

If the cat has a collar, I'll just scare it off, on the other hand, my neighbor is an older gent and doesn't care. BTW, he likes rabbit also.

Sounds like the Rabbit and The cat populations should be well in hand by next season, good luck.
Edit: As to your "appetite" I have heard that cat and rabbit are insdestinguishable when prepared in the same fashion. After the Viet Nam pull out and the influx of Boat people into the SC area there were alot of missing cats.

 

[Plainsman]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

mmmmmmm...if it has a tag? Just a thought.
No tag, fair game.

 

[1959_FDR]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

Simple solution?

A very aggressive dog that is rabbit friendly. :devil:

John

 

[Bob Fort]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

I have little patience for "pets" that are allowed to roam--dogs, cats, whatever....

Pet owners have a responsibility: Keep pets under your control. If I wanted dog excrement in my lawn, cat urine in the mulch under the shrubs, and other assorted pet leavings, I'd have a dog or a cat and collect those things for myself.

Here's the deal--I'll keep my toys on my property, pet owners are expected to do the same. If not,....

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

Agree with Bob. If ya got em be responsible for em. :devil:

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

Agree with Bob. If ya got em be responsible for em. :devil:

Right on the money RP!

 

[roscoe]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

.....So I put a shot through the little aluminum tag... ......After all it could belong to a child as well and I don't have the heart to break a little persons heart.

GREAT SHOT !!

People that let the critters roam, take the chance that it will not return home every single day.

"Oh fluffy didn't come home today Chrissy, I think he must have found a girlfriend."

The kid will get over it.

Shoot away. It's not like you are shooting it and then nailing it to their front door.

 

[MRS]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

I have one that jumps on my truck and is scraching the *rap out of it. I chase it off when I see it and throw rocks at it my wife says what are you going to do kill it I say yes if I could when it is on my truck I cant shoot (22short`s) because I would hit my winshield

 

[CalicoKid]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

I like cats. I have three cats in the house... where they belong. Outdoor cats are unrestrained animals and they are environmentally destructive. Do the neighborhood a favor, just be discreet.

 

[Link]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

I like cats. I have three cats in the house... where they belong. Outdoor cats are unrestrained animals and they are environmentally destructive. Do the neighborhood a favor, just be discreet.

I agree 100%
We have 5 cats.
The mothership as we call her is an outside cat.
But we truely expect her to not come home someday!
If she craps on someones boat, car or RV she is fair game!
Don't like it, but it's the truth.

I would do the same. Just make it a clean kill!

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

I live real close to the edge of town. When people can't take their kittens and cats to the shelters because their full, they let them out to fend for themselves. Sad thing is they don't even have a clue on the damge they inflict on the wildlife. The neighbor told me last evening that he found 3 more young rabbits by his woodpile.

Yeah, I should have popped it, but it has gotten so humid with this heat and diggin a hole is out of the question. The neighbor guy just throws them out onto the highway but it soon puts a stench in the air,,,,,especially when it is hot!

I'd leave my dog outside and I should be able to, but some people don't even like the idea of a restrained dog on its own property. After having one poisioned, our dog Keeper is an inside dog. I put in a cheap security system with cameras in plain sight all around the house. So far it has been a big deturent for anyone sneaking around my house.

Got to agree that people need to be responsible for their pets and respect property owners as well.

 

[ztim]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

The most tame housecats, when outdoors, will revert to hunting because it is instinct. It isn't as if they were killing for the "thrill" of it. They just can't help it.

How can you put a bullet through a tag on a collar wothout hitting the cat? It must have been leaning way over and dangling it.

 

[rottenray6402]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

I like cats, especially on the grill with some K C Masterpiece sauce. No, not even I am that bad. I have a love / hate relationship with my neighborhood cats. I don't like cats and they come over and kill baby squirrels but they also keep the rodent poulation down around my garage.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

ztim, it was a profile shot. If the sucker was looking at me, I could of given it a reverse mohawk. 8) I call it a thrill kill when they don't eat what they kill. Wild cats only kill what they eat where a domestic cat don't always eat what it kills.

Please don't get me wrong, I don't really like having to deal with them. It just seems like this area is a dumping grounds for them. Actually sorta sad because there have been so many cats dumped that all the small rodent population is very low. There just isn't much for them to get on their own.

When you live where there is wildlife, it don't take long to appreaciate what mother nature has done. Nothing like seeing a hawk swoop down and grab a chipmunk or a family of racoons at the creek looking for crawdads. When fall comes, there is deer, turkey, and even a fox that comes around and plays with my dog sometimes. I don't think it will be back. The last time I saw the fox, it was limping real bad and don't think it will survive.

My neighbor has been here for over 50 years. He said since housing and business have gone in that lots of the small wildlife is gone. Plenty of ground hogs, squirrels, coons, skunks, possum, and some nesting birds.

Right after I moved in, we started making structure for the critters. Each time we get things moving back in where the wildife is coming back, here come those friggen cats. If people would just take the time and get them fixed we wouldn't have near the problem.

 

[PuddleJumper]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

I agree with Mayfloat. Killing someones pet when it isn't being mean but acting instinctually doesn't seem satisfying. On the other hand, when my neighbors Tom came to our place and tried to kill the litter so he could breed and eliminate competition for his offspring he bought a 12 ga. #6 (clean kill) Buried it out back and never told anyone. I guess I'm non confrontationalo

 

[ratracer]

Re: Arrrrg! Dang Cats

Domesticated cats left to roam outdoors around here do their bit to ensure that we have a healthy, well-fed coyote population.