- Alf
Posted on 04/26/2019 7:39:43 AM PDT by Trump20162020
They're cute, they're fluffy, and they're public enemy number one in Australia.
Australia is at war -- with feral cats. By 2020, the government wants to kill two million free roaming cats, a large chunk of the total feral cat population, which is estimated to be between 2 and 6 million.
Some areas of Australia have gone even further. In the northeastern state of Queensland, there's even a council offering a $10 ($7) bounty per feral cat scalp.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I had no idea cats ate snakes! Hmmmm
Hardly.
Australia has plenty of natural predators... Cats are an invasive species
Catch, neuter and release. They will soon be limited on their own and will keep the rat population down.
My insurance guy came by and was telling me that the biggest claim on tractors and other equipment with electrical systems was fire. Much of it related to mice chewing up the insulation made from some kind of green enviro friendly components. The bulk of the problem seems to be focused on John Deere tractors which are predominant in our part of the country.
He asked if I had any problems and I said no, not any. Then he asked why. The answer is our small pride of spayed and neutered cats that keep all vermin and snakes at bay around the farmstead. They have a purpose but you need to be responsible with them and not let them multiply out of control. I hope ours live a long and useful life but wonder where we will get equally good mousers. Their mother was feral and an expert hunter.
My BIL and nephews own some .22 s but can only shoot them at the range. During our .22 shortage, they were sending me pics of their stash.
- Alf
The Aussies never seem to go in for half measures...
1901 6 colonies become one Australia
1907 rabbit “proof” fence
1996 national firearms “agreement”
2016 rat plague infests Sydney
2017 kangaroo population skyrockets folks “asked” to eat more roo
2019 feral cats a problem...
Nope, no half measures.
KYPD
Meh.
They keep the coyotes, racoons, owls, and hawks fed.
So I guess it depends entirely on where you are.
Around here cats are pretty low on the food chain, feral or otherwise.
“Catch, neuter and release. They will soon be limited on their own and will keep the rat population down”
**********
After years of not being able to deal with the rat problem in Chicago, some organizations got a program put into place to catch and release feral cats. They help with a crate and hutches and the people in the nearby buildings feed them and water them so they stay around.
Takes care of the rat problem... even if they don’t catch them the rats know better than to come near. Since they are fixed they don’t add to the feral population either.
“I’m hungry, where’s that cat ?????”
- Alf
Tastes like chicken.
True in NH as well. The only cats around here that are on top of the food chain are more accurately called mountain lions. Fish and Game says they aren't here, but they are.
Barn cats get taken by coyotes, owls, and hawks regularly.
We started having problems with our cars as soon as the feral cat population began to subside. It’s been expensive to repair, but the installation of some solar powered devices seems to have helped. I think they send out a signal that is a repellent for small animals.
I take it they were in Oz? During the .22 shortage we (the family ammo trove) had over 100k rounds; actually weighed them to get an accurate tally. At the gun shows a 333rd brick was going for $50-60 - dad just bought 500rds for $30.
I read about some island where the cat-haters succeeded in implementing a cat eradication program because the feral cats were killing and eating birds. After they wiped out the cats, the population of native rodents on the island exploded. The rodents got right into the bird nests and ate the eggs and hatchlings, doing far worse harm to the birds than the cats.
Way to go, cat-haters!
(Wish I could remember better details.)
Also, in Europe, several centuries ago, they thought that murdering all the cats was a great idea. They found out otherwise.
Ecosystems very often adapt to invasive species over time. It’s just at the beginning where there are some growing pains. At this point, murdering the cats may cause more harm than anything else. Those mice carry some pretty nasty diseases.
How To Give A Cat A Bath:
1. Thoroughly clean the toilet.
2. Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water and have both lids lifted.
3. Obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
4. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids (you may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape). CAUTION: Do not get any part of your body too close to the edge, as his paws will be reaching out for anything they can find. The cat will self-agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from your toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.
5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a “power wash and rinse” which I found to be quite effective.
6. Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door.
7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can and quickly lift both lids.
8. The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet and run outside where he will dry himself.
Cat Bathing As A Martial Art:
1. Know that although the kitty cat has the advantage of quickness and lack of concern for human life, you have the advantage of strength. Capitalize on that advantage by selecting the battlefield. Don’t try to bathe him in an open area where he can force you to chase him. Pick a very small bathroom. If your bathroom is more than four feet square, we recommend that you get in the tub with the cat and close the sliding-glass doors as if you were about to take a shower. (A simple shower curtain will not do. A berserk cat can shred a three-ply rubber shower curtain quicker than a politician can shift positions.)
2. Know that a cat has claws and will not hesitate to remove all the skin from your body. Your advantage here is that you are smart and know how to dress to protect yourself. We recommend canvas overalls tucked into high-top construction boots, a pair of steel-mesh gloves, an army helmet, a hockey face-mask, and a long-sleeved flak jacket.
3. Use the element of surprise. Pick up your cat nonchalantly, as if to simply carry him to his supper dish. (Cats will not usually notice your strange attire. They have little or no interest in fashion as a rule.)
4. Once you are inside the bathroom, speed is essential to survival. In a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the tub enclosure, slide the glass door shut, dip the cat in the water and squirt him with shampoo.
5. You have now begun one of the wildest 45 seconds of your life.
6. Cats have no handles. Add the fact that he now has soapy fur, and the problem is radically compounded. Do not expect to hold on to him for more than two or three seconds at a time. When you have him, however, you must remember to give him another squirt of shampoo and rub like crazy. He’ll then spring free and fall back into the water, thereby rinsing himself off. (The national record for cats is three latherings, so don’t expect too much.)
7. Next, the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this part will be the most difficult, for humans generally are worn out at this point and the cat is just getting really determined. In fact, the drying is simple compared with what you have just been through. That’s because by now the cat is semi-permanently affixed to your right leg.
8. You simply pop the drain plug with your foot, reach for your towel and wait. (Occasionally, however, the cat will end up clinging to the top of your army helmet. If this happens, the best thing you can do is to shake him loose and to encourage him toward your leg.) After all the water is drained from the tub, it is a simple matter to just reach down and dry the cat.
9. In a few days the cat will relax enough to be removed from your leg. He will usually have nothing to say for about three weeks and will spend a lot of time sitting with his back to you. He might even become psychoceramic and develop the fixed stare of a plaster figurine.
10. You will be tempted to assume he is angry. This isn’t usually the case. As a rule he is simply plotting ways to get through your defenses and injure you for life the next time you decide to give him a bath. But at least now he smells a lot better.
How To Give A Cat A Bath:
1. Thoroughly clean the toilet.
2. Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water and have both lids lifted.
3. Obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
4. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids (you may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape). CAUTION: Do not get any part of your body too close to the edge, as his paws will be reaching out for anything they can find. The cat will self-agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from your toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.
5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a “power wash and rinse” which I found to be quite effective.
6. Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door.
7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can and quickly lift both lids.
8. The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet and run outside where he will dry himself.
Sounds like fun. :)
Giving A Cat A Pill:
1. Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat’s mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.
3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.
4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of 10.
5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.
6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, holding front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold cat’s head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat’s throat vigorously.
7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.
8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with its head just visible from below spouse’s armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force cat’s mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.
9. Check label to make sure pill you just swallowed is not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse’s forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.
10. Retrieve cat from neighbor’s shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.
11. Get a screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Clean and bandage slashed, bloody arms and face. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw bloody, shredded T-shirt away and get a new one from bedroom.
12. Call fire dept to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.
13. Tie cat’s front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table. Find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Force cat’s mouth open with small adjustable wrench. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet steak. Hold head vertically and pour pint of water down throat to wash pill down.
14. Get spouse to drive you to emergency room; sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm, and removes pill remnants from right eye. Also, be quite still for your tetanus shot before beginning your 10-day regimen of antibiotics. Stop by furniture shop on way home to order new table.
15. Arrange for vet to make a house call.
Cats eat anything that moves. We’re in the country so knew we had snakes and someone is always being bitten. But didn’t know just how many we had before adopting two feral (no longer feral) litters. It’s down right scary how many they catch.
For bird lovers who hate cats, snakes also eat birds and their eggs.
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