Wisconsin hunter wants open season on free-roaming domestic cats

WBAY ^

[esryle]

MADISON, Wis. Hunter Mark Smith welcomes wild birds onto his property, but if he sees a cat, he thinks the "invasive" animal should be considered fair game.

The 48-year-old firefighter from La Crosse has proposed that hunters in Wisconsin make free-roaming domestic cats an "unprotected species" that could be shot at will by anyone with a small-game license.

Hunters will vote on the proposal on April 11th during hearings for the Wisconsin Conservation Congress across the state.

Smith's proposal has horrified cat lovers, but some see it as a way of stopping cats from killing wild birds.

Department of Natural Resources attorney Tim Andryk says the vote would simply be an advisory recommendation to state lawmakers.

He says that to have open season on roaming cats, laws that relate to abuse of domestic animals may have to be amended.

[paul51]

If I had friends like that I wouldn't broadcast it

[Lazamataz]

OK but let's make it a fair fight. Let's have some group populate Madison, Wisconsin with 5000 mountain lions, easily rounded up from Colorado, and allow the hunters only camp knives. You could add a few grizzly bears to the mix, but they're not cats. Or are they?

I saw an article on FR about some grizzled old coot of 68 years of age who found himself in a fight with a grizzly, and he only had a 1.5 inch pocket knife.

He killed the bear.

Now that's who I want to be when I grow up.

[overtaxed_canadian]

History has also taught us that the introduction of a non-native predatory organism into an ecosystem can result in decimation of vulnerable native species.

Tabby, Ginger, and Cuddles are no more a "normal" part of the North American ecosystem as purple loosestrife and zebra mussels.

[Darnright]

We have a lot of wildlife, or we did, around our area. A while back some folks moved in, not only with a bunch of cats, but with loose dogs. I haven't seen or heard a quail in 7 years, and I watched one of their cats stalk a family of turkey poults. If I'd had a BB gun, I'd have been very tempted to knock that cat in the behind, and send him packing.

There is no excuse for allowing your pet animals to prey on wildlife, especially non varmint wildlife. I can understand this guy's feelings, although I wouldn't personally kill a stray cat or dog.

[missyme]

I'm sorry I really don't even know what a feral cat is...)

[cspackler]

Agreed. A while back, a couple of neighborhood "pets" decided to have it out under my bedroom window at 2 in the morning. Nastiest racket I ever heard.

[sheik yerbouty]

Kill of the cats and there will be more vermin.

[Nowhere Man]

OK but let's make it a fair fight. Let's have some group populate Madison, Wisconsin with 5000 mountain lions, easily rounded up from Colorado, and allow the hunters only camp knives. You could add a few grizzly bears to the mix, but they're not cats. Or are they?

I like how you think, I have the same thoughts too, of course we have my favorite cartoon Cougar, Pete Puma as their leader.



For some added fun, we could add some lions and tigers to the mix.

[Lazamataz]

I oppose cutting off fingers at the knuckles, and not just for cats.

I endorse cutting off fingers at the knuckles, especially for humans.

And making little cocktail weenies with the tips.

[Nowhere Man]

If only we had massive herds of Grackle killing cats, maybe my car would be cleaner. Grackles, now there's a problem.

Heh, if you want a real interesting Grackle experience, go to Cape Canveral and the Space Center, the Boattailed Grackles there can be hand fed when you eat a meal there out in the open. They come up to you, no questions asked when you feed them.

[Spktyr]

The problem with that is enshrined in the following ancient adage:

"Sometimes you get the bear.

"Sometimes the bear gets you."

[JCEccles]

I've heard reports that a burgeoning coyote population is having a substantial impact on strays cats in many places.

[Lurker]

A feral cat is one who hasn't been raised inside a human home for a few generations. Now keep in mind that for a cat, a generation is about 6 months. That means in 18 months one stray unspayed female cat can breed between 18-25 cats.

None of them have ever eaten food from a dish, let alone sat on a couch in front of the tv.

They then do what comes naturally to cats. They kill almost every thing they see that's smaller than them, and a lot of things that are bigger than they are.

I've seen a feral in my neighborhood kill two rabbits inside of five minutes and then walk away without so much as a sniff. Heck, I've seen them attack opposums and win.

And when you have 4 or five of them running around a neighborhood, they kill unbelievable amounts of other wildlife.

As another poster said, there's a world of difference between your housecats and ferals. I'm a cat person myself, but as I said before ferals need to be destroyed on sight.

I totally agree with naming them a 'pest' in rural Wisconsin.

L

[Lurker]

It's just old Lazamataz...he's having some old friends over for dinner.

(I like the cocktail weenie thing, that was inspired.)

L

[river rat]

I had a neighbor that thought it "urealistic" to keep HIS cat our of my child's sandbox....which the cat considered his toilet....

He was warned to find a way or I would....

He didn't.
I did.

Semper Fi

[rellimpank]

--T, G and C may not be a "normal" part of the North American ecosystem but their ancestors have been around for five hundred or so years, I suppose.

I don't recall that they have been credited with any extinctions--or even any "decimations"--

[Americanchild]

Declawing involves the amputation of the first section of each digit to hopefully prevent the claws from growing back inside the toes ( which can happen!). This results in significant pain and the necessity of walking in an unnatural position for the rest of the cats life. Have you tried to balance and walk with one fourth of your toes missing?

[rellimpank]

--coyotes are purportedly a danger to budding Californians on occasion, also--

[Cloud William]

Cats and Muslims. It brings out FR's finest minds.

Both, it seems, come in domesticated and feral variants.

[Let's Roll]

He certainly was/is - it's one thing to kill something, quite another to torture it first.