Cat-killing bird-watcher heading to trial

The Houston Chronicle ^ | April 13, 2007 | HARVEY RICE

[BradtotheBone]

GALVESTON — After devoting much of his life to protecting wild creatures, a prominent naturalist here now faces trial on a felony charge of cruelty to animals.

Jim Stevenson, 53, a well-known bird-watcher and founder of the Galveston Ornithological Society, was indicted this week by a Galveston County grand jury on charges that he killed a feral cat Nov. 8 with a .22-caliber rifle.

"What really bothers me, this cat was down there killing endangered species of birds and others protected by law," Stevenson said in an interview Thursday. "Feral cats are not protected by law, and I stopped a cat from doing that and I get arrested."

Assistant District Attorney Bill Reed declined to discuss Stevenson's view of the law.

"All of those issues, I'm sure, will be flushed out in court," Reed said.

Stevenson, who has lived on Galveston Island since 1996, has traveled the world studying birds and published four books, including the Wildlife of Galveston. and publishes the Galveston Ornithological Society's quarterly newspaper, Gulls N Herons.

Despite his deep involvement with nature, or perhaps because of it, he has been accused of an aversion to feral cats because they prey on the birds he has studied.

Stevenson said the cat he is accused of killing had previously been captured and would have been euthanized had it not been spayed and and released.

Stevenson believes that there is no law protecting feral cats.

An official with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has said the law is unclear.

Although he admitted in a 1999 Internet posting to killing two dozen feral cats near his island home, Stevenson told the Houston Chronicle in November that he is fond of cats.

His arrest last year surprised and saddened many environmentalists.

"Jim Stevenson is not a bad man," Dori Nelson, chair of the Seabrook Eco-Tourism Committee, told the Chronicle soon after his arrest.

The arrest came after a toll-booth worker at the San Luis Pass Bridge told police that he heard two shots fired, then saw a white van speed away with Stevenson at the wheel.

One of the toll-booth employees, who had been feeding several feral cats and considered them pets, found the dead cat and pursued Stevenson. The employee said the cat already had a limp from an earlier bullet wound.

Stevenson is free on $10,000 bail. If convicted, he faces from six months to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

[Drawsing]

Nappy headed bird watcher.

[truth_seeker]

Cats kill/eat birds and mice.

My cat was born in the house, well fed every day since, neutered, etc.

He kills birds and mice for sport, and to show his human masters that he is looking after the yard.

Nothing to do with feral.

In my town, a cat is considered a free roaming animal. But if my cat is on my neighbor’s property, he can capture the cat, to protect his beloved birds or mice.

I believe the law does NOT permit him to kill my pet cat over a bird issue.

[Plateau]

You are absolutely correct. House cats, wether they are feral or tame, are non-native species. An example of eliminating non-native species is the elimination of Rainbow and Brown Trout in the Smokey Mountains National Park. Entire sections of streams have been poisoned to elinate the rainbows and browns so that the native Brook Trout can return.This is being done by the park service just in case you didn’t know. Non-native and invasive species have reeked havoc everywhere they are introduced. Examples, Cane Toads and feral cats in Australia, Brown tree snake in the pacific islands, Snake head fish in America. There are literally thousands of examples of non-natives destroying and replacing native wildlife. No mercy for non-native and invasive species.

[anton]

Well their all God’s cats though aren’t they.

But, more to the point, what is it about feral cats that gets everybody's’ undies in a bunch. Feral cats control an otherwise limitless rodent population. Where I live, the DNR says we have up to 400 rodents per acre. Cats are territorial and some people say they will stabilize at one colony to every 5 acres. So what if they munch down a few birds in the process of scarfing up rodents. Isn’t that what they are supposed to do? And, so what if they multiply until their area cannot sustain their populations. Isn't that what happens to ALL predators? I say leave em alone.

[Ciexyz]

Sheesh, the guy should get a life.

[NonValueAdded]

Actually, I was thinking about the problem with the feeders, not with the cats. _{don't tell me you were too :)}

[TexanByBirth]

The back and forth behind the cat lovers and the cat haters in this thread is comical. So are the comments by the semantics police.

It is interesting that no one has brought up the point that here we have a guy who professes to like cats, but because they might be killing birds he studies, he felt the need to eliminate the threat. Sounds like a LIBERAL to me!

Also I don't recall anyone pointing out the fact that this incident did not happen in this guy's backyard or even in his neighbor's backyard. It appearently happened on public property. He appearently had to go out of his way to kill this animal.

[NonValueAdded]

I have a set of those!!!

[DCPatriot]

The toll-booth employee was a contributor to the problem. People who feed feral animals are extremely irresponsible.

I respectfully disagree.

I know a very nice woman who...owing 3 indoor cats herself...has been feeding a colony of feral cats on the grounds of her employer, IBM...for about ten years.

She recently told me the number has decreased from a high of about 30 (they split into 2 colonies) to about 13 today.

I myself trapped a feral male and paid to have it neutered and vetted...and then released it. We called him "Streets".

I moved away, but recently saw my former next door neighbor who has built an outside, heated cat shelter next to his porch steps.

Here's a photo of "Streets"

[The_Victor]

Well, I can tell you that I had two cats, one of which had been a stray (not feral - it clearly had an owner at one time) for a while. While well fed, that cat was also killing at least one bird (that we knew of) every day or two. It even managed to catch and kill a red squirrel, and those little suckers are quick

That cat's a serious killer. A real cat's cat....

[Dinsdale]

Well their all God’s cats though aren’t they.

No. Cats serve Satan.

My orange devil wants some attention right now.

[antisocial]

“Or, I’d call the cops and try to get him arrested. One or the other.”

Ha. You wouldn’t like being my neighbor. I had an old jack russel terrier that hated cats and killed them ever chance he got. He killed my neighbors two cats and was sure proud of himself. I told the neighbor I thought it was an owl that killed his cats.

[freepertoo]

A friend told me about a feral mother cat and two kittens on her patio, and asked if I’d like a kitten. I had just lost my much loved cat of twenty years, so I agreed. By the time I got there, the mother and one of the babies had gone. Only one kitten was left (about a month old).

I tried to pick it up. The cat seriously ripped my hand and arm. Last time I thought of feral as cute.

[anton]

Any cat that can kill a squirrel deserves respect. Not only are those little fluffy tailed rats hard to catch, but they are hard to kill. I’d like to have that badboy visit my neighborhood are few times a month and cut down the squirrel population. My cat pretends he doesn't see the squirrels so he doesn't end up humiliated.

[FMBass]

Founder faces fine for feral feline felony.

[L,TOWM]

We have 3 pet cats that are let outside during the day and kept in at night. They started out life as feral kittens, but are now pampered (spoiled rotten) pets. The two males are neutered and the female is spayed.

They will “play” with anything — birds, rabbits, bugs, squirrels, lizards, — anything. The neighbor across the alley loves ‘em — he has no problem with rabbits eating up his veggie garden anymore. The guy next door loves ‘em, no longer having to put fox pee on his roof to keep squirrels from nesting in his attic. The lady next door that participates in a German Shepped Puppy Rescue group does’nt have much of an opinion, except for warning us to get our cats in if she is letting her pups play in the front yard.

I think this putz head should be smeared in peanut butter and seeds, then staked out in open field somewhere if he likes birds so much that he is willing to shoot cats. I have a feeling after a few hours, he would welcome a few cats hanging around him...

[Slings and Arrows]

---

[L,TOWM]

My lard butted orange tabby has racked up two squirrels in 8 months. I was shocked at the first one — I figured he could’nt get his cat fat moving quick enough to take out a squirrel. We have’nt seen any squirrels this spring.

And the guy next door has’nt had to get on his roof with fox pee for a while.

[Mercat]

or a super serial thread

[JRios1968]