I'm a little slow in responding, and I'm sorry for that.
Yes, I know that feral cats can be a problem. My standpoint is that I live in the country and have adopted a few strays and their offspring have taken them to the vet where they've all been neutered or spayed and given the necessary vaccinations. I lock my outside cats up at night, and let them out during the day. I have these cats a number of years and this worries me that some nutjob with a gun will roam around looking for prey and take a couple of shots at my cats. Lord help the poor fool that does and I would catch him.
I've had my share of stray cats (so far, no dogs) finding their way to my door. The ones I see are friendly and have no problem approaching me in a friendly manner, especially if I have food. I am so made at people who take it pets, change their minds, and then just dump them off in the country. I hope there is a special spot in eternity reserved just for them.
I have heard about the feral mink that were "freed" by the PETA whackos as well. A lot of them perish because they are incapable of fending for themselves and feeding themselves after a lifetime in captivity. Although you don't have to worry about a PETA nutcase shooting your animal, they have other twisted thoughts that are just about as dangerous.
Now, how about the wolf/coyote repopulation program? I hear of people's pets disappearing to the ever-increasing wolf and coyote population. One reader had a solution that he or she called the three S's; Shoot, Shovel, and Shutup.
Thanks for your post!
Well, fortunately...the animals that are dropped off on our doorsteps are already domesticated cats and dogs.
The problem lies when people just dump these critters in a field, and they don't find their way to people like us. Those turn wild and learn to live by the wits that they never knew they had.
And all it takes is one pregnancy (something that cats are really, really good at) and the next generation is basically feral.
Yes, this guy who wants to hunt them probably seems a little whacked out, but at this point in time, if it's a problem for a community, I don't see a problem with at least discussing the option of a feral cat hunt.
Vets that I've talked to think this "trap, neuter/spay and release" line of thinking is a waste of time and resources. These cats may not get preggers again, but they're wild and won't change their ways. They'll just end up as losers in the feral cat world and will have the snot beaten out of them because they "smell funny" as they're unable to release the correct hormones to signal mating. And really, in the Natural World, it's either mate, or fight & kill. It's pretty basic.
To me, my vet friends make a lot of sense.
So, I'll spend my time and dollars trying to stop humans from essentially doing the same to their offspring through outlets such as Planned Parenthood. Wisconsin women had over 10,000 abortions last year. That's the same amount of feral cats that are supposedly roaming around out there in my state. For me, which "population" to worry about preserving is an easy choice. :)
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/usa/ab-usa-wi.html