Wis. Considers Legalizing Cat Hunting

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Feline lovers holding pictures of cats, clutching stuffed animals and wearing whiskers faced-off against hundreds of hunters at meetings around Wisconsin to voice their opinion on whether to legalize cat hunting.

Residents in 72 counties were asked whether free-roaming cats - including any domestic cat that isn't under the owner's direct control or any cat without a collar - should be listed as an unprotected species. If listed as so, the cats could be hunted.

The proposal was one of several dozen included in a spring vote on hunting and fishing issues held by the Wisconsin Conservation Congress. The results, only advisory, get forwarded to the state Natural Resources Board.

La Crosse firefighter Mark Smith, 48, helped spearhead the cat-hunting proposal. He wants Wisconsin to declare free-roaming wild cats an unprotected species, just like skunks or gophers. Anyone with a small-game license could shoot the cats at will.

At least two other upper Midwestern states, South Dakota and Minnesota, allow wild cats to be shot - and have for decades. Minnesota defines a wild, or feral, cat as one with no collar that does not show friendly behavior, said Kevin Kyle with that state's Department of Natural Resources.

Every year in Wisconsin alone, an estimated 2 million wild cats kill 47 million to 139 million songbirds, according to state officials. Despite the astounding numbers, Smith's plan has been met with fierce opposition from cat lovers.

Critics of Smith's idea organized Wisconsin Cat-Action Team and developed a Web site - dontshootthecat.com. Some argue it is better to trap wild cats, spay or neuter them, before releasing them.

In Madison, about 1,200 people attended the Monday evening meeting at the Alliant Center - more than the 250 or so in a typical year, but less than the 3,000 or so who took part in a debate in 2000 over whether to allow hunters to shoot mourning doves.

One of the attendees was Katy Francis, who wore cat ears, whiskers, a cat nose and a sign that read, "Too Cute to Kill." For Francis, "The cat hunting thing brought me out because it was very extreme."

Both of y'all are talking in the general "shouldn't ought to happen" sort of vernacular. I'm telling you that I've seen it. I'm not denying it doesn't happen every time, and I sure won't say your precious kitty does it.

But it might well be that the cats you've seen aren't feral. I can't say that the cats I've seen doing the scratching have been feral, but that could be a factor in their claws hanging out. The one that I witnessed pulling up the most paint was actually a "domesticated" roamerd being chased up a car by a dog--it leapt from the ground all the way up to the car top, and the dog ate door, and the cat just barely stopped before falling off the other side because the top was waxed nice. But there was one nice paw-sized set of gashes and a quarter sized nick out of the paint where they first went in on the top of that car.

But it was funny to watch--'cause it wasn't my car.

I assure you it can and does happen. We had feral cats all over a neighborhood I used to live in near McLean VA's downtown, and they'd get under and on cars to warm up in the spring and fall. My roommate drove a classic car at that point, and it was all scuffed up with nail marks on the hood and roof after we moved there. Where their nails go when they're walking is evidently different from where they go when they're warming up.

The end of last October I adopted a feral cat through a cat rescue group. A small dark tortoise shell.

Annie was born outside and had been on her own for at least a year before being captured and had never been socialized. When I adopted her she had been spade but the vet screwed up and she will now have to have hernia repair surgery in a couple of months.

BTW, she choose ME. When I picked her up she nuzzled me and fell asleep in my arms. That all changed when I brought her home to my dog (she had been in a foster home for a few weeks with a dog so I figured it would be okay).

Annie’s problem was and still is trusting humans. But she has come a long, long, way in the past almost 7 months. For the first several days she hid underneath the bed but slowly came down the stairs to listen what was going on in the living room. Finally she made it to the bottom step and then a few feet more into the living room and finally over the past couple of months has jumped up on the sofa or ottoman and cuddling with me.

She had a respiratory infection back in March and the vet wanted me to give her antihistamines a couple of times a day. That's when I found out Annie is smarter than I am! I tried to “mickey finn” them a few different ways but she wouldn’t take the bait. After forcing liquid Benadryl down her mouth one night she became so upset (foaming at the mouth) that I finally gave up even though I did manage to get a couple more pills down her over the next couple of days. It was HORRIBLE stress for the both of us and I finally decided that if she worsens that I would take her to the vet again so they could give the stuff to her.

Annie now trusts me to where she will let me know when its treat time, when her food dish is half empty (I simply MUST refill it then!) and when she wants to be rocked in my arms and sung to. God has guided me in how to handle and speak to her. Oh, she still freaks out/reverts to her feral nature at strange or loud noises (and may always do so) but she has become a very loving cat who meows whenever I take the dog outside and doesn’t let up until he is back in. She has come to truly love the dog and he somewhat back (he is still jealous).

Did I have second thoughts over these months? You betcha!!! But I knew if I gave her up chances were that she would never trust another human ever again.

I tell you one thing, when she has her hernia surgery at the end of June I’m going to inform the vet that they had better load her up with antibiotics before they release her to me cause there is NO WAY ON EARTH this cat will take ANY medications from me! Even when I had to put tapeworm medicine between her shoulders a couple of weeks ago it was an on and off chase all day to grab her so I could do it.

But she is worth it. She really is a very loving, vocal cat both to me and the dog. We simply had to get used to each other. But boy is she gonna be mad at me when she has her surgery! (And I’m going to be a nervous wreck Momma even though I will be able to visit her the day after the surgery.)

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