Posted on 04/12/2005 6:54:55 AM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
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.
Statewide results were expected Tuesday.
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."
Is that a Ball Peen breed? Or Claw Hammer?
It would sure save a bunch of money not having to kill or capture them for the local shelter.
Tell me you mean to shoot the pack dogs, not the kids and adults.
What is it?
My Feline Detection and Disposal Unit, of course.
But what is your Feline Detection and Disposal Unit? It's not a very good photo.
LOL! It is actually a superb photo.
Look at it real hard for a minute. Maybe turn your head and look at it upside down.
Forget it.
What did he say?
I agree with you. My husband used to trap two or three a night in our Tempe, AZ home and then we'd bring them to the pound. One day a woman knocked on our door from the local cat rescue group complaining that we're responsible for killing dozens of cats. We kindly explained that as cat owners (I have 2), it's not that we have anything against cats it's just that we didn't like our yard to be the neighborhood litter box.
We never caught one with a collar and the pound scans the cats for imbedded micro chips so that if there is an owner, they are notified. Apparently the cat rescue group would 'rescue' cats, get the micro chip put in, and then set them loose again in random neighborhoods. We had it out with the woman, and then trapped a cat later that night! :) The best solution was moving from that neighborhood though!
It's a Boxer. Lying on his back. Looking at the camera.
You owe me a keyboard!
The obvious solution to stray bullets is for hunters to use a 12-gauge shotgun -- the pellets don't travel very far.
It used to be that hunters were required to shoot any wild dogs they observed in the woods, in some states. I don't know if this is still true or not. Packs of wild dogs are a real danger to people and wildlife.
Do any FReepers know if some states still have these laws in effect?
(Prior post removed at my request since I mistakenly linked to the uncensored 'Jeez, not this **** again' pic, sorry)
OK, let's try this again. Cats only hang around where there is a food supply. Cats SUCK at catching birds; it is exceedingly rare that they will catch one. Cats are optimized for hunting rodents. Yes, they will rummage through dumpsters if they can't find anything else, but if there is no food in the area, they will not stay.
If you have a large feral cat population in an area, it has *always* meant that there is a large rodent population that they are suppressing. Removal of the cat colony has almost always caused the rodent population to explode. Killing cats is what let the Black Plague spread across Europe.
On that note, *people* carry more diseases than cats can. Dogs do too. Also, a cat colony has never killed a human, where stray dogs and even household pet canines routinely attack and kill people. Cats do not endanger people, dogs do. That's why dog owners should have to pay for the animal control measures (which end up being aimed at their pets). Also, the ability and nature of the cat to wander around has been documented and there is case law going back to Ye Olde Englande recognizing that.
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