Feral cat problem

[Jamesconn]

They come out at night and are all ofer my garden messin up my veggies I have cage traps and I can catch one every night but what to do with em if somebody bought them for just $10 I could buy my shotgun (almost). My uncle says drown them but that seems wrong what to do?

[300winmag]

That big old hound beside you should take care of them.

[shooter93]

Take them to the SPCA. If they have to be put down that would be much better than drowning them.

[Jamesconn]

I live about 60 mi from nearest pound no SPCA and he's slow and we can't let him in the front yard cause there's no gate but even if we get the gate the cats can still fit through the fence

[Bret4207]

I don't care much for cats, but I don't like to make then suffer either. Take the live trap out in a big field, get the shotgun ready and yell "pull". Pretty quick. There are "stab sticks" you can use. They work on skunks. Big syringe with a long needle on a pole and 50CC of Acetone in the lungs IIRC. I suppose a plastic bag around the trap and can of starting fluid (ether) would work.

Aren't too many easy ways. A bullet or boolit is a quick as anything.

[deltaenterprizes]

A small engine exhaust directed in a closed container will put them to sleep painlessly. That is how the animal control did it back home.

[Jailer]

.22 in the head. Quick easy and painless.

[Blacksmith]

There is always the 12 pound Coehorn Mortar:
http://www.buckstix.com/CoehornMortarHunt.htm

:bigsmyl2:

Blacksmith

[ElDorado]

My brother used to catch them in live traps and then hose them down real good while they were still in the trap. He would douse them with the hose until they stopped squirming and just sat there and accepted it. Then he would just let them go. He never had a return customer.

[Jamesconn]

I think I will try the water boarding method ;) I don't like cats either I don't want to kill them I want them gone and it's a waste of gass to release them I'm trying to catch rabbits and squirrels but I only get cats
What about some bait recommendations they would be much appreciated

[troyboy]

That is a dilema. I am a cat lover but feral cats are a huge problem. I would try to get Animal Control out. If that is a no go....... much as I hate to say it..... you will have to start shooting them.

[ElDorado]

What about some bait recommendations they would be much appreciated

For cats? Tuna.

[clintsfolly]

My buddy had a cat problem like yours. he live trapped then then hosed then down go have a drink ,lunch or something then hose'm again. then turn them lose as you hose never had repeat customers!! Clint

[L1A1Rocker]

Feral cats are a big, BIG problem. They do not belong in the wild of North America and destroy many species. If the local animal control will not do anything I'd suggest one of these.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j154/L1A1Rocker/Mkii22_45_44sm.jpg?t=1261000209

[swheeler]

I think I will try the water boarding method ;) I don't like cats either I don't want to kill them I want them gone and it's a waste of gass to release them I'm trying to catch rabbits and squirrels but I only get cats
What about some bait recommendations they would be much appreciated

Catnip

[3006guns]

That's an odd looking hose nozzle................................

[nanuk]

the water boarding trick only sends them to the neighbours to make them their problem.

they need to be put down

[Mumblypeg]

I don't care much for cats, but I don't like to make then suffer either. Take the live trap out in a big field, get the shotgun ready and yell "pull". Pretty quick. There are "stab sticks" you can use. They work on skunks. Big syringe with a long needle on a pole and 50CC of Acetone in the lungs IIRC. I suppose a plastic bag around the trap and can of starting fluid (ether) would work.

Aren't too many easy ways. A bullet or boolit is a quick as anything.

"Sporting Cats" !

[Jamesconn]

I'm not talking about bait for cats I have no problem catching them I'm taking about bait for rabbits and other edible pests

[firefly1957]

You need to check what the laws are in Texas here it is legal to kill them ''IF THEY ARE NOT OWNED" in the live trap I would use a 22 to the back of the head drowning has to be the worse way to go. Do not do that if the trap is on concrete or stone the bullets could harm you or something else. If you do a search on "feral cats " you will this is a hot topic .

[swheeler]

I'm not talking about bait for cats I have no problem catching them I'm taking about bait for rabbits and other edible pests

James; carrwots for dem pesky wabbits and nuts fer dem sqirrels.:groner:

[badbob454]

a 22 in the noggin is fast and painless , if necessary

[Triggerhappy]

Gato tacos....

[Colorado4wheel]

I got all my cats from a Animal Rescue Group that would trap the feral cats and domesticate them and then adopt them out. Might want to do a search on google for a rescue society in your area.

[m.chalmers]

Sell them to a Chinese restaurant :)

[plmitch]

alot of dark meat on them cats.......pays well by the pound.

[Jamesconn]

I dont think so but I kinda dont want to do research so im going to tell this tree huggin girl i know im going to shoot them cause i couldnt find a rescue thing and i bet she will probably find one for me.

[altheating]

Dead feral cats = Coyote Food
Your just speeding nature up a bit. There are places around me that is overrun with feral cats. If we see a bunch of feral cats you can bet you wont see pheasants, turkeys or partridge in the area.

[Jamesconn]

my father is against me shooting them cause he is squeamish and thinks they are other peoples cats but they act completly wild are out all night and have no collar.

in a neighborhood full of dogs youd think if somebody loved their cat they would not let it run free.
they only come out at night in groups

he also is in possesion of the guns so that makes it harder

[Triggerhappy]

Better check the local laws before you get too into it. Had a friend that got a huge fine for live trapping skunks and letting them go elsewhere. Better to know the laws, all it takes is one neighbor to get mad about it.

TH

[Herb in Pa]

Just a suggestion..................

[rtracy2001]

I'm not talking about bait for cats I have no problem catching them I'm taking about bait for rabbits and other edible pests

I usually end up with a rabbit or two in my yard every winter living under the woodpile and eating my lawn, and the best bait I have found for them is some sliced apples. They won't touch carrots or lettuce. (Can't shoot them inside city limits, so I have to trap them, and then transplant them if the game warden asks what I am up to trapping rabits out of season without a trapping permit.)

[Jamesconn]

theres wabbit season? trapping lisence? ive trapped and hunted in texas and south dakota and ive never heard of either of those

[Houndog]

If you can't use a gun, go find a couple of Hounds. (tree dogs) They WILL take care of your Cat problem and most likely eat the evidence!

[Jamesconn]

the neighbors dogs are all hunting dogs :D

[rtracy2001]

theres wabbit season? trapping lisence? ive trapped and hunted in texas and south dakota and ive never heard of either of those

Yup, up here you gotta have a hunting lisense to use a firearm to hunt rabbits, a hunting lisence and a trapping permit (IIRC) if you want to trap. The season is like from Oct- Feb, and all lisences and permits expire on Dec 31. Royal PIA. Even if you want to shoot jackrabbits that have no season (considered a predator due to the dammage they do to crops, so they can be killed at any time with any weapon, man I want to get a 50 BMG. . . ) you still need the hunting lisence. Don't know if they have changed it or not, but The regs used to say that you have to have a hunting lisence to transport a firearm on public roadways! No gonna happen with my CCL. (Had to get that because I kept a screwdriver in the jockey box to adjust the carb on my old Blazer and the local sheriff tried to say it was a concealed weapon!) For a Red state this place has a lot of Blue laws.

[DLCTEX]

In Texas you don't need a license to trap nuisance rabbits, but you need a hunting license to shoot them to dispose of them.

[Marine Sgt 2111]

I can't say how many hundreds of ferel cats I have wacked over the past 47 years of shooting. When I lived in a semi rural area, growning up city people would bring out fluffy that they didn't want anymore to the "country" open the car door and let him fend for himself. So my mother used to give me 50 cents for every one that I caught in her flower beds. When I moved to the city I found herds of them roaming at night in the neighborhood. I bought a Beeman R-1 and thinned them out.

Now years later, I own a farm out in the country and cats are an asset out here. They keep the mice, rats, moles and even one coon at bay. In a 181 year old farm house...cats are your friends.

A .22 with CB caps, at close range and shot in the head stops them right now.

On time a girl that my son was dating was out here at the farm and commented on how friendly all of the cats were. My son chimed in saying "is cause he shoots the unfriendly ones." Thanks son....

[Ole]

Borrow an accurate .22 caliber air rifle if you don't have the funds to buy one.

Benjamin 392 is around $150 at Walmart.

[Bad Water Bill]

Just might be time to start casting some round balls. Make your own sling shot. Practice in the garage shooting at a bundle of news papers(recycling). Now go out at night and silently destroy the critters that think your property is their litter box.

Somehow I do not think there are many coyotes in your area.I have read many places that KITTY KITTY is to them as turkey dinner is to me.

[JIMinPHX]

Funny thing around here, the animal control people will come & catch a stray dog, but they don't touch stray cats. If you catch a feral cat around here, you have to PAY to get the do-gooders to take it from you & spay or neuter it.

Back when we had coyotes in the area, we didn't have cat problems here. Since the do-gooders got rid of the native dogs, the cats have been having a field day.

Several years ago, I would occasionally hear what sounded like a .22 going off, then a window would slam shut. Back then, the stray cats disappeared occasionally & were kept in check. Not that long ago, one of my neighbors passed away & since then, the cats seem to have been multiplying quickly. I suspect that I may have figured out why that is, but I can't say for sure (& I wouldn't want to).

With the laws the way that they are around here, I don't want to get caught up in doing anything like that. At this time, I have no good solution for that problem in my area. I kind of half want to go trap a coyote & let him go in the big field across the street from me to restore the natural balance of nature, but I'm sure that would upset a bunch of people, & I'm not sure how legal it would be.

[Ole]

Funny thing around here, the animal control people will come & catch a stray dog, but they don't touch stray cats. If you catch a feral cat around here, you have to PAY to get the do-gooders to take it from you & spay or neuter it.

Back when we had coyotes in the area, we didn't have cat problems here. Since the do-gooders got rid of the native dogs, the cats have been having a field day.

Several years ago, I would occasionally hear what sounded like a .22 going off, then a window would slam shut. Back then, the stray cats disappeared occasionally & were kept in check. Not that long ago, one of my neighbors passed away & since then, the cats seem to have been multiplying quickly. I suspect that I may have figured out why that is, but I can't say for sure (& I wouldn't want to).

With the laws the way that they are around here, I don't want to get caught up in doing anything like that. At this time, I have no good solution for that problem in my area. I kind of half want to go trap a coyote & let him go in the big field across the street from me to restore the natural balance of nature, but I'm sure that would upset a bunch of people, & I'm not sure how legal it would be.

FYI:

The pound will loan you a cat trap for free if you tell them you have a feral cat problem.

[Bad Water Bill]

Jim I hsve several small holes in my screen door. See a critter in my yard pick up Betsie stroke her 10X and step back from the door about 5 feet. snap. Even the next door neighbors do not hear the poof but the critter is D R T.

Problem solved this way for over 30 years.:bigsmyl2:

[troy_mclure]

FYI:

The pound will loan you a cat trap for free if you tell them you have a feral cat problem.


yea, then the pound has to euthanize them, at tax payer expense.

[colt 357]

What was that movie. The old guy talking about killing sheep think it was cold creek manor. hammer to the head wack next, hammer to the head wack next down the devils thoat.

[frkelly74]

On the news this morning there were a couple little old ladies crying about finding dead cats all over the place. "Someones killing the poor little kitty cats". So the news reader gave the whole spiel about killing any animal is a felony in Michigan and any one who would do a thing like that has really big problems and needs therapy while they are locked up. SSS.

[pdawg_shooter]

I drive 25 miles to and from work every day. Most of them on county roads. I will shoot any cat more than a 1/4 mile from a house. Average 4 or 5 a month.

[Bagdadjoe]

I had a neighbor that was an "animal rescue" person. She "rescued" them from somewhere else and brought them here and turned them out. I'm talking well more than a dozen. There went the quail, young rabbits, squirels, and anything else they could catch. The cats slowly "disappeared", so they weren't rescued at all, just transplanted and eventually died anyway. I like cats, I have two that never go outside. I have one of hers on the back porch that I take care of that won't go back to her house, I'm guessing because the way the boyfriend treated them..ever see anyone roping a cat? The odd thing is, she can bring them in and turn them loose and has no responsibility under the law if something happens to them. There's no law to protect the wildlife from them, but if one "disappears" at my hand I can go to jail. Quick.
To get rid of sparrows "I read" that one person puts the whole trap in a garbage bag and administers a little squirt of starting fluid, ether. End of story. With the cats even with the water hose method, they will put your butt in jail for animal cruelty. Of course the owners who let them run wild are the chief accusers and have no reprecussions. The sheriff will do their dirty work for them, no charge.
Oh, the cat lady? She finally changed her attention from cats to horses and now she's "rescueing" them. I thought I was going to have to call the authorities last winter because they did have anything to eat for days.

[dagger dog]

When I bought my old farmhouse, the feral cats had taken up residence in the old buildings that were due for destruction. The strong smell of cat urine and feces was in all of the buildings with dirt or gravel floors.

On arriving home after work the cats would scatter as I parked my vehicle in the open bay garage. When you would open a door on any of the buildings you were likley to get stampeded by cats. They had even set up a den in the old chicken coop !

I noticed the absence of small game even though the area is rural farms and wood lots, a few squirrles and that was about it. I figure they were surviving on rodents, mice and rats that populated the abandoned ramshackle buildings, and also the pet food left out on the back porches of the neighbood houses.

The cats were a motley bunch some with dreadlocks 3-4" long others were smooth coated but all were wild, even the kittens would set sail on sight of a human,none wore collers of any kind.

I started by trapping with Victor Conibear body grip traps baited with canned pet food or tuna. Had good sucess for awhile but they get trap shy quick, cats are smart.

Once trap savy I started shooting, even went as far to carry a 22 rifle in the truck and park in the gravel drive the walk up to the garage, trying to get a shot before they scattered, I finally even managed to hit some on a dead run.

They eventually moved from the bulidings and equipment sheds, as I demolished the ones that were falling down, out into the sinkholes that dot the property.

This went on for about two years and I finally started seeing a few rabbits, got home from work one day and heard a bobwhite quail calling, I whistled back my best bobwhite and he hopped up onto the bottom strand of barbed wire, thats when I knew the problem was solved.

All this time I kept my old cat Scratch, he made the move to the farmhouse and was our house cat for over 17 years, we (the wife and I) raised him from a kitten, bottle fed him as his mother had been killed by a car. He never left the house except for regular trips to the vet. I had to put him down, he's burried in the back yard under a blue holly tree.

People need to be responsible of the so called pet cat, left to roam they decimate the wild bird and small game. They are born killers and left outdoors will always leave the suprise dead cardinal or baby rabbit on the back porch by the food bowl!

[casterofboolits]

When I was nine (six decades ago), I got a dime for every cat that wondered onto the property. Dad was alergic to them.

A sling shot was my tool of choice. A well cured hickery fork, red rubber bands from an old inner tube and the tounge from Mamaw's old shoe and marbles for ammo.

Kept me in Cokes, Hershey bars, and comic books at a nickel each. Then they put a one cent deposit on the Coke bottles, I had to scrounge pennies so I could get my Coke and Hershey bar at the same time!

[blackthorn]

Timely subject. Just the other night I was watching a documentry on feral cats on TV. Some idiot woman was advocating: catch, fix and release. she kept insisting that if the cats were fed regularly they would not hunt! STUPID witch (sp?)!! I have a cat and she always has food in her dish, but she hunts mice daily (eats them too). I agree with the poster who said that feral cats have no legitimate place. I see nothing wrong with destroying them, so long as it is done in a humane manner.

[JIMinPHX]

FYI:

The pound will loan you a cat trap for free if you tell them you have a feral cat problem.

Does Tempe have different rules than Phoenix? I called up the officials here & they sent me to a private organization that charged $75 per head to take them once you caught them.

[white eagle]

open season on feral cats ya know

[azrednek]

FYI:

The pound will loan you a cat trap for free if you tell them you have a feral cat problem.

Been there and done that. Sure they loan you a trap but make you pay to take them off your hands. Get caught taking them for a ride, fines first offense and jail time if you get caught at it again. Our local Sheriff has given his so-called Pet Possee the legal authority to make arrests.

[firefly1957]

shame that there is more cats here than the coyotes can eat. When I was young we lived in Arizona a couple of the neighbors cats got bit by rattle snakes and survived!

[Love Life]

A lee 452-255-RF from a slingshot will drop cats cold. Headshots usually kill them. Body shots disable them and allow somebody to hit them again with a headshot from close range. At least that is what I have read on the internet.

**true story**
A 16 year old kid lived in lampasas, Texas in a very rural and spread out community. This kid had a neighbor who lived 5 acres away to the east. Well the neighbor had 72 cats (documented after case)!! The cats decimated the local small game and game bird population. Well the cats started disappearing VERY quickly, but no gunshots were ever heard. The lady investigated and found her dead cats all around. Sadly they were on someone elses property next to old tuna cans (thats what the game warden said), and they had no idea who the tuna cans belonged to.

On the bright side I started seeing rabbits and birds not too long afterwards. God bless the 16 year old kid who had a boolit mould and sling shot.

Just remember back when that kid was 16 years old he used the RCBS 270 GR 45 colt mould. I heard that from a friend as well.

[firefly1957]

I have a wrist rocket sling shot that has smashed the hips and shoulders of vermin with a 510gr .58 caliber bullet only problem is they still have enough energy to glance off and break a widow!

[crabo]

A lee 452-255-RF from a slingshot will drop cats cold. Headshots usually kill them. Body shots disable them and allow somebody to hit them again with a headshot from close range. At least that is what I have read on the internet.



What lubes works best with the slingshot? I'm thinking one of the tumble lube formulas would be best.

[WILCO]

I dont think so but I kinda dont want to do research so im going to tell this tree huggin girl i know im going to shoot them cause i couldnt find a rescue thing and i bet she will probably find one for me.



That has to be the dumbest thing I've read today! Just like the Duke once said "Life is tough. Even tougher if your stupid." Sorry Dude, but being lazy and dealing with female kooks of any age will lead to you being in a world of $h*t. Best advice I have is the following: A) Be a man. B) Learn the laws regarding the issue at hand. C) Deal with it.

[firefly1957]

crabo are you pulling our legs? usually we would shoot reject bullets out of the sling shot lube will just junk up the pouch. Round balls work good but it seems the longer projectiles hit with a bit more authority roller bearings are great also!

[waksupi]

James, if you don't want to do the research, you probably have absolutely no business hand loading ammunition.

[Trey45]

James, if you don't want to do the research, you probably have absolutely no business hand loading ammunition.

yup..

[Alan in Vermont]

Sell them to a Chinese restaurant :)

Yup!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmXxrMC5Pv4

[canyon-ghost]

.22 in the head. Quick easy and painless


Texas has no season on rabbits, you can get a license and book from the courthouse for deer season. I think the book is free.

[Suo Gan]

You have to understand something, feral cats, or even semi tame cats roaming at large are disease ridden (fleas, parasites, feces), very hard on wildlife, and in my opinion are an eye sore, an ear sore, they make your place smell like a zoo, and have about as much right to life than a rat or cockroach. This is an any means necessary thing.

[Trifocals]

Some years ago, I had a wildlife pest control business and had to deal with the fact that critters I live trapped could be rabid. Rabies is a VERY REAL possibility with feral cats and small wild animals and is a danger to yourself and others if you turn them loose to continue to roam. The vehicle exhaust system is humane. It is painless to the animal. Another method is to use carbon dioxide (CO2). Simply build a wooden box with a hinged or removable lid just large enough for your live trap to fit into and put a male air hose coupler fitting into a hole drilled into the box. You can rent a cylinder of CO2 from any welding gas supplier. Put a regulator on the CO2 cylinder and a length of hose with a female air hose quick coupler on the regulator. Simply put the live trap with the trapped animal into the box, close the lid, attach the hose from the CO2 to the box and turn on the CO2. Very low pressure or flow of CO2 is needed. The idea is to displace the air/oxygen in the box with CO2. In 15 - 20 minutes the animal will have expired. Several baits are useful for cats i.e.: dry cat food, cheap sardines, tuna...anything with a fishy smell or taste will work. However, these baits can/will attract possums, raccoons and on occasion skunks. Any of these animals can carry rabies. If you live trap a skunk do the following. Hold a large beach towel or small blanket in front of you as you slowly approach the live trap. Watch the skunk. If it begins to stomp its front feet , STOP. That is a warning. When the skunk has calmed down continue to approach the trap. When you reach the trap, drape the towel or blanket over the live trap. If the skunk cannot see you it will not spray. Pick up the draped trap and insert it into the CO2 box and proceed as above. Handle carcasses only with gloves. LOL Trifocals:wink:

[dsmjon]

Personally, I'd go with a 22. Cheap, and quick. No need to waste a useless nasty old sack on a damn ol' cat! :)

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[dsmjon]

Some years ago, I had a wildlife pest control business and had to deal with the fact that critters I live trapped could be rabid. Rabies is a VERY REAL possibility with feral cats and small wild animals and is a danger to yourself and others if you turn them loose to continue to roam. The vehicle exhaust system is humane. It is painless to the animal. Another method is to use carbon dioxide (CO2). Simply build a wooden box with a hinged or removable lid just large enough for your live trap to fit into and put a male air hose coupler fitting into a hole drilled into the box. You can rent a cylinder of CO2 from any welding gas supplier. Put a regulator on the CO2 cylinder and a length of hose with a female air hose quick coupler on the regulator. Simply put the live trap with the trapped animal into the box, close the lid, attach the hose from the CO2 to the box and turn on the CO2. Very low pressure or flow of CO2 is needed. The idea is to displace the air/oxygen in the box with CO2. In 15 - 20 minutes the animal will have expired. Several baits are useful for cats i.e.: dry cat food, cheap sardines, tuna...anything with a fishy smell or taste will work. However, these baits can/will attract possums, raccoons and on occasion skunks. Any of these animals can carry rabies. If you live trap a skunk do the following. Hold a large beach towel or small blanket in front of you as you slowly approach the live trap. Watch the skunk. If it begins to stomp its front feet , STOP. That is a warning. When the skunk has calmed down continue to approach the trap. When you reach the trap, drape the towel or blanket over the live trap. If the skunk cannot see you it will not spray. Pick up the draped trap and insert it into the CO2 box and proceed as above. Handle carcasses only with gloves. LOL Trifocals:wink:

And if YOU get sleepy while doing this, stop what you're doing and go outside quickly. Else there might be a cat murder/suicide story on your nightly news....

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[L1A1Rocker]

What's the best way to dispose of the cat carcass?

[oneokie]

What's the best way to dispose of the cat carcass?

In one of Dean D.'s postholes.:bigsmyl2:

[dsmjon]

What's the best way to dispose of the cat carcass?

Dispose? Hell, leave it as a warning to the other cats! :)

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[dsmjon]

What's the best way to dispose of the cat carcass?

Dispose? Hell, leave it as a warning to the other cats! :)

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[geargnasher]

Ok, FIRST, there are some pretty severe legal issues here in Texas with what some of you are suggesting.

1. It is a State Jail Felony to cause one animal to fight another (old cock and dogfight laws, but no matter, it covers ALL animals), so trapping a cat and releasing it so a dog will deliberately kill it is a MAJOR no-no, and running your mouth to some tofu-muncher-in-training is going to get you in a world of s**t that you can't even imagine. But really I should let you find all this out for yourself!

2. Can't shoot 'em. Not legally, anyhow. What really needs to happen to the feral cat menace is simply kill them as humanely as you can and bury them DEEP. Keep your mouth shut. Unfortunately, the lawmakers don't cotton to that. Law enforcement and the judicial system can go either way, depending on their motivations.

3. The local, taxpayer-funded county rabies and animal control agency needs to be the one to handle this, and the head dog-catcher is an elected position IIRC, so you need to get in contact with HIM/HER and tell them exactly what your problem is, offer them the solution of catching them for you (they probably won't like that much, but you can press the issue), and remind them that their JOB as a public service is to handle problems like the one you have, and you're even offering to help by trapping them. Be firm but polite.

Don't think you won't get nailed to the wall if you get caught or turned in by someone who thinks you're "torturing cats", because if things get slow around there with law enforcement, or somebody's trying to win an election, you might just end up being turned into an example or political pawn.

But again, I should just let you figger this all out for yourself, maybe you'll get lucky.

Research "cruelty to an animal" in the Texas Criminal Code, the game laws, and the Health and Safety Code and see the guidelines by which your actions can be judged before you do something stupid.

Gear

[Jamesconn]

Yea ok sorry guys I'll research it.
Ive researched reloading for months during almost every waking moment cause it interested me.
Killing is no longer an option my father apparently just turned tree-bigger on me.
Yes having women do some work for me is wrong but it seems I can't get into anymore trouble with them.
I will have to search for a humane method but it seems like I haven't any time if I catch another cat tomorrow I'll have to do it.
I baited the traps today with sliced apples on somebody's suggestion.

[Blacksmith]

Apples will catch groundhogs not cats. Be very carefull with all wild animals last week we just had a ferrel cat bite two people in the high school parking lot it was confirmed it had rabies. Those two are getting shots and they are looking for others who may have been exposed. Untreated rabies is fatal in humans.

PS - If it needs to be tested for rabies don't shoot it in the head, that is what they need to test.

Blacksmith

[crabo]

crabo are you pulling our legs? usually we would shoot reject bullets out of the sling shot lube will just junk up the pouch. Round balls work good but it seems the longer projectiles hit with a bit more authority roller bearings are great also!

yep!yep!

[Beagler]

All the rabbits vanished around my area. Between the cats, foxes, hawks, and now the coyotes its gettin real hard for the Beagles and I to scare up a bunny. I trap, shoot, run over, every cat I can! I hate'em. The cats ruined my Ghost Peppers last year. Those seeds where not cheep. Not to the mention time growing them. A .22 CB to the head and its all over for the kitty. The mother-in-law decided to start feeding them one year and they started disappearing (cough cough). She figured out what was going on and said I couldn't wack a big orange male. Well I saw it spraying the truck and that was it the 17HMR came out. She would notice it missing so I threw it up on the road and ran it over with the truck. She boo-hoo'ed and she scraped it up with the shovel. I can be a mean bastard!!

[WILCO]

She figured out what was going on and said I couldn't wack a big orange male. Well I saw it spraying the truck and that was it the 17HMR came out. She would notice it missing so I threw it up on the road and ran it over with the truck. She boo-hoo'ed and she scraped it up with the shovel. I can be a mean bastard!!

That's just too damn funny!

[WILCO]

but it seems I can't get into anymore trouble with them.

Quickest way to lose half your things and sit in jail is to get involved with the wrong one. [smilie=s:

[firefly1957]

Beagler I have used the simulated road kill trick myself only I ended up using 7 passes to remove bullet hole.

Ghost peppers I did not get many peppers of my plant I am only up to 16 and the plant is over two years old (indoor plant) Do you want some seeds ? if so PM me I have some available from the peppers.

[schutzen]

You say your Dad is opposed to killing them. Research feral cats and the damage they do the eco-system. Print it out and see if he is still opposed to killing them. Feral cats are just like a non-native invasive species. They destroy the native wildlife; song birds, quail, frogs, Et Al and they are indiscriminate. They do not care if their prey is and endangered species or not.

[garym1a2]

You say your Dad is opposed to killing them. Research feral cats and the damage they do the eco-system. Print it out and see if he is still opposed to killing them. Feral cats are just like a non-native invasive species. They destroy the native wildlife; song birds, quail, frogs, Et Al and they are indiscriminate. They do not care if their prey is and endangered species or not.
Most animals kill for Food. Cats also kill for sport. Feral cats need put down.

[bowfin]

Feral cats will be a problem even if they never end up on your property again.

Even though I have and have had cats as pets, I have to swallow hard and show no leniency to them when I find them in the wild. They compete with natural predators and they can really do a number on quail and rabbits.

I manage a small acreage for a conservation group, and when the feral cats moved in, the rabbit population and quail disappeared for the most part. I used my coon hound and whatever firearm at hand to put paid to as many as we could catch, but I don't think we will ever be rid of them.

Now that we have eliminated a lot of the feral cats, we do see an occasional cottontail, but the quail aren't back. I planted an Osage Orange hedgerow to give them a little more cover, so we will see in maybe five years.

[Trifocals]

Jamesconn: Since you absolutely cannot cause the demise of the feral cats by shooting and doing away with them after live trapping appears to be a problem, here is something else that may do the deed. I have a friend that raises a very large amount of sweet corn every year. Sweet corn is like caviar to raccoons. He mixed GOLDEN MALRIN (fly bait) with water and put dishes of it in the corn. Result: dead coons all oner the corn field. None make it over 6 ft from the "water". I also found on the internet that it can be mixed with Coca Cola for the same results. I would try mixing it in a mushy type canned cat food. Be careful...dogs will eat cat food. Handle the carcasses with gloves and do stealthy burials somewhere other than your own yard. LOL

[geargnasher]

While I totally agree that feral cats (and dogs) are a menace to the ecology and need to be eliminated whenever possible, I can't overstress how illegal it is in Texas, where Jamesconn lives, to poison anything except rodents, insects, and weeds.

There are LEGAL ways to deal with this. Get them to Animal Control and let them gas them.

Gear

[Suo Gan]

Ok, FIRST, there are some pretty severe legal issues here in Texas with what some of you are suggesting.

1. It is a State Jail Felony to cause one animal to fight another (old cock and dogfight laws, but no matter, it covers ALL animals), so trapping a cat and releasing it so a dog will deliberately kill it is a MAJOR no-no, and running your mouth to some tofu-muncher-in-training is going to get you in a world of s**t that you can't even imagine. But really I should let you find all this out for yourself!

2. Can't shoot 'em. Not legally, anyhow. What really needs to happen to the feral cat menace is simply kill them as humanely as you can and bury them DEEP. Keep your mouth shut. Unfortunately, the lawmakers don't cotton to that. Law enforcement and the judicial system can go either way, depending on their motivations.

3. The local, taxpayer-funded county rabies and animal control agency needs to be the one to handle this, and the head dog-catcher is an elected position IIRC, so you need to get in contact with HIM/HER and tell them exactly what your problem is, offer them the solution of catching them for you (they probably won't like that much, but you can press the issue), and remind them that their JOB as a public service is to handle problems like the one you have, and you're even offering to help by trapping them. Be firm but polite.

Don't think you won't get nailed to the wall if you get caught or turned in by someone who thinks you're "torturing cats", because if things get slow around there with law enforcement, or somebody's trying to win an election, you might just end up being turned into an example or political pawn.

But again, I should just let you figger this all out for yourself, maybe you'll get lucky.

Research "cruelty to an animal" in the Texas Criminal Code, the game laws, and the Health and Safety Code and see the guidelines by which your actions can be judged before you do something stupid.

Gear

You might get a steel drum and cut one end out of it lay it on its end build a small roofed cage attached to it with a door and put a couple of chickens in there. If you get caught red handed killing fluff ball then you can say she was after your livestock, which will probably not be a lie. Anyway you get a dozen eggs a week and get rid of your problems at the same time!

[firefly1957]

Jamesconn:
It is very important that you stay on the right side of the law with these problems I do not know Texas law but I do know if you get caught doing something illegal gun ownership and a decent job will not be in your future. It is frustrating to work within the boundaries of the law sometimes but necessary, if they have such strict laws then they should also have a system to help you with the problem. Even in many places were feral cats are not protected there can be legal issues with animal cruelty complaints from the destruction of the animal. Poison has been suggested and I for one hate using it because all to often a non targeted species will get into it I was using dog biscuits as coon bait in a live trap and also caught rabbits and partridge ! I think the bird may have entered trap mistakenly but the rabbit finished all the biscuits by the time I discovered and released it.

[VA Shooter]

Well my friend had the same problem and animal warden told him that no one would adopt them because they were feral so my friend took a trash can lid and put cat food on it and about 6-8 cats started to eat the food and 2 quick shots from a 12 gauge # 6 shot and 6-8 cats done he did this 3 times and no more cats

[firefly1957]

VA Shooter I think the point has been well made that he can not do that legally in Texas! so he needs a "legal" and acceptable way to rid cats from area. We do not want to lose a new shooter for life because he ran afoul of the law!

[Jamesconn]

This legal stuff is so draining it seems theres laws just to make our life harder or take all the fun away like makin some guns and ammunition illegal and exploding rounds for mortars and cannons well I'll tell he pound my problem and if they don't do anything they are 30-40mi away and I can't drive there everytime I catch a cat so they can charge me to gas it. I'll speak to my neighbor too and see what he thinks.

[VA Shooter]

Firefly I'm not trying to loose a young shooter. As I understand the law on killing feral cats and dog in Texas is that if the animal does not have an owner it is legal to kill them. Jamesconn don't take my word on this I would try to do everything you can to rid the problem other than shooting them. There is a case of a Jim Stevenson that is being charged for killing a feral cat that was killing birds and he thought that it had no owner but a toll booth operator saw him kill the cat and claimed that he owned the cat Jamesconn I hope that the pound does something for you you just need to pester the hell out of them good luck

[Suo Gan]

This legal stuff is so draining it seems theres laws just to make our life harder or take all the fun away like makin some guns and ammunition illegal and exploding rounds for mortars and cannons well I'll tell he pound my problem and if they don't do anything they are 30-40mi away and I can't drive there everytime I catch a cat so they can charge me to gas it. I'll speak to my neighbor too and see what he thinks.

James, The more people that know you have a problem with something will mean you will be the first person they will look at if there are any problems too. Cats are smart and make good trapping and skinning practice (latex gloves here). Years ago my cousin used to live in a Southern California town near LA. He was pretty much the only white guy, among mostly Mexicans. The streets were filled with lots of stray dogs and stray cats, just like Mexico. He was concerned about his kids safety. He bought a couple pounds of strychnine and laced thirty or forty pounds of hamburger and drove around the neighborhood at night and threw the meat in abandoned lots, and alleys. He said that the county had to have trucks with trailers come in and remove all the dead dogs! I think he did this one more time before he sold out and moved. This was back in the day when no one thought much about this kind of thing. Nowadays it would make national news.

I have a theory about why folks seemingly love animals more now than they did fifty years ago, and I think it is because women get more love from their pets than from their husbands and therefore they respect their pets more in return. The husband is not getting respect and loves the dog. It is all pretty mixed up, out of whack when 5,000 babies are aborted each day and you can't snuff a feral cat for ***ting in your flower bed and peeing on your windshield. This country is out of touch with reality and has been since the damn hippies took over. There is no need to be like them in thoughts and deeds though, just appearance. You will have to be smart about it. You are still a boy and don't need to weigh yourself down too much with moral issues that have affected society for the last several generations. There is not much you can do about it anyway as far as the big picture is concerned, the thing you do have control over is what you do. Part of that I hope is getting good grades in school because that is your day job! The most important part about your life right now is learning to become independent. Feral cats are probably very low on that list. You will need to figure out what you want to do as an adult to pay the bills, maybe you can offer the public a service like nuisance animal trapping or extermination or maybe a state trapper? Always remember what you are going through and maybe someday you can empathize with someone having a similar problem. Remember government jobs have lots of perks, but they come with strings attached. You might very well make a good business man!

People are given dominion over animals and God put fear and dread in them when they see a human. Knowing this you need to be extra careful and do as painless of a job as you can for them (I am convinced that even a cow can sense weather or not you mean her harm as you are doctoring her, animals are extremely keen in reading people, being kind even when your job is to kill them seems contradictory but is necessary nonetheless). The legal issues are meant to be draining and cover everything so that your day to day life is carried out like a cow in a dairy. You say you are a son of the school of self reliance. One of the major rules of self reliant living is NOT making yourself a spectacle and just blending in.

[PAI-Scott]

Get a German Wirehair, hasn’t been a cat around my house in years. It’s a good pet and is great for bird hunting of all types we have here in Texas. Good on squire too, not worth a darn on rabbits though.

[GabbyM]

Here in Illinois the dep. of Conservation encourages hunters to kill every feral cat they come upon. That means absolutely nothing when you’re in Texas.

If’ I were you I’d give the Texas DOC or whatever acronym they answer to there a call.

I’ve made a few enemies by shooting cats. It’s not something a person usually places in there resume. As a young boy I was arrested once for it but just told the LOE’s to call Dept of Conservation. That just pissed them off royally when they had to let me go back to my bicycle. Problem is they knew my name then and nothing I did after that endeared them to me.

My advise would be to ignore the cat loving members here on cast boolits who would rather sleep with there vile cats than there wives. In the same light after you kill your neighbors cat they will never like you hence forth. So mailing the cats ears wired to the tags into the county prosecutors office asking for prosecution of the cats owner for running cats on game may not be the way to go. Since the County Prosecutor will probably inform the owner of the tags who mailed them in.
Just one more situation where the law only applies to the population the political class is attempting to control. Same laws apply as do running hunting dogs on game out of season. At least in Illinois. but when did you ever here of a prosecution of a cat runner?

Somewhere along the road of life some will respect you while others dream of killing you. My policy has always been to kick the fagot dreamers in the teeth. Maybe due to growing up in the sixties to become fairly fed up with fagot dreamers burning flags and such. Kissing cats is disgusting.

[pls1911]

Most folks are spot on.... shoot 'em.
A .22 cb long in a rifle barrel is less noisy than a air rifle... head shots at 10 fett or so
bags cats squirrels, rabbits, and armadillos just as easily, right in the middle of town, especially between midnight and dawn... if you're brave, it can be done while having a conversation over he fence.....
If you're inclined, a can with LR subsonics has more power and about the same lack of report.

[JIMinPHX]

You say your Dad is opposed to killing them. Research feral cats and the damage they do the eco-system. Print it out and see if he is still opposed to killing them. Feral cats are just like a non-native invasive species. They destroy the native wildlife

They wiped out the lizard population in my yard. The lizards eat the crickets. The crickets attract the scorpions. I'm not too happy about that.

[geargnasher]

This is another one of those classic threads that brings out the true nature of the participants. I have to say I'm quite disgusted.

Gear

[Jamesconn]

Well I think it does bring out true nature and feral cats have no place in the ecosystem and the shelter 60mi away is full of nice cats but still nobody takes them anyway so I will end them humanely in one shot but as my dad is opposed but my mother is with me I have to shoot the cats when my dad isn't home and if mom is home alone she will do it

[45nut]

time to close this thread.