Posted on 12/01/2010 9:31:05 AM PST by TSgt
A new report by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that recommends killing feral cats as a way to control the wild animals has bird lovers crowing and cat lovers hissing.
Most likely to stir debate is the report's finding that a practice commonly used to control feral cats is ineffective at eliminating their colonies. ADVERTISEMENT
The practice of trapping homeless cats, neutering or spaying them and then returning them to the area where they were found has gained popularity across the country. Scores of organizations in cities and communities are dedicated to the trap, neuter and return effort.
The American Bird Conservancy lauds the report.
But Phyllis Larsen, a member of a feral cat management group on the UNL campus called Husker Cats, believes the report is flawed.
They are disease ridden nasty animals that will use your landscaping as litter boxes.
Thankfully, both the cats and neighbor are now gone.
But they keep varmints in line and earn their keep so to speak.
Regretfully, its not only right but necessary.
Keep them in the house and out of trouble.
Many problems can be solved by 10 year old boys with pellet guns.
There was a police station that had a huge rat problem (here in southern California). They took some feral cats, nuetered, spayed them and let them have the run of the parking lot.
No more rats.
This wouldn’t be an issue if there was a market for kitty kat fur.
Thank you Peta and your lunatron friends for destroying the fur market.
I think a tabby cat hat, or a calico coat would be just awesome!
It’s true that they are not indigenous predators, but the indigenous predators are gone from the scene. When’s the last time you spotted a mink?
Feral cats have been proven to be a big hardship on native songbirds......
Not too many Barns full of rats in Suburbia.
Feral Cats around here put a big hit on birds.
I had to move my bird feeder inside the back fence with the dogs. Neighborhood cats were targeting the birds before I moved it.
I have had terrible experiences with feral cats in the politically correct city of LA. I have brought these hideous beasts to the pound, my hands and arms and covered with blood after capturing them. And then they ask me if they are pets. There are few animals worse than feral cats. And I am a cat owner who loves my own pets.
We have fisher cats and coyotes in our yard. We also have feral cats, but they disappear from time to time.
A “friend” (conservative and Christian, no less) on Facebook castigated me for simply defending the EVIL (her word) practice of declawing my feral rescue kitten in order to keep it in my home. I asked her this very question, would you rather they were destroyed? She never answered me. My kitten’s siblings very well may have been destroyed because as young as they were, they were mean.
>> Keep them in the house and out of trouble.
Thanks for the well-meaning advice, but it won’t be happening in THIS household.
My kitty has her claws, and roams free (during the day — in at night though). And that’s how it’ll be.
However, she stays close to home and her place in the predator-prey cycle is just above lizards and cicadas. Occasionally a bird, but very rarely.
Anyway, she doesn’t make noise or crap on my truck, which is more than I can say for her feathered friends. Ever hear a mockingbird in the tree outside your bedroom at 2AM?
We have a few menacing spade cats out our way.
Unfortunately several of the feral cats have been found to have rabies. One of my students was attacked by a feral cat and he had to go through the rabies shots just in case.
As someone who has battled a plethora of feral cats thanks to an elderly neighborThey are disease ridden nasty animals.
Neutered or otherwise, it’s no mercy not to deal with feral cats. I’ve seen them with encrusted eyes, broken legs, and horrible, untreated wounds from cat fights.
We joke about feral cats being coyote snacks, but coyotes like to play with their food. Gruesome way to die.
If your “kitty” consistently pissed and crapped around my house to the point where the urine smell would take your breath away it soon would spontaneously disappear.
There were feral cats around the house my daughter bought when we moved in. They destroyed the ventilation grates on her foundation. I couldn’t believe a cat could do that! We found their kittens in the garage when we got here. We kept the tamest one of the bunch, but even she’s a bit of a hellion though she was tiny when we found her. Spaying and declawing have calmed her down quite nicely. hehe
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