Stray Cats - Can I, should I shoot them?
- Thread starter Russ
- Start date
- Status
Gordy Wesen
Member
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2003
- Messages
- 422
If you can get away with it my choice is 22 mag with Remington Premier (Ballistic Tips). Awesome. I gave up on the 22lr after needing multiple hits for ground squirrels.
With a Volquartzen and a 3 - 9 Leupold, I am good to 150 yards for cats, dogs and coyotes.
With a Volquartzen and a 3 - 9 Leupold, I am good to 150 yards for cats, dogs and coyotes.
Crimper-D
Member
Done it on occasion
Really ticks me off because I LOVE cats, but I like quail and cottontails too and the feril kitties have nearly wiped them out of my ridge. I use a scoped .22 bolt gun and wait till I can make one shot count - The neighbors can't get a 'fix' on one shot.
Use HP's - the last one was with a CCI Quick Shock HP = "Overkill"
Lately I haven't had a problem - the local mamma Mountain Lion likes teaching her cubs to hunt with 'easy' prey - swings through each of the last 3 Winters and pretty much wipes them out, along with the occasional poodle and Peacock = I LIKE that Cat
Really ticks me off because I LOVE cats, but I like quail and cottontails too and the feril kitties have nearly wiped them out of my ridge. I use a scoped .22 bolt gun and wait till I can make one shot count - The neighbors can't get a 'fix' on one shot.
Use HP's - the last one was with a CCI Quick Shock HP = "Overkill"
Lately I haven't had a problem - the local mamma Mountain Lion likes teaching her cubs to hunt with 'easy' prey - swings through each of the last 3 Winters and pretty much wipes them out, along with the occasional poodle and Peacock = I LIKE that Cat
larry_minn
Member
One way to tell if they are pets. Just call t hem. "here Kitty-kitty" If they look then either come or move off they are pets. If they SCAT odds are they are not.
I only shoot them if they injure the cats that live around my house/shed. If one wants to join the clan that is fine. I have had one here for over 3 months and I have never got within 20'. Far as I know it behaves. It starts hurting the other three and it is dead.
Their main use is to keep mice and rats away.
I only shoot them if they injure the cats that live around my house/shed. If one wants to join the clan that is fine. I have had one here for over 3 months and I have never got within 20'. Far as I know it behaves. It starts hurting the other three and it is dead.
Their main use is to keep mice and rats away.
charlie d
Member
I vote for using your 12ga. I'd use No 4 lead shot for happy medium of distance and pattern.
Cats are fast and tough. Furthermore, depending on how far in the sticks you are, you might have to give up some shots with the rifle due to what's behind the cat and possible ricochets.
Cats are fast and tough. Furthermore, depending on how far in the sticks you are, you might have to give up some shots with the rifle due to what's behind the cat and possible ricochets.
winwun
Member
I had a little new kitten that I had rescued from the woods as a drop-off, and I decided to make her my "shop" cat. A big yellow feral tom decided that she was ripe for the plucking and hurt her pretty bad. I treated him the same as I would have anyone or anything else that harmed a member of my family in such a manner. Having extensive experience on squirells with .22 short hollow points, I used one on the cat. He came back for "seconds" and was even brazen enough to crouch and hiss at me. Big mistake on his part. Buried him.
Just be sure to check and double check the laws!! A buddy of mine got charged with "killing,mutilation,or torture of a vertabrate animal" after DNR told him there where no season on coyotes,and (they where killing the pheasants he raises)go ahead and off 'em. Some soccer mom called the cops. He's still fighting this after 2 years.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
ari, Yohan, I got the impression that the pitbulls were in the "sniper's" yard, not in their own. Using a BB gun is a pretty gentle way of spooking them away, and it's quite often successful at reducing or ending further visits to that area. (Messing with dogs when they're in their own yard is plumb stoopid.)
Art
Art
I will double check the laws before I do anything. Just because the Vet said to off them, doesn't mean he knows all the laws. He sounded pretty convincing but I will make sure first.
As far as Animal Control, I don't think they have any or if they do, it's a pretty small staff. I have seen deers, dogs, cats and all sorts of beasts get him on the Interstate and they just let them lie there until they are just stains on the asphalt.
As far as Animal Control, I don't think they have any or if they do, it's a pretty small staff. I have seen deers, dogs, cats and all sorts of beasts get him on the Interstate and they just let them lie there until they are just stains on the asphalt.
Poodleshooter
Member
Anti freeze works, but the animals die hard. Use a .22, probably a solid for penetration, and go for the head.
As a kid, I preferred to snipe feral cats in the rear with a low powerd bb gun. I usually wouldn't see them around our property after they shot up in the air a foot or two and took off.
As a kid, I preferred to snipe feral cats in the rear with a low powerd bb gun. I usually wouldn't see them around our property after they shot up in the air a foot or two and took off.
fish2xs
Member
308 or 12g
Avoid any legal or closet-PETA harrassment issues. Go for the shot that will dispatch these critters as effectively as possible.
Don't waste your time with anything other than a 308 or 12g. Don't worry about a wounded mittens stumbling up to someone's house after being shot by a vicious bambi-killer. Have your burial plans in place before shooting.
It's a cat-shoot-cat world out there....
Avoid any legal or closet-PETA harrassment issues. Go for the shot that will dispatch these critters as effectively as possible.
Don't waste your time with anything other than a 308 or 12g. Don't worry about a wounded mittens stumbling up to someone's house after being shot by a vicious bambi-killer. Have your burial plans in place before shooting.
It's a cat-shoot-cat world out there....
Greybeard
Member
' Went on a youth hunt last year at an upland game preserve near Santa Anna. Around the campfire the night before the hunt, the host/guide explained to the kids, beginning with "We shoot cats here." For safety reasons (primarily his dogs), he explained that he might suddenly want to borrow a kid's shotgun and do the deed.
As others have suggested, #4 shot is good.
As others have suggested, #4 shot is good.
ScottsGT
Member
I never cared for their music, but I don't think I would go as far as shooting them!
Sorry Art...
Sorry Art,
I don't get that impression at all. He said he snipes his "next door neighbor's" dog. Meaning, he KNOWS it's his next door neighbors dog. If they were just some dogs he didn't recognize any where from his neighborhood, then MAYBE, but even then I would much prefer contacting animal control. There are other ways, if in fact they are coming into his yard. Like, TALKING to his neighbor maybe? And I don't think it's too "gentle" to use a BB gun, what if it hits it in the eye? Then what? Poor dog is suffering in his back yard until his owner finds his wound? Then having to cough up that cash to take him to the vet? Oh, I know, he's "real" accurate with it and will make sure he doesn't rite? This is the type of bad rap us gun owners get, even if it's just a BB gun. When some idiot thinks the best and only way to deal with anything is to pull a trigger.
:banghead: Again, I still don't buy it. I paid $1200 dollars a pup for my Rotts, and love them like my children. They would die standing up for me in a heart beat, and I can honestly say that I would do the same.
Sorry Art,
I don't get that impression at all. He said he snipes his "next door neighbor's" dog. Meaning, he KNOWS it's his next door neighbors dog. If they were just some dogs he didn't recognize any where from his neighborhood, then MAYBE, but even then I would much prefer contacting animal control. There are other ways, if in fact they are coming into his yard. Like, TALKING to his neighbor maybe? And I don't think it's too "gentle" to use a BB gun, what if it hits it in the eye? Then what? Poor dog is suffering in his back yard until his owner finds his wound? Then having to cough up that cash to take him to the vet? Oh, I know, he's "real" accurate with it and will make sure he doesn't rite? This is the type of bad rap us gun owners get, even if it's just a BB gun. When some idiot thinks the best and only way to deal with anything is to pull a trigger.
:banghead: Again, I still don't buy it. I paid $1200 dollars a pup for my Rotts, and love them like my children. They would die standing up for me in a heart beat, and I can honestly say that I would do the same.About that antifreeze coment
I'm not saying its appropriate for everything, esspecialy in the city due to the fact it kills everything. i live in the sticks, so i'm not all that worried about it, when its out i just put the dogs in the barn and the cat is already in the house WHERE IT BELONGS. it just works well when you arent up for loosing sleep over some late night tomcat thats serenading your own kitty.
I'm not saying its appropriate for everything, esspecialy in the city due to the fact it kills everything. i live in the sticks, so i'm not all that worried about it, when its out i just put the dogs in the barn and the cat is already in the house WHERE IT BELONGS. it just works well when you arent up for loosing sleep over some late night tomcat thats serenading your own kitty.
billybaus,
It isn't just cats and dogs that like polyethylene glycol. You probably get the strays, but also get squirrels, racoons, etc.
I'm for selective killing of identifiable targets, hence, by shooting.
Really seems like a piss-poor method, no matter what the precautions.
It isn't just cats and dogs that like polyethylene glycol. You probably get the strays, but also get squirrels, racoons, etc.
I'm for selective killing of identifiable targets, hence, by shooting.
Really seems like a piss-poor method, no matter what the precautions.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
While I follow your point, ari, I was in too many BB gun wars when I was a kid to buy your argument. With a Daisy Red Ryder at anything much beyond 20 to 30 feet, it stung a bit, was all. Heck, paint ball hits are worse, from what people describe.
, Art
, Artsynoptic
Member
Don't shoot dogs with BB guns
I had a pure bread black lab that was shot half an inch from his eye, the BB not only penetrated but left a scar that stayed until the he died (from old age, not the wound). Constant torture like that can cause dogs to become mean and aggressive. If I was your supervisor's neighbor he'd be getting a visit from the cops and quite possibly a not so pleasant visit from me if it continued...
I had a pure bread black lab that was shot half an inch from his eye, the BB not only penetrated but left a scar that stayed until the he died (from old age, not the wound). Constant torture like that can cause dogs to become mean and aggressive. If I was your supervisor's neighbor he'd be getting a visit from the cops and quite possibly a not so pleasant visit from me if it continued...
benewton
Member
I like cats, normally have a pair, and they're normally free citizens, coming and going as they please. This is the first pair who've been "fixed", and my I'm not really clear about what I think about that. You get married....
Now, I can understand, a bit at least, about the ferals. Wildlife is, after all, they gotta kill to live, and, so, I guess, it goes.
Around here, dirt road an all, I doubt that they last the winter.
In any case, I agree with the "Please don't litter" bumper sticker.
Now, will the rest of you do the same for your offspring???
ALL of us get tired of paying for the excesses of others...
Now, I can understand, a bit at least, about the ferals. Wildlife is, after all, they gotta kill to live, and, so, I guess, it goes.
Around here, dirt road an all, I doubt that they last the winter.
In any case, I agree with the "Please don't litter" bumper sticker.
Now, will the rest of you do the same for your offspring???
ALL of us get tired of paying for the excesses of others...
well...
I too did that when I was a kid, but how do you know what kind of bb gun he was using? Or even what kind of bb's? Or even from what distance? Tell that to a friend of mine that has a glass eye because of a harmless BB. A gun is a gun, last time I checked. I have never heard anyone getting a lesser charge of murder because he used a lesser caliber. Either case, there IS a better way of doing it. Even if he was just throwing tennis balls at the dogs it's still cruel. My ex-girlfriends dog lost use of its left eye from a mere rubber band.
I too did that when I was a kid, but how do you know what kind of bb gun he was using? Or even what kind of bb's? Or even from what distance? Tell that to a friend of mine that has a glass eye because of a harmless BB. A gun is a gun, last time I checked. I have never heard anyone getting a lesser charge of murder because he used a lesser caliber. Either case, there IS a better way of doing it. Even if he was just throwing tennis balls at the dogs it's still cruel. My ex-girlfriends dog lost use of its left eye from a mere rubber band.
Cats are hard to kill.
They are kind of like snakes in that their nervous system will stay alive for a little while after they die.
I saw one with half of its head blown off and still kicking.
The best chance is to plant one in its brain and then wait a little while until it dies.
As for ethics, I can't make that call for you.
There were alot of feral cats in the area that I lived in a while back.
They were not even strays, they were actually wild house cats.
There were no chipmunks, small birds in the area, and I found baby rabbits ripped to shreds more than once.
They were also wild enough to attack my dog.
She was a Shepard, so they were no match for her, but I was still concerned that they may have diseases that they could spread to her, since I had seen several of them with runny noses that were acting strangely.
In one summer, over 30 of them were eliminated, and none were anyone's pets. Even the people who had cats supported the actions that were taken to eliminate the problem.
Bear in mind that I am not supporting the harming of anyone's pet. I love animals, even cats, useless as they are.
But it sounds like you are dealing with a situation like we found ourselves in, so do what needs to be done.
Just be sure to use enough gun. A .22LR will do just fine, but make your hits solid. There is no need to cause more suffering than necessecary. DO NOT use a BB gun. That is just pure idiocy.
Act as you would when you are hunting.
The animal deserves more respect than to die in agony from an infection that your BB to the eye gave it.
I would advise against the use of any kind of poison as well.
That is just wrong, and you have animals of your own to consider as well.
They are kind of like snakes in that their nervous system will stay alive for a little while after they die.
I saw one with half of its head blown off and still kicking.
The best chance is to plant one in its brain and then wait a little while until it dies.
As for ethics, I can't make that call for you.
There were alot of feral cats in the area that I lived in a while back.
They were not even strays, they were actually wild house cats.
There were no chipmunks, small birds in the area, and I found baby rabbits ripped to shreds more than once.
They were also wild enough to attack my dog.
She was a Shepard, so they were no match for her, but I was still concerned that they may have diseases that they could spread to her, since I had seen several of them with runny noses that were acting strangely.
In one summer, over 30 of them were eliminated, and none were anyone's pets. Even the people who had cats supported the actions that were taken to eliminate the problem.
Bear in mind that I am not supporting the harming of anyone's pet. I love animals, even cats, useless as they are.
But it sounds like you are dealing with a situation like we found ourselves in, so do what needs to be done.
Just be sure to use enough gun. A .22LR will do just fine, but make your hits solid. There is no need to cause more suffering than necessecary. DO NOT use a BB gun. That is just pure idiocy.
Act as you would when you are hunting.
The animal deserves more respect than to die in agony from an infection that your BB to the eye gave it.
I would advise against the use of any kind of poison as well.
That is just wrong, and you have animals of your own to consider as well.
we have no rabbits now, which i can only contribute to the cats in my area. there is a farmer about 400yrds from my house who has aprox 30!!! semi wild 'farm' cats. Now this is totally excessive I have shot 2 so far because they were eating my bird bait, and let 2 live that i saw in the fields because I wasn't sure if they belonged to someone else down the road as they looked domesticated and in good condition.
My question is, even if you know they are domesticated but know they are killing small game should you kill them anyway?
also if u shoot them in the head & they flop around loads are they alive or is it just muscle spasims?
Adam
My question is, even if you know they are domesticated but know they are killing small game should you kill them anyway?
also if u shoot them in the head & they flop around loads are they alive or is it just muscle spasims?
Adam
MeekandMild
Member
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2002
- Messages
- 1,877
Maybe for icebound Wisconsin that is true. But as for the deep south, we have birds coming in 12 months of the year. I'll stick by my numbers and wish they weren't true. Sorry about the quails.
Stevie, I know if you came to my house, a total stranger, my cat would march right up to you and demand to be scratched and fed. A Feral cat takes one look at a stranger and heads for the hills.
ACK! Talk about overpenetration! Even the .17 rimfire will pass right through a cat, but at least it will probably break up before it goes another mile, expecially in aiming toward the ground. And the SOUND! Nothing like a 12 ga or 308 to tell every PETAphile within a five mile circle, "This dude is killing cats".
sasnofear, I have heard stories from 'usually reliable sources' that there is now a breeding population of American lions in Ireland and another in Wales, both as the result of escaped zoo animals from the 19th century.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked