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Wow! Just read this, One-Hundred million feral and outdoor cats kill over

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boscoebrea

boscoebrea

Member
Oct 27, 2017
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SF Bay Area,, vallejo United States
One billion birds a year! Cats are natural-born killers. Australia has a terrible problem with feral cats.
The best advice that this ABC site said was to keep your cats indoors....
This leads to this thought= wow and I thought we were a problem.
Actually, those numbers are hard to believe, aren't they?
How many birds are there? Think about this, how many eggs does a bird lay and how many reach adulthood, compare that to how many kittens a cat has and how many reach adulthood, and think about this.... how many of "us" actually reach adulthood?:eek:




:sneaky:
 
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I have a few cats that roam my area and I know they are house cats that are allowed out. One, however, is definitely feral and is always eyeing my hens. I've scared it off a few times and now I noticed it's pregnant.

The neighbor feeds all the cats so this one hangs around. One of the other neighbor's cats knocked it up I'm sure. So there will be a batch of kittens somewhere learning to hunt like mom does. If I was 100% certain it wad truly feral, it would get a 25 hades in the head no questions asked.

None of the neighbor claim it either but here it is, always watching my hens. It's eventually going to get in there and kill one or more. Animal control is almost worthless. Our division is a couple young multi colored hair limp wristed girls and a heavy set older lady that barely gets around.

Wonder if anyone would notice...
 
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Boostcreep said:
I have a few cats that roam my area and I know they are house cats that are allowed out. One, however, is definitely feral and is always eyeing my hens. I've scared it off a few times and now I noticed it's pregnant.

The neighbor feeds all the cats so this one hangs around. One of the other neighbor's cats knocked it up I'm sure. So there will be a batch of kittens somewhere learning to hunt like mom does. If I was 100% certain it wad truly feral, it would get a 25 hades in the head no questions asked.

None of the neighbor claim it either but here it is, always watching my hens. It's eventually going to get in there and kill one or more. Animal control is almost worthless. Our division is a couple young multi colored hair limp wristed girls and a heavy set older lady that barely gets around.

Wonder if anyone would notice...
Click to expand...
Doubtful they would notice... Nature is a cruel mistress...

Pretty sure the local yotes keep our ferals in check..
 
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Catch it in a live trap first. You will know for sure if it is feral or tame. Catnip on a coffee can lid works well to not catch skunks, coons and opposums like dog/cat food does. They are much easier to dispose of when caught live. Our animal control just dumps them in a new location, which doesn't help the problem.
 
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My wife and i manage a large ranch in Eastern Oregon. It was once a noted destination for upland bird hunters. Those operations have ceased recently.
When we first started the owner had a rule about cats. See cat, shoot cat. They raise hell with quail populations and they were thick as thieves when I first got there.
Where did they all come from? Folks from town taking them out there and dumping them off. Would have rather shot the owners than the cats.
The last few years coyotes have been cycling up pretty hard. We rarely see feral cats anymore. I believe the yotes keep them thinned down.
As an example of how effective a bird killer a cat is, I was out doing the tour de’ ranch one day in January and noticed a large cat stalking down a cover strip along a fence. He was about 80 yards from me and was intent on what he was doing. He stopped and listened for a few seconds and then jumped into the cover.
I could see the cover moving around, back and forth and then all was still. A few seconds later the cat came out of the cover with a rooster pheasant.
I dispatched the cat and decided to get the pheasant and see if it was a cripple left over from the season that ended a couple weeks prior. Took the bird back to the house and skinned it. Nothing wrong with it except what damage the cat had inflicted which was several bite marks at the back of the head and a few claw marks in the torso.
I don’t hate cats but recognize them for what they are. Highly efficient predators that will reproduce to the limit of available prey.
 
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We have a kitten that my wife rescued when it was 24 hours old. It has never seen or been exposed to another cat but I can tell you this little gal is one heck of a hunter at 8 months old. We only allow her outside with supervision but this is hard coded into her DNA and it's not something you can train out of her.
 
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This is a tough problem that has no easy solution. Fluffy is a 600-pound Serengeti killer trapped in a 2-pound body. 30 thousand years of hunter\killer DNA hard wired in, and just looking for prey.
Birds are the least of it. Juvenile squirrels, newborn rabbits and almost anything else that moves and catches their eye.
I have consulted with numerous local towns on this problem and possible solutions. When you say stray cats, every kindhearted person visualizes a poor lost fluffy who just needs a loving home or a new place to live.
Everything from trapping and neutering, paid for with donations, to hired shooters, has been suggested and\or tried. Even chemical castration in foodstuff scattered around frequented areas.
Nothing really works until you can educate the general population. Good luck with that.
Cheers
Doc
 
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Boostcreep said:
I have a few cats that roam my area and I know they are house cats that are allowed out. One, however, is definitely feral and is always eyeing my hens. I've scared it off a few times and now I noticed it's pregnant.

The neighbor feeds all the cats so this one hangs around. One of the other neighbor's cats knocked it up I'm sure. So there will be a batch of kittens somewhere learning to hunt like mom does. If I was 100% certain it wad truly feral, it would get a 25 hades in the head no questions asked.

None of the neighbor claim it either but here it is, always watching my hens. It's eventually going to get in there and kill one or more. Animal control is almost worthless. Our division is a couple young multi colored hair limp wristed girls and a heavy set older lady that barely gets around.

Wonder if anyone would notice...
Click to expand...
The only feral creatures I know are people: politicians, "businessmen", anybody without an ounce of respect for any life other then theirs.
Cats I can respect, some people not so much.
 
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Fortunately, our area has a healthy population of bobcats, mountain lions, and coyotes that quickly reduce the domestic cat problem. People in our area have learned to keep their pussy cats indoors. . . or else! Or else the natural predators listed above will enjoy dear puddy cat for a midnight snack. Orv.
 
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I read somewhere that if it was not for spiders, we would breathe in / eat a lot more bugs.
I feel often you get met with huge numbers, most just are what they are so the only ones i pat attention to are those directly linked to us humans.

Numbers go from " a lot " to infinite, which are a number used so often they even come up with a figure for it, that fallen over figure 8
 
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nobody1 said:
The only feral creatures I know are people: politicians, "businessmen", anybody without an ounce of respect for any life other then theirs.
Cats I can respect, some people not so much.
Click to expand...
Dunno if that was a direct dig at me since you quoted me i will take it as much.

I don't care if you respect me. I have chickens that are my pets/source of food. Especially with the price of eggs... if a feral cat is going to try and take them or kill my chickens, it needs to go.

I respect my chickens and my property and my food I provide for my family.

If you're one of those animal lovers that's fine, do you, but I think you might be in the wrong place to go preaching your warm and fuzzy feelings.
 
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