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Glad to see such a reasonable discussion about the feral cat problem from so many interested individuals, the discussion mostly devoid of emotional prejudices. At this point I'd like to make (or repeat) a few points pertinent to some points brought out so far. Since MM brought out several of the points I'd like to address, I'll quote his well-reasoned post that I find brings up some questions often voiced through emotional attacks rather than with the reasonable points and queries he makes. Thank you in advance, MM.

"Big difference between a country farm and a local neighborhood. I think the OP lives in a neighborhood which is the root of why I disagree with shooting the cats." The feral cat problem is not a rural, urban, or suburban problem; it's a problem anywhere irresponsible humans are either unaware or too sentimental to control the problem; meaning pretty much everywhere humans populate.

"Are you sure all neutered cats have a notches in their ears? My two are neutered and don't have notches. I've never heard of notching a cat's ears." Actually, I'm sure not all neutered cats have notched ears; another human failing perpetuating the problem. I am purposely HARSH in saying anyone unaware enough to let their cat(s) roam feral without a clipped ear is likely to also not had their cat's balls clipped. A clipped ear gives Fluffy a better chance of not being executed. Even better, combine clipped balls and clipped ear with a collar! BTW, I've never seen a cat on my property wearing a collar or with a clipped ear (other than my own cats). Conscientious veterinarians in feral cat problem areas often make it standard procedure to notch or clip an ear of every cat they neuter... to give those cats a fighting chance of coming home after nights out.

"What about female cats just on the prowl?" I assume female cats neither roam as much as toms nor aggressively defend their territories, as every stray I've executed was a tom. That said, since it's impossible to discern the sex of a feral cat before it's dead, and I now have experience enough to know cats in the middle of my 40 acre property WILL attack my pets, I don't concern myself with the sex of any cat I decide to eliminate.

"I doubt the damage they do to wildlife in the neighborhood is as much as you think. They might even help out if your neighborhood has a rat problem." Sorry MM, you're simply mistaken on both points. But don't believe me, Google something like 'feral cat problem' and you'll find sources as reliable as Smithsonian and many wildlife departments and agencies confirming feral cats do more damage to wildlife than you can imagine, and with virtually NO impact on rat populations! That's the truth and reality; check it out for yourself.

"I guess my biggest concern would be: Is there a local law governing this?" VERY GOOD POINT MM; and one that should be explored before One starts executing Fluffy, Cuddly, and Lovey (or Rover, for that matter). After I moved onto my 40 acre home-place I spotted a big Golden Retriever (dog) running through my property and used that as an excuse to introduce myself to my closest neighbors (1/4 mile away in 2 directions) to ask if it was their dog. It wasn't, so I called the county Sherrifs department to inquire about local animal control. The deputy relied that there is no local animal control (officer), and, "Most land-owners just shoot all stray dogs on sight." That being before stray cats had attacked my pets on the new place, I didn't ask about cats but am certain they would get no more consideration from law-enforcement in my area than stray dogs. Suffice to say I don't live in L A county, and many major metropolis authorities might not be as in touch with reality as my rural county.

I know from checking with the local animal shelter they are so overwhelmed with cats they won't even take any in; the shelter lady rudely stating, "We can't take any more; we'll just euthanize it if you bring it to us." Thankfully the receptionist at our vet adopted the cute little kitten we saved.

Final points. I don't like killing cats; do it only in pre-emptive defense of our pets after hesitating to do so on three occasions resulted in injured pets. Even after two expensive veterinary bills I was bothered by (then) killing the culprits. By the third assault on my cats I'd lost some of my hesitation to kill the feral after the assault. Now I kill feral cats spotted in my yard before they attack my cats... without any guilt or sentimentality whatsoever toward these worthless pests. Investigation of the problem shows wildlife science unanimously agrees. 
 
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I will start by saying that true feral cats, as in those that exhibit significant signs of inbreeding and sickness and have multiplied to a point of becoming a health threat, need to be controlled.

However, to anyone who agrees with AirNGasan's opinion that shooting someone's pet cat is a moot point because it roamed and that Cat Lady, who is full of Kitty Love BS deserves to have her cat executed (GOOD!) for allowing it into his backyard, I can only say I am ashamed to be a member of the same fraternity of airgunners as you. And BTW, how certain is AirNGasman that ol' Whiskers stays in his yard and does not wander into other cats' territory?

Some day I hope you all come to realize the devastation losing a pet can have on a child or an elderly person. The fact a child or elder lets their cat out does not give you cause to "execute" it. Two wrongs do not make a right.

You may be engaging in an activity that, besides being illegal, has the potential to become emotionally volatile and the cost may not be worth the reward. Cat Lady's husband, the father of the child or son of the elder is probably a tough guy too and you may have just hurt the one they love.

I would advise the moderator to take these posts down and keep this a friendly place to talk about airguns and hunting non-domesticated species.


 
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Some day I hope you all come to realize the devastation losing a pet can have on a child or an elderly person. The fact a child or elder lets their cat out does not give you cause to "execute" it. Two wrongs do not make a right. 

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On one hand, what you’ve said here is the reason why I shoot NOTHING that I suspect may be a pet. I don’t regard the animal, but I do care about the human being behind the animal, and I don’t want to kill someone’s pet on what may be just a fluke escape from their yard. I’d want someone to give the same consideration to my pet

On the other hand, some specific animals are ongoing threats that the owner refuses to take adequate steps to contain. In those circumstances, I don’t believe a person is in the wrong by default just because the intruding animal they kill is a beloved pet. 

Even Ted Bundy had a mother who cried for him when he was executed. I’m sure Hitler’s mother would have cried for him too had she lived long enough to see him die. 

Unfortunately, some pet cats are the Hitlers and Bundys of the animal world, and their deaths can serve a greater good that outweighs the grief of those who love them (but who ultimately contributed to the damage wought).
 
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R1, when a thread gets this long with many posts also being long-worded, it's not difficult to overlook pertinent points, sometimes made repeatedly. I'll assume you might have overlooked the times I stated 1) I don't like to kill cats, 2) Do so only in defense of my own, 3) The first three only AFTER they injured my cats, 4) Even then I executed them humanely and felt remorse, but 5) Now, finally, no longer feel remorse when forced to eliminate the threats, and 6) It aggravates HELL out of me that some people don't neuter their outdoor cats, allow them to roam free, attack my pets, and multiply the problem with unchecked reproduction (cats multiply about like rabbits and feral hogs). 

I have little doubt you would feel the same way, had your pets endured multiple, ongoing attacks and injuries at tooth and claw of Cat Lady's exploding population of un-neutered feral 'pets'. Point is, it has become a matter of 'pet' or not, they don't come into my yard and attack my (neutered) pets.

Yes, I am certain ol' Whiskers stays on my property and does not wander into other cats' territories. My home (and yard) sits in the center of my 40 acre property, that I not only hunt regularly, but patrol on foot and by ATV many times each week for the last seven years. In those thousands of patrols, I've never seen Whiskers more than 50 yards outside the yard. He's had his ass kicked BADLY enough times to stick very close to home-base.

You do make some good and valid points, R. I believe we are all products of our own experiences, and you simply lack experience in having your pets repeatedly mangled by feral cats. It's not even the expensive vet bills of having Whiskers stitched back together, as much as it is having to see my little guy endure the physical and mental trauma of those brutal attacks and knowing I could have prevented it had I not been so NAIVE as to give ferals the benefit of the doubt by not eliminating the threat(s) before they brutally sliced and diced Whiskers.


 
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I had a couple of Feral cats living underneath my house...had the inside of my house smelling like Ammonia from them pissing & pooptin...i called the Animal and control several times over a period of 3 months...my wife said that i had to do something about it because the smell was Unbearable...So i pulled out the Edgun R5 Matador .30 cal and Loaded a 47 grain NSA slug....within 2 hours they both was Sentence to death by Judge Matador....after that i had to find out how they was gettin underneath my house in the first place....i found the Entrance and sealed it up... Problem solved...
 
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Seems like there’s good points on both sides of the argument. The only thing that I can’t agree on is...dropping any cat off at a “ranch” whether it’s feral or unwanted is a cop out. The poor rancher gets to deal with a growing feral colony of ****** cats because someone doesn’t want to deal with their own problem. If everyone spayed and neutered this problem wouldn’t be so bad. But hell some people don’t think that there’s any need to immunize their kids against measles...we got a ways to go still.


 
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Seems like there’s good points on both sides of the argument. The only thing that I can’t agree on is...dropping any cat off at a “ranch” whether it’s feral or unwanted is a cop out. The poor rancher gets to deal with a growing feral colony of ****** cats because someone doesn’t want to deal with their own problem. If everyone spayed and neutered this problem wouldn’t be so bad. But hell some people don’t think that there’s any need to immunize their kids against measles...we got a ways to go still.

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I have to deal with unwanted dogs dumped at the gate of my farm all the time. Hunting deer by aide of dogs is common in North Florida, and unfortunately dogs that don’t hunt well are routinely dumped so they’ll be one less mouth to feed. Why dog hunters don’t have the courage to humanely shoot an unwanted dog instead of dumping it and making it someone else’s problem, I just don’t understand.
 
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I have a neighbor, who has a big heart, albeit misplaced, because she has well over 18 cats. Cats are somewhat territorial - they need their space - they may come together to collectively eat but once they have eaten they spread out. Onto my cars, my front porch etc....They throw up hair balls onto the hood of expensive cars, They poop all over using the flower beds as litter boxes, and they mark their turf by spraying urine on my front door and side door. I have trapped six and taken them to no kill feed sights but ultimately that is a stupid thing as it compounds the problem elsewhere. They have devistated the local bird population. The problem at hand has been reported to the "big hearted neighbor" with the cat problem many many times in the last 6 years.... zero effort to correct the problem.

SPCA is happy because she's getting the cats from their no kill shelters. They are fixed/neutered but that doesn't stop the territorial behaviors that ruin my property.

Has anyone ever had any success suing a neighbor in a court of law because her cats were being cats?

Solution 1 pellet properly placed, 1 hole properly filled? Makes more sense everyday.

All of this laid out - it's the owners of these 1/2 feral cats who deserve to be held accountable for damages and thus a punishment. The are just trying to survive but that doesn't make the damages they have created right.


 
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One thing not mentioned is feral cats spread disease. I spoke with my vet friend and he said they get calls from farmers saying some one poisoned all there cats. He said it’s NOT poison it’s viral diseases introduced by a interloper coming into the community who has an acquired immunity while the barn cats do not. There also is a REAL problem with inbreeding within these feral packs . It’s a real mess Cats are euthanized by the thousands daily yet in some people’s hearts shooting a cat is almost equivalent to murder. You can’t change their opinion 

I’m a pragmatist and I’ll do what is necessary within the confines of what is legal.

Clearly action needs to be taken it’s up to people to use their good judgement as to what to do. One approach is not right for all. 

I believe we all intend to be as humane as possible. I my opinion a well placed bullet is not in humane it may be to some. Do something else but do it .

My personal feelings are individual who dump their pets if caught should be subjected to fines which would make it unthinkable . 

God help us if we have to depend on Karma 
 
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Boys we have got to get a lot smarter than this. Read this thread and ask yourself what impression is an outsider going to have of our community from this. 776 people have and only one or two voiced any objection. We cant afford to be this stupid if we hope to keep our rights as they now are. 

Seems a bit paranoid to me. I do agree there were some comments made which don’t represent the air gun community well . I just don’t think it’s going to change opinions or have any affect on our rights. This forum isn’t face book. 

What might happen is that this discussion among US might open OUR eyes which COULD be beneficial to the sport.

Like I said not face book.
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