Is it moral to shoot stray cats?

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Oh, my, melensdad you need a new hobby. :rotfl: What is it about you he-man hunters that you feel the need to dress up animals? I dropped my kids off at their dad’s house this weekend and his poor Chihuahua was dressed like a ballerina 🤷 To be fair, I think his wife does that 😛 At least your poor pooch gets a manly looking lizard to sport 😃

Kim
 
Ravyn_Guiliani said:
cats ARE natural predators in every environment. Just because cats can be domesticated does not make them not natural wild predators and they exist in every environment that man has infiltrated. Also because pets cannot be contained you do not know for sure you are shooting a feral cat or just someone’s pet who got out accidentally and is hungry and lost. Trap them and take them into the local Animal Control.
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Ask the Austrailians about that. They have a HUGE feral cat problem.
environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/cat/index.html

There is a reason many US states check for plants and animals at highway check points. They want to make sure you are not bringing invasive species into their state. The invasive species destroy natural widlife. God put certain wildlife in certain areas for a REASON. Humans are screwing that up.

Your arguement about pets not being able to be contained doesn’t pertain to this situation.This isn’t Old Lady Mitzy’s beloved Fluffy who ran out the door this morning. These cats were LEFT behind by idiot owners. The cats then bred out of control. Their kittens and the generations AFTER, are now feral.

melensdad has explained numerous times why he can’t take the animals to a shelter. Perhaps if you donate to the cause… maybe… Aside from the money, if you take a look at this article that I posted earlier news.nationalgeographic.com/n…feralcats.html
you will see that even Catch/Spay/Release vets say that the cats can live up to a good seven years AFTER they have been released. Do you understand what kind of environmental damage they can do in that seven years?

Kim
 
mesquite_magic said:
Your arguement about pets not being able to be contained doesn’t pertain to this situation.This isn’t Old Lady Mitzy’s beloved Fluffy who ran out the door this morning. These cats were LEFT behind by idiot owners. The cats then bred out of control. Their kittens and the generations AFTER, are now feral.
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Yes. But there are plenty of folks who just don’t seem to get that. Regardless of all evidence to the contrary, they insist on believing that a feral cat is really poor little Fuzzy who is lost and starving and begging to be cuddled----despite the fact that if they tried to snuggle a feral cat they’d end up with claw slices all over their bodies, large chunks bitten out of their arms and faces, and by the time the feral cat ran off, they’d smell like a skunk from the cat’s musk glands.
melensdad has explained numerous times why he can’t take the animals to a shelter. Perhaps if you donate to the cause… maybe… Aside from the money, if you take a look at this article that I posted earlier news.nationalgeographic.com/n…feralcats.html
you will see that even Catch/Spay/Release vets say that the cats can live up to a good seven years AFTER they have been released. Do you understand what kind of environmental damage they can do in that seven years?
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No, I don’t think she does.
 
mesquite_magic said:
even Catch/Spay/Release vets say that the cats can live up to a good seven years AFTER they have been released.** Do you understand what kind of environmental damage they can do in that seven years?**

Kim
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Wolseley said:
No, I don’t think she does.
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I don’t think that is something that MOST people can understand.

I moved out to this land about 13 years ago, it was common to walk the property and accidently scare up a pheasant or some other wild animal. Now it is impossible to find many of these once common animals. And I really mean it is impossible to find them! 😦 The cats have been around for about 6 years and they have been on their own for about 3 years. They clearly survived and are thriving. The detriment is that the eco-system has suffered tremendously. If we were talking about native bobcats, then I would not even have started this thread. But in the wild bobcats (which do not exist here) are few and far between in their native habitats. They are not like these feral cats that exist in much higher numbers per acre while bobcats are measured in density per square mile.

Despite all the evidence given to show that TRAP/NEUTER/RELEASE does not work, destroys the environment and is bad stewardship and probably immoral, people cling to it as the more humane solution. I think because they think these “kitty cats” are just like “Garfield” the cartoon cat? These are wild mean nasty little cats. I’m sorry they are not in good homes being loved, but they will never exist in a home. I’m sorry they are in the situation they are in. But I didn’t create this problem and now am stuck with it.

It really is a shame that we can’t dump a load of buckshot into the behinds of the irresponsible former owners of these cats, but that is not possible either.

What we have is a bad situation and we have to figure a reasonable solution.

I could poison the cats too? I’d prefer not to because poison can also kill raccoons, possums, squirrels, and even the occasional coyote that we have roaming around. Poison is not a particularly nice way to die either as most poisons cause the animal to bleed internally and often down on their own blood as their lungs fill up with fluid/blood.
 
Those cats sound like mean, stinky pests. Someone needs to exterminate them. I had a similar problem when I lived in the country.

The neighbors had a pit bull that they let roam free and it would use my porch as a toilet. I had 2 children under five and we would be playing in the yard and this pit bull would just run up on us.

I couldn’t reason with the neighbors because they were retarded (I am not being mean, they were really mentally retarded). The sheriff didn’t want to do anything because the neighbors were retarded and living on Social Security, so he thought fining them would be mean.

So all the "tie up your dog, I am afraid it might hurt my children one day, " fell on deaf ears. Finally the dog surprised my husband one day. He has been attacked by a pit bull before, so even though this one wasn’t attacking him he freaked out. He got in a big arguement with the people next door and told them if he saw the dog again he would shoot it.

They told us that if we hurt the dog they would shoot our children. They started tying up the dog after that, but when they did let it run around our property the guy drove around behind it with one arm out the window and a gun in his hand. We couldn’t get a fence because contractors in that region are backed up at least a year.

My priest said we shouldn’t have said anything, we should have just poisoned the dog with antifreeze. And he is the kindest, gentlest person I have ever met.

There isn’t anything immoral about shooting those pests. Ask your priest if there is any doubt.
 
melensdad said:
I could poison the cats too? I’d prefer not to because poison can also kill raccoons, possums, squirrels, and even the occasional coyote that we have roaming around. Poison is not a particularly nice way to die either as most poisons cause the animal to bleed internally and often down on their own blood as their lungs fill up with fluid/blood.
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Poisoning is not the answer, as you will cause collateral destruction of innocent species, and it is, indeed, a nasty way to do away with anything. As much as we all hate the thoughts of it, shooting them is the best answer, round for round. It’s quick, it’s relatively painless, and it p(name removed by moderator)oints each target instead of a “carpet-bombing” approach that does more harm than good.
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melensdad:
Despite all the evidence given to show that TRAP/NEUTER/RELEASE does not work, destroys the environment and is bad stewardship and probably immoral, people cling to it as the more humane solution. I think because they think these “kitty cats” are just like “Garfield” the cartoon cat
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Well, if nothing else, this thread has proven that you can’t reason with them. It’s like trying to convince diehard antiwar activists that Islamic terrorists are terrorists who want to kill people and not gentle, peace-loving souls, who have just been so wronged, poor dears, that they just can’t help themselves any more. :rolleyes: My advice at this point: ignore them. Let them think whatever they want to (because they will anyway), and do what you have to do.
 
OneAugustKnight said:
Those cats sound like mean, stinky pests. Someone needs to exterminate them. I had a similar problem when I lived in the country.

The neighbors had a pit bull that they let roam free and it would use my porch as a toilet. I had 2 children under five and we would be playing in the yard and this pit bull would just run up on us.

I couldn’t reason with the neighbors because they were retarded (I am not being mean, they were really mentally retarded). The sheriff didn’t want to do anything because the neighbors were retarded and living on Social Security, so he thought fining them would be mean.

So all the "tie up your dog, I am afraid it might hurt my children one day, " fell on deaf ears. Finally the dog surprised my husband one day. He has been attacked by a pit bull before, so even though this one wasn’t attacking him he freaked out. He got in a big arguement with the people next door and told them if he saw the dog again he would shoot it.

They told us that if we hurt the dog they would shoot our children. They started tying up the dog after that, but when they did let it run around our property the guy drove around behind it with one arm out the window and a gun in his hand. We couldn’t get a fence because contractors in that region are backed up at least a year.

My priest said we shouldn’t have said anything, we should have just poisoned the dog with antifreeze. And he is the kindest, gentlest person I have ever met.

There isn’t anything immoral about shooting those pests. Ask your priest if there is any doubt.
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Ah, the joys of living in the suburbs. :rolleyes:

If the neighbors had a dog that molested my child, I wouldn’t say a word. But one day soon after the neighbors would be wondering what happened to their dog.

“Have you seen my dog anywhere? He’s been missing for days.”

“Dog? What dog?”

Now, that might sound cruel, but it’s better than having a mentally retarted man driving around with a gun in his hand, threatening to shoot my children, and the authorities sitting on their thumbs and saying, “Well, I don’t want to do anything about it.”
 
Wolseley said:
Ah, the joys of living in the suburbs. :rolleyes:

If the neighbors had a dog that molested my child, I wouldn’t say a word. But one day soon after the neighbors would be wondering what happened to their dog.

“Have you seen my dog anywhere? He’s been missing for days.”

“Dog? What dog?”

Now, that might sound cruel, but it’s better than having a mentally retarted man driving around with a gun in his hand, threatening to shoot my children, and the authorities sitting on their thumbs and saying, “Well, I don’t want to do anything about it.”
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I learned a few things about dealing with those “animals are people too” fanatics out there. The other neighbors wouldn’t keep their stupid horse out of our yard. So we had a pit bull chasing a horse around the house. One neighbor is like “our pit bull would never harm a child.” The other treated me like an idiot because I am a young, Yankee, city-girl and tells me horses never hurt children.:rolleyes:

You can’t reason with them because in their minds, they are more important than you are and so is the animal in question.
 
melensdad said:
OK here are the facts.
  • I live waaaay out in the country, shooting pests is perfectly legal.
  • Cats are NOT a native predator in this area.
  • The native birds, squirrels, etc are easy pray for cats and the cats are killing the natural species.
  • The balance of nature is being thrown off by stray cats and it is even affecting plant species.
So is it moral to shoot the stray/feral cats? 🤷

If not, why not?
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Yes, it is ok.
 
OneAugustKnight said:
They told us that if we hurt the dog they would shoot our children.
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These dogs today are really vicious. I can’t get any rest with these vicious attack dogs in our neighborhood barking and growling all day and night. That is bad enough, but there have been people here on CAF who say that these dogs and other animals will go to heaven. Even Cardinal Mahony said that there was a cat heaven. I don’t see this as traditional Catholic teaching at all.
 
OneAugustKnight said:
My priest said we shouldn’t have said anything, we should have just poisoned the dog with antifreeze. And he is the kindest, gentlest person I have ever met.
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I’d shoot it. Poisoning with antifreeze results in a long, painful death.
 
Kitty_Chan said:
This is what Im speaking about, if 100 bucks is too much then one should not get a cat or dog, period. If you cant afford it then dont do it. THIS is why animals get dumped!!! :banghead:

ALSO why we tried for licensing to offset the costs of spaying neutering to help families. Thats why I keep saying to work with local shelters and animal control about the problems in your own areas.

Because if people made decent decisions in the first place poor Melensdad wouldnt have to make decisions to shoot animals in the second place. Why is it his responsibility to pick up and shoot animals because his neighbors were crummy??

But left witht the situation he has to do what he has to do.🤷
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I don’t think you know what I said that in response to. I was talking about catching cats and having them spayed/neutered and rereleased. Not spaying/neutering your own animals. Fixing your own animals is a responsibility unless you are a breeder.

If some person doesn’t want to spay their cat, and it has kittens, and they are killing the birds in your yard, you can kill them. You shouldn’t have to pay 100 per kitten to take them in and have them spayed and rereleased.
 
m134e5 said:
I’d shoot it. Poisoning with antifreeze results in a long, painful death.
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He suggested poisoning because of the neighbors’ mental condition. It would be less obvious and protect us from violent retaliation.
 
OneAugustKnight said:
He suggested poisoning because of the neighbors’ mental condition. It would be less obvious and protect us from violent retaliation.
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While I don’t advocate it, anti-freeze is very deadly. About 1 tablespoon can kill a large dog or a medium size child. The worst part is it is sweet smelling so it is attractive to animals and children. Many folks in the country fill their tractor tires with anti-freeze for more traction; the problems arise when/if it leaks because then there is a toxic mess that must be hosed down with a LOT of water to dilute it.

However in the situation where there is the potential for violent encounters with a neighbor, as was described above, anti-freeze is a good poison because it exists in most any garage and could easily lead to an accidental death.

It is simply a shame that so many pet owners are so irresponsible. I don’t understand why some pet owners believe thier dogs/cats should be allowed to roam off their property. I have rules that I live by. One of them is my animals stay on my property.
 
melensdad said:
I can hit a tennis ball size target at 500 yards.

I get no pleasure out of killing a cat (or any other animal). But they have effectively become the “top of the food chain” and are having a devastating effect on the wildlife. The pheasant population has plummeted. The woodcocks are all but gone. Even squirrels are not very common in the woods and that will affect many trees over the long run.

I understand your point of view as an animal activist. But I asked if it was moral.

I know of no county animal shelter that would take a feral cat that cannot even be approached by a human and keep it alive. These cats are nature hardened, they are not the sweet little tabby cats we keep in our homes.

Realize also that if these cats are not destroyed then we are valuing their lives above the lives of the native species. Which animal has more rights, those native animals that live in the wild habitat, or those that are not native and are destroying it?
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Saint Francis is probably going to let me have it someday…but I have to agree with you. The earlier “animal activist” argument that was brought up is misplaced. That line of thinking deals with the killing of human beings in self defense. Cats, even though they may at times think otherwise, are not human beings. As long as you’re not doing what an ex-friend of mine did (swerving to hit animals on the highway whenever possible), I think you’re fine. You have a just cause in protection of your area’s ecosystem, and you are acting responsibly to preserve animal life. If we’re going to use the self defense argument, think of yourself as a defender of the squirrels.

After all, man was given authority over the animals in Genesis. You are simply exercising your authority to reduce the feral cat population. Just don’t let my mother know…she adopts feral cats in the country. In fact…they’re probably wandering over from her place. 🙂

Good luck!
 
bobzills said:
These dogs today are really vicious. I can’t get any rest with these vicious attack dogs in our neighborhood barking and growling all day and night. That is bad enough, but there have been people here on CAF who say that these dogs and other animals will go to heaven. Even Cardinal Mahony said that there was a cat heaven. I don’t see this as traditional Catholic teaching at all.
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C.S. Lewis, I believe, made the argument that perhaps pets might be “saved” by the faith of their owners, but he admitted in the essay that it was pure conjecture. There is no theological evidence for this. I have to imagine that he’s right, but I won’t be too upset if it’s not the case. I hope there are no spiders in heaven.

There was a thread on pets going to heaven a year or two ago. I don’t know whether it’s still accessible, or not.
 
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