Wabbit Season? No, it's Cat Season!

[Unassisted]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...p/hunting_cats

Wisc. Hunter Wants Open Season for Cats
MADISON, Wis. - Hunter Mark Smith welcomes wild birds on to his property, but if he sees a cat, he thinks the "invasive" animal should be considered fair game.

The 48-year-old firefighter from La Crosse has proposed that hunters in Wisconsin make free-roaming domestic cats an "unprotected species" that could be shot at will by anyone with a small-game license.

His proposal will be placed before hunters on April 11 at the Wisconsin Conservation Congress spring hearings in each of the state's 72 counties.

"I get up in the morning and if there's new snow, there's cat tracks under my bird feeder ... I look at them as an invasive species, plain and simple," Smith said.

Smith's proposal has horrified cat lovers, but is seen by others as a way to stop cats from killing wild birds.

University of Wisconsin-Madison wildlife ecology professor Stanley Temple, who trapped more than 100 cats and analyzed their stomach contents during a four-year study, has estimated that between 7.8 million and 219 million birds are killed by rural cats in Wisconsin each year.

"It's obviously a very controversial proposal," Temple said, but added, "I think there really is a basis for having a debate about it."

The Conservation Congress is a five-member elected body whose duty is to advise the Department of Natural Resources and the Legislature on natural resources issues.

DNR attorney Tim Andryk said the vote would simply be "an advisory recommendation" to state lawmakers.

"We (the DNR) don't have authority to regulate domestic animals. Legislation would have to be passed to accomplish this," Andryk said. "You might also have to amend laws relating to abuse of domestic animals."

But Temple said he thinks legislation is not needed. He said the department does have the authority to declare rural cats an unprotected species — because unclaimed cats can be considered nonnative wildlife species like house mice, Norway rats, pigeons and starlings.

"If they are not a pet, if somebody doesn't claim ownership, they become a nonnative wildlife species and not entitled to protection by the state," he said.

Cat enthusiasts Cheryl Balazs, Ted O'Donnell and Adam Bauknecht are trying to organize opposition to Smith's proposal. O'Donnell, a co-owner of MadCat Pet Supplies, recently set up a Web site, dontshootthecat.com, to inform people about it.

O'Donnell said Smith's proposal "is a callous response" to the problem of cats preying on wild birds.

"There's more humane solutions," he said. "We as citizens should step up and solve the problem humanely."

Sheri Carr, senior humane officer at the Dane County Humane Society, said the group has not yet taken a position on the proposal, but wants cat owners to abide by their local ordinances and not let their animals roam.

"I would hate to think that tame, owned cats who happen to slip out would be at risk of being deemed a wild, unprotected species," Carr said. "It's a delicate (ecological) balance out there, but does that mean people should be able to shoot their neighbor's cat? Probably not."

[KronoRed]

Only if the cats can shoot back

[TC81190]

Dude..

[BoydsOfSummer]

I used to hate cats. I recently took a stray kitten in that wandered to my door. She has stolen my heart. Can't figger out how to put her pic on this.

[westofyou]

Cats rule when they are your cats... otherwise a banging pan will keep them out of your yard.

Some people are kinda zealous about their views but come on.

[GAC]

Not that I agree with this individual, but if I were a dog I'd be screaming discrimination!

Why are there such strict laws governing dog ownership, and their ability to roam around, yet nothing on cats?

I've lived next two two families that were cat lovers. If they love cats, I have no problem with that. But what I did hate was them lying on the hood of my car and scratching it up, tearing up the mulch/landscaping around my house, going after the birds in our bird feeder, and leaving their half-eaten prey in my backyard. I've had alot more problem with people's cats then I have dogs.

But that's nothing that a burlap bag and a nice ride in the country can't cure. :mhcky21:

[RedFanAlways1966]

Smith's proposal has horrified cat lovers, but is seen by others as a way to stop cats from killing wild birds.

Has this dummy in Wisconsin ever heard of the law of nature? You would think he has since he seems to run his own wildlife sanctuary. I shiver to think of what one nut-job mouse lover will want to do to cats. Then we will hear about the nut-job cat-lover who wants to shoot any dog that puts a single paw on their property. Then we will hear about the nut-job kid-hater who will want to shoot those junior-high kids who cut through his yard on the way home from school. Have I missed any nut-jobs?

A stupid idea proposed by an overzealous cat-hater. Law of nature...

[KittyDuran]

Originally Posted by BoydsOfSummer

I used to hate cats. I recently took a stray kitten in that wandered to my door. She has stolen my heart. Can't figger out how to put her pic on this.

Same here - getting her fixed next Wednesday...

[GAC]

Originally Posted by RedFanAlways1966

Has this dummy in Wisconsin ever heard of the law of nature? You would think he has since he seems to run his own wildlife sanctuary. I shiver to think of what one nut-job mouse lover will want to do to cats. Then we will hear about the nut-job cat-lover who wants to shoot any dog that puts a single paw on their property. Then we will hear about the nut-job kid-hater who will want to shoot those junior-high kids who cut through his yard on the way home from school. Have I missed any nut-jobs?

We'll let you know nut job! (just kiddin' there buddy)

[Roy Tucker]

Don't get me wrong. I like cats. I've always had at least one around the house and have owned a long line of cats (well, maybe not owned but they tolerated me). Currently, we have one, an indoor only model.

But I'm like GAC. I get a little hacked with people that let their cats roam free and when the neighbors cats use my flower beds as litter boxes and they terrorize our bird feeders.

However, we have a dog that just *loves* to chase cats. So whenever I see a cat in our yard, I tell our dog in a low voice "Elsa, there is a cat in the backyard, be a good dog and GO GET IT".

And I open the back door and the dog tears after the cat and the cats flees in mortal terror for its cat life. We also have a fenced-in back yard and some of the chases get pretty hilarious.

Note that I make sure no real harm comes to the cat. But I make sure the cat has the Fear of God in its heart about our yard.

It takes about a week for the cat to learn to steer clear.

[GAC]

Last summer I was sitting in the living room and heard all this commotion and stuff crashing, going on out in my garage. I have a two-car attached garage. I opened the door and the neighbor's cat had gotten in somehow, couldn't find his way out, and I guess was freakin' out. He was running all along the shelving I had on the walls of my garage (like he was in a Nascar race) and knocking stuff everywhere. He was going nuts!

If I owned a gun (which I don't) there would have been fur a flyin! I hit the garage door opener and let the little fur-bitten bugger out.

But did he offer to clean up the mess? NOOOOOOOOO!

[TeamCasey]

Originally Posted by Roy Tucker

It takes about a week for the cat to learn to steer clear.

I take Elsa's job in our house. The neighbors had cats that dominated the neighborhood. They had easy access to a catnip garden and they were little doped up terrorists. One actually attacked me when I was raking one day. They'd fight with our cats.

I used to chase them whenever they'd come in our yard, either banging a pot with a spoon or baptizing them with a Super Soaker. Eventually, all I had to do was open the windows and calmly say, "Hi guys. Whatcha doing?" They'd take off running. They learned to give our yard a wide berth.

[Unassisted]

Originally Posted by GAC

If I owned a gun (which I don't) there would have been fur a flyin! I hit the garage door opener and let the little fur-bitten bugger out.

You don't keep the aforementioned burlap bag in the garage?

[Johnny Footstool]

Why are there such strict laws governing dog ownership, and their ability to roam around, yet nothing on cats?

Because dogs are bigger than cats and more likely to injure humans. You hear about pit bull attacks all the time, but rarely does a mad tabby send anyone to the hospital.

[GAC]

Originally Posted by Unassisted

You don't keep the aforementioned burlap bag in the garage?

Hey! I got connections with the local farmers.