"Hunting", again

[stoutfellow]

I find this story extremely disturbing. Open season on cats?

Addendum: Checking the article in the Wisconsin paper, I find the proposal a little less distressing, but still repugnant. If it were Hawaii, or Guam, or some other fragile ecosystem in which cats were truly an invasive species, I could live with it, but in Wisconsin - or Minnesota, or North South Dakota - I can't say I like it.

Comments

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

Thank you for being distressed about it. Sometimes dog people aren't fond of cats, I've found.

I read the article on Yahoo news this morning. To say it sucks doesn't *even* cover it. As someone who *has* to have the cats outside (they come into the laundry room only to cool off, warm up, or sleep), I find this highly disturbing.

How nice that they want to spare cats that wear collars and are friendly to humans...how the h*ll will they find out? Hunters don't usually stop and see if they can pet their prey first. Hunters out there?? Would this be workable? Not that any of you would shoot cats, but when hunting, would you want to take time to get close to and observe the prey for a while? Or would these cat hunters just shoot first when they go on a hunt?

Rob Warnicke's wife, Cynthia, belongs to a spay, neuter, trap, and release organization, which means that Rob spends much spare time doing it also. By releasing, they keep the feral population in check.

Sigh.

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

Sometimes dog people aren't fond of cats, I've found.

Oh, I like cats well enough; we usually had one of each when I was growing up. I just prefer dogs.

Why is it that so many people can't tolerate predation by any species but our own?

[carbonelle.livejournal.com]

Oh I dunno, Stoutfellow. I not only tolerate some predators, I cheer 'em on: spiders, hawks, snakes. But not feral cats.

Until recently, when my greyhound finally began to feel his age, cats entered our yard at their own risk. There've been several times where we had to go out in the middle of the night, lock up the dogs, and rescue a cat from our pergola. And one instance in which I was, alas, too late (I only ever found the remains.) I have to say I was much, much sorrier about the wild duck that he caught (I cried over that one). Feral cats are pests on so many levels.

Ever since I've created most of my garden spaces with an eye to wild bird habitat, I've been less and less charmed by the prospect of the neighbors's half-wild animals. Happily though, those concerns made it possible for me to come to a detente with my next door neighbor: I'd do my best to keep her cats safe if they poached in my yard, if she'd forgive the hawk pair for the occasional raid on her chickens.

But this hunting thing is Just. Wrong.

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

I guess I should rephrase my ire. What upsets me is the fact that so many people seem to see no other way to deal with predation than killing the predator. As hornedhopper mentioned, there are other ways of handling it - not least, that of not blowing up the problem.

(I acknowledge, of course, that feral cats - and feral dogs - present a problem.)