Protection for feral cats?

Half-cocked

Just saw a picture in todays Irish Times of a crowd protesting outside the Dail. They want feral cats to be protected under law. Whats everyones thoughts on this? IMHO cats cause massive damage to our native wildlife and need to be controlled.

Mickeroo

Half-cocked wrote: »

Just saw a picture in todays Irish Times of a crowd protesting outside the Dail. They want feral cats to be protected under law. Whats everyones thoughts on this? IMHO cats cause massive damage to our native wildlife and need to be controlled.

THey're not native wild animals so there's absolutely no justification for protection IMO.

Whats their basis for wanting to protect them? Are they supposedly filling the role of the predators we are lacking?

Half-cocked

Mickeroo wrote: »

Whats their basis for wanting to protect them?

They look cute apparently.

Mickeroo

Half-cocked wrote: »

They look cute apparently.

If you listen really closely can hear the global community of true animal lovers simultaneously facepalming.

magicbastarder

steady on there; seems they have a fairly reasonable stance - that of capture and neuter, and return. they're not claiming they should be treated the same as an indigenous species.

http://feralcatsireland.org/Feral_Cats/National_Feral_Cat_Awareness_Week.html

CardinalJ

magicbastarder wrote: »

steady on there; seems they have a fairly reasonable stance - that of capture and neuter, and return. they're not claiming they should be treated the same as an indigenous species.

http://feralcatsireland.org/Feral_Cats/National_Feral_Cat_Awareness_Week.html

Because the country has loads of cash to fund a project like that....

kylith

I greatly disagree with straying cats. The kind of cat control I'd like to see is pet cats staying on their owner's property and no feral cats at all. In my opinion they're a nuisance.

While catch, neuter, release sounds good it doesn't solve the problem of a colony of cats, disturbing pets and fouling in gardens.

Half-cocked

kylith wrote: »

While catch, neuter, release sounds good it doesn't solve the problem of a colony of cats, disturbing pets and fouling in gardens.

And decimating the wild bird population.

Mickeroo

magicbastarder wrote: »

steady on there; seems they have a fairly reasonable stance - that of capture and neuter, and return. they're not claiming they should be treated the same as an indigenous species.

http://feralcatsireland.org/Feral_Cats/National_Feral_Cat_Awareness_Week.html

I don't see the point of neutering them, they should be put down. If we could catch all the wild mink as easily I doubt we'd be neutering them and putting them back, feral cats should be treated no differently. People are letting the fact that they're generally regarded as pets rather than wild predatory animals blind them I think.

magicbastarder

Half-cocked wrote: »

And decimating the wild bird population.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/birddeclines.aspx

not according to the RSPB.

Mothman

Mod Note
I've deleted a couple of posts. Discussion of how to dispatch a cat is for another forum.

Half-cocked

magicbastarder wrote: »

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/birddeclines.aspx

not according to the RSPB.

The RSPB gets its data by asking cat owners to keep diaries of what their pet cats bring home. Pet cats would be fed by their owners and probably only hunt bout of instinct. IMHO feral cats hunt to survive so probably kill a lot more prey than their well fed domestic cousins. I don't know if the RSPB take this into account or if they even have an idea how many feral cats are out there. With many songbird species under threat from habitat loss, feral cats are just another pressure they don't need. I also wonder if they compete for prey with our native predators and have a negative impact in that area?

I notice the RSPB state that most birds die from other causes anyway but ringing data shows that adult breeding birds are frequently being killed by cats. If only 10% of songbirds survive to breeding age, their loss to cat predation must have a big impact.

Birdnuts

Half-cocked wrote: »

Just saw a picture in todays Irish Times of a crowd protesting outside the Dail. They want feral cats to be protected under law. Whats everyones thoughts on this? IMHO cats cause massive damage to our native wildlife and need to be controlled.

Utterly ridiculous!! - these are probably the same type of people who released 100's of mink into the Irish countryside in recent years:mad::rolleyes:

magicbastarder

i know a couple of people who will take any cats which come into their garden hand have them neutered if they aren't already done.

kildare.17hmr

magicbastarder wrote: »

i know a couple of people who will take any cats which come into their garden hand have them neutered if they aren't already done.

Thats all well and good but it only takes care of a few. Imo there should be a cull of feral cats and cat owners should be made look after the ones they have and keep them in

cfitz

Mickeroo wrote: »

If you listen really closely can hear the global community of true animal lovers simultaneously facepalming.

Being aware of the workings of the natural world makes you no truer an animal lover than some cat owner who hates to watch other cats harmed.

Like it or not, people have a long-standing connection with dogs and cats. It's not as simple as: cull them, they're harming our natural world. All these feral cats are nth-generation pets, so as humans, many people feel some sense of responsibility for them. And although we may not feel the same, it's not such a bad trait in my opinion. Trying to raise awareness of the actual issues caused would be more useful than mocking people's ignorance.

Mickeroo

cfitz wrote: »

Being aware of the workings of the natural world makes you no truer an animal lover than some cat owner who hates to watch other cats harmed.

Like it or not, people have a long-standing connection with dogs and cats. It's not as simple as: cull them, they're harming our natural world. All these feral cats are nth-generation pets, so as humans, many people feel some sense of responsibility for them. And although we may not feel the same, it's not such a bad trait in my opinion. Trying to raise awareness of the actual issues caused would be more useful than mocking people's ignorance.

No mockery intended and sorry if I caused offence.

However, in my eyes it really is as simple as "they cause harm they should be culled", as I said above I think people are blinded by the image of cats as harmless pets. You're right, people should be made aware of the issues of course.

Now don't get me wrong, I am a cat lover myself (though i'm more of a dog person) and I don't like seeing any animal coming to harm but when it comes to a human caused problem like an invasive species I really don't think there is room for sentimentality. If grey squirrel, mink or any other animal which causes damage to our indigenous populations could easily be wiped out on this island I think they should be and I don't think cats or any other escaped pets should be treated any differently. Now if a good home could be found for them that would obviously be better but neutering them and releasing again just makes no sense to me.

kildare.17hmr

A call for a cull would get numbers in check very quick i reckon and would make normal cat owners take responsibility if ferals were being controled in their area. it doesnt make sense to me that people see them different to mink or grays

doctor evil

OP did it say what group these people are?

There is a lot worse that can happen than to be humanely dispatched. Feral cats as it is lead hard short lives.

It is not ok for dogs to roam so why is it ok for cats? (coming from a cat owner)

Traonach

doctor evil wrote: »

It is not ok for dogs to roam so why is it ok for cats? (coming from a cat owner)

It's ok to let a cat out as long as you take a couple of precautions. Make sure the cat is neutered so it's less likely to stray. Only let out during the day and not at night or dawn/dusk. Have a quick-release collar on the cat with plenty of bells (my cat has six bells). All these will keep wildlife casualities to a minimum (with my furry friend).

doctor evil

Traonach wrote: »

It's ok to let a cat out as long as you take a couple of precautions. Make sure the cat is neutered so it's less likely to stray. Only let out during the day and not at night or dawn/dusk. Have a quick-release collar on the cat with plenty of bells (my cat has six bells). All these will keep wildlife casualities to a minimum (with my furry friend).

That doesn't take account of other dangers. The only way to do it safely is to cat proof the garden/run/teach them to accept a leash.

Traonach

doctor evil wrote: »

That doesn't take account of other dangers. The only way to do it safely is to cat proof the garden/run/teach them to accept a leash.

My cat ain't going to be happy stuck in a run or the house. He loves his strolls in the fields. Granted he would be safer indoors from cars, dogs and trigger-happy shooters. It's about quality of life for the cat and trying to protect wildlife at the same time.

Mickeroo

Traonach wrote: »

My cat ain't going to be happy stuck in a run or the house. He loves his strolls in the fields. Granted he would be safer indoors from cars, dogs and trigger-happy shooters. It's about quality of life for the cat and trying to protect wildlife at the same time.

I doubt your cat would get the drop on any of our feathered friends with bells around their kneck, seems like a good precaution to me.

doctor evil

Some cats can learn to keep the bell still.

recedite

There's a lack of compassion in many of these posts. Its quite sad.

Traonach

Mickeroo wrote: »

I doubt your cat would get the drop on any of our feathered friends with bells around their kneck, seems like a good precaution to me.

He has only caught one bird this year. He always bring birds back to the kitchen table to eat them, so I know what he's killing. Before when he was less jingly he would catch a good few birds.
I have a quick-release collar on him so he won't get hung off a branch or the collar won't get stuck in his mouth (like a conventional collar). He loses a quick-release collar around once every two months, so you do have to keep replacing them (it's well worth it though when he's not killing birds) One bell on a collar doesn't produce much noise but sling 4-6 bells on him and he's fairly noisy.

Birdnuts

I think people need to get a bit of perspective here - cats, pigs, camels, goats etc. are currently being culled around the world by professional conservationists to stem the tied of extinction of native wildlife in places like Australia and numerious islands from Hawaii to the Galapagos. Invasive species like these are currently in the top 3 or 4 factors driving extinction across the planet:(

Traonach

Birdnuts wrote: »

I think people need to get a bit of perspective here - cats, pigs, camels, goats etc. are currently being culled around the world by professional conservationists to stem the tied of extinction of native wildlife in places like Australia and numerious islands from Hawaii to the Galapagos. Invasive species like these are currently in the top 3 or 4 factors driving extinction across the planet:(

Which poster said they the numbers shouldn't be controlled?

Mickeroo

Traonach wrote: »

Which poster said they the numbers shouldn't be controlled?

I think Birdnuts was just trying to clarify the reasoning behind what is possibly being perceived as a lack of compassion.

Mothman

Oh dear, IMO the quality in this thread is lost among the "noise"...
I'm going back to the OP. I didn't see the Times but I'll quote some previous posts

magicbastarder wrote: »

steady on there; seems they have a fairly reasonable stance - that of capture and neuter, and return. they're not claiming they should be treated the same as an indigenous species.

http://feralcatsireland.org/Feral_Cats/National_Feral_Cat_Awareness_Week.html

I would like to see reference that a legal protection is being sought as is mentioned in the OP and what the basis of this thread is based on.

Moving onto this

magicbastarder wrote: »

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/birddeclines.aspx

not according to the RSPB.

Half-cocked wrote: »

The RSPB gets its data by asking cat owners to keep diaries of what their pet cats bring home. Pet cats would be fed by their owners and probably only hunt bout of instinct. IMHO feral cats hunt to survive so probably kill a lot more prey than their well fed domestic cousins. I don't know if the RSPB take this into account or if they even have an idea how many feral cats are out there. With many songbird species under threat from habitat loss, feral cats are just another pressure they don't need. I also wonder if they compete for prey with our native predators and have a negative impact in that area?

I notice the RSPB state that most birds die from other causes anyway but ringing data shows that adult breeding birds are frequently being killed by cats. If only 10% of songbirds survive to breeding age, their loss to cat predation must have a big impact.

What I've highlighted in bold is I feel a worthy note. wildlife such as birds have very high mortality, but this mortality enters the foodchain and so if beneficial to the eco system, but if some of this natural mortality is diverted, then the eco system suffers.

Birdnuts wrote: »

Utterly ridiculous!! - these are probably the same type of people who released 100's of mink into the Irish countryside in recent years:mad::rolleyes:

Please do a double take on off the cuff remarks. Its not fair to lump these folk with others. While what the group today are advocating may not be near enough for many of us here, it is actually a benefit over what we have now. A feral/stray neutered cat is better that a feral/stray cat that is not neutered.

doctor evil

Okay, just read it in todays paper. Not online yet so can't link it.

Feral cats and wild cats are two different things. There are no wild cats in Ireland, only domestics and ferals.

There is the Scottish Wild Cat (obviously in Scotland) of which less than 400 remain. These are genetically different from domestic cats but are under threat from them due to inbreeding and disease.

It is galling when people make this mistake. I'm tempted to send a letter into the editor.

http://www.scottishwildcats.co.uk/index.html

Mickeroo

doctor evil wrote: »

Okay, just read it in todays paper. Not online yet so can't link it.

Feral cats and wild cats are two different things. There are no wild cats in Ireland, only domestics and ferals.

There is the Scottish Wild Cat (obviously in Scotland) of which less than 400 remain. These are genetically different from domestic cats but are under threat from them due to inbreeding and disease.

It is galling when people make this mistake. I'm tempted to send a letter into the editor.

http://www.scottishwildcats.co.uk/index.html

Is the paper referring to the ferals as Wild Cats or what?

doctor evil

Okay on page 7 there is the photo with a captain below.

'.....protection for Irelands wild cats, writes Seán Mac Connell....'

I don't know if the reporter used the 'wild' word or the protestors.

Birdnuts

doctor evil wrote: »

Okay, just read it in todays paper. Not online yet so can't link it.

Feral cats and wild cats are two different things. There are no wild cats in Ireland, only domestics and ferals.

There is the Scottish Wild Cat (obviously in Scotland) of which less than 400 remain. These are genetically different from domestic cats but are under threat from them due to inbreeding and disease.

It is galling when people make this mistake. I'm tempted to send a letter into the editor.

http://www.scottishwildcats.co.uk/index.html

The mainstream print media are utterly hopeless when it comes to such issues, or anything vaguely scientific for that matter eg. you will often see pictures of various species being miss-labelled as something else. I remember seeing what was clearly a picture of a long-eared owl being labelled as a "Barn" owl last year in one of the main broadsheets.:rolleyes:

TippFan77

Feral cats are as entitled to protection in my view as domestic cats. They mightn't be as cuddly but that surely shouldn't be a factor in determining whether a given creature is protected by law.

Humane population methods only should be employed.
I like to see birds in my garden and I accept that cats will kill birds if they can, but targeting cats (feral or otherwise) is not the answer. We can't manipulate nature to that degree.

I hope these animals will get the protection they deserve under the new animal welfare act.

Mickeroo

TippFan77 wrote: »

Feral cats are as entitled to protection in my view as domestic cats. They mightn't be as cuddly but that surely shouldn't be a factor in determining whether a given creature is protected by law.

Humane population methods only should be employed.

I like to see birds in my garden and I accept that cats will kill birds if they can, but targeting cats (feral or otherwise) is not the answer. We can't manipulate nature to that degree.

I hope these animals will get the protection they deserve under the new animal welfare act.

Feral cats are domestic cats, albeit domestic cats that have no owners. Their cuddliness or lack there of is not a factor in protection, nor is it for any animal as far as I know.

Cats are not native to this island and any stray cats that are found should be treated the same way stray dogs are treated, if a good home cannot be found for them they should be put down. This is not manipulating nature it is protecting it.

No-one is condoning inhumane treatment of the cats either.

TippFan77

Mickeroo wrote: »

Feral cats are domestic cats, albeit domestic cats that have no owners. Their cuddliness or lack there of is not a factor in protection, nor is it for any animal as far as I know.

Cats are not native to this island and any stray cats that are found should be treated the same way stray dogs are treated, if a good home cannot be found for them they should be put down. This is not manipulating nature it is protecting it.

No-one is condoning inhumane treatment of the cats either.

Cats not being "native to this island" is a pretty pathetic excuse for adopting a hostile attitude towards them. Just about every country on this planet has cats, regardless of how they got there.

Cats, feral or otherwise, do not need to be killed by humans unless they are suffering great pain and cannotr be cured of whatever illness ails them.

I disagree with your view that the cuddliness or otherwise of animal has no bearing on the level of legal protection they receive. An example: Robins are nice, they look charming on Christmas cards etc, but very few people like crows...this attitude finds its way into our laws via protection of robins.
I believe we should feed feral cats and treat them kindly. We have enough cruelty dressed up as fun and "sport" without this attack on the feral cat population.

Birdnuts

TippFan77 wrote: »

Cats not being "native to this island" is a pretty pathetic excuse for adopting a hostile attitude towards them. Just about every country on this planet has cats, regardless of how they got there.

Cats, feral or otherwise, do not need to be killed by humans unless they are suffering great pain and cannotr be cured of whatever illness ails them.

I disagree with your view that the cuddliness or otherwise of animal has no bearing on the level of legal protection they receive. An example: Robins are nice, they look charming on Christmas cards etc, but very few people like crows....

I believe we should feed feral cats and treat them kindly. We have enough cruelty dressed up as fun and "sport" without this attack on the feral cat population.

Thats because crows can cause significant damage to crops and their population in this country is enormous - laws on what species are protected or not are based on science and economic considerations. Not on cuddleyness. Its the same reason the likes of foxes and mink are classed as vermin

PS: Feral cats harbour many diseases too which can be passed on to peoples pets. The also kill other pets including smaller cats.

Mickeroo

TippFan77 wrote: »

Cats not being "native to this island" is a pretty pathetic excuse for adopting a hostile attitude towards them. Just about every country on this planet has cats, regardless of how they got there.

If an animal is non-native and causes harm to those which are native then it is about the only justifiable reason to be hostile towards them.

Traonach

Birdnuts wrote: »

laws on what species are protected or not are based on science and economic considerations. Not on cuddleyness.

Question? Why are mute swans not classified as a game bird? They are not native. They compete with native wildfowl. The reason must be beacuse they are high on the cuddleyness scale

Half-cocked

Traonach wrote: »

Question? Why are mute swans not classified as a game bird? They are not native. They compete with native wildfowl. The reason must be beacuse they are high on the cuddleyness scale

Or was it because they belonged to the King of England or something? A lot of species which are classed as 'game' were traditionaly hunted for sport. No tradition of hunting swans = no game classification. There are actually a lot of species which can still be hunted which shouldn't (curlew, golden plover, some of our scarcer ducks etc) but tradition has dictated things.

Kess73

Let's keep it on topic folks.

If people want to discuss why crows get shot at or why mute swans don't get shot at, then start a seperate thread for it and keep it civil please.

kildare.17hmr

TippFan77 wrote: »

Feral cats are as entitled to protection in my view as domestic cats. They mightn't be as cuddly but that surely shouldn't be a factor in determining whether a given creature is protected by law.

Humane population methods only should be employed.

I like to see birds in my garden and I accept that cats will kill birds if they can, but targeting cats (feral or otherwise) is not the answer. We can't manipulate nature to that degree.

I hope these animals will get the protection they deserve under the new animal welfare act.

TippFan77 wrote: »

Cats not being "native to this island" is a pretty pathetic excuse for adopting a hostile attitude towards them. Just about every country on this planet has cats, regardless of how they got there.

Cats, feral or otherwise, do not need to be killed by humans unless they are suffering great pain and cannotr be cured of whatever illness ails them.

I disagree with your view that the cuddliness or otherwise of animal has no bearing on the level of legal protection they receive. An example: Robins are nice, they look charming on Christmas cards etc, but very few people like crows....

I believe we should feed feral cats and treat them kindly. We have enough cruelty dressed up as fun and "sport" without this attack on the feral cat population.

You actually have no idea do you? have you ever seen the damage feral cats can do? A farmer friend of mine lost so many sheep a few years ago to a large number of feral cats it nearly crippled him! all his sheep we having still births. that problem was put under control in a couple of weeks and had no problems since the cats were shot, go figure:rolleyes:

As birdnuts said robins do no harm at all but crows do serious damage. I was in the farm shop today getting coal and brickets and met a farmer i know there who was out sowing wheat, he asked was i busy today because there is a flock of a few hundred crows following the tractor eating all the seed he had bought and was sowing.

artieanna

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

You actually have no idea do you? have you ever seen the damage feral cats can do? A farmer friend of mine lost so many sheep a few years ago to a large number of feral cats it nearly crippled him! all his sheep we having still births. that problem was put under control in a couple of weeks and had no problems since the cats were shot, go figure:rolleyes:

As birdnuts said robins do no harm at all but crows do serious damage. I was in the farm shop today getting coal and brickets and met a farmer i know there who was out sowing wheat, he asked was i busy today because there is a flock of a few hundred crows following the tractor eating all the seed he had bought and was sowing. Pests can be shot for very valid reasons, yes it is fun to the people that do it they wouldnt do it otherwise but most shooters respect the law and only shoot what they are allowed

There must be a serious problem in your area if they were attacking sheep, I have never ever heard of such a thing....

Sur why don't we cull everything that causes us problems, and keep spraying chemicals on wild plants(weeds). Then we can have beautiful gardens no insects no "problem" birds or animals to deal with, it dosen't work though does it...
We have to manage to live with these problems and get on with it!
Now Back On Topic
We people caused the spread of feral cats by not neutering, not bothering to deal with kitten litters and so we have feral cats!
At least by neutering them and releasing them we are not allowing breeding and eventually bringing an end to the population...If there is a large problem population of feral cats in certain areas then perhaps a cull may be necessary(humanely and not by shooting), but each area would have to be looked at individually. Can anyone here actually tell me how major a problem is the spread of feral cats? figures?

I know that yes cats do kill birds and mice and pigmy voles but damn it I still love my cats and my dog and I take responsibility by looking after them and neutering, they are out during the day and in at night. I love nature too but I will not choose between one and the other...

Why can't people take responsibility and neuter their pets PLEEEEEZ

Mothman

artieanna wrote: »

There must be a serious problem in your area if they were attacking sheep, I have never ever heard of such a thing....

Look up Toxoplasmosis.
It is an abortion disease in sheep. Can be very serious as Kildare has mentioned and cats, in particular their faeces in the feed is a vital link.

Half-cocked

Mothman wrote: »

Look up Toxoplasmosis.
It is an abortion disease in sheep. Can be very serious as Kildare has mentioned and cats, in particular their faeces in the feed is a vital link.

The impact of an alien species is not restricted to its hunting habits. The above is a good example of the indirect consequences. Another commonly heard example is the spread of squirrel parapoxvirus by greys which kills reds.

Cats may have shared our homes with us for centuries, but they are still an alien species which can have all sorts of negative effects on our native ecology when they are let loose. I like cats, we've always had one or two in the home, but there is a need to control the numbers of feral cats out there.

artieanna

Mothman wrote: »

Look up Toxoplasmosis.
It is an abortion disease in sheep. Can be very serious as Kildare has mentioned and cats, in particular their faeces in the feed is a vital link.

Apologies guys I misunderstood the quote by kildare.17hmr as no disease was mentioned I thought gangs of cats were worrying sheep thus resulting in still births:D so I thought the statement was a bit maaad:eek:...

Again, I think it depends on local numbers of feral cats, if there are large numbers also sick cats then a local cull maybe necessary. But remember it is not necessairly feral cats that cause the toxoplasmosis any cat feral or domestic that soils in a hay shed/barn can cause the disease, so do we cull domestic cats too? Domestic cats in the countryside are allowed to roam quite freely so should we cull them because of toxoplasmosis risks ?

they are feral because we made them so, because we couldn't be bothered to take responsibility for our own animals... I wish feral cats didn't exist, but I wouldn't agree to culling them all.

Look at any animal rescue web site and see all the kittens (cats and dogs) dumped and neglected by ignorant people who expect someone else to take their responsibility. While this behaviour exists there will be feral cats roaming this country.

Has anyone here got figures on feral cats????? We are discussing something we don't even have numbers to show if there is problem or not!

kildare.17hmr

In answer to your question about figures i have no clue, i do know they are a problem in a few areas but tats just from word of mouth.

I kind of agee with what your saying about it being our fault but catching and neutering just wont get enough of them to stop it imo

Kess73

artieanna wrote: »

Apologies guys I misunderstood the quote by kildare.17hmr as no disease was mentioned I thought gangs of cats were worrying sheep thus resulting in still births:D so I thought the statement was a bit maaad:eek:...

Again, I think it depends on local numbers of feral cats, if there are large numbers also sick cats then a local cull maybe necessary. But remember it is not necessairly feral cats that cause the toxoplasmosis any cat feral or domestic that soils in a hay shed/barn can cause the disease, so do we cull domestic cats too? Domestic cats in the countryside are allowed to roam quite freely so should we cull them because of toxoplasmosis risks ?

they are feral because we made them so, because we couldn't be bothered to take responsibility for our own animals... I wish feral cats didn't exist, but I wouldn't agree to culling them all.

Look at any animal rescue web site and see all the kittens (cats and dogs) dumped and neglected by ignorant people who expect someone else to take their responsibility. While this behaviour exists there will be feral cats roaming this country.

Has anyone here got figures on feral cats????? We are discussing something we don't even have numbers to show if there is problem or not!

Nobody has exact figures, but seven years ago a rough estimate was reached of circa one million feral cats in the Dublin and greater Dublin area and roughly a million for the rest of the country combined.

Some of the people and organisations who commented and added their knowledge.advice included the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Marie Healy animal sanctuary, Mayo Cat Rescue, and a number of rescue centres in other counties. The general concensus back then was that the numbers had reached almost epedemic levels in some counties and that a combination of culling and neutering was badly needed. Now when organisations like those I named start mentioning culling as an option I tend to take notice as such a comment would not come easy or be used lightly.


Here are a few links on the topic that come from a variety of sources and that look at the issue from more than pov.


http://www.spayweekireland.ie/articles/tnr.html

http://www.cdpa.ie/control_of_feral_cats.html


http://kildarevet.ie/2010/10/15/trap-neuter-return-irelands-feral-cats/

http://www.wildlifecontrol.ie/cat-control-ireland/


http://www.dspca.ie/FeralCats


http://animalcaresociety.wordpress.com/tag/feral-cats-ireland/


http://animalfoundation.ie/2011/10/15/1379/


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/animal-experts-warn-ireland-plague-of-feral-cats-is-spreading-555875.html

LostCovey

The feral cats issue is very real.

However some organisations need a reality check, e.g.
http://feralcatsireland.org/Feral_Cats/National_Feral_Cat_Awareness_Week.html

Like they say, their aim is trap/neuter/return - ie RETURN the feral non-native killing machine to the natural environment.

I would suggest a modified protocol:


LC

littlebug

Mothman wrote: »

Mod Note
Discussion of how to dispatch a cat is for another forum.

Referring back to the Mod note on page 1 of this thread I have deleted a few posts that are focused on methods of dispatch. I have also edited out some quotes focused on same.
Discusssion on the issues/ problems regarding feral cats is okay but specifics on methods of dispatch isn't for here.