Wild cat's

Gillo

Has anyone any experience of dealing with these?

Theres a very aggressive one in our estate at the moment and because of the way the bins are laid out (the bins are kept in cubicle's instead of each persons garden so it's a feast him most nights) there's no way he's gonna go. If you use a cage what do you do when you catch him? I don't want to just dump him ina different estate.
What would happen if I left a nice bowel of milk with some nasty chemicals (I assume rat poison would do the job)? I know he'd go to the big cat house in the sky, but what are the legal implications of getting rid of a pest.

Arcadian

Are you for real ?

Gillo

Rather a dead stray, mangy flea-ridden cat to my 3 year old getting attacked by it.

Ferrell cats are a very common problem.

Arcadian

Point taken, but you should also think about what your teaching your 3 year old about respect for life !

Start off by contacting one of the cat rescue organisations, such as Cats Aid, and ask them about trapping this cat. They will not kill the cat, but if you explain that it is in danger of being poisoned they will endeavour to relocate it to a safe environment.

Also talk to your neighbours, if the refuse bins not being closed to the point that they are providing food for a cat chances are they're attracting rats too, which presents a serious health risk to both children and adults.

The best thing to do is combine the two, ie ask that the cat be removed and then remove the source of food, otherwise another cat will simply move in.

Kêrmêttê

Call the DSPCA to come and rescue it. If not you could be liable to prosecution for cruelty to animals for poisoning it.
The DSPCA do destroy animals if they are not claimed within a certain time period, but at least they do it humanely and not poison the poor animals food/drink and let it limp off to die in a ditch somewhere which is what the OP has suggested! So cruel! :eek:

Kevin_rc_ie

gillo wrote:

Rather a dead stray, mangy flea-ridden cat to my 3 year old getting attacked by it.

Ferrell cats are a very common problem.

What's Will Ferrell's cats got to do with feral cats in irish suburbia. leave the cat alone.

wasted_winter

God that's awful!!!
I do understand your point about the cat & yes it is a pest but to put down bait so it can curl up and die of internal hemorrhaging?!?! That is really, really cruel. The animals death won't be fast - they could be ill for days or weeks before finally dying - if you use too little poison it may not work, you could seriously hurt the animal - and leave it in pain for the remainder of it's life - if you use too much poison A. the cat may not take to the bait and B. it may just regurgitate the poison... in which case you will just have a very ill cat on your hands.

If you contact your local spca they will do their best to remove the cat - if you tell them you believe it may become injured or, truthfully, posioned they will do their best to retrieve the animal asap. If they can't rehome the cat then they may have to put it to sleep - but at least that will be done in a humane manner (ie: painlessly, instantaneous and using the correct dosage).

Honestly - I think this cat may have become a pest - but it's not the problem. The problem is the way in which your rubbish is left. For all you know the presence of this cat may be the one thing that is keeping the rats and mice down - and when the cat goes you could end up with one hell of a problem. Which is worse - a feral cat or a wild rat? I think if you do plan to call the spca about the cat then you should seriously think about taking some action regarding the rubbish - speak to your neighbours aswell - rats and mice won't differenciate between the boundry for your house or your neighbours - and you did say you have a child.

Please don't harm the cat yourself, call the spca - if they can't come out straight away ask them for some other numbers to try (they'll have plenty of other protection groups contact details who will be more than happy to help). Also, try to find out if it is a feral cat... it may belong to a neighbour in the general area.

Finally - sort out your bins - you have to admit that it is the bin that is the root of the problem & you really can't blame the cat for sourcing some available food.

CookieCat

Do the decent thing and contact a welfare organization. You can be prosecuted for poisoning any animal. You could also poison a curious child, even your own by even thinking about leaving rat poisoning down. What if the rain washed the poison into an area where you child was playing and or it was carrier on someone shoes.Many groups will only neuter/spay and give advice on how to be responsible....The bins do sound like an encouragement for the cat. Be aware that if that cat is removed, others will probably take it's place. Some groups for a fee will remove the cat and humanely PTS. That is up to you.
Feral cats are a problem that all cat welfare groups are adressing, the problem won't go away soon, but with public co-operation and education of SPAY/NEUTERING we are working towards a long term programme.Feral cats are a human responsibility, if people looked after and neutered their own cats we would not be facing this pandemic problem.