I love cats but I feel like I want to kill a few

seensensee · 28-10-2010 09:32PM #1

Strange but true, you see a few rogues are causing problems and action needs to be taken or else my cat is going to wind up dead.
A visit to the vet (not the first) costing €57 is sufficient for administering antibiotics which deal with the infections due from nasty bites and scratches however my cat lay in a broken heap for three days and now limps around the house without any inclination to go outside.

Of course my cat will get better and venture out again in time but for what? to get ripped, shredded and thrashed again, I don't think so. Two predator cats have been identified, one is feral the other is kept and they need to be dealt with.
Obviously killing them is not a rational solution and so I will endeavour to trap them, the feral will be driven well out of town and released while the kept cat... will be brought to the vet and neutered :eek:. Well that's the plan anyhow and I shall be collecting the trap in the morning.

I hope the kept cats owner does'nt mind. mind you they probably won't even notice.

Zapperzy · 30-10-2010 08:15PM

To be honest if that were my cat I would be very very angry. There is that tiny fraction of a chance that there may be a genuine reason for not neutering him (heart problem, kidney problem), what happens if something goes wrong and the cat dies during surgery, are you going to approach the owner and tell them that their cat is dead? Who is going to keep an eye on the stitches in case they get infected? Does the vet actually know the cat doesn't belong to you? As annoying as roaming cats are you cannot go around bringing people's pets in for surgical procedures, how would you feel if someone brought your cat in and neutered him? If something were to go wrong would you expect the other person to pay out for more treatment to correct what went wrong?

As for moving the feral cat there are things to consider before just moving him, is the area actually safe where you are moving him? Are you moving him into another colonies territory (he most likely won't be accepted and it'l just end in a fight and him roaming around to find a territory of his own again or moving back to your area)? Is there a food source? The reason for him hanging around your area is probably there is a food source whether if be a neighbour feeding him or a plentiful supply of mice, rats etc., move him to a new area where there is no food source and the poor thing will probably just starve. Feral cats in Ireland live a horrible cruel life, most never see a vet so any injuries go untreated (I once met a poor cat that had broken it's leg but it set at a right angle facing towards it's body because nobody had thought to bring it to a vet

), they are often riddled with parasites such as worms and fleas, they fight spreading FIV and usually never reach much past their third birthday. The kinder thing for him is to neuter him and release him back into the same area, treat him for fleas, worms etc. while he is being neutered. Once neutered he will not go on to reproduce, won't fight as much and will keep other feral cat colonies off his turf.

The easist and safest option for your cat is to keep him inside and spray the other cats with a water gun when ever they hang around your house. Indoor cats on average live much longer anyways, they also cost less in vet's fees because they don't be outside to get into fights or get hit by cars.

ppink · 30-10-2010 09:10PM

lol!! how do know it is these "rogue" cats and not your cat that is causing the friction? Are you going to eliminate ever other cat that interferes with your cat?

we took on 2 dogs some years ago and one used to systematically try to kill the other. It took us ages to realise it was actually the attackee who used to start the fights!

doctor evil · 30-10-2010 10:43PM

TBH this is what happens when cats are allowed to roam.

The owners of the unneutered cat, do they care about him. They may pay part of your bill. I would go to them and talk to them about the benefits of getting it neutered. If he can't be neutered he should never have been let out.

If the owners aren't bothered/not likely to miss him than it may be easier to get the two put down at the vets. I would not trap and ditch the feral elsewhere as it is just passing the problem, also, the feral could come back. A hunter may shoot the feral for you if you are somewhere suitable out in the sticks, may not do the owned one if it has a collar etc. If you are worried about the shot not being accurate (it can happen) than use the humane and pts at the vets.

A lot of cat owners need to own up and realise that their pets can be a nuisance to others.

Cherry Blossom · 30-10-2010 11:25PM

You can't complain about roaming cats causing a nuicence of themselves while freely letting your own do the same. It is your responsiblity to keep you own cat on your property. You have 3 options, let your cat roam and suffer the concequences that come from letting your pet wander, cat proof your garden which will keep your own cat in and others out, or you can keep your own cat in the house.

Discodog · 31-10-2010 12:07AM

If you decided to neuter the stray you will have to keep it until the Vet agrees that it is OK to release. It would be much better to maybe offer a local rescue a donation so that they could do this. The stray may well of been just like your cat once.

There are no "predator" cats - unless you are a bird or mouse. These animals are behaving like cats - it's not their fault. You could approach the owner or send them the Vet bill. There is no legal requirement in Ireland to control a cat - but they might not know this.

Should you decide to lie to a Vet & neuter a cat, knowing who it belonged to, then you could end up in serious grief. It could be deemed as cruelty ie causing unnecessary suffering. You could even end up being banned from keeping animals - including your own cat.

Orla K · 31-10-2010 02:11PM

Is this not all part of keeping a cat and the indoor/outdoor debate(cat being attacked/injured, not neutered someone elses cat)

I've thought loads about that debate and had kept my cats indoor only, then Oscar started wanting to go outside and I gave in let him out for a few hours druing the day, took as much precausions as I could (inc a reflective collar) one day he never came home, I eventually found him hiding, starving and scared after being hit by a car. I didn't look for the car that hit him and take the air out of the tyres to they couldn't run over any other cat, I didn't put a big sign up on the road with a picture of Oscar after the operation with his amputated leg beside him in the hope that whoever hit him would feel guility. That would be insane, likewise neutered someone elses cat would be insane.
As for the feral cat, are you sure it's feral because Oscar acts feral around alot of people(and I mean jumping in the air spinning around with nails out and then somehow running away mid air while making banshe noises kinda feral) You could be getting someones cat who may have had a bad experience with people to make it scared of strangers and taking it away from it's owners and home and dumping it in a strange place.

Just either live with it, keep your cat indoors or secure your garden(if you have one) from cats getting in or out.

Whispered · 31-10-2010 04:13PM

OP I used to have a problem with a cat coming into my house through any open window, eating my cats food and fighting with them. He used to spray all over the house too. Cheeky little thing would be in my cats bed at the top of the stairs and not allowing them into it. I didn't mind the food, but the fighting and spraying was a problem. I trapped him and stuck a collar with a note on it. Telling the owners what had been going on. It stopped

I'd advise keeping your cat on your own property. You can't really blame cats for being cats. I do understand your frustration though and it's horrible to see your pet hurt.

seensensee · 01-11-2010 10:36PM

Whispered!! you got it it. The rogue kept cat is quite fearless and has been coming in through the open window, I heard noise downstairs and there was fur flying, shocking stuff.
The feral has been causing a lot of fights and it is because he has already crippled and thrashed a local friendly cat (I had to bring it to the vet for the long sleep) that I feel it needs stopping. The feral has to go, his face is crisscrossed with scratches, it's fighting all the way.

Thanks to the advice here i shall refrain from getting the other one snipped but it may be best to trap him at my backdoor and try place a collar with a note around his neck.

Cheers.

adser53 · 01-11-2010 10:43PM

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

You can't complain about roaming cats causing a nuicence of themselves while freely letting your own do the same. It is your responsiblity to keep you own cat on your property. You have 3 options, let your cat roam and suffer the concequences that come from letting your pet wander, cat proof your garden which will keep your own cat in and others out, or you can keep your own cat in the house.

Could'nt agree more!

seensensee · 02-11-2010 12:16AM

The thing is that back home there have been 7-8 cats who lived over a 30 year period without any hassle, in fact some of the neighbourhood cats congregate and socialise to some extent.
Here in my new location it's different, most cats are very wary of each other and seem to give themselves a hard time, I've been witness to a few fights and it looks really nasty, it's particularly shocking when you are standing in your own garden with your cat nearby when a feral bruiser jumps from the next door undergrowth and gives chase. Last year I paid one vets bill of €150 because the cat I brought was so sick from battle injuries.
Sure, I'll keep paying vet bills when necessary but I can't be providing claw fodder for brutal bully cats either.

boomerang · 02-11-2010 12:24AM

Unless you're going to send the feral cat somewhere that you know he has a reliable food source, then I think it would actually be kinder to have him put to sleep at the vets. Besides, if you're going to release him elsewhere, un-neutered, it's passing the problem onto someone else. He'll continue to fight his corner and he'll continue to breed. As a feral tom it's quite possible he has FIV and is passing it on with every bite.

Most animal rescue groups have humane cat traps that they lend to the public. If this lad has somewhere safe to go, do have him tested for FIV/FeLV and neutered first. I know you're probably not feeling well disposed to him right now after he hurt your own cat, but as a cat-lover, it is the right thing to do. If you let us know which county you're in I might be able to arrange some help in trapping and relocating him. I'll say it again though - don't just drive a few miles away and release him. That's tantamount to cruelty. It'd be far more humane in that circumstance to have him put to sleep, particularly if he has FIV or FeLV and is not neutered.

seensensee · 02-11-2010 06:10PM

Thanks boomerang, My understanding was to let the feral cat off in a forest location where it could do some hunting and let it make the choice to return to the uncertainties of human settlement.

I've been in contact with the local animal welfare society and they have offered to supply the cage, once caught then maybe it's best to let them decide what is the best course because when faced with it I don't want to put down an able bodied animal who has a right to it's life even if it's been causing grief in my area.

Deeanimallover · 03-11-2010 12:01AM

Drive the feral cat out the country and let him off? Make him someone else's problem? Ive been on the recieving end (and so has my cat) of someone dumping 3 huge feral toms near my house who used to rip my cat to shreds - also cost me hundreds in the vets with infected bites etc so please do not make your problem someone else's! Ring your local animal shelter, a lot of them take in feral cats coz surprisingly some people (farmers etc) actually look to home feral cats to keep rats & mice at bay - they would be of course nuetered first which would lessen their tendency to fight.

I love cats but I feel like I want to kill a few

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