# Feral Cats



## Ringneck (Jul 2, 2000)

What is the law in regard to someone releasing feral cats?

I have had trouble before with unowned cats hanging around my bird feeders and just chased them away with a water hose. Since then I have learned that someone in the neighborhood is retrieving cats from the local shelter spaying them and then turning them loose.

In this area up here they don't last long before a coyote, fox, pine marten or bobcat has themselves a meal but I still think there should be something to stop this practice.


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## DuckMan (Jan 18, 2000)

Why would someone get a cat from the shelter, pay to spay them and then turn them loose? Did they think that helps the cats?!?

Weirdos.

Cats are sooooo destructive. Good luck.


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## predatordave (Feb 24, 2003)

weirdos is right. you should live trap them and call the dog catcher to come and get them because they are not your cats and they are on your land. hopefully the person will show up at the shelter and see the cat that they just let go back in there and catch on it is a stupid idea.

later, dave


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## rabbit whacker (Jan 22, 2003)

So you are saying the animal shelters will let someone take cats to let them go wild and if someone wants a dog and says they will use it for hunting, they can't get it. Stupid. Someone who pays to spay/neuter a cat and then lets it go is a moron.


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## Beave (Aug 26, 2002)

That's the humane society for you. A friend of my dad's picked up beagle there that had a flouresant orange hunting collar on. He made the mistake of commenting to the woman workign there that "with a collar like that I bet he's trained to hunt".

They wouldn't let him adopt the dog. He had to send his wife back the next day to pick it up. The humane society is so stupid.,

BTW, the dog was trained. Nice little short-legged variety of beagle, great rabbit dog. Comes when you call it, even off a track it's barking.


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## Ringneck (Jul 2, 2000)

I agree that it is a dumb thing to do and is probably not accomplishing what they want.

However I still would like to know if it is against the law or are they within their legal rights?

I have tried to get a CO to give me an answer but so far have not received a response.


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## Mr. 16 gauge (Jan 26, 2000)

I'm not an attorney, but it seems to me that if this is indeed the case (turning cats loose in the wild), then a case can be made for abandonment (with resulting animal cruelty charges). Just MHO, FWIW


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## Beave (Aug 26, 2002)

I'd agree with Mr. 16 Gauge. These are not barn cats that're practically half-wild. Some of them may be declawed. They may have spent their entire lives as indoor cats up until the point of being tossed into the wild by this person. To release them into the wild would constitute abandonment.

Since they aren't legally protected by law I'd start mounting cat pelts on a tree facing this neighbor's house until they get the point.


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

There are a lot of issues with feral cats and unfortunately there is no law governing any type of feral, barn or pet cats like there is for dogs with the exception of cruelty to animals. It would be wise to use extreme caution. "Not protected by law" maybe, maybe not, depending how you look at it and the interpetation. There also is no law that states the season for feral cats is this date to that date. Since there is no season for the wild??? feral cat then that indicates some protection to me. If it is not wild then it is someone's property. I agree with much stated above and people who abandon an animal, any domestic animal should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.


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## mickey (Sep 25, 2000)

How can one tell the difference between a house cat out and about and a feral cat?


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## boehr (Jan 31, 2000)

Excellent question Mickey, most of the time you can't.


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## mickey (Sep 25, 2000)

Thats what I figured. Thanks Boehr!  

I have 2 indoor cats and if somehow they got out and somebody shot one....they are like people in my life and I'd basically flip out. I understand the problem with feral cats and their effect on the ecosystem but we need to then look at animal control and not take the law into our own hands. Some of those cats are our friends out here.


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## Ringneck (Jul 2, 2000)

Thank you for the reponse. I guess that the only thing I can do is live trap them and hope that they get tired of picking them up at the pound or broke. 

There should be a way of keeping them off of my property short of getting a court order.

I have reason to suspect that there is some cooperation with the animal control office and I have wanted to avoid going to the county commission until I have more evidence but may just ask if they can come up with a solution so I can enjoy watching the birds in my back yard.


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## Zofchak (Jan 10, 2003)

I hate feral cats. If it was up to me I would treat them just as I would nuisance raccoons and opossums. They are very destructive to surrounding wildlife and rarely controlled.


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## mickey (Sep 25, 2000)

Racoons and opossums are wildlife.


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