[Lurker1]

Candys away so I can post this.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Hunting feral cats could become legal in the US state of Wisconsin, after a firefighter's proposal won a vote in statewide conservation hearings marked by emotional testimony from cat lovers and from proponents who said cats kill millions of birds each year.

Passed late Tuesday by a vote of 6,830 to 5,201, the measure, proposed by a firefighter who has since received death threats, found support in rural areas of the northern state and opposition in cities, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.


It asked whether the estimated one million wild cats living in Wisconsin should be classified as an unprotected species and become targets for hunters.


Around 13,000 people attended the hearings, which saw some feline fanciers sporting cat costumes, complete with whiskers, while others clutched photographs of their pets, branding the measure's supporters as barbarians.


Although it was approved in this hunter-friendly state of 5.3 million inhabitants, the measure could take up to a year to become law, as it must be approved by the Conservation Congress, the state Natural Resources Board and Wisconsin lawmakers, who up to now have steered clear of the issue.


"They have won the day, but they haven't won the final fight," said Ted O'Donnell, a Madison pet store owner who has helped lead opposition to the proposal. "We will keep fighting it at every step of the way."

I have had a few wild cats around my house last year (I live in the surburbs) So I know where this is coming from. Seems like there are too many cats.

Farmers shoot some of them on sight to protect their animals. So what do you think?

More information on cats and the damage they cause here.
http://whyfiles.org/086urban_critter/

[ChavaGata]

I saw that on the news this morning

[WarC]

I can't believe this motion passed in Wisconsin when voted on, but it looks like it is far from being put into law.

IMO, domestic cats are our problem because we put them there. If the cat population becomes a problem we only have ourselves to blame. We should trap and neuter feral cats in the wild. It would be a crime to make cats open for hunting. I have two cats and neither one wears a collar because they don't like having one on them, they will try to tear it off. I do not want to worry about what might happen to one of my cats if it got out, because it wasn't properly identified and seen as a "feral" cat, even though both are neutered.

Unlike hunting other types of game animals, hunting cats serve no purpose that cannot be solved some other way....Especially since wild cats tend to stay around populated areas.

Heck, if the wild cat population gets out of hand, "feral" cats could be tracked and caught by trained professionals and euthanized en masse. That would be a small crime in its own IMO but it would help clear up the issue better than handing Joe Blow a rifle and telling him its "Fluffy Season"...

[bassetman]

"Candys away so I can post this. "

She'll be back soon!

[valley]

Originally Posted by WarC

Unlike hunting other types of game animals, hunting cats serve no purpose that cannot be solved some other way...

True but the issue of population control is a valid one to consider, imo. I'd rather see a cat shot than have it wandering around starving. And Lord knows that our animal shelters are already filled to the brim with unwanted cats.

Heck, if the wild cat population gets out of hand, "feral" cats could be tracked and caught by trained professionals and euthanized en masse. That would be a small crime in its own IMO but it would help clear up the issue better than handing Joe Blow a rifle and telling him its "Fluffy Season"...

Ah but who will pay for it? The simpler solution is to let Joe-blow pay for the ammo and declare open season, as barbaric as it seems.

My aunt lives on a farm and at one point had close to 100 cats that had been drop-offs or born to drop-offs. They half starved..she was getting free stale bread from a bread company and mixing it with cow's milk to try to help but she was sick over how bad they looked.

My stepfathers business is located at his home, which is an old farm with 3 large barns. They have taken 7 strays to the vet to have them fixed so far. Its 40 dollars for the males and $60 for the females. Its just not fair. But when you get overrun with cats, you have to do something! Luckily my mother has the financial means to get these cats fixed but not everyone can afford it. If the state set up a free clinic to have a stray cat spayed or neutered then I think more people would be willing to help. But not too many people are willing to dig into their wallets for a stray cat. I say for farmers and such, its better to end the cats life quickly and as humanely as possible than to have them live a life half starved as some of them do. And trust me...thats really hard for me to say because I am a huge cat lover.

[valley]

btw, I didnt vote since there was no option for my opinion.

I would consider it a neccessary evil if I had to, I guess.

[LANMaster]

Votes yes, (the first one), but it shouldn't be legal to club then into unconsciousness and skin them alive.

[Fidelista]

This is ironic!. I just visited a site along this subject line ---and laughed so hard, spit beer!!! .
Check it out >>>>> esp the recipes!!! >>> http://www.savetoby.com/
>>> >f

[Fidelista]

Maybe I should visit random more often? . It appears to be old news, but new to me! LOL!

[Lurker1]

Hi Fidelista

The domestic cats eating all the wild life is old news. The link I posted in the first post kind of covers it. Basically it says that in nature if there were the number of cats running around that we have now they would eat all the food up and starve therefore bringing the prey\preditor relation back in balance. Since people are feeding and housing the cats they will continute to reproduce and remain out of balance wiping out birds, rabbits etc.

The Wisconson vote about shooting wild cats is new news.

As for Toby the rabbit I think he's dinner. Some people will do anything to get a buck.


bassetman
"She'll be back soon!"

By then this post will have dropped out of sight so I'm safe.

Anyway I'm tired of politics and wanted to see what people would say about this subject.

Most of the posts so far have been thoughtfull and interesting with that extra bit of humor you find at this site.

[moonmist]

Never.....Ever...........Hunt the pretty kitties !!!!!!!

[MacFromOK]

Hey Lurker,

Originally Posted by Lurker1

As for Toby the rabbit I think he's dinner. Some people will do anything to get a buck.

Lol, wonder if this idea would work with a chicken...

Who's gonna know if he eats the rabbit or not anyway?

Cheers, Mac

[Fidelista]

Originally Posted by moonmist

Never.....Ever...........Hunt the pretty kitties !!!!!!!

You kill it---you eat it--I always say! >f

[moonmist]

Originally Posted by Fidelista

You kill it---you eat it--I always say! >f

........................

[angelize56]

Good news!

Wis. Governor Rejects Cat-Hunting Idea

Wed Apr 13, 7:41 PM ET Strange News - AP

BY RYAN J. FOLEY, Associated Press Writer

MADISON, Wis. - A proposal to legalize the killing of feral cats is not going to succeed, Gov. Jim Doyle said Wednesday.

"I don't think Wisconsin should become known as a state where we shoot cats," said Doyle, a Democrat who neither hunts nor owns a cat. "What it does is sort of hold us up as a state that everybody is kind of laughing at right now."

He told reporters his office had received calls from around the country denouncing a proposal adopted Monday at meetings of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, a public advisory group, that would classify wild, free-roaming cats as an unprotected species that kills song birds and other wildlife.

Outdoor enthusiasts approved the proposal 6,830 to 5,201 at Monday's spring hearings of the group.

The results get forwarded to the state Natural Resources Board for consideration, but any official action would have to be passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor.

Animal rights groups belittled the idea as inhumane and dangerous.

Doyle said he respects the Conservation Congress but "on this one I think everybody recognizes it's not going anywhere."

Some experts estimate that 2 million wild cats roam Wisconsin, and the state says studies show feral cats kill 47 million to 139 million songbirds a year.

South Dakota and Minnesota both allow wild cats to be shot.

Two state senators — Scott Fitzgerald and Neil Kedzie — had promised to do everything they can to keep the plan from becoming law.

Kedzie, who chairs the Natural Resources and Transportation Committee, called the issue "a distraction from the main tasks we have at hand."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ling_wild_cats