Cat Hunt

[rkmsuf]

Saddle up!

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Cat hunt to face big fight
Monday's vote only a first step
Associated Press
April 13, 2005

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Feral cats feed in Anoka, Minn. A new Wisconsin plan would declare free-roaming wild cats an unprotected species, just like skunks or gophers. (AP photo)
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A plan to legalize wild cat hunting in Wisconsin passed its first test, but it has a long way to go to become law. Some key officials and cat lovers say they won't let that happen.


State residents at Wisconsin Conservation Congress meetings Monday night voted to allow hunters to kill feral cats at will, just like skunks or gophers - something the Humane Society of the United States called cruel and archaic.

A total of 6,830 people across the state voted yes and 5,201 voted no. Fifty-one counties approved the plan, 20 rejected it, and one had a tie, according to results released Tuesday evening by the Department of Natural Resources. In Dane County, attendees at the Alliant Energy Center session voted against the proposal, 881-388.

In order for the idea to become a law, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board would have to decide at its May meeting to order the Department of Natural Resources to ask the Legislature to support the change. Lawmakers would have to then pass a bill and get Gov. Jim Doyle to sign it.

Some key Republican legislators are already signaling that the idea is a non-starter.




Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, co-chairman of the Legislature's powerful Joint Finance Committee, said Tuesday he will "work against any proposed legislation to legalize the shooting of feral cats."

And Sen. Neal Kedzie, chairman of the Natural Resources and Transportation committee, said the issue "is a distraction from the main tasks we have at hand."

"I don't see a whole lot of momentum for it," said Kedzie, R-La Grange. "It's not the responsibility of the DNR to regulate cats."

The congress, a citizens group that advises the Wisconsin DNR, is considered a strong lobby on behalf of the state's hunters, but members were met by a coalition of cat lovers outraged by the plan proposed by Mark Smith, a La Crosse firefighter. Smith had faced death threats - and the clout of several national animal rights groups that denounced his idea.

Smith proposed that the state should classify wild cats as an unprotected species. The proposal defined such cats as those not under the owner's direct control or wandering by itself without a collar and noted that "feral domestic cats killed millions of small mammals, song and game birds" every year.

Smith and supporters argued that the cats were an invasive species that hurt Wisconsin's wildlife. South Dakota and Minnesota both allow wild cats to be shot. Some estimates indicate 2 million wild cats roam Wisconsin. The state says studies show feral cats kill 47 million to 139 million songbirds a year.

Opposition undeterred: Ted O'Donnell, who gathered more than 19,000 signatures in an online petition to oppose the plan said he doesn't plan to give up fighting against the idea.

"I can assure you that the campaign is undeterred and we will still be working tirelessly to defeat this in whatever form it takes," said O'Donnell, who is co-owner of MadCat Pet Supplies in Madison.

Kris Aaron, a dressmaker in Jefferson County who has adopted six cats dumped near her farm, is urging all sides of the debate to reduce the stray cat population by getting more of them spayed and neutered. She is starting a countywide program to trap, neuter and release stray cats.

"If you really care about our songbirds, if you want to see fewer stray, unloved cats, if you don't want to be overrun with rodents, if you don't want to be called pet-killers, let's work together to fix this problem," she said.

At the Monday meetings around the state, animal lovers held pictures of cats, clutched stuffed animals and wore whiskers as they denounced the plan. In the face of such strong opposition, few hunters publicly spoke in favor of the question and instead let their votes speak for themselves.

Even Karen Hale, executive director of the Madison Audubon Society, one of the largest pro-bird groups in the country with 2,500 members, said she voted no. While the cats have reduced the population of birds in the state, she said the question was too controversial.

"The whole issue of possibly hunting them is so controversial and there has been so much misinformation that we really need a lot more discussion on this issue," Hale said. She called for another study looking at the impact of feral cats.

hxxp://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/index.php?ntid=35956

[Drake]

This is good for America. No doubt about it.

[Bee]

This would definitely strengthen my pro-gun views.

[Drake]

Cats are the face of evil in postmodern America.

[Drake]

dola...

I shouldn't say that. I love cats.














In soup, I mean.

[st.cronin]

This is the stupidest thing ever. The only people who want to shoot cats are people who already do so with impunity. Whether this becomes law or not makes zero difference. Talk about a waste of everybody's time.

[Ksyrup]

I think you are underestimating the number of people who shoot cats without impunity. It's a bigger group than you might think.

[Bee]

Too bad they are limiting it to cats. Any animal running free should be fair game.

[Drake]

Too bad they are limiting it to cats. Any animal running free should be fair game.

Except turtles. And fish in barrels.

[Schmidty]

Shoot my cats. I dare you motherfuckers. I'll tear you limb-from-fucking-limb. Slowly. I will make sure that you suffer, and I will enjoy it.

I don't have outdoor cats, but that's mostly because there are coyotes here. My two cats are just as much a part of my family as our two dogs are. They are just as smart, sweet, playful and loving as our Rotty and our Collie. The only bad cats that I have ever met were cats that were abused or ignored by fucks like you people.

My cats are a part of my family. I porotect my family. If one of my cats were to accidently slip out and get shot by some fucking redneck who lacks empathy, I will lose all empathy for him as well.

[judicial clerk]

Shoot my cats. I dare you motherfuckers. I'll tear you limb-from-fucking-limb. Slowly. I will make sure that you suffer, and I will enjoy it.

I don't have outdoor cats, but that's mostly because there are coyotes here. My two cats are just as much a part of my family as our two dogs are. They are just as smart, sweet, playful and loving as our Rotty and our Collie. The only bad cats that I have ever met were cats that were abused or ignored by fucks like you people.

My cats are a part of my family. I porotect my family. If one of my cats were to accidently slip out and get shot by some fucking redneck who lacks empathy, I will lose all empathy for him as well.

I will just put you down as "undecided"

[Drake]

Shoot my cats. I dare you motherfuckers. I'll tear you limb-from-fucking-limb. Slowly. I will make sure that you suffer, and I will enjoy it.

I don't have outdoor cats, but that's mostly because there are coyotes here. My two cats are just as much a part of my family as our two dogs are. They are just as smart, sweet, playful and loving as our Rotty and our Collie. The only bad cats that I have ever met were cats that were abused or ignored by fucks like you people.

My cats are a part of my family. I porotect my family. If one of my cats were to accidently slip out and get shot by some fucking redneck who lacks empathy, I will lose all empathy for him as well.

If you love your cats enough to have them tagged properly, then your cats shouldn't be at risk.

I believe this legislation is about taking care of the nuisance cat problem, not declaring open season on cats in general.

[Surtt]

The only bad cats that I have ever met were cats that were abused or ignored by fucks like you people.



They are not bad they are wild. Born and raised without any contact with humans. Unless kittens have LOTS of contact with humans at a young age they will never be tame.

[Schmidty]

If you love your cats enough to have them tagged properly, then your cats shouldn't be at risk.

I believe this legislation is about taking care of the nuisance cat problem, not declaring open season on cats in general.

You are the nuisance. You lack empathy for living creatures.

My cats have collars, are "tagged", and are indoors most of the time. But if people like you get the opportunity to shoot cats, they won't give a shit if they are tagged or not. They know that all they'd have to say is "oops" and get a slap on the wrist.

Here's an idea for trigger-happy jack-asses: Instead of shooting the cats, why don't you trap them (which I'm sure would be just as much fun for the general redneck) and then turn them into the Humane Society to have them fixed or adopted? I know the "answer": Why should I have to? In other words, "Why should I have to give up the opportunity for target practice?"

Look, I am from a small farm in Schoolcraft, MI. My aunt and uncle are still THE main dairy farm in SW Michigan. I am a fisherman (although I release), and I am not against deer-hunters since they are a TRUE nuisance AND they are actually consumed. But this whole idea of leagally shooting cats is a farce. I'm done talking about it here, as I get a bit too emotional, but intellectually I think it's a joke as well. There are better solutions than killing these creatures.

[Schmidty]

They are not bad they are wild. Born and raised without any contact with humans. Unless kittens have LOTS of contact with humans at a young age they will never be tame.

Not true.

My tabby was about 1 year old when we got him as a feral cat. It took some work (love), but he is one of the coolest, sweetest cats I have ever known now.

[JeeberD]

I hate you all. :mad:

Except for Schmidty. He's cool...

[Surtt]

Not true.

My tabby was about 1 year old when we got him as a feral cat. It took some work (love), but he is one of the coolest, sweetest cats I have ever known now.


I've never heard of such a thing, unless the cat was tame and went feral.

I grew up on a farm with lots of cats and kittens.
My experience was, that unless you started handling the kittens before their eyes were open, they never got tame enough to be pets.
I'm not a cat taming expert, its just my experience.

[damnMikeBrown]

My cat was feral for over 5 years...he roamed the neighborhood, but was never anybody's pet. He did not have contact with people, and in fact ran from them.

He is one of the greatest friends I have. He is an amazingly affectionate and loving cat, but it took some time.

Schmidty is moving way up on the good guy list.

[Schmidty]

I've never heard of such a thing, unless the cat was tame and went feral.

I grew up on a farm with lots of cats and kittens.
My experience was, that unless you started handling the kittens before their eyes were open, they never got tame enough to be pets.
I'm not a cat taming expert, its just my experience.

It took me about 2 months to actually get the cat (Toby) to allow me to actually touch him while he was lapping milk and eating the food I put out for him. I took it slow, but after a little bit (maybe a week) I was able to get him to sit on my lap on the back porch. At that point, I took him to the HS, had him fixed, checked and immunized for feline AIDs, and then allowed him into the faimly. The adjustment was a little tough for my other cat (Sauron) and our two dogs, but it worked out great in the end. He's my little tag-along buddy now.

[st.cronin]

Unless kittens have LOTS of contact with humans at a young age they will never be tame.

Pure myth. My GF and I have four cats here, and two of them were feral until adulthood. Today they are remarkably well behaved and loving.

[Franklinnoble]

http://www.sportaction.gr/media/images1/TVACTION/Ianouarios2005/250_cat-gun.jpg

[Schmidty]

http://www.sportaction.gr/media/images1/TVACTION/Ianouarios2005/250_cat-gun.jpg

You add so much to FOFC. Actually, let me re-state that: We could replace you with a full-time sloth who simply types keywords into GIS. Bravo.

[Easy Mac]

config
Too bad they are limiting it to cats. Any animal running free should be fair game.
I'm going after Kobe and Robert Blake

[Schmidty]

Dola.

You're funny on occasion and hit a homerun. But not even an Gulf Coast League team wants a .150 hitting Rob Deer-clone on their team.

[Franklinnoble]

You add so much to FOFC. Actually, let me re-state that: We could replace you with a full-time sloth who simply types keywords into GIS. Bravo.
You've just described about 98% of the user base here.

Bravo.

[Schmidty]

You've just described about 98% of the user base here.

Bravo.

Oh my, but you are a "Miscreant". Self-requested, I might add. Shouldn't we hold you to a higher level?

[Airhog]

http://www.camchatting.com/play/everytimeyoumasturbategodkillsakitten.jpg
Your just need to masturbate more people, that is all

[Schmidty]

http://www.camchatting.com/play/everytimeyoumasturbategodkillsakitten.jpg
Your just need to masturbate more people, that is all

I like Fark.

Trying to make a child right now, so unfortunately no self-help for me!!!!

[Schmidty]

everyone has time for some self love schmidty

My sperm count, and my wife, disagrees. :(

[Airhog]

everyone has time for some self love schmidty

[Franklinnoble]

My sperm count, and my wife, disagrees. :(
I'd offer to help, but that'd probably be over the line, huh? ;)

[Kodos]

Pure myth. My GF and I have four cats here, and two of them were feral until adulthood. Today they are remarkably well behaved and loving.

My family has also tamed multiple wild cats. It takes patience, but it can be done. :)

Oh, and rkmsuf is an attention whore. How 'bout dem Lakers?!?

[lungs]

I've never shot a cat myself but living on a farm I think I can come to a logical conclusion on this subject.

Feral cats can pose great harm to the gene pool. In my experience we have a decent size population of tame and semi-tame cats on our farm.

The feral male cats need to either be tamed and castrated or shot once their offspring reach the age where they can reproduce. Once in a while we can get a tame male that is big/strong enough to fight off the dominant feral male that lives in the swamp. We gave a tame male one year of breeding before we castrated him and now he happily lives in the barn without worrying about fighting off other tom cats. Usually the feral ones will get their season of breeding in and nature will take care of them with the harsh winter conditions in the swamp. Once in a while there will be a male that survives but needs to be shot to keep a healthy gene pool.

You could argue that shooting him because he survived the winter has a negative impact on the gene pool until you see the offspring he has with his own daughters and sometimes granddaughters. If you've ever seen a large population of inbred cats, it ain't pretty.

[Franklinnoble]

If you've ever seen a large population of inbred cats, it ain't pretty.
I've never been to the University of Kentucky, but I'll take your word for it.

[Schmidty]

I've never shot a cat myself but living on a farm I think I can come to a logical conclusion on this subject.

Feral cats can pose great harm to the gene pool. In my experience we have a decent size population of tame and semi-tame cats on our farm.

The feral male cats need to either be tamed and castrated or shot once their offspring reach the age where they can reproduce. Once in a while we can get a tame male that is big/strong enough to fight off the dominant feral male that lives in the swamp. We gave a tame male one year of breeding before we castrated him and now he happily lives in the barn without worrying about fighting off other tom cats. Usually the feral ones will get their season of breeding in and nature will take care of them with the harsh winter conditions in the swamp. Once in a while there will be a male that survives but needs to be shot to keep a healthy gene pool.

You could argue that shooting him because he survived the winter has a negative impact on the gene pool until you see the offspring he has with his own daughters and sometimes granddaughters. If you've ever seen a large population of inbred cats, it ain't pretty.

So trap him, Superman. Then lop off his nuts. I know you can do it.....unless farmers in WI are just lazy.

[lungs]

So trap him, Superman. Then lop off his nuts. I know you can do it.....unless farmers in WI are just lazy.


Trap him, easier said than done. These cats truly are extremely wild. And they are not stupid either. Most of the cats around the farm that need to be castrated can be caught. There are a very small amount that live in the local swamp that only emerge to fornicate, if you would. These critters are a little too smart to fall for the trick any semi-tame cat would. That's why on the rare occasion that you see a swamp tom cat two years in a row you keep a rifle handy in case he comes up to do his business.

This was mainly a problem after our cats got completely inbred. Now the "gene management" is much easier as the tamer cats our stronger now and usually fight off the true ferals anyway. I don't think anybody has shot a feral on our farm in years.

They do a good enough job fighting and killing amongst themselves these days.

[Schmidty]

Trap him, easier said than done. These cats truly are extremely wild. And they are not stupid either. Most of the cats around the farm that need to be castrated can be caught. There are a very small amount that live in the local swamp that only emerge to fornicate, if you would. These critters are a little too smart to fall for the trick any semi-tame cat would. That's why on the rare occasion that you see a swamp tom cat two years in a row you keep a rifle handy in case he comes up to do his business.

This was mainly a problem after our cats got completely inbred. Now the "gene management" is much easier as the tamer cats our stronger now and usually fight off the true ferals anyway. I don't think anybody has shot a feral on our farm in years.

They do a good enough job fighting and killing amongst themselves these days.

So:

A) Keep your cats indoors for a year or two while trying to capture the "anxious males". First of all, those cats that you keep indoors WILL learn to appreciate people. Most importantly, the outdoor males that long to procreate will learn to be patient (and perhaps fall into your trap).

B) You shoot an "evil" male cat after all of ths. Why would you need your state government to interfere for your destruction? Peace of mind for murder? Come on man, I've been there. Asking the government to OK your unjustified killing is not cause for justification.

[lungs]

So:

A) Keep your cats indoors for a year or two while trying to capture the "anxious males". First of all, those cats that you keep indoors WILL learn to appreciate people. Most importantly, the outdoor males that long to procreate will learn to be patient (and perhaps fall into your trap).

B) You shoot an "evil" male cat after all of ths. Why would you need your state government to interfere for your destruction? Peace of mind for murder? Come on man, I've been there. Asking the government to OK your unjustified killing is not cause for justification.


A) Keeping the cats inside for a year or two is not an option. I don't want 15-20 cats running around the house. Keep in mind that a lot of these aren't completely tame.

These aren't really pets either. None of them have names and they are mainly around to kill mice if they serve any purpose at all. I have my own pet cat at home. Plus we don't even live on the farm.

B) I've never said I was in favor of what the Conservation Congress voted for. I personally think it is a waste of time. Governor Doyle has already said it'll never get through the legislature. People who shoot cats are going to shoot them whether it is legal or illegal. There are other more worthwhile things to be spending time on. Like I said, I personally have never shot a cat myself so this makes no difference to me. The population on our farm is stable genetically for the most part. In fact, a good portion of last fall's kittens made it through the winter. I was recently home and saw a new batch had one casualty so far.

Besides the fresh milk every morning and 50 pound bag of cat food they tear into and eat straight out of the bag, we pretty well let nature take its course. The males have all been castrated (we do it ourselves) so I don't even know where this year's batch of kittens came from.

[SegRat]

I voted yes!

[sterlingice]

You've just described about 98% of the user base here.

Bravo.
I'm just glad no one has noticed that at least half of my posts are either from GIS or SNPP (double checked for correct Simpsons accuracy).

SI

[illinifan999]

Just another reason why wisconsin is a horrible state.

[st.cronin]

Just another reason why wisconsin is a horrible state.

Hey now.

Minnesota passed this law before us...

[rkmsuf]

What the heck is the big deal. If the cats really cared they'd learn to take up arms. Obviously it's a non issue in the cat community.

[lungs]

Just another reason why wisconsin is a horrible state.

Come on, now. I actually cheered for Illinois in the national championship. I may reconsider supporting FIBs in the future after that comment.

[Franklinnoble]

What the heck is the big deal. If the cats really cared they'd learn to take up arms. Obviously it's a non issue in the cat community.
I think some cats care...

http://www.franklyspeakingtheamx.com/dogsniper.jpg

[rkmsuf]

See, there's a survivor. A role model for the cat community.

[Craptacular]

My cats have collars, are "tagged", and are indoors most of the time. But if people like you get the opportunity to shoot cats, they won't give a shit if they are tagged or not. They know that all they'd have to say is "oops" and get a slap on the wrist.
Spot on. You think some hick up nort der hey is going to look if the cat has a collar? Or care even if they do? I've lived in this state my whole life, and I know there are way too many of my fellow citizens who would have nothing better to do than shit like this (see this article (http://www.channel3000.com/news/4378898/detail.html)). Oh well, it's never going to pass anyway.

[Ksyrup]

http://www.addictinggames.com/kittencannon.html

[duckman]

355 ft.

[albionmoonlight]

586 ft.

Seems to be a lot of luck involved in that game.

[Wolfpack]

1221, chumps.

[Ksyrup]

I'm glad to see I got this thread going in a direction that will unite us all - in our quest for the highest score, anyway. :D

[Subby]

The parody possibilities for this thread are off the freaking charts.

Okay, the parody possibility. :D

[Ksyrup]

1298!!

The trick is to shoot it at a moderately low trajectory and hope you hit an explosion or two right away, because that'll send him long and far, with the forward momentum he's got from the low trajectory.

[Wolfpack]

1568

[Ksyrup]

I just got 1368. At one point I hit 100 feet in the air.

[Schmidty]

The parody possibilities for this thread are off the freaking charts.

Okay, the parody possibility. :D

Hat Cunt?

[st.cronin]

I'm looking for a link, but it's been brought to my attention that the gentleman who proposed this legislation was once actually shot by a cat.

Not sure if it's true - but I definitely HOPE it is.