Disposing of feral cats

[newhue]

might be opening a can of worms here.

Recently watched show on telly that suggested Australia has an estimated 16 000 000 feral cats.
I went on a central Aus trip last year and saw plenty of cats. I'm lucky enough to be going back this year and thought I'd take the trap along and help out so to speak.

My pondery is what to do with it once it's caught. I initially thought a plastic garbage bag over the trap, then bag attached to exhaust.
I under stand this may offend some people, but if people desexed their cats to start perhaps the problem would not be as such.

Anyone have any humanish suggestions for disposal.

[dullbird]

I would be asking the welfare orginisation in that state what is the most humane way of destruction. what you dont want to do is take advice from a load of internet experts and then find yourself in trouble because someone dobs you in.

I personally believe for feral cats its shooting. because to trap a feral cat is extremely stressful and they often injure themselves.

you also possibly may need to be careful in that while feral cats are considered pests I'm pretty sure in NSW you still need to a licensed pest controller to be able to kill them for pest reasons

[Mick_Marsh]

Stick a big sti9cik up it's butt and cook it over the campfire.

Mmmmmm......

I caught one a few years back. The local vet disposed of it.

[chazza]

if you use a cage-trap you won't hurt the cat, but the only quick way to kill it humanely would be to shoot it in the head, or heart; or if you have it in your hands, blunt-force-trauma to the back of the head where the neck joins.

As Dullbird says; check that you are allowed to do any of those things first and if so, why not do it legally and be a licenced, volunteer, feral destroyer.

I commend you for caring about the issue and wanting to do something about it - the amount of destruction cats do to wildlife especially in arid areas defies belief!

Cheers Charlie

[Freestyler]

Dullbird is right. On a topic like this someone WILL get offended and dob you in. However a diesel exhaust wont kill a cat, needs to be petrol. If you have permission to shoot on a property it is legal to shoot any feral animal, as I do. Tim

[mikehzz]

That sounds like a very unpleasant way to pass the time for very little overall effect. Probably like me trying to make the place better....I like to pick up as much used toilet paper as I can from outback camps where people can't be bothered doing the right thing.

[123rover50]

might be opening a can of worms here.

Recently watched show on telly that suggested Australia has an estimated 16 000 000 feral cats.
I went on a central Aus trip last year and saw plenty of cats. I'm lucky enough to be going back this year and thought I'd take the trap along and help out so to speak.

My pondery is what to do with it once it's caught. I initially thought a plastic garbage bag over the trap, then bag attached to exhaust.
I under stand this may offend some people, but if people desexed their cats to start perhaps the problem would not be as such.

Anyone have any humanish suggestions for disposal.

The exhaust trick does not work with diesels only petrols.
I carry a camp gun. Savage UO .22/.410 shotgun. It does the job very well It disturbs me that we are not encouraged to eliminate the things instead of making it harder for us.

[goingbush]

At home I usually put it in a hessian bag & tie it to the exhaust, but only works on petrol engine, they just go to sleep, cant get more humane than that.

[korg20000bc]

One of my friends just drops the cage into an appropriately deep body of water and retrieves a few minutes later.

[carlschmid2002]

I was just watching a kids show on telly about the Bilbys and how feral cats and foxes are destroying it. I for one believe that even if you take out one at a time you can make a difference. Sticking our heads in the sand and thinking it is someone else's problem wont work. Up here in Townsville I try to get rid of one cane toad at a time.

[goingbush]

posted in another thread, but none the less appropriate

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/


No doubt there are 18 million ferals, just a pity you never see them squished on the road like our poor roos, emus & lizards . At least you do see the odd occaisonal feral pig roadkill.

killing cats one at a time is fine by me,

[Sandgroper]

posted in another thread, but none the less appropriate

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=193058&d=1301379130


No doubt there are 18 million ferals, just a pity you never see them squished on the road like our poor roos, emus & lizards . At least you do see the odd occaisonal feral pig roadkill.

killing cats one at a time is fine by me,

This is why I hate them, as far as I'm concerned if they're not inside someone's home then they're fair game. Why is it the do gooders can show compassion to these things but do not seem at all concerned for the destruction to our native animals? Anyone who owns one of these things should only be able to own them on the proviso that they are kept indoors at all times.

[stallie]

Exactly. it's not just the ferals.

We have two domestic cats owned by someone in our street that wander past our block into the bush behind to hunt.

I've just got a good pic of one and am going to print it with a snotty letter and do a letterbox drop to all houses in the street.

As for the ferals, I recall disturbing a mum and three kittens in a termite mound in the remote NT. Mum ran off. The three kittens won't be killing any wildlife anymore.

[sheerluck]

This will always be a hugely emotive subject, whilst cat lovers are blinded by their love for their pets to the massive damage that even a single cat can do to it's local environment, saying things like "Oh little Flossie wouldn't do such a thing" as if they can see inside their cat's mind.....:mad:

They refuse to get their cat desexed "because it's cruel", instead they are happy to cover their eyes and ears when the damage to the local wildlife is mentioned.

It seems that shooting is the approved method, and there is a very detailed guide here: http://www.feral.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/CAT001_ground-shooting_web.pdf

[dr. occy]

What ever u do , dont take the thing out of the trap alive if they are like the ones I trap here in tassie they are incredibly vicious and more than likely diseased. A 22 in the head or throw the trap and cat in the drink

[Sandgroper]

I live in suburbia here in Perth but actively encourage the local frogs, lizards etc... Into my garden and lately I have disturbed a neighbours cat in my yard. I will not tolerate it, I have warned them that they need to restrict this creature to the inside of their house to be sure of its well being. I was a tour guide from Perth to Exmouth for eight years and used to Eliminate these things out bush as often as I could, I wouldn't hesitate to do the same down here if irresponsible owners show no respect for our native animals. Be it legal or otherwise to do so.

[olbod]

I hate feral and roaming cats.
We have abundent and beautiful wildlife around my place.
I regularly sets traps to catch cats, wish there was a bounty on them.
I have never met one that is tougher than a hammer.
If folks dont like that, STIFF.
Neighbours around the place keep replacing them, they will never learn.
I wish there was a bounty on them too.
All of the wild ducks and birds that come into my yard know me by name.
There is a couple of Willy wagtails and a pair of Finches that build a nest in my open back room every season and a pair of Plovers always bring their newborns into my yard to graze and a mob of Lorikeets live in my mango tree and give me a lot of cheek when I go into the yard. I give back as good as I get.

Cheers.

[austravel]

As far as humane for killing them,

- .22 with low velocity rounds. Nice and quiet, quick, and don't have to touch them.

- Blunt object over back of neck/head, such as shovel, axe, hammer.

- last resort, ring the neck. Works well for rabbits, however these cats are most likely invested with who knows what, and will more than likely put up a fight and scratch and bite, so a pair of riggers gloves would be handy.

But as someone said previously, i would check the local requirements for "removing" wild cats. Last thing you want is someone breathing down your neck whilst removing vermin.

[Roverlord off road spares]

This will always be a hugely emotive subject, whilst cat lovers are blinded by their love for their pets to the massive damage that even a single cat can do to it's local environment, saying things like "Oh little Flossie wouldn't do such a thing" as if they can see inside their cat's mind.....:mad:

They refuse to get their cat desexed "because it's cruel", instead they are happy to cover their eyes and ears when the damage to the local wildlife is mentioned.

It seems that shooting is the approved method, and there is a very detailed guide here: http://www.feral.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/CAT001_ground-shooting_web.pdf

A couple of paragraphs for the link,

To minimise the animal welfare implications of leaving
dependant kittens to die a slow death from starvation,
it is preferable not to undertake shooting when
females are lactating eg September to March in non-
urban habitats. There is a high probability that any
female cat over six months old that is caught during
this time will be pregnant or lactating.
•


If lactating
females are shot, efforts should be made
to find dependent kittens and kill them quickly and
humanely. Litters may be found near to the trap site
in the base of hollow tree trunks, among boulders etc
Now these rules about no shooting lactating females at certian times is half the problem. Before any one jumps at my throat about animal cruelty think of this. If the young are allowed to survive they then increase the population of feral cats maybe 6 fold, so where you had one feral cat, you now end up with possibly 7 of them, multiple that my the number of feral cats that are at age of breeding the number greatly increases. So native fauna is under threat by a bigger population.

Cruelty about letting baby animals starving, who is more important?

The feral cat and kittens or the nest of fledgelings, dying of starvation because a feral cat ate the foraging parents. Do birds feel less pain dying?
Is a feral cat more valuable than native wildlife?

[olbod]

But as someone said previously, i would check the local requirements for "removing" wild cats. Last thing you want is someone breathing down your neck whilst removing vermin.

I would not do this as it would only draw attention to myself.
I prefer to be quite and sneaky rather than put a bell around my neck !!!

[DeeJay]

When I was young ( not as street wise) a feral cat rewarded my kindness by stripping the skin off my index finger from the knuckle down to the tip.:twisted:
I've found the lead injected behind the ear to work. One I shot one night, as it was constantly howling, was a local alley cat in St Kilda & it ran 50m & dropped dead at my feet. They are tough critters..

[olbod]

PS: to the above.
Quiet and sneaky. Doh.

[DeeJay]

Yeah, sub sonic .22 :wasntme:

[austravel]

I would not do this as it would only draw attention to myself.
I prefer to be quite and sneaky rather than put a bell around my neck !!!

That's all well and good. And i am of the same belief. I think all shooters are like this. But i could just imagine killing them or trapping them in the wrong way, and someone seeing you, then handing you licence plate etc off to cops, then them looking for you etc etc. I guess what i'm really saying is, be cautious in who is around when it's done. Unfortunately there are a lot of sensitive people out there.

[sheerluck]

........ i would check the local requirements for "removing" wild cats. Last thing you want is someone breathing down your neck whilst removing vermin.

The blurb for QLD is here, though it's nowhere near as detailed as the previous link I put up:
http://www.daff.qld.gov.au/documents/Biosecurity_EnvironmentalPests/IPA-Feral-Cat-Ecology-PA26.pdf

It does have some info in there about poisoning and trapping though.

[justinc]

We used to live semi rural, our cat was only allowed out middle of the day, apart from venturing down burrows and reducing the bunny population she was too lazy to go hunting and chasing. We had some fantastic birdlife around the house. After we moved into town the cat is now a house cat. Goes out into the backyard only with supervision, literally!
I like cats, but I am more interested in wildlife so the cat is inside where the wildlife isn't. (Well, teenage children aside...)

It is up to the owners of said cats to be vigilant and responsible, the cat only knows about instinctive hunting and killing/ eating. It isn't their fault they are programmed for it.

I am hoping that a decent eradication program like this is developed for desert park feral cats ASAP, especially in remote areas where traffic, dogs and humans aren't able to reduce the cat population through attrition.

Island free of killer cats - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-06-01/island-free-of-killer-cats/2740610)



And one other point, the do gooders etc obviously haven't seen too many diseased, flea and tick ridden feral cats, that is no life for any animal. Humane destruction would be preferrable than allowing them to suffer in poor health and near starvation as they get weaker.


JC

[scarry]

There are heaps of them around in western Qld due to the increase in rain we have had the last couple of years.
It appears that 1080 seems to clean up the foxes,dingo,and wild dogs,but the cats won't take it.
The best way we clean them up is use a dog to sniff them out,and then they climb the nearest tree,or are outrun in the open,easily shot.We have a springer spaniel,which finds them easily,once on a scent,they never give up.

The other way is spotting at night,but with the dog we find is the most productive.

A mate of mine used to trap them,he would drop the trap into the dam to put an end to them,or shoot them in the trap.

[mikehzz]

We've got cats, my wife has a keen cat hobby. Nothing disgusts either of us more than cats roaming the streets and bush. Cat desexing should be compulsory for all pet cats not owned by registered breeders. Entire (non desexed) cats are the biggest pain in the arse to have around. Desexed cats are usually quite nice. My wife sells kittens but they are desexed before they leave us. I have gone to great expense having our backyard cat proofed with extra large wired in areas for the cats to get fresh air and exercise. There is NO place for cats in our bush. People are the cause of the problem, big surprise. The cats wear the consequences.

[justinc]

We've got cats, my wife has a keen cat hobby. Nothing disgusts either of us more than cats roaming the streets and bush. Cat desexing should be compulsory for all pet cats not owned by registered breeders. Entire (non desexed) cats are the biggest pain in the arse to have around. Desexed cats are usually quite nice. My wife sells kittens but they are desexed before they leave us. I have gone to great expense having our backyard cat proofed with extra large wired in areas for the cats to get fresh air and exercise. There is NO place for cats in our bush. People are the cause of the problem, big surprise. The cats wear the consequences.

Yes this is next on the agenda :(, indoors all the time isn't healthy for them.

JC

[korg20000bc]

I saw an interesting documentary on feral cats in Australia.
They suggested that the cat has been present in Australia from at least the same times as dingos having been introduced through Asia rather than Europe.
The research indicated that aborigines have always accepted them as part of the natural landscape.

Of course, it has gotten worse as time has gone on

[austastar]

Hi,
while camped at Trial Harbour (Tas W. Coast) started chatting with a couple in a caravan when their Siamese cat came back out of the bushes with a Blue Wren in its mouth.
Being mainland registered, I wondered how much destruction this feline was wreaking on the wildlife as they traveled.
Didn't have a cat trap with me unfortunately, otherwise I could have gone crayfishing.
cheers

[Chucaro]

.................................................. .........
I am hoping that a decent eradication program like this is developed for desert park feral cats ASAP, especially in remote areas where traffic, dogs and humans aren't able to reduce the cat population through attrition.

.................................................. ................................................
JC
Cat mince could be a nice filling for ravioles :)
Justin, perhaps one day we have to try cat stew...............:twisted:

[justinc]

Cat mince could be a nice filling for ravioles :)
Justin, perhaps one day we have to try cat stew...............:twisted:

:o oi! not with little duddles you don't!!!:p

I remember the day we picked her up from the breeders, we arrived in our $300 1981 holden gemini and picked up a small bundle of blue fluff that cost $450. :eek:.

JC

[schuy1]

Hi,
while camped at Trial Harbour (Tas W. Coast) started chatting with a couple in a caravan when their Siamese cat came back out of the bushes with a Blue Wren in its mouth.
Being mainland registered, I wondered how much destruction this feline was wreaking on the wildlife as they traveled.
Didn't have a cat trap with me unfortunately, otherwise I could have gone crayfishing.
cheers
Sooooooooo, If it had been Tassie registered it would have only harassed mainland critters? But as it was only mainland registered Tassie was open season? :D That is a **** story! :D The only thing registration does is line local govts pockets! The REAL problem is the OWNERS!!! Register THEM and if u took a pic of the cat with the bird and sent it in they would be fined! only way to do it :D And IMHO people do more harm to "native" wildlife by clearing and covering good country with concrete than any moggy does!
OH and I DO eradicate feral cats in my line of work!

[iPom]

My friend works for the Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds in the Uk, the last guesstimation was that domesticated and feral cats killed 60 Million birds and probably four times that in wildlife per anum....
I'd hate to see the figure down under?

[Chucaro]

:o oi! not with little duddles you don't!!!:p

I remember the day we picked her up from the breeders, we arrived in our $300 1981 holden gemini and picked up a small bundle of blue fluff that cost $450. :eek:.

JC

We can have a side dish of grasshoppers, criket pies or even better a mealworm quiche :p

[wrinklearthur]

What ever u do , dont take the thing out of the trap alive if they are like the ones I trap here in tassie they are incredibly vicious and more than likely diseased. A 22 in the head or throw the trap and cat in the drink

Ref; Call for action on cat disease Tasmania News - The Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania (http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/01/23/294581_tasmania-news.html)

AN animal-disease expert has called for toxoplasmosis to be made a notifiable disease.

Veterinary pathologist David Obendorf said the effect on unborn babies in particular was cause for concern.

Dr Obendorf's comments come amid growing concern by farmers and conservationists that the parasite, spread by cats, is killing more stock and wildlife.

"Toxoplasmosis is a public-health issue and it's one that relates to cat management," Dr Obendorf said.

"Tasmania has one of the highest prevalence of antibodies, and a high level of exposure can be like a natural immunisation.

"[But] ingesting product with toxoplasmosis cysts or [being exposed] for the first time in pregnancy could affect the fetus."

He said it also raised questions about Tasmania's game-meat market.

People are advised to fully cook meat to avoid the toxo parasite.

While a healthy adult may not notice an infection, in unborn babies the brain and eyes can be damaged, leading to mental disability or blindness. It can also cause miscarriage.

Farmers are concerned at a State Government delay to cat-management laws that would allow them to shoot cats, because toxo aborts unborn lambs and cats can kill a new lamb.

The Department of Health and Human Services said it had not considered making toxo notifiable, nor was it notifiable interstate.

"Toxoplasmosis infection can be a serious condition for some individuals, especially if a mother becomes infected during pregnancy and the baby is affected," a statement from Population Health in the DHHS said.

"People with medical conditions affecting their immune system can also have more severe complications."

The decision took into account the public health, reliability of diagnosis, feasibility of control and prevalence.

Paediatricians report congenital malformations in babies from toxoplasmosis through a national surveillance system. Themost likely source of infection is direct contact with animals, and it had been acquired through raw or undercooked meat.

painem@news.net.au

[wrinklearthur]

Cats and Mice
What Else Did my Cat Bring Home?

By Franny Syufy, About.com Guide

Romeo

Photo Credit: © Jennifer Yarchever
Cats love to chase (and sometimes kill) mice. That's a given, and something that most people do not find too alarming. In fact, people in many countries still utilize "barn cats" to dispatch unwanted rodents - a win-win situation for all parties (except the rodents). The cats have plenty of food available, and the farmer is assured of grain bins undisturbed by hungry mice. A perfect scenario, eh?
Almost. In addition to barn cats, many suburban indoor-outdoor kitties will occasionally bring home a small kill to proudly display, which we humans (depending on our constitutions) might or might not allow him to eat. If not, we might be tempted to just pick it up by the tail and dispose of it in the trash container, or down the toilet. The problem is that, depending on the region, those little mice may be loaded with a variety of "nasties," that neither you nor your cats want to encounter. Romeo1, the cat pictured here, was infected with toxoplasmosis twice, after catching and eating mice. The toxoplasmosis led to uvitis, which in turn led to glaucoma. Romeo is now an indoors-only cat as a result of this chain of events. Although most cats are exposed to toxoplasmosis at one time or another, the usual reaction is mild. However, Romeo's experience underscores the potential deadliness of this organism. Another case in point:

The Dreaded Hantavirus

In May of 1993, a new hantavirus, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) was identified in New Mexico, after forty-two people were infected, with eleven fatalities. Since that time, the new strain has been discovered in other parts of the U.S., with various rodents2, including the common house mouse (Mus musculus) acting as hosts, and the incidence of disease in humans has become widespread3. Several other hantaviruses that affect humans exist worldwide, and have been found responsible for outbreaks of hantavirus among animal caretakers and laboratory workers in Korea, China, Japan, Scandinavia, the U.K., France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the former Soviet Union.1

Although HPS can be transmitted to humans by handling infected mice, inhalence of the aerosols produced directly from the saliva or excreta of the animal is the most virulent means of transfer, if not the most common. For these reasons, it is wise to wear not only rubber gloves when handling a mouse your brave hunter brings in, but also a mask, and to thoroughly scrub any surface area the mouse may contacted with a disinfectant.

Symptoms of HPS in Humans Early symptoms of HPS are very similar to those of other respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia, and may consist of:

Headache
Gastrointestinal complaints
Fever
Myalgia (muscle pain)
Variable respiratory symptoms
The condition can quickly progress into acute respiratory distress and pulmonary edema. Since the incubation period for HPS is from one to three weeks, early symptoms of this nature should be reported to your physician if you have had contact with a rodent during that time frame.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is investigating whether other animals that prey on rodents may be carriers. The UCSB Office of Research said, "The impetus for this research is a 1987 study suggesting that cats, which tested positive for two other hantaviruses-the Hantaan and Seoul types-may help transmit the virus to humans in China." However, the CDC has stated unequivocally4 that cats are not carriers of the hantaviruses that cause HPS in the United States, nor can it be transferred from one person to another. Although results are inconclusive as yet, virologists also think most non rodent carriers are "dead-end" hosts, which means they are unlikely to infect people. Unfortunately, cats do not get off quite as easily with the next zoonose we'll discuss.

1 Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee5

Next > Toxoplasmosis: not just for pregnant people

This About.com page has been optimized for print. To view this page in its original form, please visit: Cats and Mice - A deadly combination for both (http://cats.about.com/cs/zoonoticdiseases/a/catsandmice.htm)
©2013 About.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

[123rover50]

Well Jason you did open a can of worms.
Perhaps do a Safety Course and get a Licence:D

[bell1975]

One of my friends just drops the cage into an appropriately deep body of water and retrieves a few minutes later.

And don't they get heavy when they've had a good long drink eh? DAMHIKT...:wasntme:

[d@rk51d3]

Yeah, sub sonic .22 :wasntme:

Long-Z's and a session of SSS. (Shoot, Shovel, Shuddup) ;)

[Bearman]

The wife and I have been cat and dog owners since our kids were small and have always had our animals desexed. It is the irresponsible owners of entire animals that cause the problems. I.E. PEOPLE are the cause of the problem NOT the poor animals. I disagree with drowning cats or any other animals for that matter, I think that is cruel. Trap the offending animal and either take it to the pound to be euthanised or shoot it in the head.

[crazyyy2305]

We have a cat problem, and my neighbors are causing it to get worse. We have several adult stray cats that roam around the neighborhood. My neighborhood is also full of sweet old ladies who put milk out for these nasty, mean little bastards. In addition, these things breed like crazy, so at this moment, I have 20 or so stray cats of various sizes roaming around, spraying my wife's plants, running across my roof and being general pests. To make matters worse, I have a Doberman who hates cats, so every time she sees one of them, she goes crazy barking, digging, etc. And the cats sit up on the fence hissing and taunting her. She is driving me more nuts than the cats themselves, but I can't keep her inside all the time, and to top it off, my stupid neighbor, one of the ones who feeds the stupid cats, complained to me, asking if I couldn't shut that stupid dog up!
---------------------
2013 MERCEDES BENZ SL-CLASS (http://www.ezdia.com/epad/2013-mercedes-benz-sl-price-review/7980)

[123rover50]

We have a cat problem, and my neighbors are causing it to get worse. We have several adult stray cats that roam around the neighborhood. My neighborhood is also full of sweet old ladies who put milk out for these nasty, mean little bastards. In addition, these things breed like crazy, so at this moment, I have 20 or so stray cats of various sizes roaming around, spraying my wife's plants, running across my roof and being general pests. To make matters worse, I have a Doberman who hates cats, so every time she sees one of them, she goes crazy barking, digging, etc. And the cats sit up on the fence hissing and taunting her. She is driving me more nuts than the cats themselves, but I can't keep her inside all the time, and to top it off, my stupid neighbor, one of the ones who feeds the stupid cats, complained to me, asking if I couldn't shut that stupid dog up!
---------------------
2013 MERCEDES BENZ SL-CLASS (http://www.ezdia.com/epad/2013-mercedes-benz-sl-price-review/7980)

Dont they eat cats there:angel:

[Bardizzo]

Sooooooooo, If it had been Tassie registered it would have only harassed mainland critters? But as it was only mainland registered Tassie was open season? :D That is a **** story! :

Nice reasoning, I think his point was that he was wondering how much death this traveling cat was responsible for as it moved from place to place!! Place of registration, irrelevant.

[Gary S11]

What ever u do , dont take the thing out of the trap alive if they are like the ones I trap here in tassie they are incredibly vicious and more than likely diseased. A 22 in the head or throw the trap and cat in the drink
Your reply is spot on, the talk of putting kitty in a sack and gassing him tell me not to many people have handled feral cats. " and still have their hands that is " vicious stinking things

In town crush up a aspro in a saucer of milk and put out at night for kitty...kitty go nigh nighs

[33chinacars]

One click and there gone

Bang

P.S. I'm an animal lover, that includes cats, just not feral ones

[TDman]

I use a .22 with Subs and a suppressor (not sure if your aloud them in Aus), its very quiet so does not draw any attention. I should say that I shoot in private land were I have permission to be and were the owner knows what I'm shooting.

TD

[schuy1]

Nice reasoning, I think his point was that he was wondering how much death this traveling cat was responsible for as it moved from place to place!! Place of registration, irrelevant.

Yeah, I got the gist of what he was on about, just it came across as silly :D.
People are so happy to blame cats for this and that and in reality it all comes back to the people( funny that;)) The camper vanners have probably run over as much wildlife in their travels as the cat has eaten:p!

We also have to be aware that before cats arrived,( and there is evidence they were in the NW of Aus long before the first fleet, bought over by the Javanese trocus fisherman), that we had native cats which behaved in very much the same manner and fulfilled the same roles,ie preying on small birds and mammals, Again people were responsible for their decline and the domestic moggy stepped in to the breach.

Control is necessary given the people induced native wildlife decline, But to be sadistic about it is pathetic. As a shooter, property owner and firearms instucter I am often asked what size gun is good for cats, I always say the biggest you can carry! :D No sensible person will let an animal suffer in its destruction. the smaller 22's may be ok close range,ie in a trap, but I have seen too many just wounded by them. And sadly no we are not allowed suppressors in this backward land! :D

Cheers Scott

[newhue]

Holy smokes, I post up a little question, go to Defender Day and come back to this. Thanks for all your input, I have learnt a bit.

It is a problem in so many ways. Not only for the wildlife tormented or ripped apart. I image the wallaby remains they found inside a cat on this show didn't die fast and humanely. Could have been road kill though. But cats are bait savvy, elusive, super efficient hunters, aggro, and out of control population wise.

But the problems from my side are
It seems a gun is the best way, but not owning one or a licence seems a very hard option for this idea. Time is not on my side for a licence, then there is travelling with and ownership of gun issues as well.

I am amazed to read not even an Isuzu can do the job. Unfortunately all cars in the party are diesels.

Making my way into the arid heart of Australia, makes finding a dam or river at the same time if or when a cat is captured less than 50% I'm guessing. Carting a cat around looking for water doesn't really take my interest.

As for a blow to the head. Well I know from a mate as a teenager, don't handle a feral cat unless you want your arm shredded in .5 a second. There is no way I'm touching the thing to try and dong it on the head.

And lastly, asking the authorities, I will look into this but I feel I know the answer already.

Personally,
It's a shame chloroform is now a banned substance. A soaked rag into a plastic bag over the trap would be like going to sleep.
In the end I may just leave the trap at home, and flick $50 to some feral cat eradication programme. Let the pro's handle it, or try to.

[Lucy]

In town crush up a aspro in a saucer of milk and put out at night for kitty...kitty go nigh nighs

Wasting your time with the aspro - won't do much at all

[goingbush]

Personally,
It's a shame chloroform is now a banned substance. A soaked rag into a plastic bag over the trap would be like going to sleep.


A can of Aerostart, or "Start ya bastard" might do the job. its pretty much all Ether + propellant, I used to be able to buy straight ether from Hobby shops, my old Frog diesel engine used to run on 1/3 ether 1/3 castor oil and 1/3 kero.


Wasting your time with the aspro - won't do much at all

1 asprin and a panadol for good measure, works for me.
http://www.petalia.com.au/Templates/StoryTemplate_Process.cfm'specie=Cats&story_no=258

[Gary S11]

Wasting your time with the aspro - won't do much at all
I'm not the expert, but the vet I was talking too after a bit of persuasion said it will and he's the expert...

[dullbird]

interesting that because you're talking to an expert ;)

[Gary S11]

Well apparently even experts differ in opinion.....you don't see that very often :-)

[kowari]

After all said and done, you have to accept it's not the cats fault that it's here and eating the wildlife. It's just an animal doing what it has evolved to do (and very efficiently too).

I accept that control is of some help, but their disposal is a responsibility, and unless you see yourself as a red necked bogun feral, that responsibility requires you to be sure it is absolutely as humane as is posible (throwing the trap in a tub of water dos'nt cut it.

I guess all control helps, but I'm sure your aware that shooting and trapping will have no effect on the overall numbers and the damage done to native fauna. As with the fox and the cane toad (as devastating as the cats) the only answer will be biological engineering. Probably not likely as it would see the eradication of all cats on this continent and eventually other continents as well including their native cat species.

The only answer is to control where possible, until a natural balance is established, but to do it right.

[bobslandies]

I saw an interesting documentary on feral cats in Australia.
They suggested that the cat has been present in Australia from at least the same times as dingos having been introduced through Asia rather than Europe.
The research indicated that aborigines have always accepted them as part of the natural landscape.

Of course, it has gotten worse as time has gone on

Ah yes, Pudjikats from the Dreamtime.

Bob

[bobslandies]

A cat tree:

Post up your cat tree photo, will give the passing city slickers some idea of the problem in the bush.

Bob

[mikehzz]

What are the carcasses hanging from farm gates in the Vic High Country? I passed quite a few but couldn't make out what the animal was. Are they meant to discourage Jehovahs Witnesses?

[goingbush]

http://www.funnybeez.com/funnypictures/popular-cat-tree.jpg

when's Cat Season opening :wasntme:


and Don't you Cat Lovers think that we are just picking on cats, I'm a Dog Lover and Feral Dogs are an issue in these parts too.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/05/1191.jpg

[bobslandies]

After all said and done, you have to accept it's not the cats fault that it's here and eating the wildlife. It's just an animal doing what it has evolved to do (and very efficiently too).

I accept that control is of some help, but their disposal is a responsibility, and unless you see yourself as a red necked bogun feral, that responsibility requires you to be sure it is absolutely as humane as is posible (throwing the trap in a tub of water dos'nt cut it.

I guess all control helps, but I'm sure your aware that shooting and trapping will have no effect on the overall numbers and the damage done to native fauna. As with the fox and the cane toad (as devastating as the cats) the only answer will be biological engineering. Probably not likely as it would see the eradication of all cats on this continent and eventually other continents as well including their native cat species.

The only answer is to control where possible, until a natural balance is established, but to do it right.

The most efficient control is a firearm. An incentive is a bounty on cats (and wild dogs). Worked pretty well with dingoes, doggers got a job out of it. Pay kids for dead cane toads (and make it tax free). Foxes are no longer hunted since animal liberationistas and do-gooders threw paint on women wearing fox stoles and fur coats.

How many tens of millions will be spent on biological control that could be put into a solution now?

Rabbits were once an enormous problem in Australia but were there to feed starving people in the Great Depression. Once "biological control" was introduced with myxomatosis the use of wild rabbits for food was over. Millions are still being spent as the rabbits gain immunity to the so-called "biological controls" virus and we are past round 2 - calicivirus as it is failing in less than a decade. Both of these cause the most excruciating death to the animals - brought to you by your civilised scientists.

Bob

[JDNSW]

A couple of comments.

In 1966 in the middle of the Simpson, after ten years of no rain (and a bit of rain in the previous year) I saw a black feral cat.

Perhaps it is worth remembering, for those who advocate keeping cats inside all the time, exactly why cats became domestic animals; they keep in check small rodents. Anyone who has lived through a mouse plague will respect this, although in plague conditions a cat, or even several, will not cope in plague conditions.

(While not exactly a cat lover, I have owned cats in the past, and am not a cat hater either. Any feral round here I can get in my sights will cease to be a problem.)

John

[KarlB]

As for Asprin toxicity in cats, the usually cited reference is Boothe, D.M. (1990). Drug therapy in cats: a systems approach. J Am Vet Med Assoc 196(9): 1502-1511. Can someone point to a more up-to-date and contrary reference?

I understand Paracetamol is even more toxic to cats. See Allen, A.L. (2003). The diagnosis of acetaminophen toxicosis in a cat. Can Vet J 44(6): 509–10, for example.

Cheers
KarlB
:)

[Disco Muppet]

Foxes are no longer hunted since animal liberationistas and do-gooders threw paint on women wearing fox stoles and fur coats.

Speak for yourself Bob, I'll happily introduce any fox I see to my good friend Mr. .223 WSSM.
Soft in the head greenies (not all greenies) can carry on all they want. They're an introduced pest and they kill our stock.
**** em.
Personally I love both cats and dogs, but owners of both have to take on responsibilities, from picking up the **** to making sure they're not attacking things that shouldn't be attacked.
A bit of common sense and a sense of responsibility for your animals goes a long way IMHO.

[kowari]

The most efficient control is a firearm. An incentive is a bounty on cats. Pay kids for dead cane toads (and make it tax free). Foxes are no longer hunted since animal liberationistas and do-gooders threw paint on women wearing fox stoles and fur coats.

How many tens of millions will be spent on biological control that could be put into a solution now?

Rabbits were once an enormous problem in Australia but were there to feed starving people in the Great Depression. Once "biological control" was introduced with myxomatosis the use of wild rabbits for food was over. Millions are still being spent as the rabbits gain immunity to the so-called "biological controls" virus and we are past round 2 - calicivirus as it is failing in less than a decade. Both of these cause the most excruciating death to the animals - brought to you by your civilised scientists.



Bob

My scientists!??

No not mine, I'm sure they will f**k it up, but it is the only control that could work, and I was implying genetic engineering, that is something like releasing genetically engineered males to introduce a gene that introduces a non-breeding gene in females, not a lot of excruciating death there I don't think. so far this has been done only in insects AFAIK, but
that's where the millions of dollars in research comes in, but what is Australia's natural history worth?

Like it or, not Myxy and calici virus has done more to control rabbits that 2 generations of shooter/poisoners ever managed

Shooting is fine, with the right calibre it is acceptably humane, I've done more than enough myself. But don't kid yourself that it will control cats or foxes, the areas affected are too vast, the shooters too few, and like the Americans at war, the shooters only go where the road goes (more or less) and they only operate on a casual basis.
Cats, foxes and toads breed as soon as they can, and because they have to, it's not entertainment.

[LandyAndy]

We have a captive breeding program for cats at the local tip:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:.
Caught one here last week,long black hair all matted,obviously not a pet.It also had a festering oozing sore between its ears that resembled a .22 injury.
The DEC(Department Environment Conservation) in WA are developing a fresh meat bait for cats that seems to be promising.Cats wont touch the dried 1080 fox baits,where a fox will take the new fresh baits.
WIN WIN.
Andrew

[wrinklearthur]

The concerned officials that rid Macquarie Island of cats to save the birds, nearly lost the Island to the sea because of the erosion caused by rats and rabbits that bred quickly without any predators.

Nature finds a way to maintain a balance.
So watch out! the Human race has over populated its habitat.
.

[bobslandies]

The concerned officials that rid Macquarie Island of cats to save the birds, nearly lost the Island to the sea because of the erosion caused by rats and rabbits that bred quickly without any predators.

Nature finds a way to maintain a balance.
So watch out! the Human race has over populated its habitat.
.

Following the Australian success some scientific geniuses introduced myxomatosis into Europe - they were so successful on the rabbits that they caused the extinction of a number of species (Spanish Imperial Eagle, Iberian Lynx) and the decimation of others that fed on rabbits. Rabbits are increasing, the extinct animals are not.

I wouldn't put too much faith in scientists. Where was their "Environmental Impact Assessment"? (I did not say science).

Bob

[Gary S11]

The Great Australian Cat Predicament (http://www.messybeast.com/auspredicament.htm)

[LandyAndy]

Last winter the digger driver was digging a new dump trench.When he opened the engine compartment to do his pre start check 15 cats bolted,they had gone in there to shelter from the rain and seek warmth.
Next morning,no pre start check,several went thru the belts;););););););););)
Andrew

[Chucaro]

I was reading this about Tasmanian law's and I wonder if it is applicable in suburbia or it is only for rural areas.

Quote:
The owner of private land, or someone acting on their authority, may trap, seize or humanely destroy a cat found:
on rural land used for primary production relating to livestock, or
on any land further than 1km from any residence
Where a cat is trapped or otherwise seized, the cat must be returned to its owner if known or transferred as soon as practicable to a cat management facility.


Mi interpretation is that if you trap the cat then it is your reponsability and at your cost to take the animal to the cat management facility but if you destroy the animal humanely then just dispose the body and that it is all.

The source of the info is HERE (http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/internnsf/WebPages/SSKA-8TV5WV?open)

It is my interpretation correct?

[wrinklearthur]

The Great Australian Cat Predicament (http://www.messybeast.com/auspredicament.htm)

That article deserves to be read carefully, it does give weight to the idea that cats have been part of the ecology here in Australia for 500 years and the idea to suddenly remove them would create problems with other species having a population explosion.

I suggest that the birds breeding on the ground on Macquarie Island would have learnt some defensive mechanisms to protect their offspring, in time those defences will be forgotten and if cats were to return, that same bird population may well become extinct without any protection.

There have been stories that I have read about the Calicivirus working too effectively removing rabbits completely from areas in Central Australia, led to hungry Dingos becoming dangerous to people camping in those areas.
So that is another example of disturbing nature, when it was in a state of balance.
.

[KarlB]

Following the Australian success some scientific geniuses introduced myxomatosis into Europe - they were so successful on the rabbits that they caused the extinction of a number of species (Spanish Imperial Eagle, Iberian Lynx) and the decimation of others that fed on rabbits. Rabbits are increasing, the extinct animals are not.

I wouldn't put too much faith in scientists. Where was their "Environmental Impact Assessment"? (I did not say science).

Bob

There are numerous examples of silly scientists and poor science, and Armand-Delille's introduction of the myxoma virus to Europe is a good example of a silly scientist and the simplistic eradication of cats from Macquarie Island, a good example of poor science. To the chagrin of some, European Rabbit numbers are, in many European places, on the increase. And rabbits have now essentially been eliminated from Macquarie Island. That said, neither the Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) nor the Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti) are extinct, though both species are endangered and threatened with extinction. However the reduction in European Rabbit numbers was not the cause of the demise of either species. The Iberian Lynx’s critical status is mainly due to habitat loss, poisoning, road casualties, feral dogs and poaching. Its habitat loss is due mainly to infrastructure improvement, urban and resort development and tree mono-cultivation, which serves to break the lynx's distribution area (see Wikipedia for a good overview). The most serious threat to the Spanish Imperial Eagle is electrocution and poisoning (see http://www.europeanraptors.org/raptors/spanish_imperial_eagle.html (http://www.europeanraptors.org/raptors/spanish_imperial_eagle.html)).

Just out of interest, there are about 90 of Australia's offshore islands that have feral cat populations and about 70 that have rabbits (see Feral animals on offshore islands - Invasive species (http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/ferals/islands/index.html)).

Cheers
KarlB
:)

[KarlB]

That article deserves to be read carefully, it does give weight to the idea that cats have been part of the ecology here in Australia for 500 years and the idea to suddenly remove them would create problems with other species having a population explosion.

I suggest that the birds breeding on the ground on Macquarie Island would have learnt some defensive mechanisms to protect their offspring, in time those defences will be forgotten and if cats were to return, that same bird population may well become extinct without any protection.

There have been stories that I have read about the Calicivirus working too effectively removing rabbits completely from areas in Central Australia, led to hungry Dingos becoming dangerous to people camping in those areas.
So that is another example of disturbing nature, when it was in a state of balance.
.
Cats were first introduced to Macquarie Island in about 1820 and rabbits about 1880. By 1960, rabbits were having a devastating effect on the vegetation of Macquarie and Rabbit Fleas carrying the myxoma virus were introduced to control their numbers. Myxo was moderately effective and this reduced a major food source for the feral cats. They switched prey species to seabirds and it is estimated that by the end of the 1980s they were killing as many as 60,000 seabirds annually. Those interested may like to have a look at http://www.antarctica.gov.au/media/news/2009/lessons-learned-from-devastating-effects-of-cat-eradication-on-macquarie-island (http://www.antarctica.gov.au/media/news/2009/lessons-learned-from-devastating-effects-of-cat-eradication-on-macquarie-island) for further information.

Cheers
KarlB
:)

[DeeJay]

I was reading this about Tasmanian law's and I wonder if it is applicable in suburbia or it is only for rural areas.

Quote:
The owner of private land, or someone acting on their authority, may trap, seize or humanely destroy a cat found:
on rural land used for primary production relating to livestock, or
on any land further than 1km from any residence
Where a cat is trapped or otherwise seized, the cat must be returned to its owner if known or transferred as soon as practicable to a cat management facility.


Mi interpretation is that if you trap the cat then it is your reponsability and at your cost to take the animal to the cat management facility but if you destroy the animal humanely then just dispose the body and that it is all.

The source of the info is HERE (http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/internnsf/WebPages/SSKA-8TV5WV?open)

It is my interpretation correct?

Well my interpretation is you can return a dead cat to its owner :twisted:

[bob10]

They taste like rabbit......apparently :angel: Bob

[goingbush]

They taste like rabbit......apparently :angel: Bob

have you never eaten Dim Sims ???

[Lucy]

I'm not the expert, but the vet I was talking too after a bit of persuasion said it will and he's the expert...


As for Asprin toxicity in cats, the usually cited reference is Boothe, D.M. (1990). Drug therapy in cats: a systems approach. J Am Vet Med Assoc 196(9): 1502-1511. Can someone point to a more up-to-date and contrary reference?

I understand Paracetamol is even more toxic to cats. See Allen, A.L. (2003). The diagnosis of acetaminophen toxicosis in a cat. Can Vet J 44(6): 509–10, for example.

Cheers
KarlB
:)

Guess I better explain - while I do NOT advocate their use, some drugs are toxic to cats. Aspirin IS toxic, but getting enough into a cat is problematic as cats don't like the taste, and one of the treatments for ingestion of aspirin in a cat is - you guessed it - milk! If you want to jam enough aspirin down a feral cat's throat to kill it, as they won't take it voluntarily, be my guest, but make sure you make a video and place it on Youtube :twisted:. Paracetamol in milk however... :wasntme:

[Tombie]

We used to throw them in the moulds...
Just before the molten steel was poured..

They've also been known to find their way into the Kiln, through the Mill and into the blast furnace...

[dullbird]

it really frustrates me that people think just because an animal is out doing what it does NATURALLY which unfortunately happens to be killing some wildlife.

that its OK to give the animal a horrible and painful death...and then justify it by saying what about the pain the prey animal suffered while the cat killed it.

you know what the difference is the cat doesnt have a conscious thought about how its prey suffers where humans do so I find it quite disappointing that some of you people seem to get kicks out of how the animal suffers..

actually I don't think its disappointing I think its sick, Feral cats are a problem christ I catch enough of them my self and have them removed from population..
but to think its OK to inflict pain and suffering upon any animal just because you dont like it is wrong, and then to brag about it...:no2:

[Tombie]

The trauma for a cat in a mould is "I can't get out" much shorter time than being trapped in a cage and then in a dark box to be gassed to death.

The time between live and dead in the ones I mentioned above... About 0.1 seconds...

No different to the time a piece of lead takes most times.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

The Stephens Island Wren went into extinction from predation by ferral cats. The myth was that it was from a single cat Tibbles, however other evidence suggests that a pregnant female escaped during the construction of a lighthouse on the island and this cat and it's progeny probably caused the extinction. The event in an enclosed habitat of an island prevented any adaption by the wren before the extinction event.

The cats should never have been there.

[kowari]

Well said Dullbird, X2

[Ferret]

The trauma for a cat in a mould is "I can't get out" ...

The mould is cold before you teem into it, is it?

[bobslandies]

A couple of comments.

Anyone who has lived through a mouse plague will respect this, although in plague conditions a cat, or even several, will not cope in plague conditions.

John

So if there are so many cats roaming the bush how does a mouse plague start and gather without the feral cats feeding on the mice before they reach such huge numbers? I have been in mice plagues at both Grenfell and Louth/Tilpa area and it was amazing.

Bob

[Tombie]

The mould is cold before you teem into it, is it?

No they weren't. But then we don't cast ingots or blooms anymore and haven't for 12+ years.

The others described are instant. The rolling mills is through misadventure (they walk onto the roll line and get clobbered!)

They're aggressive buggers and big.
Not uncommon to approach and attack if threatened.

Personally I don't care what they're thinking as long as its not a long, drawn out torture. A quick despatch is always preferred.

We trap and drown foxes when we can't get the gas chamber.

[wrinklearthur]

When I was working west of Alice Springs forty years ago, it was with a geophysics crew and they were using hammer drop trucks for seismic works.
These massive weights were held up on the back of the truck and when it was time to drop them, they were released by remote radio control.

Needless to say the shade that they offered wasn't worth the risk, unlike a couple of cool cat Arabs that decided to have their lunch in the shade.
The signal was duly sent, and the flat cat Arabs were retrieved at a later date.
Something to do about planting a palm tree on a dead cat.
.

[Disco Muppet]

Mate of dads used to be a crane operator, apparently they used to amuse themselves in the afternoons by dropping loads on the cats in the empty boxes.
Personally I find getting amusement out of it a tad sick. I don't particularly like killing anything, but hey. **** happens.
Still, better an instant squish or melt than drowning, THAT'S ****ed...

[newhue]

Ok, my options have all but dried up. It has been suggested to me perhaps gas, as in LP. Bag the trap, insert gas, tie off and leave for 15 minutes.

Would this work?
I'm not concerned about it volatility as it will be early morning, about 0-4deg.
I also don't care to hear the cat going off it's nut for 10 minutes. But then again it will doing that from the moments it's caught, so another 10 minutes doesn't matter really.

other wise it looks like game over

feral cats 1 jason 0

[isuzurover]

Ok, my options have all but dried up. It has been suggested to me perhaps gas, as in LP. Bag the trap, insert gas, tie off and leave for 15 minutes.

Would this work?
I'm not concerned about it volatility as it will be early morning, about 0-4deg.

...


DON'T even think about it!!!

Propane has a flash point of -104oC

Plastic bag + propane + static electricity = big bang. You may kill more than the cat.

Dry ice (CO2) would work, but your block may have evaporated in your esky by the time you have caught the cat.

If you are serious about despatching feral cats get a hunting bow (no licence needed) or a rifle (+ licence).

[KarlB]

The Stephens Island Wren went into extinction from predation by ferral cats. The myth was that it was from a single cat Tibbles, however other evidence suggests that a pregnant female escaped during the construction of a lighthouse on the island and this cat and it's progeny probably caused the extinction. The event in an enclosed habitat of an island prevented any adaption by the wren before the extinction event.

The cats should never have been there.

Not the full story. The main cause of the demise of NZ's Stephens Island Wren (Traversia lyalli) was clearance of most of the island's forest. Cats simply delivered the final blow. (see http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3993 (http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3993)).

Cheers
KarlB
:)

[KarlB]

So if there are so many cats roaming the bush how does a mouse plague start and gather without the feral cats feeding on the mice before they reach such huge numbers? I have been in mice plagues at both Grenfell and Louth/Tilpa area and it was amazing.

Bob
Two issues here Bob. Firstly, mouse plagues arise in grain growing areas, not the bush as I would describe it; there is often nary a tree in sight. Secondly, the gestation period for mice is about 3 weeks and they are sexually mature at 6-8 weeks. Cats on the other hand have a gestation period of a little over 2 months and are not sexually mature until at least 3 months and usually much older (7-12 months). Also, litter sizes are generally larger in mice. More simply, in good conditions, mice can breed up very much faster than the cats.

Cheers
KarlB
:)

[bob10]

For goodness sake, harden up, a big stick to the back of the head, all done. Bob

[dromader driver]

Most expensive destruction method I have seen was a 30kg feral cat that happened to go to ground as a Squirrel helicopter approached the bush pad. A tonne of helo skid cut it in half very effectively. Yes we had a photo on the wall.

223 is a good solution. Used a H+H nitro express once ( all we had ) but the rounds were too expensive. Didn't find much left.

A govt dept aka sparks and wildfires use a laser laid SLR . Very effective upto goats ;)

[Cliffy]

30kg ferral cat!!! Was that Garfield???! he hasn't made a movie for a while.
My wife loves cats but ours are kept in closed in areas and aren't allowed to roam.
Actually, house cats tend to live alot longer than those allowed to roam (probably due to the absence of stress caused by dodging .22 Long Zed snipers and mobile gas chambers).
Once I'm out bush I find the best calibre for humane ferral cat distruction is the one in your hands at the time you see them! No place for them in the aussie bush.
Aboriginies in the Kimberly hunt and eat them (they call them Puddicat). Nothing like the smell of a charred moggie on the campfire, but I'll stick to grubs!

[lokka]

Neighbours cats make good hats .

All domestic cats should be kept indoors or caged they are a problem in urban areas and need to be controlled by trapping .

Out in the bush its much the same they need control either shoot/trap them then dispatch quickly and humanely by either a bullet or drowning in a tub of water .

My dog has to be confined to our backyard if she got out and killed another dog or animal or bit a person i would be held accountable tho the neighbourhood cats that roam around here can kill all sorts of animals and no body cares .

My dogs first taste of pussy was a few months back she was not quite 4 months old had the cat by the body in her mouth was unsure what to do and let it go she has since chased the same cat from the yard a few times tho i think if she gets hold of it again it will be the end of the cat .

I have the flame suit ready for when she dose kill her first cat in the back yard as well as if nobody likes what i have posted :twisted:

[Dougal]

How is drowning any animal humane?

[Dougal]

Most expensive destruction method I have seen was a 30kg feral cat that happened to go to ground as a Squirrel helicopter approached the bush pad. A tonne of helo skid cut it in half very effectively. Yes we had a photo on the wall.

The "big cats" thread needs a photo of a 30kg feral.
To put that into perspective, a large German Shepherd is 40kg.

[POD]

I can't help but be reminded of the farmer who is explaining to a city lady how he castrates his bull calves with two housebricks. 'Ooh' says the lady, 'Isn't that painful?' 'Nah', says the farmer, 'not if you keep your thumbs out of the way.'
Like any thinking person, I am opposed to animal cruelty. But there is no such thing as 'humane killing' in the animal world, certainly not practised by any member of the cat family. Fair means or foul is fair enough to get rid of these things.
We had family cats as kids and I never gave this any thought then, but when my daughter came home with a pet cat and I watched it spend every waking hour stalking our beautiful native birds, it had to go.

Modern petrol engines may not emit enough CO2 to be lethal. A nice big stick should do the trick.

[Dougal]

Like any thinking person, I am opposed to animal cruelty. But there is no such thing as 'humane killing' in the animal world, certainly not practised by any member of the cat family. Fair means or foul is fair enough to get rid of these things.

As the supposedly most intelligent species on the planet, we're supposed to be better than animals.
There's nothing wrong with killing a pest, but it has to be done as quickly and painlessly as possible. Sticks aren't a quick or painless way to kill anything. Nor is drowning.


Modern petrol engines may not emit enough CO2 to be lethal. A nice big stick should do the trick.

All petrol engines have insufficent oxygen in the exhaust to support life.

[goingbush]

its the CO carbon monoxide not the CO2 (carbon dioxide) in petrol exhaust fumes that puts a cat to "sleep" , its why people go to sleep in a car with a leaky exhaust, Carbon monoxide is insignificant in a diesel exhaust.
a modern petrol car still has plenty of CO to kill a cat

a lack of oxygen wont necessarily kill you, (and certainly wont kill a cat - what with 9 lives and all that ) heck I can breath in consecutive whole lungfuls of Helium, (albeit its an inert gas) to extol an oration of Donal Duck

what I dont get is all this about being "humane" in an attempt to kill a pest,
a viscious horrible pest at that,

Many more humans go thru a much more horrible death when left to languish in Nursing Homes for example, (or connected to life support.) Humane ... pigs arse !!

I'm with Jack Kavorchian on this one.

The only good cat is a dead one !

[Dougal]

its the CO carbon monoxide not the CO2 (carbon dioxide) in petrol exhaust fumes that puts a cat to "sleep" , its why people go to sleep in a car with a leaky exhaust, Carbon monoxide is insignificant in a diesel exhaust.
a modern petrol car still has plenty of CO to kill a cat

No, it's the lack of oxygen (displaced with CO2). CO is pretty much non existant in the exhaust of a good petrol engine.
Diesels exhaust at idle is virtually all just warm air with very little oxygen consumed. That's why it doesn't kill anything.


a lack of oxygen wont necessarily kill you, (and certainly wont kill a cat - what with 9 lives and all that ) heck I can breath in consecutive whole lungfuls of Helium, (albeit its an inert gas) to extol an oration of Donal Duck

A lung full of air with insufficient oxygen will put any person or animal out instantly. If they don't get full oxygen within the next few minutes, it's death. This has been proven with industrial accidents over and over again.

Your helium party trick is not devoid of oxygen. Unfortunately, after reading your following comments.


what I dont get is all this about being "humane" in an attempt to kill a pest,
a viscious horrible pest at that,

A pest is anything in the wrong environment. What you are suggesting is the equivalent of finding yourself in the wrong part of town, being labelled a pest and beaten to death.

Where a much quicker and more suitable end would be a single bullet. Causing un-necessary painful death is often a sign of mental illness.


I'm with Jack Kavorchian on this one.

No you're not. Kavorkian's whole game is peaceful death without distress or pain.


The only good cat is a dead one !

I see, you're one of those.

[Chucaro]

IMO cats are worse than foxes if it is good enough to poison foxes then poison cats as well.
We need politicians with balls to introduce compulsory desexing or spaying domestic female cats.

[goingbush]

Your helium party trick is not devoid of oxygen. Unfortunately,......


:lol2: :lol2: :Rolling:



A pest is anything in the wrong environment. What you are suggesting is the equivalent of finding yourself in the wrong part of town, being labelled a pest and beaten to death.

Unfortunatly (for cat lovers) I don't venture into King Street at Night, (not even during the day) if I did I most likely would be put to death,
.... hey thanks for the great idea, I'll head down that way just before my family shove me off to a nursing home.


I see, you're one of those. :thumbsup:

[POD]

its the CO carbon monoxide not the CO2 (carbon dioxide) in petrol exhaust fumes that puts a cat to "sleep" , its why people go to sleep in a car with a leaky exhaust, Carbon monoxide is insignificant in a diesel exhaust.
a modern petrol car still has plenty of CO to kill a cat



Yes actually I meant CO, not CO2 (post-nighshift brain syndrome). There is generally not considered to be sufficient CO in a modern petrol exhaust to cause lethal CO poisoning, at least in humans. Still see plenty of suicides with older vehicles but more often unsuccessful attempts with late models.

How about 2 probes connected to a high-energy ignition system? You could make up some insulated probes that could be inserted into a trap, touch both probes to kitty and I think an instantaneous discontinuation of life would occur. I do recall several deaths of people in the early days of high-energy ignition systems, if there's enough energy to kill a careless mechanic, it would surely take care of a pussycat.

[DeeJay]

Somehow I see this being relevant in this forum -( Says me sitting in my Land Rover) :p

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=105835459469263

[bee utey]

http://images.sodahead.com/polls/0/0/2/3/6/7/6/8/1/Crazy-Cat-Lady-65272453553.png

[mikehzz]

what I dont get is all this about being "humane" in an attempt to kill a pest,
a viscious horrible pest at that,

!

A cat is a cat. It does cat things without much choice. You have a choice whether to be vicious and horrible. By being inhumane to them you are actually choosing to be exactly how you think they are. What's worse?

[bob10]

A cat is a cat. It does cat things without much choice. You have a choice whether to be vicious and horrible. By being inhumane to them you are actually choosing to be exactly how you think they are. What's worse?

Good God, do you really believe that? You have never worked in the bush then, I think the problem is, with all respect, people with that attitude have never had to live with the problem. Until they have, they should stick to what's warm & fuzzy, & leave the essential work to those who have the balls to do what is right. Bob

[dullbird]

Good God, do you really believe that? You have never worked in the bush then, I think the problem is, with all respect, people with that attitude have never had to live with the problem. Until they have, they should stick to what's warm & fuzzy, & leave the essential work to those who have the balls to do what is right. Bob


Thats a crock of **** Bob no one is saying that the feral population shouldn't be taken out I for one advocate it...but explain why it should be done in an inhumane way? we can give you reasons why it should be done humanely so I'm interested to hear why you think it shouldn't be.

I also find it quite interesting that you think the bush is the only place with a huge feral cat problem, you need to come and visit some suburbs in inner sydney I think you will be shocked. I think you will find the issues are just as bad as the bush and I would dare say a bigger problem because out in the bush its survival of the fittest and the cats actually have to hunt for their meals or they will starve to death especially if they get injured, its not like in the city where the cats have little old ladies feeding them whiskers cat food or they hang out behind fast food shops. I removed 70 feral cats in one month when I was in a particular Sydney area.

so please do us a favour stop making out that we dont understand just because we dont live in the bush and we advocate a painless and quick death.

[bob10]

[QUOTE=dullbird;1910104

so please do us a favour stop making out that we dont understand just because we dont live in the bush and we advocate a painless and quick death.[/QUOTE]
Mate, I'm not saying you don't understand, just that you do not have the guts to fix the problem. And , until you realise that these beasts are not human, you never will. Bob

[mikehzz]

Good God, do you really believe that? You have never worked in the bush then, I think the problem is, with all respect, people with that attitude have never had to live with the problem. Until they have, they should stick to what's warm & fuzzy, & leave the essential work to those who have the balls to do what is right. Bob

You wouldn't have a clue what I have or haven't done Bob. The cat's dead no matter which way you look at it. There's no need to be a cruel arsehole while you are killing it.

[bob10]

You wouldn't have a clue what I have or haven't done Bob. The cat's dead no matter which way you look at it. Thers's no need to be a cruel arsehole while you are killing it.

Mate that is the ultimate oxymoron, Bob

[ramblingboy42]

Well, I hope all you cat passionate do gooders in this forum have the same life extending approach to our wildlife that is being destroyed by wild (and domestic) cats every night. So you are saying that we should take a soft humane approach to an enemy that is gradually destroying wildlife, rather than taking maximum defense on behalf of our beautiful wildlife. Do you know that cats kill koalas? Lorikeets in their 100's? Beautiful small marsupials that no other country on this planet has? Is this ok? Do you endorse your cats wanton killing? If you kill any of these native animals you are likely to end up with a gaol term......but the cats are innocent?

[dullbird]

Mate, I'm not saying you don't understand, just that you do not have the guts to fix the problem. And , until you realise that these beasts are not human, you never will. Bob

what a laughable statement....:D you dont know what I do and dont have the guts for Bob...I remove feral cats...I just choose as a human that has a conscious thought, to make it as quick and painless as possible;).

why dont you have the guts to fix the problem without wanting to have an animal that can feel pain suffer on its way out. what do you gain ffrom an animal suffering bob..what sort of gratification do you get out of it? you must get some to argue in favour of inhumane death.

[mikehzz]

Lou, it's obvious if you don't want to torture cats then you are a cat lover and hate our wildlife. Just killing them humanely is not acceptable...they must suffer.

[dullbird]

Well, I hope all you cat passionate do gooders in this forum have the same life extending approach to our wildlife that is being destroyed by wild (and domestic) cats every night. So you are saying that we should take a soft humane approach to an enemy that is gradually destroying wildlife, rather than taking maximum defense on behalf of our beautiful wildlife. Do you know that cats kill koalas? Lorikeets in their 100's? Beautiful small marsupials that no other country on this planet has? Is this ok? Do you endorse your cats wanton killing?
If you kill any of these native animals you are likely to end up with a gaol term......but the cats are innocent?

and the same if you kill an animal (yes a cat) inhumanely:)..

I personally do not have an issue with wiping Australia free of feral cats would make my job a hell of a lot easier...just really dont get why so many of you think its simply ok to do it in a horrible way.

[Disco Muppet]

Jeez, things got catty rather quickly.
My attitude towards feral cats is the same as any animal I hunt. Do it as quickly, cleanly, and humanely as possible. We like to think we're better than the animals, in that we have the ability to make moral decisions, we have a conscience, etc.
Being cruel to an animal simply because we think what it does is cruel is kind of silly, it's applying a human concept to a non human that has no capacity to understand cruelty, it's just what it does.
Now, for all you kill em all anti soft greeny hippy communist kitty killer types, I say this:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/05/806.jpg (http://s680.photobucket.com/user/DottiePalooza/media/IT%20Crowd/popcorn-1.gif.html)

[dullbird]

thats the best popcorn emoticon I have ever seen :lol2:

[goingbush]

so I wonder what if we were talking about cane toads.

is it ok to line them up and run over them ?

what about Golf Clubs or squirting them with Dettol ?

Why do we have to be "humane" in killing a cat when its ok to kill cane toads any way you can ??

At least Cane Toads only have one life, unlike cats, you have to kill the bastards 9 times.

[460cixy]

Wow this has got a bit loose . Just shoot em in the brain box like I do job done . No need for any other queer crap

[Disco Muppet]

Cane toad is what....big as a mid sized stuffed toy? As opposed to a 4WD tyre?
One minute he's sitting on the highway, next he's super dead.
Hardly inhumane, it's lethal and fairly instantaneous.
Now, if you've got a motorbike tyre and you run over him super slowly, same thing.
Never clubbed or Dettol'd them.
Same thing with Kangaroos, pigs, foxes, etc, I really don't see the fascination with taking your time while killing an animal, what do you get out of it? Surely the quicker and more efficiently they're dispatched, the sooner you move on to the next one.

[carjunkieanon]

I am amazed to read not even an Isuzu can do the job. .

Yes an Isuzu can do the job!








Put the cat in a bag....and drive over it!!!:twisted:

(quickly so it's humane)

[goingbush]

Yes an Isuzu can do the job!



Put the cat in a bag....and drive over it!!!:twisted:

(quickly so it's humane)

you would think.

I used to have an ex Army Mk3 Acco with 12.00x20 bar treads, I still had to shoot the cat !!

[mikehzz]

Let's chat about cane toads. I don't want to spoil anyones fun but....


The RSPCA has guidelines[26]for the humane culling of cane toads. Inhumane ways include spraying with Dettol, Phenyl and using golf clubs, but these are illegal in most states and territories. Due to concerns over potential harm to other Australian wildlife species, the use of Dettol as pest control was banned in Western Australia by the Department of Environment and Conservation in 2011.[27]

So some people may think it's ok to kill them any way you like but the law says otherwise.

[DeeJay]

Let's chat about cane toads. I don't want to spoil anyones fun but....



So some people may think it's ok to kill them any way you like but the law says otherwise.


Ahh - Cane toads, time to dust off Daz..:D


Shaz and Baz Aussie cane toad story - YouTube

[dullbird]

I have never seen that before :D

[wrinklearthur]

So should we kill a cat the way it kills it's prey?

It you get the chance stop and watch a cat stalk a mouse and what it does after the mouse has been caught.

The cat isn't quick at killing, as it plays with the mouse and the torment of that poor mouse can easily last for half an hour.

The chalk board this year at my place has only four marks on it, last year it was between fifty to one hundred marks per week, so that is why I decided to keep a couple of cats about the place. ---- BUT ----- they breed !!!!!!!

Does anyone have a fast multi tyred roller I can borrow for a few minutes?
.

[mikehzz]

There's a new procedure been invented...it's called desexing. Your cats won't have babies after it. Then when they run off into the bush (good on you for that by the way), they won't leave any babies around to continue the problem.

It's irrelevant what a cat does, what's relevant is what you do. If you want to be cruel just like the cat then that is your choice. Or you could just kill it quickly...like a decent human being should.

[ramblingboy42]

Yes an Isuzu can do the job!








Put the cat in a bag....and drive over it!!!:twisted:

(quickly so it's humane)

put a wild cat in a bag?:whistling::whistling::whistling::whistling::w histling::lol::lol::lol:, mate, I'd like to see that.....

[newhue]

some things I have taken from the debate, not aimed at anyone, just my thinking.

watched a video on Feral.org.au the other night. They had filmed a cat toy with a bandicoot for some time before it dismembered it, ate it's legs and head and left the torso behind. The cat is at the top of it's game, it may not have emotions, but it likes to have fun and torment it's chosen kill. We don't know it if it has a conscious, but it certainly has feeling just like the bandicoot.

I struggle to think domestic type feral cats have been here for eons. Nothing has a defence against them. I do acknowledge Quolls are a type of cat, but they are in decline also. If not from loss of habitat, then surely from feral domestic type cats as well.

I struggle a bit with the argument of being humane when killing a cat. We as humans, have been asked to leave our human side behind and see our enemies as a terrible people. And collectively do our best to kill them for our won survival. Any war will do and we still are dong it.

Though I have a choice and would like to dispose of the animal as quickly as possible. Trouble is people before me have been in-humane and used guns to shoot other people in non war times. So I no longer have a choice of a gun. Or it is very difficult to obtain, particularly to travel with through each state legally. Barrel through the cage, cat bites barrel, pull the trigger. Safe, quick, and probably the best and humane by far.

Drugs, well if the vet would give me some, and the knowledge to somehow inject the cat without loosing an arm this would be a good option. But drug addicts, and agin possibly being inhumane to each other have removed that option for me.

Thank you for the comment of driving over the cat. It had passed my mine and perhaps placing a board under the bottom surface is viable. Particularly in sand environments.

However I think in the end the cave man option of a bludgeon is an answer. It's up to me to get it right so its as quick as possible. Getting the cat from the cage into a bag may prove tricky, and perhaps to hard for a city slicker in the end, so the cat may cash in on another of its 9 lives.

The bleeding hearts and greenies can support being humane, but their approach basically leads to no action, or just talk for most. No guns, no drugs, no biological approached, no suffering. Well where does that leave me. Standing buy pretending I didn't see that cat near camp. Or expected to drive the trapped cat to a "proper disposal" facility in the desert or anywhere outside a city isn't realistic.
I want to have an input to the problem. Be it one cat a night or none. It the dam thing meows for 1 blow or 5 at least I have done something.

[Bearman]

There's a new procedure been invented...it's called desexing. Your cats won't have babies after it. Then when they run off into the bush (good on you for that by the way), they won't leave any babies around to continue the problem.

It's irrelevant what a cat does, what's relevant is what you do. If you want to be cruel just like the cat then that is your choice. Or you could just kill it quickly...like a decent human being should.

X2. As I said earlier, the cat problem is caused by problem humans and there is no excuse to torture or be cruel to them. All problem feral animals should be despatched as quickly and cleanly as possible - there is no excuse for animal cruelty be it on feral or domestic pests after all they are only doing what they have evolved to do. Also cats aren't the only animals that " play " with their catch before they kill and eat it. Killer whales are another species that do the same thing. I think you need to have a serious look at yourself if you get some enjoyment out of seeing an animal suffer horribly before it dies - and hopefully one day you will grow a brain and grow out of it.

[newhue]

X2. As I said earlier, the cat problem is caused by problem humans and there is no excuse to torture or be cruel to them. All problem feral animals should be despatched as quickly and cleanly as possible - there is no excuse for animal cruelty be it on feral or domestic pests after all they are only doing what they have evolved to do. Also cats aren't the only animals that " play " with their catch before they kill and eat it. Killer whales are another species that do the same thing. I think you need to have a serious look at yourself if you get some enjoyment out of seeing an animal suffer horribly before it dies - and hopefully one day you will grow a brain and grow out of it.

I assume you are talking to me.

I accept killer whale play with there kill. But they are whales and seals that have evolved with with each other in there natural environment. Who know's why and I'd say all of us would prefer they didn't. But that's human being humans with bleeding hearts. Feral cats are not in there natural environment. And again non of us wish to see the cat torment it's kill.

The trouble is there is a huge feral cat problem. Desexing is great but people don't do it. The fast ways are illegal for most. The Human Society have influenced people's thinking that the not so fast ways are in humane i.e bludgeon. When they were actually focusing on torture and cruelty, i.e setting cats on fire.

If you get upset about a cat suffering 2 or 3 blows to the head, go to Animal Cruelty web sites. Your cologne, shampoo, body treatment, cleaning products, detergent and yes for your car all get inserted into cats eyes. Scientist know the chemical burn, but to make sure little old activist doesn't get glowing red swollen weeping eyes so they do tests.

All children sanitary wipes are also in the mix. Now humans are just being humans, top of their game, poor old cat hasn't evolved to compensate. The cat is now stuffing like the bandicoot. Do you care?

[Bearman]

I assume you are talking to me.

I accept killer whale play with there kill. But they are whales and seals that have evolved with with each other in there natural environment. Who know's why and I'd say all of us would prefer they didn't. But that's human being humans with bleeding hearts. Feral cats are not in there natural environment. And again non of us wish to see the cat torment it's kill.

The trouble is there is a huge feral cat problem. Desexing is great but people don't do it. The fast ways are illegal for most. The Human Society have influenced people's thinking that the not so fast ways are in humane i.e bludgeon. When they were actually focusing on torture and cruelty, i.e setting cats on fire.

If you get upset about a cat suffering 2 or 3 blows to the head, go to Animal Cruelty web sites. Your cologne, shampoo, body treatment, cleaning products, detergent and yes for your car all get inserted into cats eyes. Scientist know the chemical burn, but to make sure little old activist doesn't get glowing red swollen weeping eyes so they do tests.

All children sanitary wipes are also in the mix. Now humans are just being humans, top of their game, poor old cat hasn't evolved to compensate. The cat is now stuffing like the bandicoot. Do you care?

I wasn't specifically referring to you Jason, but to the people who think it's ok to torture, run over, drown, set fire to etc. I have spent a lot of my life in rural/outback areas and have shot/killed a lot of feral animals and have aways tried to do clean kills like head or neckshots, even to pests like feral pigs that eat the arse end out of a bogged sheep or cow and then leave it to die slowly. I totally agree the feral cat is a huge problem and needs to be sorted out but it should be done cleanly and humanely not deliberately inflicting unnecessary pain. No animal deserves to be tortured. Perhaps a decent bounty on their heads. As I said, the cat problem is caused by irresponsible humans who do not desex and look after their animals. Herein lies the major problem. Some people should not be allowed to have animals.
Ideally a bullet to the head is the best way to get rid of them but in urban areas you cannot legally do this and I accept that if you cannot get it to a vet to give it a dose of "green dream" a sharp blow to the head is acceptable but I do not accept the other methods mentioned by some on here. I also do not condone animal testing and think it is unacceptable but like most am probably guilty of using some of the said products unknowingly. BTW I am not an activist or greenie or anything of that nature. Just someone who thinks it is unacceptable to torture any animal unnecessarily.

[mikehzz]

I wasn't specifically referring to you Jason, but to the people who think it's ok to torture, run over, drown, set fire to etc. I have spent a lot of my life in rural/outback areas and have shot/killed a lot of feral animals and have aways tried to do clean kills like head or neckshots, even to pests like feral pigs that eat the arse end out of a bogged sheep or cow and then leave it to die slowly. I totally agree the feral cat is a huge problem and needs to be sorted out but it should be done cleanly and humanely not deliberately inflicting unnecessary pain. No animal deserves to be tortured. Perhaps a decent bounty on their heads. As I said, the cat problem is caused by irresponsible humans who do not desex and look after their animals. Herein lies the major problem. Some people should not be allowed to have animals.
Ideally a bullet to the head is the best way to get rid of them but in urban areas you cannot legally do this and I accept that if you cannot get it to a vet to give it a dose of "green dream" a sharp blow to the head is acceptable but I do not accept the other methods mentioned by some on here. I also do not condone animal testing and think it is unacceptable but like most am probably guilty of using some of the said products unknowingly. BTW I am not an activist or greenie or anything of that nature. Just someone who thinks it is unacceptable to torture any animal unnecessarily.

Exactly my position on this issue as well. Thanks.

[Sandgroper]

I don't think any decent person would actively cause unnecessary pain or torment to any animal, or at least, they shouldn't. I certainly wouldn't, however I will do what needs to be done and although a needle would be the most painless option it is not available in the middle of nowhere so we have to move down the line of most painless ways of exterminating these feral cats until we arrive at one we can do in the circumstances we are in at the time. The least amount of suffering for these creatures the better, so long as the end result is that one more has been eliminated from the natural environment and stopped from further destroying our beautiful native wildlife.

[ramblingboy42]

Bearman, the "debate" is good so far...but telling someone to "grow a brain" isn't good and virtually destroys any credibility you are trying to create here. Just saying......

[Epic_Dragon]

dropping them into water is horrible! what a horrible way to kill them!! shooting or the exhaust would be most humane ways.

[wrinklearthur]

Bearman, the "debate" is good so far...but telling someone to "grow a brain" isn't good and virtually destroys any credibility you are trying to create here. Just saying......

I am a Tasmanian so that bit about growing a brain is a bit lost on me. :p
.

[1976_michelle]

Do the second heads grow out empty? :P

I agree, I have a cat, and I don't like the idea of killing, but they are feral, they are murderous, and they should be reduced. So as long as it is done humanely and as quickly as possible. I would be advocating removal to an RSPCA or vet for chip scanning though that is not practical when you are miles from civilisation (and therefore not likely needed out there anyway, if its that far it it probably belongs only to itself)
For gods sake no bowhunting... do it right and get a gun licence if you want to do it at all...

[mikehzz]

put a wild cat in a bag?:whistling::whistling::whistling::whistling::w histling::lol::lol::lol:, mate, I'd like to see that.....

Credibility = zero.

[Dougal]

do it right and get a gun licence if you want to do it at all...

This is the situation in a nut-shell.

IMO there are two acceptable ways to try and kill feral animals (any type) you chance upon.
1. Quick and clean shot.
2. With your bare hands. No protective clothing or gloves allowed.;)

Cage trapping and gassing isn't in that list, because it's a completely different situation. If you are organised enough to trap them, then you should have a clean dispatch method already sorted.

[dullbird]

Newhue

Can I ask why because we are asking for a clean and quick death that we are labelled bleeding hearts and greenies?

Or were you not referring to the membership.

[Chucaro]

Newhue

Can I ask why because we are asking for a clean and quick death that we are labelled bleeding hearts and greenies?

Or were you not referring to the membership.

Dullbird unfortunately people that care for nature are labelled bleeding hearts, greenies or ferals :mad:
I just wonder some times if that is a reflection of selfishness of those that try to discredit the people that respect nature because they felt that their life style is threatened by our voice :(
Are these people also approve when a dog or horse it is tortured by their owners?
Yes, foxes, cats, cane toads and other introduced fauna have to be controlled but in an ethical way.

[Disco Muppet]

The bleeding hearts and greenies can support being humane, but their approach basically leads to no action, or just talk for most.

Because we don't do things like drown animals, we're not getting the job done and are bleeding heart greenies?
Here's what my action does: It places a 5.56mm projectile in the head/heart of what I'm shooting. This leads to death, death, and more death.
I accept the difficulties of traveling with a firearm, or even obtaining one for that matter, but you can still be humane about killing an animal without a firearm. Hi-lift jack or a sharp blow with a shovel does the job.

[Bearman]

Bearman, the "debate" is good so far...but telling someone to "grow a brain" isn't good and virtually destroys any credibility you are trying to create here. Just saying......

Really, apparently some are a bit lacking in this department as evidenced by their methods of killing.

[goingbush]

Have humans only become "humane" / ethical in the last generation.

When I was a kid we used to put down traps for rabbits, as far as I know this was a normal thing for anyone to be doing and perfectly acceptable in society. The rabbit would stand on the trigger plate and steel jaws clamp onto the rabbits leg, where it would be trapped until I came back later and wrung its neck.

Also it was common practice to put a litter of kittens in a bag & into a drum of water to kill them.

Only sick or derainged individuals would actually enjoy torturing or un-necessarily prolonging the death of an animal and I'm slightly bemused that some people in this debate are being looked upon that way.

The latest out cry from Animal Libbers is Farmers can now be fined for allowing their dogs to bite sheep or cattle during mustering. Heaven forbid. Whats the world coming to. Next thing mouse traps & fly spray will be banned.
I certainly do not envy the next generation of Namby Pambys .

[Disco Muppet]

Explain to me how this:



Also it was common practice to put a litter of kittens in a bag & into a drum of water to kill them.

Is any different to this?



un-necessarily prolonging the death of an animal

I'm a little confused...

As for this...



The latest out cry from Animal Libbers is Farmers can now be fined for allowing their dogs to bite sheep or cattle during mustering.

That's a load of crap from stupid greeny nobs who think mulesing is a bad thing.



I certainly do not envy the next generation of Namby Pambys .
No Namby Pamby here, I don't have any qualms about eradicating feral cats, dogs, rabbits, mice, pigs, etc.
I just prefer the most efficient method of sending them to their maker.

[Dougal]

Have humans only become "humane" / ethical in the last generation.

When I was a kid we used to put down traps for rabbits, as far as I know this was a normal thing for anyone to be doing and perfectly acceptable in society. The rabbit would stand on the trigger plate and steel jaws clamp onto the rabbits leg, where it would be trapped until I came back later and wrung its neck.

Also it was common practice to put a litter of kittens in a bag & into a drum of water to kill them.

I'd believe that if you were ~90 years old and senile. A generation is 20 years. Gin traps have been seen as un-necessary cruelty for at least the last 60 years.


The latest out cry from Animal Libbers is Farmers can now be fined for allowing their dogs to bite sheep or cattle during mustering. Heaven forbid. Whats the world coming to. Next thing mouse traps & fly spray will be banned.
I certainly do not envy the next generation of Namby Pambys .

Not at all relevant.

[goingbush]

FYI Rabbit Traps were banned in the 1980's

yes Muppet, I can just see you taking out 9 little kittens with your Ruger Mini-14
thats more sick than dropping them in a bucket of water

[dullbird]

Have humans only become "humane" / ethical in the last generation.

When I was a kid we used to put down traps for rabbits, as far as I know this was a normal thing for anyone to be doing and perfectly acceptable in society. The rabbit would stand on the trigger plate and steel jaws clamp onto the rabbits leg, where it would be trapped until I came back later and wrung its neck.

Also it was common practice to put a litter of kittens in a bag & into a drum of water to kill them.


Only sick or derainged individuals would actually enjoy torturing or un-necessarily prolonging the death of an animal and I'm slightly bemused that some people in this debate are being looked upon that way.

The latest out cry from Animal Libbers is Farmers can now be fined for allowing their dogs to bite sheep or cattle during mustering. Heaven forbid. Whats the world coming to. Next thing mouse traps & fly spray will be banned.
I certainly do not envy the next generation of Namby Pambys .


Probably just as bemused as some of us are about some people that are arguing for out dated kill methods.

As for the rabbit traps its not illegal to trap a Rabbit in NSW I dont know whether it is in your state or not...even so its not efficient way to go about it anyway if your wanting to reduce big numbers.

[Chucaro]

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

That's a load of crap from stupid greeny nobs who think mulesing is a bad thing.
...........

Please mate do not call them greenies, the majority of us here care for nature and in that sense we are genuine greens. :)
That fellows that you are referring to are just plain stupid, ignorant and feral nobs.
Call them greenies does not do justice to the name. ;)

[Chucaro]

Probably just as bemused as some of us are about some people that are arguing for out dated kill methods.

As for the rabbit traps its not illegal to trap a Rabbit in NSW I dont know whether it is in your state or not...even so its not efficient way to go about it anyway if your wanting to reduce big numbers.

Please correct me if Iam wrong

State Trapping Legislation. (http://www.trapping.com.au/StateLeg.php)

New South Wales

Padded-jaw traps are permitted - Jake trap, Victor Soft Catch #3 & #1 1/2, Duke Soft Catch #3 & #1 1/2.

Legislation: Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 s 23.

Use of steel-jaw traps is prohibited.

[dullbird]

yes thats correct so trapping a rabbit is not prohibted if using a soft jaw trap...only steel jaw traps are prohibited in most states if not all I believe. ell with the possible excpetion for large traps used for dingos etc in one of the states but cant remember which

[mikehzz]

Things change. Crucifixions, beheadings and burning witches at the stake are all way down as well. The damn namby pamby greeny knobs have been at it with people as well as animals. The world is going to pot for sure even if the crime rate is now lower than it has ever been and dropping (with the exception of computer and white collar fraud of course).

[Disco Muppet]

yes Muppet, I can just see you taking out 9 little kittens with your Ruger Mini-14
thats more sick than dropping them in a bucket of water

For a start, I fail to see how a single fatal gunshot is more sick than drowning.
Messy, sure. Sick? That's open to opinion.
Second, all the cats that I come into contact with besides the odd feral on the property are properly controlled and desexed animals that are far too lazy to do anything except have the odd swipe at a curtain, as they're kept inside.
How then, do you think we should deal with the off spring of the animals we hunt?
I know a bloke who swings joeys by the tail into his tow ball.
That's sick in the head IMHO, I'd have just shot it.

[Chucaro]

I used to have 3 rifles in my gun safe and the 3 were used in the range.
I bought them to go hunting for feral pigs and other games but never have the guts to destroy or terminate a life.
Call me soft or any other name but it is hard to kill just for sport. :(
At the end ballistics become a very expensive sport at a cost of over $1.50 for a 6 BR bullet and I sold my gear.
Not I am shooting with my Nikon cameras and it is much nicer :)

[Disco Muppet]

I used to have 3 rifles in my gun safe and the 3 were used in the range.
I bought them to go hunting for feral pigs and other games but never have the guts to destroy or terminate a life.
Call me soft or any other name but it is hard to kill just for sport. :(
At the end ballistics become a very expensive sport at a cost of over $1.50 for a 6 BR bullet and I sold my gear.
Not I am shooting with my Nikon cameras and it is much nicer :)

It's never something I relish, taking the life of anything.
I don't regret it as I only shoot for pest control, but still, not always nice.

[newhue]

Newhue

Can I ask why because we are asking for a clean and quick death that we are labelled bleeding hearts and greenies?

Or were you not referring to the membership.

perhaps could have used better wording, but it seems so often that no matter how it's explained the "bleeding hearts or greenies" for want of a better description oppose every option but the most impractical one.

By god if I could get a bottle of whatever the stuff is that puts animals to sleep I'd use it. But I can't, and often that isn't enough for the opposing party. They could use Moreteen on cockroaches and think nothing of it as it desperately dies; however stand stead fast about best practice for their argument. I have been to animal cruelty rallies and stood next to people wearing leather belts and shoes as the yell down trucks that hall cows. This is my point, often greenies can't see their own actions, only others. BTW, I would consider myself more pro environment and pro animal than any other facet of the debate.

If I have more time I'm apply, purchase, and do what is required for a fire arm.
But the show that inspired me was only on a month ago, and I noticed the cats last year but didn't realise the volume.

4500 people cross the desert every year, and that was couple years ago now. If half of them could catch 10 cats per trip, and dispose of them quickly, safely, and humanly then that's not bad. There seems plenty of interest from this thread. The Government is happy for some of us to collect it's tax, but thinks we are incapable to deal with a problem they cant deal with. They say do it humanly, but ban the tools to do so, so........

Biological is the only way, and until all domestic cats are de-sexed, then a biological virus is let loose on non de-sexed cats the problem will exist and grow until the cats plateau. By then our wildlife will severely depleted and well on the way to extinction.
But instead we have governments who don't even make desexing cats mandatory.

Can you see why now I say 2 of 5 blows isn't that big a deal in the big picture. We are talking 1 to 1.5 seconds difference in best and worst case. But the Government couldn't give a flying ****. Only the greenies standing stead fast.

[Disco Muppet]

From memory, nobody has opposed smacking them on the back of the head a few times, there's nothing sadistic or cruel about that.
Personally I'd be looking at bows.
Perfectly legal, ammunition is completely re-usable.
Probably a bit more difficult than a gun, but you can stuff up just as easy a rifle shot than a bow shot.
Hell, catch them and put an arrow through their head. Doesn't bother me none.
I just oppose things like drownings.

[phibbzy]

As someone who has to deal with this issue a lot, allow me to add my 5c

Personally, I will only ever shoot a cat. Any other method is too cruel for my liking. I have seen poison bates left to kill a especially murderous feral who was annihilating chickens only to have the bates kill the cat and promptly a devil who consumed its corpse.
Drowning is quicker but when you consider it will take a minute or two to drown its just not quick enough.

I trap in cages and kill with a .22lr to the brain or kill in the field with the appropriate shot. It's instant and the most ethical way to dispatch an animal.

And I guess that's the point. Any way that can guarantee an instant brain death is an ethical method.

[goingbush]

What about a spear gun

Seac SUB Sting 45 Speargun NEW | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Seac-Sub-Sting-45-speargun-NEW-/350765020273?pt=AU_Scuba_Diving_Snorkelling&hash=item51ab397471&_uhb=1)

take the barb off , should do the trick and a lot more predictable than a hunting bow, esp at point blank, which it would be if the cat was already in a cage

a lot less hassle & cheaper that obtaining a firearm.

[wrinklearthur]

As I have indicated before, I now have too many cats living around here, so the plan is to now keep feeding the feral cats to tame them down enough to get them to enter a weldmesh trap that I have constructed mainly for catching possums.

Once caught I will then remove the trap and it's contents well away from the feeding area and if it is a feral cat, dispatch with it using a .22, or if it is a stray with a tattoo in its ear, notify the local council dog collector to come and collect it.

How many cats is just enough, and how many is too much, bearing in mind that there will be a need for replacements in time ?
.

[rovercare]

'It takes two gulps of water, it's dead ... There's no suffer there' | KPIC CBS 4 - News, Weather and Sports - Roseburg, OR | - Roseburg, Oregon | Local & Regional News (http://www.kpic.com/news/local/It-takes-two-gulps-of-water-its-dead-Theres-no-suffer-there-162965856.html'm=y&smobile=y)

I don't see why drowning is a big deal, a rifle shot that isn't instant kill is worse, drowning is predictable

[Tombie]

I'd go the firearm method as first preference too..

But I'm not allowed to take it onto:
- Woomera Test area
- The Works
- Any mine site

And I don't just happen to keep it in the vehicle in case I hit an animal...

So this leaves me with:
- Smack it on the head with something hard (more than 1 blow isn't quick enough)
- Run over its head
- Use some devastatingly quick (animal meets molten metal is nigh on instant)
- Car exhaust is slow, hot and takes a while
- Drowning, great if I have a dam nearby and apparently quick and painless.

Gun shots (hunting) cannot guarantee clean kills, it's the nature of Hunting.
Best not use that method for gathering or pest extermination either.

[newhue]

As someone who has to deal with this issue a lot, allow me to add my 5c
SNIP
I have seen poison bates left to kill a especially murderous feral who was annihilating chickens only to have the bates kill the cat and promptly a devil who consumed its corpse.
SNIP

I have to agree, poising must have to be one of the most torturous ways to die. Still 1080 is used widely to kill feral animals, then as you say the food chain down the line suffers. Tassis devil, eagles, dingos, and so on all die as well. Can't tell you how any letters I have written to Tasmanian government about lacing new fields of plantation timer with 1080 to stop the wombats from eating the seedlings. You know, only Bob Brown replied.


What about a spear gun

Seac SUB Sting 45 Speargun NEW | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Seac-Sub-Sting-45-speargun-NEW-/350765020273?pt=AU_Scuba_Diving_Snorkelling&hash=item51ab397471&_uhb=1)

take the barb off , should do the trick and a lot more predictable than a hunting bow, esp at point blank, which it would be if the cat was already in a cage

a lot less hassle & cheaper that obtaining a firearm.

your terrible Muriel.....but I like your commitment.

[123rover50]

There are club shooters travelling with firearms going to competitions all over Australia every day.
Join SSAA and look at the comps in the back of the mag.
You are going to a legitimate competition with your rifle in its secure storage, who is going to worry if you bump off the odd cat or despatch humanely the poor roo on the side of the road with its guts hanging out.
Didiman

[austastar]

Hi,
Yonks ago the Medical School would take cats if the right course was coming up, but not for many years now.

I have run a cat out of a humane trap into a potato sack, where he can be held quite safely and introduced to the back of Mr. Axe.

At the time we had just bought a house from some one who must have been feeding all the local 'kitties', and some of them were very wild and fierce.
One fluffy Persian was very pleased to see me, smooched and purred in anticipation of being 'rescued'. Obviously a pet, so was released unharmed.

cheers

[bobslandies]

There are club shooters travelling with firearms going to competitions all over Australia every day.
Join SSAA and look at the comps in the back of the mag.
You are going to a legitimate competition with your rifle in its secure storage, who is going to worry if you bump off the odd cat or despatch humanely the poor roo on the side of the road with its guts hanging out.
Didiman

Just make sure (particularly in NSW) that your licence also includes "Hunting" as a legitimate reason though.

Bob

[newhue]

There are club shooters travelling with firearms going to competitions all over Australia every day.
Join SSAA and look at the comps in the back of the mag.
You are going to a legitimate competition with your rifle in its secure storage, who is going to worry if you bump off the odd cat or despatch humanely the poor roo on the side of the road with its guts hanging out.
Didiman

Keith is there a size limit on this do you know. I'd imagine .22 is adequate for what you have mentioned.

On Easter Monday I had the unfortunate experience of a small wallaby running out just as I passed. It went under the car and broke it's leg. Given the day, the location, and 0 phone coverage I used the vehicle to put the animal down.
The whole process from accident to death, maybe 30 to 40 seconds. I'm not sure a gun would have been faster but in some cases it would be easier.

[123rover50]

Hi Jason. For that sort of job a .22 is all that is needed. There is a range of different ammo available too from fairly quiet sub sonics to very noisy hyper sonics. Thats all you need as you would not be hunting as such.
Keith

[123rover50]

Another thought. If you are interested come up for a run, we will pop out to the range and you can have a shot with some different guns. See what you think.

[newhue]

Thank you Keith, I may take you up on that when I get back. My grandfather was half reasonable shot, so hopefully I have some of those genes.

[weeds]

.

4500 people cross the desert every year, and that was couple years ago now. If half of them could catch 10 cats per trip, and dispose of them quickly, safely, and humanly then that's not bad. There seems plenty of interest from this thread. The Government is happy for some of us to collect it's tax, but thinks we are incapable to deal with a problem they cant deal with. They say do it humanly, but ban the tools to do so, so........

.

Not sure how many cars you will see as I didn't see one than alone see and kill 10.....I did come across a few camels which I found out after my crossing that they are a pest as well, I no longer felt sad about the dead one beside the track

[newhue]

Not sure how many cars you will see as I didn't see one than alone see and kill 10.....I did come across a few camels which I found out after my crossing that they are a pest as well, I no longer felt sad about the dead one beside the track

Hi mate, the ranger at Birdsville told me last year 4500. And from what I saw at the van park I don't see any reason to doubt them. I'd imagine 4000 of them do the French line however. 4x4 action say it's the best and hardest so it has to be, right.
I have heard there are 500 000 estimated feral camels out there somewhere, then add dogs, foxes, pigs around the edges and it's all a bit mind boggling.
Given it has been wet out there the cats will be breading to much on everything else breeding. I am away for 35 nights, see how it goes.

[LandyAndy]

In WA new cat laws are about to start.Feral cats are now called "community cats"
Anyhow,a cat film clip Im sure you will enjoy.
Birth Control To Ginger Tom - YouTube
Andrew

[goingbush]

Just received email from Dad, sure he wont mind me pasting. ( doubt he has ever heard of AULRO and certainly has no knowledge of this discussion)

i just thought it would fit well here :)





Was cleaning up pipe oddments propped against the fence and one piece seemed unusually heavy.
"Something in here" I thought, giving it a heave up and a tap on the fence.
Bejabers! there was something in there all right - a dead cat. Head Down, and Very Dead.
It had been there a while, would not even make the grade for Dim Sims.
How long? Well three months ago next door said "Have you seen our cat?"
Briefly thought I should pop it on their front doormat and ring the bell, but no - it was really too much "on the nose".
So I buried it next to the lemon tree whose roots will doubtless make good use of the organic matter therein.

Technical details: diameter of pipe - 100mm. Length: just to middle rail of fence.
Angle of inclination: 80 degrees. Best place to site : corner

Cheers!

[newhue]

Just received email from Dad, sure he wont mind me pasting. ( doubt he has ever heard of AULRO and certainly has no knowledge of this discussion)

i just thought it would fit well here :)


I'll say it again................your terrible Muriel.....but I like your commitment.

I been having troubles sourcing appropriate gags. Canvas is way too pricy, and have heard hesian wont do. Maybe someone can confirm.
I can get woven plastic like what chook food comes and suitably sized for the trap. So thinking of doubling up.

On another side the kids will have plenty of bags for sac races in the meantime.

[sheerluck]

........I been having troubles sourcing appropriate gags.......

I wish you luck trying to get close enough to a feral cat to stick a gag on it!

"Come here Kitty, you're making too much noise......" :D

[goingbush]

Too bad I didn't notice this pair of Marmadukes in time to line them up,
30km west of Winton today, on the Boulia road.
one of the scampered just as I got to it, other one gone by the time I did a u-turn.

A few klm earlier saw about 8 Feral piglets happily grazing on the side of the road, thats unusual.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/05/215.jpg

[snowbound]

well, I am a qualified and operating pest controller in the ACT. I don't do a lot of cat work, but when I do catch them I take them to the RSPCA who deal with them inappropriately and for free. The last ones I took there apparently had Feline AIDS. If this takes a real hold it could ironically fix the problem I guess, will also mean Mrs Brown needs top keep "Tiddles" indoors or risk her getting infected!

[seano87]

well, I am a qualified and operating pest controller in the ACT. I don't do a lot of cat work, but when I do catch them I take them to the RSPCA who deal with them inappropriately and for free. The last ones I took there apparently had Feline AIDS. If this takes a real hold it could ironically fix the problem I guess, will also mean Mrs Brown needs top keep "Tiddles" indoors or risk her getting infected!

They deal with them inappropriately? Please, do tell...

[justinc]

:eek: i am hoping that is a typo!


jc

[bob10]

A few klm earlier saw about 8 Feral piglets happily grazing on the side of the road, thats unusual.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/05/215.jpg
Not unusual during drought, I think, Bob

[goingbush]

I'll say it again................your terrible Muriel.....but I like your commitment.

I been having troubles sourcing appropriate gags. Canvas is way too pricy, and have heard hesian wont do. Maybe someone can confirm.
I can get woven plastic like what chook food comes and suitably sized for the trap. So thinking of doubling up.

On another side the kids will have plenty of bags for sac races in the meantime.

At least you wont have to load any Maxtraxx, if you get bogged just chuck the hessian bags (full of cats......
or sand) under the wheels and your away

[Disco Muppet]

At least you wont have to load any Maxtraxx, if you get bogged just chuck the hessian bags (full of cats......
or sand) under the wheels and your away

That's terrible, but even I had a giggle at that :p

[newhue]

At least you wont have to load any Maxtraxx, if you get bogged just chuck the hessian bags (full of cats......
or sand) under the wheels and your away

ah hem Murial....
hessian bags are what I took as my maxtraxx last time, but didn't need them.

Perhaps I could do a doco on the trials and tribulations of a cat catcher. Crossing the dead heart with a swag of hessian bags, some welding gloves, and a dozen kids.

[goingbush]

Jason, hows the trip going .
Funny thing, we are camped in / near the Selwyn Ranges and a feral cat came into camp,

action station, what to do what to do , made a snare and fully expected I would not see cat again, an hour later problem solved.

(its on todays blog )

..Muriel

[Grimace]

http://imageshack.us/a/img441/5662/i1d5.jpg

[goingbush]

chalk up another feral,


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/07/1493.jpg


this time I took a short detour into the Gibber and collected it with one of my 6 wheels.

I cant believe how many cats are out here,

The Rangers at Diamantina NP shot 350 a few weekends ago.

I say let the cat virus into Australia, and very strict ownership & desexing regulations for pet cat owners.

[sheerluck]

.......and very strict ownership & desexing regulations for pet cat owners.

Sounds a bit harsh. Is that on the basis that if they like cats, then they're not allowed children?

:D

[Chucaro]

Sounds a bit harsh. Is that on the basis that if they like cats, then they're not allowed children?

:D

They can adopt a dog :D

[newhue]

Jason, hows the trip going .
Funny thing, we are camped in / near the Selwyn Ranges and a feral cat came into camp,

action station, what to do what to do , made a snare and fully expected I would not see cat again, an hour later problem solved.

(its on todays blog )

..Muriel

Well back from the trip and I have lots of interesting things to add if you care about reducing feral cats.

First, the buggers are hard to catch. I set the trap perhaps 25 out of 35 nights, and basically had no results. I covered the sides and top of the trap with access blocking foliage, and left the front and rear clear. I put food at the back of the trap floor, some at the cage entrance, and a bit further out about 2 meters away. There was plenty of activity around the trap generally but but no captures. I had two false closures both with food left, but given we saw a cat the size of a 12month old female Labrador I'm not surprised it didn't fit. Perhaps the cat clawed at the cage so I reduced the sensitivity of the trigger, but still no luck.

I tried chicken, pork, roo, human salmon, and cat food sardines all with no real result. I wondered if 8 to 12 hours actual set time is not enough time after the 3 cats at Andado Station didn't come good.

I saw plenty of cats eating road kill, something I though they didn't do. Some as bold as crows not even moving as I drove past. The buggers sure did move however when I turned the wheel towards them however. Overall where water is there are many many carts. And Furthermore every camp we made on the WAA and the Madigan had cat prints in the dunes.

My saving grace and real joy of the whole experience was at Coopers Creek. I had all but given up when a cat entered a mates cars and started eating bread.
Down came the trap and was placed on some chicken stock poured on the ground. All I had was bread and beef sausages. The result was amazing.
5 cats in 2.5 hours, and another in the trap by sun up, so 6 cats in 8.5 hours and I saw another 2 immediate potentials but needed to get some sleep after a big days drive.

I feel they had become lazy feeding on campers scraps, but certainly renewed my interest in persisting.

[123rover50]

Well done Jason. So how did you dispose of them?

[bee utey]

Having carefully observed pet cats I don't think they are particularly driven by smell. You'd be better off half filling the trap with local leaf litter, and installing a small mouse sized electrically powered vibration device. An occasional rustling noise will have every cat within 200 metres on the scene. Something you could rig up with a vibralert out of an old phone and a timer circuit.

[JamesB71]

Get a gun licence and a nice little .22 and do the country a favour every time you are out there.

[newhue]

Well done Jason. So how did you dispose of them?

Keith, I was hoping that would not be asked. But in hindsight I have no shame.

After seeing these thing in the real, I uses the natural resources I had around me.

The idea of removal into a bag and them clubbing them became apparent it was beyond my skills or desires.

[goingbush]

Well back from the trip and I have lots of interesting things to add if you care about reducing feral cats.

First, the buggers are hard to catch. I set the trap perhaps 25 out of 35 nights, and basically had no results. I covered the sides and top of the trap with access blocking foliage, and left the front and rear clear. I put food at the back of the trap floor, some at the cage entrance, and a bit further out about 2 meters away. There was plenty of activity around the trap generally but but no captures. I had two false closures both with food left, but given we saw a cat the size of a 12month old female Labrador I'm not surprised it didn't fit. Perhaps the cat clawed at the cage so I reduced the sensitivity of the trigger, but still no luck.

I tried chicken, pork, roo, human salmon, and cat food sardines all with no real result. I wondered if 8 to 12 hours actual set time is not enough time after the 3 cats at Andado Station didn't come good.

I saw plenty of cats eating road kill, something I though they didn't do. Some as bold as crows not even moving as I drove past. The buggers sure did move however when I turned the wheel towards them however. Overall where water is there are many many carts. And Furthermore every camp we made on the WAA and the Madigan had cat prints in the dunes.

My saving grace and real joy of the whole experience was at Coopers Creek. I had all but given up when a cat entered a mates cars and started eating bread.
Down came the trap and was placed on some chicken stock poured on the ground. All I had was bread and beef sausages. The result was amazing.
5 cats in 2.5 hours, and another in the trap by sun up, so 6 cats in 8.5 hours and I saw another 2 immediate potentials but needed to get some sleep after a big days drive.

I feel they had become lazy feeding on campers scraps, but certainly renewed my interest in persisting.

Thanks Jason,
I really don't think people understand how huge the feral cat issue is,


Yes I have also been surprised that they feed on Road Kill, esp alongside crows !!! The crows flyoff and the cats stay to the last second.

off topic a bit, we actually saw a pig feeding on roads kill today & try to drag the roo off the road as we approached !!! haven't checked the camera yet but will post if I have a clear shot




A length of Telstra conduit with a rope tied off at one end into a loop and back up the pipe works. I really did not think the cat would fall for it but not hard to snare it. As mentioned earlier there is now way you would want to get closer than a pole length to one of these things.

http://goingbush.com/images/catpole.jpg

then dispatched with back of an axe to the head.

[dullbird]

cats are very suspicious animals which is how they survive so well...

Generally cats wont go in traps unless they are really hungry, because they are suspicious....

and they are driven a lot by smell so much so if you have a cat in a trap that has gone nuts the smell it leaves behind urine/faeces etc can often deter other cats coming in.

I'm guessing the meats you used other than roo they have probably never eaten before and there for don't know what the associated smell is.....you may of been better picking up road kill if that is what you had seen them eating because they will know that, that smell means dinner, If you get what I mean.