# One feral cat's 24 hour catch



## dottyback (Mar 29, 2011)

An email that's getting around.
It's interesting that our government invests so much time into licensing reptiles yet in most places registering your cat is not required. I wonder which would be more beneficial for protecting our wildlife. The last thing we need is more feral cat populations.


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## Minka (Mar 29, 2011)

Interesting. They look remarkably intact? As in full heads, tails, legs and feet... last time i checked cats didn't swallow WHOLE prey items.


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## Pinoy (Mar 29, 2011)

Yeah, something just doesn't look right about it to me.

But I'd just go with it cos I don't like cats lol.


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## Bloomster (Mar 29, 2011)

I dont know a whole lot about cats, but yes i would agree with Minka, sure cats dont swallow whole prey... looks sus..

But i agree that the system sux! cats are a bigger threat to native wildlife than us keepers keeping native fauna


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## Jonno from ERD (Mar 29, 2011)

It's real. The species involved are only small.


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## Laghairt (Mar 29, 2011)

How do you know it's real?



Jonno from ERD said:


> It's real. The species involved are only small.


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## BigWillieStyles (Mar 29, 2011)

Whats the source of the photo?


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## saximus (Mar 29, 2011)

Jonno from ERD said:


> It's real. The species involved are only small.


 Dude have you seen a cat eat? They aren't snakes, they don't eat anything whole. Not even one of the animals in the picture looks like it's been chewed


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## Laghairt (Mar 29, 2011)

That's what I was thinking.



saximus said:


> Dude have you seen a cat eat? They aren't snakes, they don't eat anything whole. Not even one of the animals in the picture looks like it's been chewed


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## BigWillieStyles (Mar 29, 2011)

Found this link --->

Powered by Google Docs


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## cement (Mar 29, 2011)

No your right, its a conspiracy theory to try and get everyone thinking that feral cats are bad for the environment.
House cats are just as bad.


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## KaotikJezta (Mar 29, 2011)

Correct me if i am wrong but isn't John Read the crazy guy that wears cat skins and has taken it upon himself to be a one man army in the fight to have cats banned. He'd do anything to prove his point, even stage photographs because at the end of the day he just likes killing cats.


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## Jonno from ERD (Mar 29, 2011)

saximus said:


> Dude have you seen a cat eat? They aren't snakes, they don't eat anything whole. Not even one of the animals in the picture looks like it's been chewed


 
Google "John Read" from Roxby Downs in South Australia. No doubt he could forward you countless photo's similar to this.

How many feral cats have you dissected?


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## Banjo (Mar 29, 2011)

Feral cats are bad for our envirement, possible one the worst for killing as they aren't just restricted to the ground.


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## dottyback (Mar 29, 2011)

Jonno from ERD said:


> Google "John Read" from Roxby Downs in South Australia. No doubt he could forward you countless photo's similar to this.
> 
> How many feral cats have you dissected?



Exactly!


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## Jonno from ERD (Mar 29, 2011)

CSIRO PUBLISHING - Wildlife Research

This seems like an awful lot of work just for someone who likes killing cats.


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## viridis (Mar 29, 2011)

Jonno from ERD said:


> How many feral cats have you dissected?


 
You would have been proud of me last night Jonno, I dissected a feral cat with 3 shots from a pump action .308! I must be doing it wrong though as I could not find the stomach contents 

I am unsure on the background of this photo however they kill far too many natives to not be taken seriously.

Viridis


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## sammy09 (Mar 29, 2011)

that photo is fake i have two cats at home (the type they are they have to be indoors only) but yeh they cant eat something half the size of my pinkies fingernail with out chewing it to peices first


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## seanjbkorbett (Mar 29, 2011)

dottyback said:


> It's interesting that our government invests so much time into licensing reptiles yet in most places registering your cat is not required.
> 
> View attachment 193058


 
Reptile laws here are a joke.
Another Government Money making scam  .. As I do believe in a permit system,it keeps the wrong people keeping reptiles (to a degree)..but I dont understand why we have to pay for it!


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## KaotikJezta (Mar 29, 2011)

Jonno from ERD said:


> CSIRO PUBLISHING - Wildlife Research
> 
> This seems like an awful lot of work just for someone who likes killing cats.



So he's written a paper, or should I say co-written, he's also declared his own nature reserve but it doesn't alter the fact that he has a particular hatred of cats and enjoys killing them.

And I am not saying nothing should be done about feral cats, just making a point that he is the kind of person who would fake a photo to further his agenda, if he is who I think he is.


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## Laghairt (Mar 29, 2011)

Not if he's trying to get funding for a PHD or eradication program. 



Jonno from ERD said:


> CSIRO PUBLISHING - Wildlife Research
> 
> This seems like an awful lot of work just for someone who likes killing cats.


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## syeph8 (Mar 29, 2011)

kaotikjezta said:


> So he's written a paper, or should I say co-written, he's also declared his own nature reserve but it doesn't alter the fact that he has a particular hatred of cats and enjoys killing them.
> 
> And I am not saying nothing should be done about feral cats, *just making a point that he is the kind of person who would fake a photo to further his agenda, if he is who I think he is.*



So you know this guy well then?

Does seem an odd thing for a bloke who is so passionate about saving native wildlife to kill a whole bunch of native reptiles and one cat just to prove a conservation point.

This thread was started to discuss the cat and reptile registration and licensing and not the agenda of the person who wrote the (peer reviewed) CSIRO article. so lets talk about that, rather than being defamatory.

Sye


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## KaotikJezta (Mar 29, 2011)

syeph8 said:


> So you know this guy well then?
> 
> Does seem an odd thing for a bloke who is so passionate about about native wildlife to kill a whole bunch of native reptiles and one cat just to prove a conservation point.
> 
> ...


 I wasn't being defamatory, I don't even know if it is the same guy, I ws asking. The guy I mean has been on TV in a few current affairs and ABC show. He wears a cat skin jacket, and who said he had to kill all the animals himself. Like I said I think feral animals and uncontrolled domestic animals are bad but if it is the guy I mean, his radical attitude does not help matters.


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## fugawi (Mar 29, 2011)

It seems like the government have the licensing thing around the wrong way........we should be licensing ALL non native pet owners and we should be free to keep natives.


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## dottyback (Mar 29, 2011)

fugawi said:


> It seems like the government have the licensing thing around the wrong way........we should be licensing ALL non native pet owners and we should be free to keep natives.


 
Well said!

People cant compare the eating habits of thier beloved house cat to the one thats wild and roams the Australian bush looking for its next feed!


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## Darlyn (Mar 29, 2011)

dottyback said:


> Well said!
> 
> People cant compare the eating habits of thier beloved house cat to the one thats wild and roams the Australian bush looking for its next feed!


Thats true a domesticated cat eats mush thats already chewed up for it (canned crap) I've seen feral cats that are enormous
in comparison to home cats.


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## Minka (Mar 29, 2011)

dottyback said:


> Well said!
> 
> People cant compare the eating habits of thier beloved house cat to the one thats wild and roams the Australian bush looking for its next feed!


 
Actually you can.
As the animal's jaw structure remains the same. When it kills prey, a cat uses it's larger teeth situated on the upper and lower jaws. The teeth penetrate between neck vertebrae and tear the backbone. The largest teeth that move scissors-like when the jaws close are of special importance. Small front incisors serve to separate meat from bones and to carry different things, prey or kittens, for example. 

I am not arguing the feral cat's impact on the environment. They clearly pose a significant threat to native wildlife in Australia. And i am all for culling them humanely. But one would expect at least a couple of those prey items to either be chewed to varying degree's if not severed into pieces or partly digested. Cat's have extremely high metabolisms and digest food at a rapid rate. I am not about to insinuate anything about another person's "findings" but IMO that picture (until proven otherwise) is complete BS.


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## Dukz13 (Mar 29, 2011)

maybe the cat had just come back from the dentist and it hurt to chew??


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## Klaery (Mar 29, 2011)

I too would have expected more damage to the prey. Feline side teeth are designed for cutting (think of documentaries where you see lions/tigers/cats turning their heads sideways to cut off meat). But meh this guy would surely know that and would have made a better fake if he wanted to.


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Mar 29, 2011)

Feral cats are great reptile predators and they are good at it and they will swallow fast, not like your pampered house cat, I watched one eat a small bird once and it didn't do much chewing.
Then I blew its head off.
Photo is real, ferals are bad.


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## jack (Mar 29, 2011)

cool, another cat fight. as usual my sig says it all really.

as someone who has poked around inside ferals before it looks legit to me.
and i'll add that the stench of dissected cat is truly stomach churning.


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## scratchy (Mar 29, 2011)

ssssnakeman said:


> Feral cats are great reptile predators and they are good at it and they will swallow fast, not like your pampered house cat, I watched one eat a small bird once and it didn't do much chewing.
> Then I blew its head off.
> Photo is real, ferals are bad.


Spot on ! I have seen the stomach contents of a feral cats that contained mainly intacted prey items. Whole items such as field crickets, grasshoppers, mice and small skinks.


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## sammy09 (Mar 29, 2011)

Darlyn said:


> Thats true a domesticated cat eats mush thats already chewed up for it (canned crap) I've seen feral cats that are enormous
> in comparison to home cats.


lol thats funny i feed my cats propper meat not that canned stuff and they are huge


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## snakeluvver (Mar 29, 2011)

jack said:


> the only good cat is a dead cat


 
Thats just as bad, maybe worse than saying "The only good snake is a dead snake" snakes and cats are both predators, hunting to survive. Going by your logic should we say "the only good human is a dead human"? Think about it, us humans make feral cats look like angels! We kill animals just for money and fun. Humans in Australia kill hundreds of snakes and sharks meaninglessly each year, just out of fear.
Thanks to us, whales, tigers, pandas and countless other creatures are on the brink of extinction. Also, thanks to us the ozone layer is getting thinner and thinner each year. Cats don't seem so bad anymore, eh?


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## souldoubt (Mar 29, 2011)

snakeluvver said:


> Thats just as bad, maybe worse than saying "The only good snake is a dead snake" snakes and cats are both predators, hunting to survive. Going by your logic should we say "the only good human is a dead human"? Think about it, us humans make feral cats look like angels! We kill animals just for money and fun. Humans in Australia kill hundreds of snakes and sharks meaninglessly each year, just out of fear.



Spot on mate, humans are definitely the worst environmental pests - unnecessary killing, habitat destruction, pollution and the list goes on

I would also expect the prey items to be somewhat chewed, the biology of domestic and feral cats is obviously quite similar so I think you can compare them. However I do also realise that we are dealing with quite small prey items so I wouldn't completely write the photo off based on the fact that most of the prey animals dont appear to be chewed in to small pieces. 
I'm a little shocked by the concern here though, it's not often on APS that people show too much consideration at all for our wildlife - which is even more puzzling given that most of us keep at least one species.


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## jack (Mar 29, 2011)

a little young to be such a misanthrope. wait till you're my age before deciding this place would be better off without us.


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## Wookie (Mar 29, 2011)

That seems too much to be true. Surely? Or do those species live in communities?


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## snakeluvver (Mar 29, 2011)

jack said:


> a little young to be such a misanthrope. wait till you're my age before deciding this place would be better off without us.


 
I don't hate people and I'm not saying all humans should be killed. I'm just saying that humans do more damage than cats, yet it would be very wrong to kill people while it seems not so bad to kill cats.
And yes I'm young but I think a lot and I speak my mind  which isn't always a good thing, especially at school :lol:


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## dihsmaj (Mar 29, 2011)

snakeluvver said:


> And yes I'm young but I think a lot and I speak my mind  which isn't always a good thing, especially at school :lol:


 Been there, done that, stopped this year. 

On-topic, this looks legit, just shows how bad cats are.


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## seanjbkorbett (Mar 29, 2011)

Wookie said:


> That seems too much to be true. Surely? Or do those species live in communities?


 
Well i was thinking if this guy wears Cat skin hats..then..he's no crazier than the cat lady off the Simpsons!..Ha ha..no but to be honest..thats alot of food for a cat in just one night!..and cats are nocturnal hunters mainly,where is non of these reptiles are nocturnal..I can understand If the cat has picked them off low lying branches,but was not aware a cat could turn over rocks...second of all,since its such a large feed,im guessing some of the species there would had to have been eaten like a night or day before..meaning wouldnt some these little guys be half digested by now?.....


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## snakeluvver (Mar 29, 2011)

I like cats, and I've kept them as pets, and I'm getting another one soon. However, because of the environmental issues, plus the danger to the cat, I want it to be an indoor cat. However, my mum wants an outdoor cat  she just doesn't get it.


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## dihsmaj (Mar 29, 2011)

snakeluvver said:


> I like cats, and I've kept them as pets, and I'm getting another one soon. However, because of the environmental issues, plus the danger to the cat, I want it to be an indoor cat. However, my mum wants an outdoor cat  she just doesn't get it.


Get a cat run!


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## dottyback (Mar 29, 2011)

Let me ask, Should the governing bodies that are hear to protect our wildlife like the Department of sustainability and Environment in Victoria be doing more to protect and conserve the native Fauna than checking that our record books are in order and the I’s are dotted and the t's are crossed? Over the last 12 months more than a dozen Victorians have been raided with nothing much more than clerical paperwork errors. My point in this thread is the Department like the DSE in Victoria (NPWS, EPA etc) could be doing more for native species!


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## butters (Mar 29, 2011)

I have dissected and sorted through the gut contents of quite a few feral cats and the result for small prey items was pretty similar to the photo. Most had superficial damage which had obviously been inflicted during capture and would not be visible without blowing that photo up quite large. Very few had been chewed much unless it was something bigger like a larger mammal or larger bird. For those it can be hard to identify as often there is only a small bit of fur attached and most feathers are discarded before eating.

And you are right the smell is something else. It sticks to you too and when you are out in the bush with limited water it only gets better with time.

Cats may be supposedly nocturnal hunters but I can say I have seen numerous feral cats hunting during the day, even in very hot areas in the middle of the day (around Mt Isa). Cats are opportunists and will be active when the prey is. They can function effectively both night and day unlike some other predators.


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## SnakeyTroy (Mar 29, 2011)

I am not a cat person nor am I againsed them but what I am againsed is irresponsible cat ownership. people need to keep their cats indors or they should not own a cat at all. 
As far as 'feral' cats are concerned however, they must be erradicated as with the Cane Toad, Foxes, Pigs, Rabbits and any other non-native animal that is here either competing with or consuming our precious native fauna!


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## zulu (Mar 29, 2011)

Burmese cat my brother had in wollongong wiped out a sugar tail glider colony that was near the house,ring tailed possums,escaped budgies. God knows how many reptiles and marsupial mice it ate,had to give the cat away.
Foxes are pretty severe on reptiles also,particularly on pythons and clutches of eggs which they leave scattered about.
Dotty is correct in saying that wildlife authorities should be spending more time doing other things such as contoling pests.
One of the biggest pests we have is the WA CALM promoting the taking of wild reptiles,pox on them,they would sell their grandmothers if they thought there was money in it.


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## Darlyn (Mar 29, 2011)

iluvbiebersammy9 said:


> lol thats funny i feed my cats propper meat not that canned stuff and they are huge


Your cats may be huge but I can assure you ferals are much bigger. 
We caught one in a rabbit trap when we were kids. It had chewed half through it's leg to escape. 
I can see why people think they see black panthers in the wild. This thing was enormous!


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## Bez84 (Mar 29, 2011)

Apparently feral cat is good eating, i remember watching a malcolm douglas doco where an aboriginal family spent a hole day tracking a feral through the desert cause it is a favourite food of the local people who call it "puddy tat" lol funnyest thing i ever saw.
Is prefered by the locals over roo apparently..


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## Python70 (Mar 29, 2011)

John Read helped start the arid recovery land north of roxby, i know this as this is where i currently work. They have fence of a large area of land to re-introduce the bilby and are also trying to release womas,they had little sucess as i think the brown snakes ate them but the Bilbys are going good.They managed to eradicate all ferals inside this fenced of area which took alot of man hours and dedication from volunteers and the enviros. The photo is exactly what was found inside one of the culled the cats and no he isnt the funny fella that wears the cat skins.


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## KaotikJezta (Mar 29, 2011)

Python70 said:


> John Read helped start the arid recovery land north of roxby, i know this as this is where i currently work. They have fence of a large area of land to re-introduce the bilby and are also trying to release womas,they had little sucess as i think the brown snakes ate them but the Bilbys are going good.They managed to eradicate all ferals inside this fenced of area which took alot of man hours and dedication from volunteers and the enviros. The photo is exactly what was found inside one of the culled the cats and no he isnt the funny fella that wears the cat skins.



Thanks for the clarification, thats all I was asking.


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## syeph8 (Mar 29, 2011)

Seriously, the photo is not the issue. The question asked was regarding licensing and regulations of cat ownership versus keeping Australian native animals. Again, to reiterate my previous post: saying the photo is a fake is accusing a respected researcher of falsifying his results (for what? Shock value? That's a journalists job, not a scientists'). 

I'm unfamiliar with the Australian laws regarding the import of cats, but if it is not illegal to do so already, then it should be. Feral cats and foxes are currently the _*biggest*_ threat to our native animals and have been attributed to much more damage to our ecosystem than the cane toad. It is a well documented fact and I honestly can't believe that the Australian government (and many individual state governments) has sat around and watched for so long when the results of several studies every year come to the same conclusion; Cats are destroying our country!. 

Why then, knowing this, can Jo Blo go down the street and say to any number of organizations (including the RSPCA... which deserves its own completely different rant) and shops and say "I'll have that cat right now thank you". Surely there needs to be some responsibility from the stores and organizations, tougher laws and proper penalties for the people who disobey them. This should include not being able to buy another cat (this is the case for Australian natives, why not for pests). It should be mandatory to have all cats micro-chipped and spayed before sale and in a perfect world all stray cats found without microchips would be euthanized and all micro-chipped cats found off property to be re-homed and the registered owner to receive a fine and suspension (or cancellation) of license. If it's a legitimate escape, notify the right people immediately and if there are multiple escapes then license revoked until you fix the problem. It is illegal for you to allow your animals to roam around off your property and if people aren't careful, very soon I can see it being endorsed by the government that any cat not on a personal property is to be considered feral and legal to be killed on site.

Let's not forget here that whilst you might not see your "little harmless cutie" cats potential to cause serious devastation to the environment by letting it out every night, it's people who believe that they and their pets are the exception to the rule that have caused this problem so don't add to it. I'm sick of hearing naive comments such as "It's already done, so why change what we're doing now?" because the answer is simple and indisputable. We will inevitably do serious damage to the environment in the long run before we figure out how to live life without doing so (well, Aboriginal people never seemed to have too many sustainability issues) but the decision that is being placed before us as a whole is do we attempt to destroy the country and its ecosystem quickly, knowingly and disrespectfully. Or to we simply not make conscious decisions to do ignorant things like letting cats out of your property at night. It's also up to the government if they are serious about environmental sustainability, like they say they are (and not just holding votes), to legislate accordingly and make provisions for enforcement. cats aren't the only issue but they are definitely right up there and despite the inconvenience factor, which we all as keepers of Australian natives have to endure, a licensing and tracking system for cats is necessary to slow the impact on our ecosystem. A small licensing fee, if necessary, should go solely to funding the staff and needs of this governing body and to aid in removal of feral cats, possibly offer a reward for a tail? similarly to what was done for Tasmanian tigers, which saw to its extinction (there are other theories, but this was still a large contributory factor). 

Anyway, after reading that long essay, I hope you all come to the realization that (despite having an American spell-check which frustrates me into adding "z" to a large proportion of "sing" suffixed words) I should be put in charge of the country for a year or so to make all the tough decisions and not worry about voters, so that when I'm replaced by the soft shells of human beings we call politicians, these important policies have already been put in place and that way we wont have to wait for politicians to do the right thing (It'll be a long wait)


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## eipper (Mar 30, 2011)

The photo is normal with regards to a reptilian based haul of a feral cat living in a mesic enviroment...the prey items are all fairly readily seen in the right paces and well within the reach of cats. In a few surveys i have been on where cats were killed and gut contents examined, generally small prey items are whole with minimal tears.

Incidently..The Cat Hat Bloke is Dr John Wamsley, not the nutter people seem to make out but very interesting person to speak with and one hell of a conservationist.

Dottyback,
There was joke around about 15 years back that a single cartridge for a 22 with a good marksmen would do more for wildlife protection than the combined resources of the various wildlife departments for a year.


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## KaotikJezta (Mar 30, 2011)

snakeluvver said:


> Thats just as bad, maybe worse than saying "The only good snake is a dead snake" snakes and cats are both predators, hunting to survive. Going by your logic should we say "the only good human is a dead human"? Think about it, us humans make feral cats look like angels! We kill animals just for money and fun. Humans in Australia kill hundreds of snakes and sharks meaninglessly each year, just out of fear.
> Thanks to us, whales, tigers, pandas and countless other creatures are on the brink of extinction. Also, thanks to us the ozone layer is getting thinner and thinner each year. Cats don't seem so bad anymore, eh?



Yes I find humans passing judgement on a species for environmental decimation is ironic, not to mention every pest animal in the country was introduced or brought here by humans.


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## slim6y (Mar 30, 2011)

jack said:


> cool, another cat fight. as usual my sig says it all really.
> 
> as someone who has poked around inside ferals before it looks legit to me.
> and i'll add that the stench of dissected cat is truly stomach churning.


 
I agree with you - but only in context - in other words, there are many good cats, in the right country. Australia is not a country made for cats (or dogs for that matter) based on our native wildlife. NZ is the same. Pigs are also included - though there are many good pigs that can really bring home the bacon.

As for the photograph, I am of neither opinion - real or unreal based on the fact that I have only ever dissected toads and rats (I think). The toads swallow their prey items whole, but apples to water melons really.

Continuing on the theme of the photograph - does it matter if it is real or not? The reality is propaganda is a form of education.


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## getarealdog (Mar 30, 2011)

Bez84 said:


> Apparently feral cat is good eating, i remember watching a malcolm douglas doco where an aboriginal family spent a hole day tracking a feral through the desert cause it is a favourite food of the local people who call it "puddy tat" lol funnyest thing i ever saw.
> Is prefered by the locals over roo apparently..



CAT-the other white meat
Cats are cool, keep them in your backyard no problems, come into my yard-GAME OVER. I'll expect the same should my snakes escape into their backyards.


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## Southside Morelia (Mar 30, 2011)

kevinfletcher said:


> [deleted]


Sounds like a real fun guy.....is he related to the family on the movie deliverance! You can keep him in the US, we dont need whacko's like this in our Country!!! Thanks for the advice.

UHHa, yep my ma is the best tongue kisser of all! Uha, Yup... pass me that bango Billy John..... naw, pass me da rifle and i'll kill the neighbors cats....yep, yep, tats what i'll do....


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## Wild~Touch (Mar 30, 2011)

pass me that bango Billy John

Did you mean bongo


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## snakeluvver (Mar 30, 2011)

kevinfletcher said:


> [deleted]


 What a phsyco!!!! That is just cruel and horrible! Those cats could've been peoples pets, and that old lady would've been heartbroken! If I were her I'd shoot him! He should be locked up for years for animal cruelty and probably get therapy as well! It's illegal to kill peoples pets! Did he grow up to be a serial killer? I'm sorry, but he sounds like a very scary man. If he ever killed my cats my god the things I would do! Im sorry, I know I'm ranting a bit but that post just infuriated me.



Southside Morelia said:


> Sounds like a real fun guy.....is he related to the family on the movie deliverance! You can keep him in the US, we dont need whacko's like this in our Country!!! Thanks for the advice.
> 
> UHHa, yep my ma is the best tongue kisser of all! Uha, Yup... pass me that bango Billy John..... naw, pass me da rifle and i'll kill the neighbors cats....yep, yep, tats what i'll do....


 Yup he sounds like a redneck hillbilly.


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## REPTILIAN-KMAN (Mar 30, 2011)

My dream job would be to shoot every feral cat in Australia, if i was paid id woud be happy to wipe them all out , the destruction a feral cat does to the native wildlife is devestating ! if i was paid by the government i would be out there every night killing these ferals, i dont have a problem with it.
i remember years ago on a ride to a small camping area in south east queensland and there was hundreds of feral cats surrounding us i was suprised that so many could surround this river and camping area ! shining the torch in any direction youd see more eyes glowing


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## snakeluvver (Mar 30, 2011)

Killing ferrals is ok I guess, but not killing house cats"


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## slim6y (Mar 30, 2011)

REPTILIAN-KMAN said:


> My dream job would be to shoot every feral cat in Australia, if i was paid id woud be happy to wipe them all out , the destruction a feral cat does to the native wildlife is devestating ! if i was paid by the government i would be out there every night killing these ferals, i dont have a problem with it.
> i remember years ago on a ride to a small camping area in south east queensland and there was hundreds of feral cats surrounding us i was suprised that so many could surround this river and camping area ! shining the torch in any direction youd see more eyes glowing .



Don't be selfish! Other people could do the job too you know 

Imagine it though - what would the job advert be... Then... Just like in cousie bro land (NZ) when the army was called in to kill a herd of wild horses (which NZers don't affectionately dub 'brumbies') running around the Kaimanawa Ranges in the North Island.

Unfortunately people see fury, cute, big, intelligence etc etc all as features they admire and adore. What they fail to see is the 14 species of beetle that the horses are destroying, native tussocks, land where certain species of skink live (and they live no where else). But no... These small, insignificant animals are nothing in comparisson to these magnificent beasts (the horses). It makes me sick!

The army would have dispatched of these horses in only a few weeks (all of them) and life would go on.

Instead, people got up in arms about them and made photographic calendars featuring these wild horses! 

While I do not think Aussies share the same affection to the cats, there would still be an uproar if it were 'advertised' - yet funny enough, it looks like you'll be able to legally cull crocs in Weipa soon enough - a native and an animal that belongs there! Do people get up in arms about that? Not even a bit!


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## cadwallader (Mar 30, 2011)

REPTILIAN-KMAN said:


> My dream job would be to shoot every feral cat in Australia, if i was paid id woud be happy to wipe them all out , the destruction a feral cat does to the native wildlife is devestating ! if i was paid by the government i would be out there every night killing these ferals, i dont have a problem with it.
> i remember years ago on a ride to a small camping area in south east queensland and there was hundreds of feral cats surrounding us i was suprised that so many could surround this river and camping area ! shining the torch in any direction youd see more eyes glowing


 
but realistically that wont happen you could shot them for years and not make a difference and people have tried this...
do you really think we will ever get rid of them... we havent got rid of a single pest in australian so far... 
what about the dingo he was a pest only came around 4000 years ago. so if an animal can come here and be considered native in 4000 years, doesnt that mean cats will be native in 3500 years and foxes too????


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## jack (Mar 30, 2011)

the little animals they kill is only part of the problem. the toxoplasmosis carried and distributed in faeces kill thousands of larger marsupials... thats right your friendly moggy is even killing kangaroos


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## GeckPhotographer (Mar 30, 2011)

I agree feral cats are a huge problem every one needs to go at gunpoint. House cats need to go too, I just do not think walking around to people houses with guns to take out there beloved fluffy is a good idea.


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## SteveNT (Mar 30, 2011)

Bez84 said:


> Apparently feral cat is good eating, i remember watching a malcolm douglas doco where an aboriginal family spent a hole day tracking a feral through the desert cause it is a favourite food of the local people who call it "puddy tat" lol funnyest thing i ever saw.
> Is prefered by the locals over roo apparently..


 
Preferred by locals because the bilbys, etc they used to eat have been wiped out by the bloody cats!


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## souldoubt (Mar 30, 2011)

REPTILIAN-KMAN said:


> My dream job would be to shoot every feral cat in Australia, if i was paid id woud be happy to wipe them all out , the destruction a feral cat does to the native wildlife is devestating ! if i was paid by the government i would be out there every night killing these ferals, i dont have a problem with it.
> i remember years ago on a ride to a small camping area in south east queensland and there was hundreds of feral cats surrounding us i was suprised that so many could surround this river and camping area ! shining the torch in any direction youd see more eyes glowing


 
Shooting feral animals is a little bit different to the blatant display of animal cruelty that was recounted earlier ....besides what right to humans have to be cruel to any feral pest that we have bought here in the first place, cull yes but there's no excuse for not removing a problem that we have created quickly and humanely. I'll never understand why people think its ok to set toads on fire, or tie cats tails together and throw them of a clothes line to fight to death - if thats what gets you (you being a general statement, not directed at you kman) off then I only hope karma catches up with you soon


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## cwtiger (Mar 30, 2011)

Feral cats are one problem to killing widlife as are all the other animals that run free they distroy kill something in one way or another it's not just cats. In Brisbane if you purchase a cat either from a pet shop or private even if no money changes hand you have to register you cat it came in June last year and yes it is policed just like dog registration and there is a cat curfew as well and again this is policed. Or you have a proper cat enclosure made and the cat lives it's day in there keeping wildlife safe. I know of a dog that kills more wildlife than a cat he has killed lorries, doves, pigeons, mice, crows and almost a fruit bat.


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## mungus (Mar 30, 2011)

I had a very large tom cat in my late teens...." Smokey "
This creature [ size of a small border collie ] feared nothing !!
Belted the german sheperd up the road once [ after he attacked smokey ], dog lost one eye etc.
He was gentle as to us family..........
The piont i'm getting too...lol...is that he ate sparrows WHOLE - Catch, grab & kill....then just swallow.....lol
Should have named hi " Horse " !!
In the bush bowhunting, i've seen a few cats and they basically so the same thing.
They waste no time chewing small pray.
Although i somehow tend to miss most of them.......even at 5 yards once when i was whisling in fox's.
Mate got him at 50 yards on the run...........go figure !!!
i was the camp #*%# after that miss.....lol
just my 2 cents worth.


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## Dipcdame (Mar 30, 2011)

Jonno from ERD said:


> It's real. The species involved are only small.


 
An entire bearded dragon (no matter the size) and a finch, swallowed whole?? I don't think so

And how was the 24 hour period ascertained? Was the cat observed over this period to check what it ate?


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## Minka (Mar 30, 2011)

This thread has degenerated into typical pathetic APS fashion. Quite a few of the poster's on this thread are obviously retarded and as such add nothing to the conversation bar illiterately chiming in with how wonderful it is to kill cats inhumanely. This thread should be closed.


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