# Neighbour Hood Cat



## SlothHead (Apr 16, 2008)

Last night i put out a cat trap, and well, awoke this morning at 5 to the howl of a cat.

One down probably 3 to go. 

hopefully the owners of these animals will start to take some responsibility for them and stop letting them roam the neighbourhood, well i guess that one wont be, but yeah.


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## grimbeny (Apr 16, 2008)

what are you doing to the cats afterwards?


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## Reptile_Boy (Apr 16, 2008)

good on you.


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## SlothHead (Apr 16, 2008)

MOTH said:


> Here we are again, big tuff human picking on small cats. Why don’t we all get together and kill, harm or whatever else to everything small and furry. Cats, Dogs, Rodents, macro pods just because we don’t like them. Just for the hell of it lets kill snakes and lizard as well. Being a reptile career I can honestly say that 80% of the reptiles we care for were attacked by dogs but nobody ever complains about them.




What a well dignified response you gave there. 

Funny how it is the human picking on the cat, when the cat is roaming the neighbourhood, what are the current stats. 

Cats left to roam at night kill on average 60 native birds a year. That doesnt go into the reptiles etc. 

Not real sure why you are wanting to kill everything small and fury.. but interesting take on it. 

Also not real sure where in my post i actually say i dont like cats

Any way 

Grimberry, 

I kept it inside locked in the laundry with some food and water until the ranger got here this morning. 
They take them back to the RSPCA and the owner has a nice little fine to pay. 
Hopefully it was micro chipped as the collar didnt have any marks on it. 


I gues the more humane thing to do as Moth would prefer would to leave cats to roam the neighbourhood, to kill native wildlife, and eventually be hit by a car. 

So pretty sure what i did was the right way to go about it. 

I dont think killing the animal would achieve a thing. The owner would just think they lost the animal and then go and get another one, which therefore drives the demand up for the cats and compounds the problem further. This way the owner will get a bill for it and think before they let it out to roam the neighbourhood.


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## itbites (Apr 16, 2008)

*Good on ya sloth! Good to see people taking action against the feral cats going around killing everything  Also you couldn't have done it in a better way *


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## Miss B (Apr 16, 2008)

Nice one SlothHead.

And MOTH, as for dogs killing native wildlife - last time I checked there weren't all that many dogs roaming the street in my neighbourhood. Why is that dogs must be contained in their own backyard, and yet cats are free to roam the streets and kill whatever they come across?

It's got nothing to do with liking or disliking cats.


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## PilbaraPythons (Apr 16, 2008)

Your more kind than me SlothHead, all cats in our yard are upon capture, immediately and humanly euthanased. I actually like cats but they are absolute menaces when roaming around free.
Here in Port Hedland, we have absolutely no council bylaws restricting how people control these animals and people abuse this situation.


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## wiz-fiz (Apr 16, 2008)

I think cats should be aloud to roam my cat is really nice.
when we turned our compust lots of mice ran everywhere and we wanted tiger(our cats name) to kill them, but no he jkust sat there looking at us going "what do you want me to do" sort of look.
and birds kill millions of snakes and rats every year but none gives a dam do they, o why should birds be cared for?
not trying to say that it was wrong of you to catch it but if it's not hurting you leave it be.


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## SlothHead (Apr 16, 2008)

Willia6, you are way off there champ. We arent talking about native birds killing native snakes. If a kookaburra catches a snake and flies off to feed its young, then good on it. 

We are talking about an introduce species, i.e. a non native animal that kills wildlife. 

No the cat wont hurt me , but it does hurt native wildlife and is completely irresponsible pet ownership. The owner needs to be held accountable, there are plenty of cats splattered on the main road near here, and it isnt the cats fault that the owner let it out and it got ran over. 

So there are many issues, but you are seriously way off the mark.


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## BT (Apr 16, 2008)

good on you sloth head, all the owners who keep cats against the council rules in our street are now scared beacuse a few weeks ago when me and my dad went herping down the reserve, 50 m from our house we found a big bugger of a diamond eating a massive black cat. now the 2-3 cat owner's in our street have theirs lock up inside for the fear of losing their pet and i also mentioned if i ever found it wandering around i would catch it and call the ranger to remove it. hope you catch the other cats sloth head


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## urodacus_au (Apr 16, 2008)

willia6 said:


> I think cats should be aloud to roam my cat is really nice.
> when we turned our compust lots of mice ran everywhere and we wanted tiger(our cats name) to kill them, but no he jkust sat there looking at us going "what do you want me to do" sort of look.
> and birds kill millions of snakes and rats every year but none gives a dam do they, o why should birds be cared for?
> not trying to say that it was wrong of you to catch it but if it's not hurting you leave it be.



Lucky you dont live next to me, itd be the exhaust pipe for your cat and poisoned donuts for you :lol:


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## Jonno from ERD (Apr 16, 2008)

Don't worry about the detractors SlothHead - if it's outside and it's feral, catch it and euthanise it. Cane toads, pigeons, cats, dogs, Asian House Geckos, foxes...like John Weigel says - if it's feral, it's in peril! 

Not eradicating feral animals because it's not "their fault" is about as misguided as doing snake call outs for free.


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## NinaPeas (Apr 16, 2008)

There is a population of feral cats that live in the rocks near me (I think it was Henley Beach). The locals keep feeing them, and I think there are about 15 now. Someone suggested that they all be shot (quickly and humanely) now all the cat activist groups are saying it's illegal and not right.

Now I love cats, infact I love ALL animals, and it's not the cats fault that they are feral, but I am definitely in favour of them being killed, it's kinder for them as they don't have to beg for food and live in some pretty rough conditions, and it's kinder for the environment for obvious reasons.

But I think before a cat is just killed, the RSPCA should be called, and then if it isn't claimed, let them put it down humanely. Any feral animal should be put down humanely.

And it's a massive misconception that feral cats kills a lot of native wildlife, infact it is foxes that do the majority of the damage (Tim Flannery - New Nature (book)).


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## SlothHead (Apr 16, 2008)

The cats around here arent feral, they have collars, the neighbours must think that their property extends up and down the street and so their cats should be allowed to wander.


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## alex_c (Apr 16, 2008)

good job sloth head. these people that let cats roam need to be taught a lesson.it is not the animals fault its owner is an ignorant moron.


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## urodacus_au (Apr 16, 2008)

NinaPeas said:


> And it's a massive misconception that feral cats kills a lot of native wildlife, infact it is foxes that do the majority of the damage (Tim Flannery - New Nature (book)).



No misconception, cats DO kill a hell of a lot of wildlife. What do you think they eat in the Pilbara? Spinifex? Both ferals are destructive, the arguement that some are more destructive than others is pointless.

Jordan


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## wiz-fiz (Apr 16, 2008)

Some people don't let there cat inside. once we had a nabour that didn't let there cat inside and it came and ate our cats food.
we stoped feeding it and it stoped coming.
you can't keep a young cat out you could need very high fences and no trees.
and anyway there not like dogs.

1.
they dig a hole and **** in it then burry it so you ndon't walk in it.
2.
they don't attack humans if tthere domestic.
3 
they keep rodent numbers down.


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## Jonno from ERD (Apr 16, 2008)

NinaPeas said:


> And it's a massive misconception that feral cats kills a lot of native wildlife, infact it is foxes that do the majority of the damage (Tim Flannery - New Nature (book)).



Are you serious? Have you ever been out bush? As Jord said, what do you think they eat? They kill MASSIVE amounts of native wildlife every year, to the tune of at least 1,000,000,000 (yep, that's a BILLION) animals - and that's a conservative estimate by Hal Cogger I believe! In reality it's probably closer to six billion. If you put it this way, there is an estimate 18 million feral cats in Australia (this doesn't include free range domestic cats). If they eat on average 1 native animal per day for a year, that's 6.57 billion native animals. When you consider a single cat shot north of Roxby Downs had over 25 native animals in it's stomach that were freshly caught and killed that morning, the number could actually be about 165 billion native animals.

And you're trying to say they don't kill a lot of native wildlife?



SlothHead said:


> The cats around here arent feral, they have collars, the neighbours must think that their property extends up and down the street and so their cats should be allowed to wander.



You need to redefine what feral means SlothHead - if it's outside without supervision by its owner, it's feral. They obviously don't care about their pet OR the animals it kills and harms, so why should you? Catch it, euthanise it humanely and they probably won't even notice it's gone for a week.


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## Retic (Apr 16, 2008)

Good for you, it wouldn't have been so lucky if I had trapped it though.
Sorry but to those who say my wonderful little pussycat wouldn't hurt anything you are kidding yourself. They are destructive killing machines and if outside the owners property are fair game.


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## swaddo (Apr 16, 2008)

willia6 said:


> Some people don't let there cat inside. once we had a nabour that didn't let there cat inside and it came and ate our cats food.
> we stoped feeding it and it stoped coming.
> you can't keep a young cat out you could need very high fences and no trees.
> and anyway there not like dogs.
> ...



Willia6, i think you should look more closely at your cat. Even the most tame cat enjoys a good live snack occasionally. I had cats for years when I was younger, and have lost count of the number of specimens left on my doorstep: skinks, all sorts of furry critters, even juvi eastern browns when we were on the farm. When we had cats, our yard was basically devoid of wildlife. Since our cat passed on, our yard has heaps more wildlife (We have a dog that successfully keeps the neighbours cats out). We even have bluetongues taking up residence!

By the way, buried crap is _no fun at all_ when you are doing the gardening, but i spose being a young one you haven't discovered that pleasure yet 

We are now a cat free household and loving it


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## NinaPeas (Apr 16, 2008)

I'm not saying at all they don't kill wildlife, I know they kill huge amounts, thats why I agree with killing them, but so many people have this instant "I hate cats because they kill wildlife" view (fair enough) but foxes actually kill more, and compared to the whole feral cat debate, they hardly get a mention.

Both are bad, just seems that cats get more bad press.


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## slim6y (Apr 16, 2008)

Interesting thread - thanks slothhead - love ya work bro - keep it up.

I didn't read all two pages, but I assume the trapping is fully humane?

If the cats aren't claimed will they be put down?

I got really upset one night when a friend let her cat catch a GTF and she just laughed and patted it. I threw a spaz but her reaction was... "It's only nature, it's what happens..." Needless to say I don't speak to her anymore even after trying to educate her.


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## NinaPeas (Apr 16, 2008)

Jonno from ERD said:


> You need to redefine what feral means SlothHead - if it's outside without supervision by its owner, it's feral. They obviously don't care about their pet OR the animals it kills and harms, so why should you? Catch it, euthanise it humanely and they probably won't even notice it's gone for a week.



Does that mean if a dog is sitting out on a driveway when the owner is inside it's feral?


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## Vincent21 (Apr 16, 2008)

Wish i could do that, i use to have cats roam around backyard at night.


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## Retic (Apr 16, 2008)

I think that is mostly down to the fact that very few people keep foxes as pets, cats are 'targetted' because they are household pets and unfortunately kept by millions of people around the country. Now I should add as a cat hater I have NO issue at all with responsible cat owners that keep their cats inside or in cages outside.


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## Chimera (Apr 16, 2008)

Great work, this approach rather then attacking the animal is very much directed at the owners. It is their responsibility to ensure their cat is not allowed to roam at night.


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## swaddo (Apr 16, 2008)

NinaPeas said:


> Does that mean if a dog is sitting out on a driveway when the owner is inside it's feral?


It's against the rules, as a dog must be in a yard or on a leash. Dog catcher would take it away if it was spotted.


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## DiamondAsh (Apr 16, 2008)

I love a good sheep thread, who has the popcorn? 


The cats in my area aren't out too often, with the nest of magpies in the fauna park just behind me, and the young not venturing too far, we have at least seven large birds always swooping. These guys rule the area better than the baldy gang from The Wanderers. Even the cockatoos that used to come and annoy my fig tree don't bother least they get beaten up by the pack.


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## Retic (Apr 16, 2008)

Do sheep eat native wildlife ?


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## callith (Apr 16, 2008)

willia6 said:


> I think cats should be aloud to roam my cat is really nice.
> when we turned our compust lots of mice ran everywhere and we wanted tiger(our cats name) to kill them, but no he jkust sat there looking at us going "what do you want me to do" sort of look.
> and birds kill millions of snakes and rats every year but none gives a dam do they, o why should birds be cared for?
> not trying to say that it was wrong of you to catch it but if it's not hurting you leave it be.



Thats nature....

Cats are an introduced pest


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## DiamondAsh (Apr 16, 2008)

boa said:


> Do sheep eat native wildlife ?


 

If the native bugs are silly enough to be on the grass at the time ...


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## Fiona74 (Apr 16, 2008)

You are going about it the right way slothhead, good on you.
And just to even it out for all the 'what about the foxes' people, we are on 2.5 acres and have 'disposed' of a few foxes over the past few years with lead poisoning. The foxes were on our property, sniffing around our chooks (that were locked up) so thats enough reason for me. I too feel sorry for the introduced species, its not their fault etc but we have to look after our own natives first.


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## coobs (Apr 16, 2008)

*Well Done Slothhead*

All I can say is "WELL DONE SLOTHHEAD".
Living in Tindal (Katherine) feral cats are nothing but trouble. I have owned cats, therefore am not a "pure blood" cat hater. Full credit to the way you have handled the process of having these cats returned to their now slightly poorer owners. Well done...


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## venus (Apr 16, 2008)

Good on you Slothead, you went about it the right way. Getting cat traps and catching any on your property and then handing them over to the ranger is great. 

I destest cat owners who let their cats roam, dogs on the loose are annoying too.

I have several cats, but they are inside cats, and they have an outdoor enclosure as well, where they can be outside, but safe and the wildlife is also safe.

What I dont agree with is these people who think they can kill any cat that they see loose.:shock:

It could be someones pet who got out accidentally, so I would hate to think that one of mine could be killed by some fanatical cat hater. (oh and if I found out who did it, there would be hell to pay, I can assure you of that)

Not all cats are hunters, one of mine is way too lazy to do anything much at all...she wont even bat an eyelid when a bird flies past, she will sit in the sun (in her enclosure) and sleep all day long.


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## redbellybite (Apr 16, 2008)

MMMMMM LOOK AT THE WHO HAAAAAAAA about the cats yet justify killing snakes cause why YOUR HUMAN?????RBB


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