FERAL CATS
Contributors to this thread:Wisconsin
From: Hoot
20-Aug-19
I've been getting trail cam pictures at night of four different feral cats around our place. I've tried box traps to no avail, but only catch coons which have been a problem too. Any tricks to the trade would be much appreciated.
From: Glunker
20-Aug-19
Tuna fish
From: SteveD
20-Aug-19
Need some fishers in the area, in time they would be long gone.
From: Tweed
20-Aug-19
Set for coon and you'll have possums and cats.
:-)
From: Franklin
20-Aug-19
Why....feral cats keeps the rodents down. Snakes and cats are always welcome after mice invaded my truck.
From: Hoot
20-Aug-19
Steve - I've got many fishers around my place so I'm sort of dumbfounded as to why the cats are still around.
Franklin - Couldn't agree with you more on the rodents, but I'm finding too many dead birds lately.
From: Live2hunt
20-Aug-19
Lead pills work on those things also. They are not wanted on the landscape as they do kill way too many birds, game and song. Unofficially, I have been told to not release any that are trapped. You may get them in legholds better, can't believe you cant get them in the live traps. Have you tried catnip?
From: skookumjt
20-Aug-19
Cats are by far the worst invasive specie on the landscape. They do more damage to the wildlife and ecology than wolves, coyotes, bear, fishers, weasels, or any any other animal.
From: Hoot
20-Aug-19
Live2hunt - I really don't want to use leg holds for fear of getting my friends dogs when they stop over. Never thought of catnip. I still can't believe I haven't caught one in a live trap. I've caught many before in live traps, maybe I'm losing my touch. lol
From: South Farm
20-Aug-19
Case of Hamms and Grandpa's .22 used to make for some dang fun nights for me and a buddy. Got one with a tire iron once, but I don't suggest that. Too messy..
From: RutnStrut
20-Aug-19
Here we go again. Outdoor cats are evil and should all be killed.I Came home early today and there laying under one of my bird feeders AMONGST the feeding birds were 2 outdoor cats. Those monsters were of all things, laying there sleeping. I was sure I would find a pile of feathers 2 feet deep from all the songbirds they killed. But not a feather around. They must have cleaned up every morsel. But if they were preying on birds. Why were there many birds calmly feeding within a few feet? Must just be an isolated pocket of really dumb birds.
From: South Farm
20-Aug-19
Rut, No feathers because they swallow 'em whole. Seen them do it many times, thus my unyielding indiscriminate disdain for cats. That and they stink, they're self-centered, they rub on you uninvited, and I hate that stupid little motor noise they do.
From: SaltyB
20-Aug-19
Feral cats are a real problem. My wife worked a migratory songbird study and cats were by far and away the most common cause of death to the birds. Just because you dont see a particular cat eating birds doesn't mean they aren't a problem. As for trapping them, canned tuna in a live trap works the best. Elevate the trap in a concealed area. I like to put the trap on a table in a barn. In the woods, put the trap on a brush pile. This helps reduce opossum and skunk catches.
From: Hoot
20-Aug-19
Salty - Thanks for the great tips. I'll get my traps back out today.
From: jjs
20-Aug-19
Remember the 2005 Spring Conservation Hearings with the Ferral Cat Hunt that was proposed. It was question 62 but was push to #1 do to all the pro-cat lives matter crowd, should have made them sit all the way through it to learn what the hearings were about.
From: Glunker
20-Aug-19
My recollection of the WI small game regulations in late 1950's listed feral cats as unprotected.
From: Tweed
20-Aug-19
Cat skins were worth as much as skunk skins.
From: Missouribreaks
20-Aug-19
I would ask the voters if they are for hunters shooting cats?
From: Tweed
20-Aug-19
From: RutnStrut
20-Aug-19
Hoot, what do you do with them if you get one in the trap?
From: Franklin
20-Aug-19
Hoot you might of answered your own question....put a dead bird in it.
From: Duke
20-Aug-19
Tuna—chicken of the sea!
Catch all of those felines!
From: Hoot
21-Aug-19
The last time I trapped a ditch tiger was late fall. I threw it out in the woods and put a camera on it all winter. The only thing that touched it were turkeys pecking on it in the spring, probably payback for killing their chicks.
From: skookumjt
21-Aug-19
Feral cats are unprotected.
From: RutnStrut
21-Aug-19
Why go through the work of trapping them? Just shoot them if that's what you are going to do in the end. Unless of course they are too crafty for you;)
From: Drop Tine
21-Aug-19
Think of them as mini bobcats. Cover the live trap with pine bows to make a cubbie. Take a couple turkey feathers and hang them by the front of the trap to get their attention and pull them near the trap then maybe some sardines in the trap and let their nose pull them in. I know the flash of an old CD works on bobs also. Not sure of cats??
From: South Farm
21-Aug-19
Any CD, Drop Tine? My wife has a bunch of Celine Dion CD's I wouldn't mind getting rid of!
From: Drop Tine
21-Aug-19
SF
Using them might be considered animal cruelty!
Just a bit of regulation, but things like the feather or CD’s are not legal for bobcat trapping in WI.
From: South Farm
22-Aug-19
I think I'm gonna puke! Too funny, Camp!
From: Hoot
22-Aug-19
Close but no cigar last night. I put sardines in the cage. Hopefully tonight. This is on my driveway where I get most of the feral cat pictures.
From: Chief2
22-Aug-19
Might try an old dog kennel with recorded bird chirping inside and a rope tied to the door you can pull shut when you see them go in. Not sure but I heard it works
From: Hoot
22-Aug-19
Chief2 - Not for me, I'm close to going to bed at the times they're visiting around my place. Most of the cats are late night. My wife picked me up a couple cans of tuna fish today. That's on the menu tomorrow.
From: South Farm
23-Aug-19
See that tiny space between those shiny eyes...sized exactly so as to accommodate a .22 round. Cheaper than tuna and you don't need a can opener.
From: RutnStrut
23-Aug-19
They look like bloodthirsty monsters. Better be sure to be packing heat anytime you are outside the house. You never know when one will attack.
From: Missouribreaks
23-Aug-19
Now you know why so many voters do not want hunters on their land. Hunters earned it.
From: RutnStrut
23-Aug-19
"Now because a cat is normally a pet they get a pass? People keep raccoons and every other critter as pets as well. Why would a wild cat be any different than any other wild animal? They are actually way worse because they are invasive and nonnative."
First of all who is to know that a cat is "wild" and not just out and roaming? Also with your reasoning dogs are fair game as well.
From: Tweed
23-Aug-19
Wild dogs, wild cats, wild hogs......all need to be controlled.
From: Hoot
24-Aug-19
Where I live there are very few neighbors and only one has cats and the ones I have on camera are not their's, besides they keep their cats inside. It's only a matter of time now.
From: HunterR
24-Aug-19
"Now you know why so many voters do not want hunters on their land. Hunters earned it."
Exactly. It is worth mentioning that the majority of hunters don't get off on domestic cat killing, most of us aren't that ignorant and realize that the risk of killing someone's pet is not worth it when compared to the 3 sparrows that might be saved.
A thread that basically is a live cat hunt with pictures takes a special kind of stupid. Some things should not be posted on a public forum, unless your goal is to get even more people to hate hunters and to think we are all drunk redneck's with our heads in our asses.
While it is true that feral cats are unprotected, not all cats are feral. Just like sometimes people's dogs get out and wander (maybe those should be killed too since they must be feral if they're outside without their owner correct?) this also happens with cats.
Hoot I notice in the background of your pics a light, are you sure that light isn't the 8 year old neighbor girl out looking for her pet cat that snuck out the door? Well hell, if it is just toss it in her driveway when you're done with it and put a camera on it, maybe you can get a pic of her running back to the house crying when she finds it.
From: Hoot
24-Aug-19
Light is from my home in the front yard. Here's the last feral cat I caught. Nice and cuddly I'm sure.
From: Missouribreaks
24-Aug-19
Missouribreaks's Link
Really dumb to be posting on a public forum, really dumb.
From: skookumjt
24-Aug-19
That guy is completely clueless.
From: Missouribreaks
25-Aug-19
Shooting any domestic animal under the assumption it was feral can and does lead to long and expensive court battles. It can easily become a charge of cruelity to animals, believe me on that one.
Bragging about it on a public forum is damaging to the reputation of all hunters, best to let these issues stay in the woods. Use common sense.
From: CaptMike
25-Aug-19
Domestic animals need to be kept under control. Yes, they can and do get loose once in a while but one that does it repeatedly and/or is allowed by its owner to roam should not be the neighbors problem. I battled this issue with a neighbors dog and it was only my love for dogs that kept it alive.
From: Tweed
25-Aug-19
Bear hounds aren't wild. If they're trespassing shoot their owners....duh....
From: ground hunter
25-Aug-19
most of the cat comments are nonsense.... I have a big feral cat, that lives in the barn,,,, even my lab is afraid of him,,,, he kills everything in sight, and I feed him a 1/4 cup a day, he is one tough sob.......
February for me is feral cat month,,, I shoot a lot of them with my 17 caliber and my Fox Pro,,,, true feral cats are some of the smartest predators I have seen at 85 yards out moving slow and not stupid.... BUT they interbreed, are nortorius for disease etc,, and I destroy every chance I get....
glad I live where I do..... not Disneyland,,,,,,
From: Missouribreaks
26-Aug-19
Thrill killers abound, no wonder an increasing number of landowners do not want Bubbas to hunt their property. Voters take note!
From: DiRTY MiKE
26-Aug-19
I had no idea there were so many leftist tree hugging cat lovers on here. Some of you spend too much time in Madison. #MAGA
From: skookumjt
26-Aug-19
Who said anything about blood lust? Equivalent to to treating buckthorn. They're invasive species that damage the ecosystem.
From: Live2hunt
26-Aug-19
Feral cats are one animal that Steve Irwin (the Australian animal guy) said needs to be controlled and exterminated.
From: FrigidArrows
26-Aug-19
I know quite a few farmers that have dealt with domestic species (no collars, no known owners in the vicinity) causing a nuisance, killing livestock, or chasing deer. They live by the saying, "do what you will, and don't say a word."
From: Missouribreaks
26-Aug-19
I say " do what you will ",...." but only a macho fool thrill killer posts and boasts about it on a very public internet site ".
From: South Farm
27-Aug-19
Jimmy, keep your kitty in the confines of your property and you got nothing to worry about. But if he shows up under my bird feeder hunting or eating what I deem as a much more important species than a feral cat, namely my songbirds, he's gonna get it. Pretty f'n simple, really. No different than controlling gophers, beavers, ants, or any other species doing damage or creating havoc on my property. If it needs dealing with I'll do it and I don't give two shits what you think. You can plead with all the "voters" in the world, but I'm not a "hunter" when I'm controlling invasives on my land. I'm just a guy that hates cats and loves feeding birds.
From: South Farm
27-Aug-19
If that makes me a boastful blowhard, well, I'll get over it..
From: DoorKnob
27-Aug-19
" From: ground hunter 25-Aug-19 Private Reply most of the cat comments are nonsense.... I have a big feral cat, that lives in the barn,,,, even my lab is afraid of him,,,, he kills everything in sight, and I feed him a 1/4 cup a day, he is one tough sob.......
February for me is feral cat month,,, I shoot a lot of them with my 17 caliber and my Fox Pro,,,, true feral cats are some of the smartest predators I have seen at 85 yards out moving slow and not stupid.... BUT they interbreed, are nortorius for disease etc,, and I destroy every chance I get....
glad I live where I do..... not Disneyland,,,,,, "
Problem ID'd supposed to be 1/4 pound min pr 4 oz min
quarter cup is 2 oz. animal cruelty is on the way to your location as you read this
From: Missouribreaks
27-Aug-19
Da Bubbas.
From: RutnStrut
27-Aug-19
"Jimmy, keep your kitty in the confines of your property and you got nothing to worry about. But if he shows up under my bird feeder hunting or eating what I deem as a much more important species than a feral cat, namely my songbirds, he's gonna get it. Pretty f'n simple, really. No different than controlling gophers, beavers, ants, or any other species doing damage or creating havoc on my property. If it needs dealing with I'll do it and I don't give two shits what you think. You can plead with all the "voters" in the world, but I'm not a "hunter" when I'm controlling invasives on my land. I'm just a guy that hates cats and loves feeding birds."
I bet your a hypocrite also. Because i doubt you take this tough guy stance on someone's dog that may wander onto your property.
From: Chief2
27-Aug-19
I just adopt what wanders into my yard (unless they are tagged or microchipped) and feed my birds up high in skinny trees
From: South Farm
28-Aug-19
Dog doesn't eat my birds and probably shares the same sentiment for cats as I do...so dogs get a pass:)
From: South Farm
28-Aug-19
Honestly, what's so difficult about keeping your cat on your own property? Why do cat owners think you're entitled to take liberties with other people's property by letting your cats run loose? And if it's a stray cat, not your own pet kitty, why the hell do you care if I kill it if it's killing my birds; is there a shortage of strays in this world? And for the record I have a lot of ground feeding birds, so "skinny" trees wouldn't help...not that a stray cat can't climb a skinny tree. Anyway, if you love your cat, and want what's best for it, you should probably declaw it and even better keep it in the house. Anything less you're doing a disservice to the cat..
From: Missouribreaks
28-Aug-19
Exactly Slicer.
From: RutnStrut
28-Aug-19
Why is it so hard to keep hounds off other peoples land? Why d hound hunters think they are entitled to other people's property? There is absolutely zero difference.
From: Tweed
28-Aug-19
Uncontrolled doesn't equal feral.
If a domestic animal trespassed on your land hold the owner responsible.
If an invasive species enters your land and its legal to eradicate it then by all means do so if you please.
From: South Farm
29-Aug-19
Ok guys, my bad, and I'll keep it to myself from now on. Every single time.
From: DoorKnob
29-Aug-19
No. No you won't ... and you know it !
