Once when I was a kid I brought a kitten from a family give them away... I put it on the counter and my female adult cat tried to attack it. My mom's dog and her puppies just stared at it and barked happily at it. My mother made me take it back since it wasn't quite weaned yet... Well that and she was a afraid that that the cat we already had would kill it or the puppies would injure the small kitten playing with him.
Are Feral cats a major problem in the rural US?
- Thread starter whm1974
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Fine Figure of a Man
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I wonder if they taste like bat?
You called in live bait!
My Grandpa would take a barn cat along when he when squirrel hunting. Squirrels will come out and bark like crazy at a cat.
Squirrels bark???
.308 Norma
Member
Yep.
A quick Google search will reveal dozens of videos of barking squirrels. You can also find instructions for "barking squirrels" with a muzzleloader.
Well I never heard a squirrel bark or bark at me before, so pardon me for not knowing...Yep.
A quick Google search will reveal dozens of videos of barking squirrels. You can also find instructions for "barking squirrels" with a muzzleloader.
.308 Norma
Member
I meant no offence whm1974. I was more or less just clowning around.
The truth is, even though I've heard squirrels making sounds a lot of people call "barking" before, it always sounded more like "chirping" to me. Either that, or the smallest, upset "yap-yap" dog in the world.
Fine Figure of a Man
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That's what they call it in my neck of the woods.
You can get one of these and bark back at them.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/Hun...Vz8DACh37LQWWEAQYASABEgJDQPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Highland Lofts
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If you hold a quarter in the palm of your hand and hit it with the edge of another quarter it sounds like a squirrel barking.
Google squirrel barks and you can hear what they sound like.
Totally different from a chipmonk chatter.
Google squirrel barks and you can hear what they sound like.
Totally different from a chipmonk chatter.
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daniel craig
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In my part of the state yes but the state won’t admit it. I have a pet cat, I still think we should take after Australia and cull feral cats on site. There are many areas where they’re the apex predator for many species but ha e nothing that predates them.
As a general rule, any critter not native to an ecosystem is not good for the ecosystem. There are exceptions but they don’t disprove the rule.
As a general rule, any critter not native to an ecosystem is not good for the ecosystem. There are exceptions but they don’t disprove the rule.
GBExpat
Member
Feed them.
... and, periodically, I will trap the females and take them to the ASPCA for one of their frequent mass neutering events.
Ramone
Member
"TNR", Trap, Neuter, Release, is actually a pretty good plan. Releasing the neutered ferals stops a new batch of ferals from moving in, and there is no better pest control.
Here in Norfolk, there's a group that runs such a program on Norfolk Naval Station, though the base won't let them release them back on the base.
https://catteam7.com/
A former feral can be a very affectionate companion in time. Some will never trust humans, some will become utter cuddle monsters. It takes time and patience, like anything else worth doing. Keep low, move slowly, and keep your hands close to your body. Don't look directly at the cat.
Here in Norfolk, there's a group that runs such a program on Norfolk Naval Station, though the base won't let them release them back on the base.
https://catteam7.com/
A former feral can be a very affectionate companion in time. Some will never trust humans, some will become utter cuddle monsters. It takes time and patience, like anything else worth doing. Keep low, move slowly, and keep your hands close to your body. Don't look directly at the cat.
Ramone
Member
While it's common wisdom that a Ton will kill kittens, I've seen a few that seemed to want to mother them. A friend's Tom recently kidnapped a nest of baby bunnies, brought them into the house, made a nest, and is very protective of them. I had a Tom that raised a roommates puppy.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Feral toms are nasty. I've had them kill full grown chickens, whoop the hell out of pets and ruin $4000 worth of porch furniture.
Sorry but releasing feral cats, neutered or not, is the pinnacle of irresponsible. I love cats and have had them all my life. I would be aptly described as a "cat person" and decidedly not a "dog person". However, ferals should be exterminated with extreme prejudice. Once they stop being a pet, they should not be tolerated. I have greater affection for native species than for unwanted pets. Feral cats and dogs should be treated like feral hogs, pythons, iguanas and exotic birds. Shot on sight.
Sorry but releasing feral cats, neutered or not, is the pinnacle of irresponsible. I love cats and have had them all my life. I would be aptly described as a "cat person" and decidedly not a "dog person". However, ferals should be exterminated with extreme prejudice. Once they stop being a pet, they should not be tolerated. I have greater affection for native species than for unwanted pets. Feral cats and dogs should be treated like feral hogs, pythons, iguanas and exotic birds. Shot on sight.
Highland Lofts
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I totally agree with you CraigC.
Highland Lofts
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I believe she ate them, if she was old school who lived through the depression or another crissis.
A few years ago there was a small corner store owned by Koreans that ate weird to me stuff. They traded stuff off of the shelves for raccoons, possums, muskrats, cats & dogs. When I worked at the dairy farm I took stuff over and traded for twelve packs of coke & beer.
Summer time people would have free roosters on CraigsList. I would get them & trade them for twelve packs of budweiser.
I know for sure they traded cats for beer.
I guess it's all what you grew up eating.
A few years ago there was a small corner store owned by Koreans that ate weird to me stuff. They traded stuff off of the shelves for raccoons, possums, muskrats, cats & dogs. When I worked at the dairy farm I took stuff over and traded for twelve packs of coke & beer.
Summer time people would have free roosters on CraigsList. I would get them & trade them for twelve packs of budweiser.
I know for sure they traded cats for beer.
I guess it's all what you grew up eating.
Jim Watson
Member
Cultural. George O. Smith had Terrans eating Venus knolla and Venusians eating Earth cats... which are biologically indistinguishable.
Well this was the around the mid 80's when he told me this story... I hope you didn't trade someone's pet cat for beer and coke...
mokin
Member
I had cat once. Just the backstraps and hind quarters. If I had not seen it being prepared, I would have thought it was rabbit.
Did it taste like rabbit or chicken?
Fine Figure of a Man
Member
I agree, with the first part. I would compare releasing a feral cat to tossing bullheads and carp in a trout stream. Anything short of killing them is irresponsible from a conservationist perspective.
The part about loving cats, I don't hate anything but if I had to pick one thing.........
Well in the Country side I do agree with you about releasing feral cats. But in Cities with severe rat and pigeon problems, feral may not be the issue here...
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
You don't normally have native critters to worry about in large cities. However, I'm sure folks would rather see birds and squirrels at the city parks than have stray cats killing and pissing on everything.
Highland Lofts
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Out here in Washington State people eat cougars, the butcher shops process them. They can eat all of them, leave me out of we when they say we eat them out here.
Buzznrose
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Back around 1990, I was stationed in Montana and took leave and spent two weeks trapping the Missouri River by boat. We caught several feral cats that were no where near any houses. Skin and bones and fleas. We put them out of their misery and moved on. Actually tried to release the first one we caught but that feline was mean as heck and tried to scratch and bite us. Finally calmed it down with a 40 grain pill.
Totally different from a dog we caught in a fox set. He was mellow and just sat there while we released him and checked him for any broken bones. He didn’t fight the trap, and walked away without even a limp. He didn’t have a collar, but his demeanor and the fact he was fairly clean led us to believe he was a wandering ranch dog.
If he had been feral, he would have gotten the lead pill too.
Domestic critters gone wild are the worst thing for Small game and bird populations.
Totally different from a dog we caught in a fox set. He was mellow and just sat there while we released him and checked him for any broken bones. He didn’t fight the trap, and walked away without even a limp. He didn’t have a collar, but his demeanor and the fact he was fairly clean led us to believe he was a wandering ranch dog.
If he had been feral, he would have gotten the lead pill too.
Domestic critters gone wild are the worst thing for Small game and bird populations.
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