Cats?

Status
Not open for further replies.
David4516

David4516

Member
Joined
May 29, 2003
Messages
1,334
Location
WA State
I know somebody that knows somebody that has a major problem with Feral cats. If he can't find a way to get rid of them, he wants someone to go shoot them.

I'm a cat person, I have a cat, and I can't imagine shootings somebodys poor kitty. But on the other hand, these are wild (and possibly dangerous) cats...

So I told my friend to tell his friend (the guy with the cat issue) that if there was no other way to deal with the problem, that I could assist in shooting the cats.

I hope I don't have to do it, since I am a cat person. But if I do, I need to know what gun to bring. Having never shot a cat, I have no idea what kind of rifle would be best. I'm thinking my .22 WMR should work, but I'm not sure. Any sujestions?
 
In my opinion, for feral cats it is best to use a cage type trap and then take them to the local humane shelter, as in some areas shooting domestic cats (even feral) is a felony. If it is legal in your area then a .22 lr with hyper velocity ammo would do the trick.

edited to be more clear that this was MY OPINION and not a rule written in stone to be followed by all.
 
Last edited:
IMHO, your .22mag should be quite adequate given proper placement.

Cats are quite tough, so if you require DRT (and you may prefer that being a "cat person") you'll have to hit brain or spine.

On the other hand, I accept that a chest shot is sufficiently humane to be acceptable - even if the animal does run a short distance. As I said, cats are tough, but this doesn't mean that they're in major pain just because they're still moving.

I hope you find a solution that suits you......... Peter
 
Yep, 22WMR probably OK (with good shot placement). "Coon size" box traps work well too. Around $60 at feed stores in these parts.

Feral cats seem to have about the same "toughness" as jack rabbits, for which I prefer shotgun with 4s. Even then, sometimes not pretty, especially for those of us who enjoy most critters. Good luck with it.
 
You did not say what kind of location you will be shooting them in? If it is around a farm you may want a shotgun. Also it depends on how wild they are, they may not sit still long enough for rifle shooting. I would expect a .22 LR would do a fine job.

Definitely check local ordinances. In my area you would be ok. Cats are considered wild if they "stalk and take prey", so if you see one stalking a bird feeder he is assumed to be wild, and not a pet. (yes, I know most pet cats will do this too, even when well fed, but that is the wording here.)
 
Yes, the .22 magnum is good. I use a .17 magnum, 'way out here in the country where city slickers dump off their extra kittens and the feral cats devastate the bluebird and deer-footed mice population every year.
 
(Edited for over-opinionation on moderator's part)

One is always well advised to check local laws. Research on feral cats in Oregon leads to the conclusion that about 5 out of 6 feral cats brought in monthly, are put down. I personally don't feel it's worth the extra time and effort, and increased taxpayer expense for someone else to do the same thing.

Oregon DNR does not regulate cats. http://www.dfw.state.or.us/odfwhtml/wildlife/integrity/5exemps.html

If outside city limits, something like a .22 Mag should be ideal, considering factors such as safe angles carefully.

John
 
Last edited:
I had to eliminate quite a few feral cats on a horse farm.
They had some sort of herpes or staph infection that caused large red sores visible from quite a distance.
All I had was a Springfield 22lr single shot and regular 22lr RN lead.
I also got one through the neck with a scoped Crosman CO2 pellet gun.
I have one at home and love it dearly but they are not a natural species in many places where they end up living wild.
 
Don't kill the cats. Trap 'em and relocate 'em. You start killing cats and the kitty mob is likely to get word of it. You'll wake up with a lion in dark shades and a fedora standing at the foot of your bed wanting "a word" with you. :D
 
It's really sad that folks don't neuter their animals, and keep them inside, so this is not an issue.

We as Americans are unfortunately losing the spirit of self-reliance, so actions we can take to stop or reverse this trend are positive, in my book.
 
When I was about ten, my family moved into a new house. We had a lot of semi-feral cats (they kept the snakes/scorpions down), and we couldn't take 'em with us. My brothers took 'em out into the desert and shot 'em. Apparently shooting a long-haired cat with a 30-06 is similar to setting off a firecracker strapped to a dandelion. Poof. Mom told me I was to young to help, tho.
 
JShirley,

I might have worded my reply better, like "my advice would be" and 'check your state & local laws". I do think your reply to my post was a little stong, especially for a moderator. I am not a feral cat lover but I would hate to see a good hearted sportsman trying to do the right thing get in trouble with the law when there was other alternatives.
 
I've had good success with both a .22LR and a .177 pellet gun (1000ft/sec,close range inside the horse barn) around here. With the .22LR I limit range to wear I can confidently hit the head or spine, and its generally all over but the flopping. With a .22WSM and some good varmint type bullets I think you could take body shots and do fine, and definitely head shots out to 100 yards or so.

Its not a pleasant thing to do if your a cat lover I know...but in reality feral cats are in the same class as groundhogs at best and usually worse. Chances are you won't see too much resemblance to your pet fluffy either, they're generally filthy, mangy, aggressive animals.
 
A fair number of housecats have been part of my life. I remember my Siamese, "FUJIMO", an acronym I won't explain on a family site. There was Fat Albert I and Fat Albert II, and several others. But pet housecats who hang around and purr and rarely care to hunt are a whole different world from feral cats.

I've passed up deer to shoot a feral cat.

I'll repeat a repetition, briefly: A study in Wisconsin concluded that a feral cat can/will kill as many as 100 songbirds a year. The study further concluded that the feral cat population of Wisconsin was as many as one million.

Item: A neighbor of my wife's started adopting stray cats. These were not housecats. They roamed all day long, although they were inside a building at night. Within a year or two of this menagerie getting up around eight or ten, there were almost no squirrels around, and few songbirds.

Item: The animal shelter people began a live trapping program within a half-mile circle in the area of my wife's house. Rural/farm area. They trapped some 70 feral cats.

Item: I have seen the remains of a covey of quail. None eaten. All cat kills during the night as they were bunched together.

Item: A dead-astern shot with an 85-grain Sierra HPBT from a .243 will scatter cat parts over a large area. :D

Feral cats ain't pet putty-tats, folks...

Art
 
Any rational person who loves cats will kill any feral cat he can put in his sights.

Feral cats spread diseases, including feline leukemia and feline AIDS both of which are incurable. That means that the proliferation of feral cats is harmful to the overall health of the cat population in America. I'd venture to say that these two diseases would virtually disappear if all feral cats could be killed tomorrow.

Any rational person who loves nature will kill any feral cat he can put in his sights.

Feral cats are tremendously damaging to native species. Particularly when they are fed by misguided "do-gooders." In the normal scheme of things, when a prey population is reduced by predation, the predator population wanes and the prey population recovers. Feral cats which are fed by humans (either on purpose or involuntarily by those who put out food for their own cats) can hunt a prey population to virtual extinction because their population remains constant or increases due to the separate steady food supply. Songbirds are just one casualty. Small animals such as anoles and geckos which keep insect populations in check have already virtually disappeared from many areas.

Of course it's not hard to determine that the key word is "rational." Mark my words. It won't be rational posts like this one that get this thread locked...
 
I am a cat lover.

Feral cats-killem all.

If you suspect it is a pet then please don't. At least warn the suspected owners to keep thier cat under control.
 
Around these parts, any cat found more than a quarter-mile from a farmhouse is considered a predator and is very apt to be put down on the spot.

A .222 or .22-250 does an excellent job.
 
Cats are not too tough. A magnum .177 air rifle will do for them at close range, a .22 rimfire is fine for as far away as you can properly place your shot.

Obligatory disclaimer: Don't get caught violating some law or ordinance - best you check the legalities before you pull the trigger. The local judge/cop/prosecutor may be a cat lover.
 
Does anyone know of a web site that has info on the destruction caused by domestic cats?

Years ago I saw a documentary on house cats ( these were not even feral) where the people doing the study had the owners of the cats save all of the cats "kills" for a two week period. The amount of prey taken by these cats in the two week period was suprising. BTW, those cats were house cats and only out for a few hours a day so I can only imagine how much damage true feral cats do.
 
I have not gotten word back yet, so at this point I'm going to assume that some other method was found to deal with the cat problem. I could be wrong though...

Anyway, thanks for the info guys. If I do end up taking care of this cat problem, I'll be taking the .22 WMR along... and possibly a .22LR handgun...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Good Ol' Boy
  • Locked
Wild Cat vs Feral Cat
2 3
Replies
51
Views
4K
1MoreFord
1MoreFord
B
  • Locked
Legalized Cat Hunting?
Replies
24
Views
891
Art Eatman
A
P
  • Locked
What To Do About Those Cats...
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
dakotasin
D
Loyalist Dave
  • Locked
How Bad Are Feral Cats?
2 3
Replies
55
Views
3K
Sven
S
N
  • Locked
Shooting Cats ?
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
cdbeaver
C
Back
Top