Shooting cats

Wendell said:
While .410 has been in short supply as of late, one product that has been and still is widely available is less-lethal rubber buckshot. We didn't used to have it, but we have it now.

When it comes to cats and dogs, I hope that, going forward, more people will take advantage of the the opportunity to not kill (when appropriate).
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Rather than believe people who shoot feral cats should alter their methods, maybe it would be a better solution for irresponsible pet owners to not allow their intact animals to roam free? People dumping unwanted animals in the bush is a big problem too. You might want to look into how harmful feral cats are to wildlife, pets, and property in north america.

As a conservationist, it is my duty to euthanize any and all feral and invasive species I encounter to protect native wildlife. Rusty crayfish, cats, lamprey, phragmites...if its invasive, it's gone.
 
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The worst cats are pet ones that are fed at home and so will strip the surrounding area of every bird and small mammal present with no pressure to move on. And they can be good at it, I happened to be watching when a neighbour's fat cat leapt out of concealment and jumped several feet into the air to take out a goldfinch on a feeder here, then vanish like smoke so no one could interfere. That said, you shouldn't shoot a pet cat because of the heartbreak and/or anger it will cause when said pussy doesn't come home, so I guess you should be certain the cat is a stray. House cats come from Egypt and are an invasive species, always fair game when appropriate. One thing about the coyotes prowling around here is that few if any cat owners let them out anymore; down under, one alien species eating another is something the Australians never seem to master when they try it; instead they end up with two ecodisasters instead of one.
 
This thread reminds me that I once read that German origin gun dogs (GSPs, GWPs) are bred to be 'sharp' on cats, meaning they will kill them on sight, I assume excluding pets in the home. Is this still true, I wonder? It was sort of a disincentive for me getting one because a farm I used to hunt out of considered every damn cat they had roaming around to be a pet, thanks to the children I suspect.
 
Big Bad said:
This thread reminds me that I once read that German origin gun dogs (GSPs, GWPs) are bred to be 'sharp' on cats, meaning they will kill them on sight, I assume excluding pets in the home. Is this still true, I wonder? It was sort of a disincentive for me getting one because a farm I used to hunt out of considered every damn cat they had roaming around to be a pet, thanks to the children I suspect.
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Feral Cats, meaning cats at large, were traditional Game for Hawkers. A true Feral Cat is a formidable animal for it's size.

Feral Cats don't live that long around here, the coyotes are tough on them as is the Winter.
 
Big Bad said:
The worst cats are pet ones that are fed at home and so will strip the surrounding area of every bird and small mammal present with no pressure to move on. And they can be good at it, I happened to be watching when a neighbour's fat cat leapt out of concealment and jumped several feet into the air to take out a goldfinch on a feeder here, then vanish like smoke so no one could interfere. That said, you shouldn't shoot a pet cat because of the heartbreak and/or anger it will cause when said pussy doesn't come home, so I guess you should be certain the cat is a stray. House cats come from Egypt and are an invasive species, always fair game when appropriate. One thing about the coyotes prowling around here is that few if any cat owners let them out anymore; down under, one alien species eating another is something the Australians never seem to master when they try it; instead they end up with two ecodisasters instead of one.
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Sorry, protecting wildlife is more important than the feelings of irresponsible cat owners who allow their animal to roam free. If they actually cared for their animal they would not allow it to wander, they would do what responsible owners do and keep the cat inside or leash it outside.

Any and every cat in the bush needs a lead pill. Period.


Go take a peak at the number of mammals and birds cats kill each year in north america. They're a huge problem that is only getting worse with more and more clueless idiots thinking if they feed fluffy and give him hugs he won't kill for fun when let outside.
 
We had a feral cat problem back home where I grew up. The problem I found was that head shots with 22lr caused the cats to flop around massively. Killed them for sure. But it was mildly annoying when they jumped 5 feet in the air for a couple of seconds. So then I tried my 308 (the only other rifle caliber I had available at the time). The 308 definitely didn't allow for any jumping reflexes, but it was pretty messy. Normally blowing them in half. I imagine 223 would be a good choice. Perhaps something in between 22lr and 223 would be better.
 
We spent 4 years cleaning out a feral colony with my daughter live-trapping young ones and taming them up and then off to a shelter in Prince George. The older Toms were all cleaned out using a .22 as they were way too wild to be tamed and I was tired of the stink of cat spray on everything in the yard.

My favorite feral cat answer. "Head-shot" accurate out to 100+ feet with my Marlin Golden 39.

While we live in a semi-rural area where shooting is legal there is no sense bringing attention to yourself. These cartridges produce less noise than an air rifle.


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Big Bad said:
This thread reminds me that I once read that German origin gun dogs (GSPs, GWPs) are bred to be 'sharp' on cats, meaning they will kill them on sight, I assume excluding pets in the home. Is this still true, I wonder? It was sort of a disincentive for me getting one because a farm I used to hunt out of considered every damn cat they had roaming around to be a pet, thanks to the children I suspect.
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the griffon as well. my uncle was raising short waired ones and never been able to keep one on his farm they will kill pets as well unless raised with them you cannot introduce a cat. we had brittany in ours and had cats ... cats are good for controlling on mouse, voles or rats especially if you grow grain ...
 
'Boo said:
We spent 4 years cleaning out a feral colony with my daughter live-trapping young ones and taming them up and then off to a shelter in Prince George. The older Toms were all cleaned out using a .22 as they were way too wild to be tamed and I was tired of the stink of cat spray on everything in the yard.

My favorite feral cat answer. "Head-shot" accurate out to 100+ feet with my Marlin Golden 39.

While we live in a semi-rural area where shooting is legal there is no sense bringing attention to yourself. These cartridges produce less noise than an air rifle.


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The CCI Quiets are very consistent velocity vise.
 
MiG25 said:
The CCI Quiets are very consistent velocity vise.
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Try the Quiet segmented Hollow Points. They break into 3 pieces on impact. We use to use the ones pictures for squirrels and found the hollow points anchored them better. Plus they make a definite smack noise when you hit them.
 
The CCI subsonic 40 grain hollow points are very good too. A little louder than the quiets but more consistent I find in my rifles. Still quiet enough that you can actually hear the bullet smack the pest.
 
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