How do you deal with stray cats?

[greasemonkeyok]

Birds eat lots of insects.

For example, guinea hens will rid your place of ticks.

 

[Looking4new]

but I am also not crazy about the neighbours cat that s***s on my flowerbed.

Wait until the neighbour with the cat presents you with the bill for garden fertiliser. :laughing:

 

[Carl Bert]

We live in the country. We have really had a run on city people comming out here and dumping their cats. We have already taken in 4 stray cats, had them spayed, nutered and shots. Plus, at my shop at another location I have two cats there that I feed and take care of. We love them all and feed them and give them good care. But we have just about had enough of it. The local county shelter will not take cats, nor the humane agency. City people wont take responsibility for their own problems. They dont realize many times when they dump a cat it gets run over, coyotes get it or it gets shot. I dont feel right about catching them and dumping them again and I feel really bad about having to kill them. One cat in paticulair, I could write a book about her, showed up here about 4 years ago, hates other cats, will not stay here at night, she leaves and stays in the woods, shows up here every moring before I go to work, eats, and rides to work with me, loves it, loves to ride in my big truck when I go out on a job. Hangs around the shop sometimes during the day, then when 5 oclock comes and the church bell up on the hill rings 5. she shows up for a ride home, she got caught in a wind storm once and collaposed a lung, got hit by a car once, broke her pelvis and rear leg, was near death, we didnt have the $40 to have her put to sleep, put her in a basket and put her under a shade tree outside, to die, she laid there 4 or 5 days suffering, fed her with a eye droper, finally one day she tipped the basket over and crawled under a neighbors abandoned car with no wheels on it. I couldnt crawl under there and get her and out, every time I took a rake and tried to drag her out she screamed in pain. Left her there for the night, next day I checked and she was gone, I figured the coyotes got her. About 3 months later I was out side and this real scraney cat jumpet down from the cats feeding dish and run, I called for it and I just couldnt believe it was "Fiesty" about half starved to death, you could see all her ribs. Nursed her back to health. Another time she didnt show up for a ride to work in the morning, I came home at noon with my dump truck and had a load of gravel to dump after lunch. I went to the job site after lunch, about 20 mi away and backed up to dump the gravel, I head a terriable scream, I thought I had backed over some ones cat. I shut the engine off, got out and looked under the wheels, no cat, raised my hood and there she was sitting back on top of the transmission, there was Fiesty. Just giving me a dumb look. I could go on with stories about her. But again I cant handle any more stray cats. And I had better get off hers because I see Fiesty comming out of the woods wanting a ride to work.

So what exactly are you saying about city people? We come out to the country, where the GOOD people live and dump our pets? That we don't take responsibility for our own problems? The fact that you made such a statement truly defines your level of mentality. You do know where the term BACK WOODS came from, don't you? Actually, now that I think of it, you probably don't.

No disrespect to anyone else reading this, but really, if I started a thread about the ignorance in middle America, a good amount of people would be insulted. Sorry, but I just finished arguing, in another thread, with a guy that stated that he was from upstate NY, and felt it was an insult to him to be considered a downstater, as he put it, or in other words a person from NYC and its suburbs. Some people just amaze me.

 

[MossRoad]

So what exactly are you saying about city people? We come out to the country, where the GOOD people live and dump our pets? That we don't take responsibility for our own problems? The fact that you made such a statement truly defines your level of mentality. You do know where the term BACK WOODS came from, don't you? Actually, now that I think of it, you probably don't.

No disrespect to anyone else reading this, but really, if I started a thread about the ignorance in middle America, a good amount of people would be insulted. Sorry, but I just finished arguing, in another thread, with a guy that stated that he was from upstate NY, and felt it was an insult to him to be considered a downstater, as he put it, or in other words a person from NYC and its suburbs. Some people just amaze me.

Of course no one here is implying that all or even most city folks do that. But of the animals that get dumped in the country there's a very high probability that a city person or suburban person did it. Its a known fact.

 

[Looking4new]

Around here it is mostly the college kids, they have a cat while they are in school and when they go home for the summer they dump the cat 'out in the country'.

I was born in the city, but I am proud to be a country bumpkin. I live in the bush.

 

[Tig]

Of course no one here is implying that all or even most city folks do that. But of the animals that get dumped in the country there's a very high probability that a city person or suburban person did it. Its a known fact.

You see it works this way. Country folk don't have to go anywhere else to dump cats, they just have to ignore them.
Seriously though, I've seen country folk transplant the unwanted and not just cats.
A grade three teacher (Minister's Wife) at my daughter's school had domestic rabbits which she let breed each year. She would give away what she could and in the fall turn rest loose to fend for themselves. I told her she was contributing to the coyote problem.
.
We had a cat hang around one summer, beautiful animal. Grew into quite a hunter. We gave it affection, but no food. It seemed to be doing fine. A bricklayer working at my place commented in jest that if such a fine animal showed up at his place he would certainly take it in. To which I replied, "good to know, I'll keep that in mind when the weather turns cold". He then added, "well not if I knew where it came from, I'd just take it back".
The cat left in the fall when it's owner relocated for winter and it was back last summer.

 

[20 20]

So I guess if your neighbor decides to "target practice" with your dogs, chasing their cat on thier property, its ok? I have five outdoor cats, most were strays that wandered up, all are fixed and are part of the family. I have chased my neighbors dogs out of my yard several times, chasing MY cats. Never would I think about shooting their dogs for this. BTW, I am rural too.

I know this was not directed at me but I'd like to chime in, YES, if bingo comes into my yard terrorising any of my critters he/she will no longer exist. I'm NOT writting that I'd just randomly shoot bingo, but if bingo is agressive the pup is done. I am a huge animal lover and will go out of my way to help a critter, but through the yrs I have gotten sick and tired of "horrible" pet owners and violent pets. We have had stray cats attack our domestic birds and other critters that we enjoy. We have had dogs do the same including go after family members. So with the question you pose, if a strange critter is trying to attack my critter in/on it's domain it's done! Just a couple of weeks ago we had 2 large husky breeds try to attack my chickens even had them cornered in their pen. My son tried chasing them away and they crowled at him he had a pellet gun which worked for the time being. I threw a large stick and hit the other while it was crowling at my wife, you can bet the farm, next time they will not leave walking. Now with all this written, my furture actions weigh heavy on my heart because I feel it is not the animals fault but bad "ownership" that the animal will have to pay for. I will also give the benifit of the doubt and try to connect with boots or bingo but if all else fails then..........you know the rest of the story.

 

[20 20]

Sorry, but I just finished arguing, in another thread, with a guy that stated that he was from upstate NY, and felt it was an insult to him to be considered a downstater, as he put it, or in other words a person from NYC and its suburbs. Some people just amaze me.

aaaaaannnnnndddddd what is the argument? I'm not saying all people from NYC are bad but the city as a whole drains the crap out of the rest of what is a beautifull state. I live in the adirondacks but did do a lot of work in the city{not by choice}, and yes I do not want to be considered a "downstater" especially if "downstater" means NYC. Sorry but NYC'ers do it to themselves when they come up here {especially this time of year} and treat "upstaters" like dirt. Again This is not a personal attack on any individual, there are good people in all walks of life. I have been to many states{lower 48} and met good people, when they ask where I'm from I say NY. They say OOOOOHHHHH so you've never seen the country. I say not NYC upstate NY, then they look at me like I'm from mars. They also don't relize NY is the {or atleast was) the 3 largest US farming state. My point being is not only does NYC leave a bad taste in "upstaters" mouths but it must have also spread across the country some.........WHY?

 

[20 20]

It always makes me howl with laughter when I read rants from those people who think stray cats decrease songbird populations...birds make up only a tiny percentage of the diet of cats. I have four cats who get out frequently and 90% of the time they are under my direct watch....and in the last three years I have only seen them catch ONE BIRD...although they have tried thousands of times.

Maybe your cats are slow or just to lazy to chase a bird? I will completely disagree with your statement I have seen cats do some major bird killin in my yard, including humming birds. They also raised heck with my ducks nest. Cats are preditors and will go after whatever they need to or whatever they fancy at the time.

And exactly WHAT do birds do for mankind? Raid their tree fruits, eat their grain, steal their berries, s*** on their cars and trucks. I would be so happy to never see another F****** bird around here. Hawks kill many more birds than cats do....and any bird stupid enough to get caught by a cat deserves it.

Birds do alot more then what you suggested, but I won't argue with your opinion, looks like it's your point and your stickin to it

 

[toppop52]

So what exactly are you saying about city people? We come out to the country, where the GOOD people live and dump our pets? That we don't take responsibility for our own problems? The fact that you made such a statement truly defines your level of mentality. You do know where the term BACK WOODS came from, don't you? Actually, now that I think of it, you probably don't.

No disrespect to anyone else reading this, but really, if I started a thread about the ignorance in middle America, a good amount of people would be insulted. Sorry, but I just finished arguing, in another thread, with a guy that stated that he was from upstate NY, and felt it was an insult to him to be considered a downstater, as he put it, or in other words a person from NYC and its suburbs. Some people just amaze me.

What the man says is true, he didn't say everyone from cities are irresponsible jerks, but the biggest problem with drop offs are people from inside cities. I was raised on a farm, but spent 40 years living in town, didn't insult me at all, truth is what truth is.