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Dayna, please read #2 again.
1) The $5,000 reward is not a publicity stunt. Because publically advertising large cash rewards is not done to bring awareness to an issue.
2) It is the farmer's responsibility to keep all the neighborhood animals from attacking their livestock by making their farm an impenetrable fortress, and the stray pet's owners have no responsibility.
3) Stray pets have immeasurable value, and farm animals have none.
4) Should a stray animal somehow breach the farmer's defenses, and he shoots an animal that is killing his livestock, the angry villagers will come out with their torches and pitchforks to show the monster what humanity is.
5) The rareness of endangered species, rather than indicating a need to take steps to reverse their decline, absolves cat owners of responsibility and is justification for ramping up the population of invasive predators.
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Aren't humans an invasive species upon these islands and just about anywhere outside of the rift valley in east africa? I think in the big picture cats are doing less destruction upon the environment than humans are but what are we going to do about that? If your pet kills someone else's pet that is one thing but if a cat is just roaming there is no reason to shoot. Not all cats are hunters. I know my cats just like to play with bugs and small rodents but don't really know how to kill. Plus the cats are probably good for the hawaiian hawk population.
Humans need to stop acting like we are above nature if it weren't natural for cats to be here they wouldn't be here. They have a symbiotic relationship with humans since prehistory same with dogs. This is how cats and dogs have evolved to be what they are. Where ever humans are cats and dogs are. So when you start saying hey look at all these invasive animals ask yourself who the real invasive animal is and hopefully you will see the truth.
As for shooting cats it is hard to say what is wrong or right across the board if the cats are causing death upon themselves by killing someones valued chickens, or whatever, so be it, it is natural that animals who get themselves into to much trouble will be eliminated somehow. Sad but true. Same goes for humans who get into to much trouble.
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"It's irresponsible to talk about shooting or otherwise encouraging the killing of people for innocuous offenses like transiting property."
Deletion of four letters in that quote by me. But it raises a good point. If I transited your property, killing your cats in the process. Please tell me how that is "better" or "different" than your cats transiting my property and killing my chickens or other livestock during your animal's transit?
p.s. I would never transit (trespass) your property in this manner.
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The original story was about feral cats, not pets. It is inappropriate but typical of feral cat advocates to go off on any tangent that they feel will win them sympathy, in this case twisting the story to talk about the sanctity of owned and loved pets. The original story was about un-owned animals that were not on private property. If it had been someones pet getting shot off their lanai the original headline would have been vastly different. Probably half the comments in this thread are not relevant, expressing as they do righteous indignation and threats of violent retaliation against anybody who would violate their home and family. Total. Bull.
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Where do the feral cats come from?
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Right on MarkP. Ferals and those who feed, neuter and return these pest to the area are the problem, then they blame the logical consequence of their irresponsible behavior on those who must deal with the problem. I spend time each week taking these vermin to the HS. Ask the workers there for their opinion of the trap and return idiots.
dick wilson
"Nothing is idiot proof,because idiots are so ingenious!"
dick wilson
"Nothing is idiot proof,because idiots are so ingenious!"
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I see we have a fine bunch of cat haters here. As for domestic cats killing "livestock," (rolls eyes) I'd like to see the numbers on that one. We're not talking about mountain lions here. A domestic cat isn't going to take down your cattle. There's a reason the only thing you can come up with is chicken hatchlings. Dogs on the other hand can come in and kill larger animals. So take some elementary steps to protect them. This ain't rocket science.
Some may ask why I and others react with a certain agitation to killing pet animals. For me the answer is simple. How a person treats animals is a window on their personality. Animal cruelty is a gateway to human cruelty, and animals suffer a ----load, particularly, frankly, around here. I've never been to a place where there's as much animal mistreatment as I've seen (actually witnessed) here. Cats, for whatever reason, are a special target for heartless people. And people do terrible things to cats, hit them, kick them, torture them. People will fill bags full of kittens and throw them in water to drown them. I don't care what you say, a person like that is not balanced. There is something wrong about a person who can kill without even a second thought to humaneness.
So, for those who seem dumbstruck that anyone might get a little hot around the collar, that's why.
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Let me make this plain, I DON"T HATE CATS. The irresponsible morons who dump cats, and those who feed, neuter and RETURN these pest are the ones I have a problem with. If you wish to adopt them fine, Just don't leave them for me to deal with.
dick wilson
"Nothing is idiot proof,because idiots are so ingenious!"
dick wilson
"Nothing is idiot proof,because idiots are so ingenious!"
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They might eat some rats for you though.
I have three cats so I am a lover but I know that if they like to run across the street there is a better chance they may die early. Likewise if they are messing with someones chickens they might die early due to being a menace to a gun owner. With that said the real fact of the matter is that a chicken could put up a pretty good fight against a feral cat and being that cats are smart they probably would not mess with a chicken, especially a chicken that is in a coop or roaming free with other chickens around. If the cat did want to mess with a chicken I bet it would send the cat running. Feral cats can survive just fine off of smaller less troublesome animals bugs included. So there is very little reason to shoot a cat. I bet a clear warning shot would scare a cat enough that they would never come back.
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I don't shoot or poison these cats. They are trapped in HS approved live traps. then transported at considerable weekly expense to the HS. They may or may not kill a rat or two, but they damage considerable merchandise in the warehouse, defecate on the property and create a health hazard and I'm tired of cleaning up after irresponsible a-holes.
dick wilson
"Nothing is idiot proof,because idiots are so ingenious!"
dick wilson
"Nothing is idiot proof,because idiots are so ingenious!"
