cat Killer(?) in puna

[Fishboy]

Thanks so much to Rob Tucker for setting up the Search function on this forum. I wanted to post a question on feral cats and thought I'd first look to see if it'd been discussed previously. Whattayaknow, here it is!

There's an article in this mornings' paper about a guy in Texas who's being charged with a felony in the trapping and extermination of a feral cat. Now, I'm not looking to start a heated exchange with this topic, but I have a sensitivity for the wildlife of Hawaii and the potential impact of feral cats. Certainly there are other introduced pests (goats, pigs, turkeys, mongoose) that are wreaking havoc on the environment and this is all part of my question, but cats take a tremendous toll on wild birds and it was this that motivated the guy in Texas.

My question concerns the laws and ordinances of Hawaii and Hawaii County in controlling feral cats or other such introduced animals that cause environmental harm. I can anticipate that most folks on this forum are sympathetic to the cats and would prefer to see them captured and put up for adoption. That's fine, but there are people living far enough from the Humane Society that the consideration to dispatch the animal may be worth consideration. Kapohocat (I'd address you as 'Cat', but that'd confuse everyone ), you've captured a couple of these cats and adopted them. Were there any others in the neighborhood? Assuming this is not a one-time event, what about the next few?

Also, a recent posting on the Putzvilleforum discussed feral pigs digging up a guys yard. He lives within the Putzville city limits and his options are very limited.

Again, it's not my motivation to create a difficult subject and I feel that we should live in harmony with anything that isn't doing us harm, but I'd like to better understand the legal limits in the control, lethal or otherwise, of these animals.

Best regards,
Brian

[Kapohocat]

Fishboy,

The feral cat population is definately a concern. Now that we are down here in Kapoho, it seems like the entire neighborhood of cats is visiting our yard. Unlike the cats in our yard in HI Acres, these cats look like someone's pets... sleek, well fed, just looking for an extra tidbit on their travels around the neighborhood. We have a friend who is bringing her dog to visit and the "dog scent" seems to keep some of the "scardy cats" away...

I hate to see any animal suffer, through malnutrition especially... it is to the cats benefit to trap them and take them to an organization such as Rainbow Friends or the Humane Society. I do not advocate home euthanasia of cats but thats another thread.

If you adopt a feral cat, please take them to get nuetured!!

-cat (aka in real life Catherine, or Cathy or Cat, anything but Cate!)

[lquade]

it seems to me the county could get tougher and demand people sterilize their animals. for example all the pets imported in to the islands could be neutered/spayed as a condition of importation. or animals visiting the vets...if people would stop breeding animals to make money, maybe people would start adopting the surplus pets and then the problems would ease. i also read the county is considering an ordinance to tag cats as well as dogs, that it is part of the dog barking ordinance? i love animals but think people need to be responsible. just go to the dump and see all the pets people too lazy even to go to the humane society...makes you cry to see them.

[Fishboy]

Catherine, Cathy, or Cat, anything but Cate,
Ya know, I think a cool new thread would be all the ways you've expanded the knowledge base of the rest of us. You're SO knowledgeable on so may subjects, it's neat to have your acquaintance.

That schmooze aside, I would never advocate the neutering of any animal, but your recommendation addresses both a humane response to the feral cat problem while maintaining my sense of obligation to all creatures. I'd sure hate to be a male cat among a bunch of fixed females, though. What a waste!

I hope we hear from others who've addressed this issue.

Brian
Just for the record, Fishboy is a nickname a lady in my office tagged me with when I called her Swampgirl. I'm a Fisheries Biologist and she's a wetlands specialist. Another cool thread would be the derivation of all the UserIDs on Punaweb.

[Kapohocat]

lquade - That is a good idea and people, if they are breeders might apply for an exemption.

At the risk of offending FOB's, I have seen people who move here adopt a kitten from a neighbor's litter and then decide to move back to mainland leaving Kitty to fend for itself. This is even worse than the born feral cats as Kitty usually has no idea how to survive without a human putting food in their dish.

If kitties were licensed like dogs, and found abandoned, then the "owner" could be fined just like you are for an abandoned car.

[nnickle]

TNR Trap Neuter and Release. A good web site http://www.catforum.com. Wish more people would be more responsible with their pets.

[mella l]

Aloha nnickle,

On the Kona side there is ADvocats. There are a group of people in Fern Acres working hard to establish an Advocats on the east side, raising funds and organizing. John Rabi and many others in Kona are generous supporters of this organization.

Advocats do TNR, trap neuter and release, marking one ear with a clip so that marks them as having been de-sexed and vaccinated, and saves time from re-trapping the same animals.

Contrary to popular belief cats are not the ultimate danger to birds, but like all else it depends which experts and field scientists you read! Sound familiar!! Sort of like politics no? Feral pigs do damage to the forests understorey which have a profound affect on bird populations, mongoose eating bird eggs, and rats who climb trees, per eyewitness accounts in Fern Acres, eat bird eggs also. That was new to me. Oh remember the DDT wars of the 60's, some populations of birds and barely recovering from this environmental nightmare.
Air pollution also has an affect on the bird populations. Cats are just an easy target, when there is so many areas where improvement could be made. In South America lost habitat is the primary dilemma for native birds.

Cats are opportunistic hunters, don't expend any energy not absolutely necessary for a meal. Therefore mice, rats, lizards and insects make up 70 percent of a feral cats diet, much easier to catch and more efficient calories. Study after study confirms these numbers thru autopsy and inventory of stomach contents. Ewe.

Some may know that I am delayed now 8 months from moving over as my domestic Bengal cats, once legal in Hawaii, were delisted in the dark of night, they disappeared off the accepted list.

In my many correspondences with the ag dept, I had one conversation worth mentioning here. Speaking to a state official I asked if this person had any pets? Well yes grew up on a 30 acre pig farm and had 20 cats. Oh so you understand caring for and loving a pet! Yes. One last question for you then how many of your 20 farm cats were spayed or neutered. After a pregnant pause, the response was a few. Farm cats are not pets, they are working animals keeping down rodent populations to the farmers benefit, not birds! Like old rusty farm equipment abandoned in the field when no longer useful. Unlike pets owned by responsible pet staff like myself and Mr. G., they receive no medical care, vaccinations or spay neutering, and only minimal food resources.

I have seen more mongoose than feral cats while on the Big Island! Perhaps just an anomaly. The only feral cats I have personally seen were outside of Uncle Billy's kitchen and they looked like healthy pets, not run down ferals.

I hope my bias doesn't show thru here! However that said I have spent a great deal of time researching these questions world wide, in other rabies free, island states and nations, as it isn't just a problem in the USofA.

Did you know airlines and glass buildings take enormous tolls on bird populations?

Are there any regulations on trapping mongoose? Are there bounties on mongoose heads? Just curious about this. Just some thoughts and ideas.

Aloha,
Mella

PS If need be I would love to be reincarnated as my aunties cat!

mella l

Edited by - mella l on 11/26/2006 09:33:05

[Rob Tucker]

My cats are spayed. One is an adopted young feral cat too. My step daughter has tamed it. I do have elderly neighbors who breed volumes of cats. I can understand their intent is loving. They can't understand that their caring creates a real problem for the neighborood and island. So I bought a trap and have, to date, "relocated" a dozen nasty feral toms to the humane society. Personally I hope that the Humane Society does not neuter and release these critters.

Too many cats is simply too many cats, neutered, spayed or otherwise. I am glad if any cat can find a caring home. I'd be even more glad if neglected and abused children find a caring home.

I hope my thoughts on this do not upset anyone.

[oink]

I live on a 5 acre lot and have a spayed dog and cat. The cat is an inside cat as is the dog, although I let her out for an hour or so once or twice a week. I used to have quail coveys in my yard every year and while I don't mind a meal of quail, I wouldn't think of bothering these as I loved to see them. Several years ago a new neighbor moved in next door, a horse person. They thought it necessary to have a pride of barn cats, I guess to discourage rats. The cats soon started excursions onto my property to hunt. Hunger had nothing to do with it. They hunted for sport. I haven't had quail since that time. I miss them. I think free ranging, well fed, domestic cats are probably worse on birds than the ferals. Well fed cats do hunt for sport. I also would not advocate the tnr. If a home can't be found for the trapped feral, then they must be dealt with otherwise. Traps may not always be the most efficient method. I can't believe I actually said that.

S. FL Islander to be

Edited by - oink on 11/26/2006 10:17:24

[Kapohocat]

I wiss my well fed domesticated formerly feral cat would get up off her tubby little akole and hunt a mouse or two!!

But I agree with all you - these ideas are all good ones....