Discussion
the OP said its a stray cat. I'm inclined to take him at his word, rather than assume he's a liar or an idiot. If he lives in a rural area its not going to be difficult to have asked around and established that its nobodies cat... I'm assuming he would have done that before its labeled a stray.
The rest of your nonsense about it being illegal to kill it, is exactly that - nonsense...
The rest of your nonsense about it being illegal to kill it, is exactly that - nonsense...
KFC I am very surprised at your attitude.
I personally am not particularly keen on dogs, but would never agree with just shooting a dog, because it belonged to no-one, was unwanted, or generally annoying me.
You've amassed a body of goodwill over the years on PH due to to your work with rescuing stray dogs in Portugal.
However you run the risk of undermining all of that with your posts on this thread.
I personally am not particularly keen on dogs, but would never agree with just shooting a dog, because it belonged to no-one, was unwanted, or generally annoying me.
You've amassed a body of goodwill over the years on PH due to to your work with rescuing stray dogs in Portugal.
However you run the risk of undermining all of that with your posts on this thread.
KFC said:
the OP said its a stray cat. I'm inclined to take him at his word, rather than assume he's a liar or an idiot. If he lives in a rural area its not going to be difficult to have asked around and established that its nobodies cat... I'm assuming he would have done that before its labeled a stray.
The rest of your nonsense about it being illegal to kill it, is exactly that - nonsense...
But you have't suggested finding out, you just said "shoot it"The rest of your nonsense about it being illegal to kill it, is exactly that - nonsense...
You then said not to bother CPL to find out, it's a waste of money
KFC said:
, feel free to post an alternative solution that doesn't involve wasting a load of someone else's money, or shuffling the problem onto someone else.
Stray cat is someone's lost pet. That's a domesticated cat, therefore it's illegal to kill it 
For all you know, it's a beloved missed pet that some a
hole has taken the advice of your mate & dumped far from home so it couldn't enter their garden. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=2&a...Your advice was wrong. End of story.
Mobile Chicane said:
KFC I am very surprised at your attitude.
I personally am not particularly keen on dogs, but would never agree with just shooting a dog, because it belonged to no-one, was unwanted, or generally annoying me.
You've amassed a body of goodwill over the years on PH due to to your work with rescuing stray dogs in Portugal.
However you run the risk of undermining all of that with your posts on this thread.
Any advice in this thread stems from the "its an ownerless cat" in the OP being correct. I personally am not particularly keen on dogs, but would never agree with just shooting a dog, because it belonged to no-one, was unwanted, or generally annoying me.
You've amassed a body of goodwill over the years on PH due to to your work with rescuing stray dogs in Portugal.
However you run the risk of undermining all of that with your posts on this thread.
Perhaps the work I do with unwanted animals lets me see the bigger picture here. You can't save every one of them, and some are indeed effectively vermin that just need disposing of in a cost effective and safe manner. That doesn't just count for cats, that can apply to dogs, foxes and everything else.
We've got a dalmation cross here that bit two rescue helpers recently. imo its not salvageable, its a dangerous dog and it needs to be put down. A vet is going to need to come do it, with a callout fee. Which is going to further deplete funds donated by the general public. "just shoot it" would be my choice there too - no hassle, no fuss, and no animal cruelty. The animal in question isn't even going to see it coming... its arguably less cruel than having to restrain it to give it injections surely.
Or should we pay £200 a month to put it on a dog hotel, and get it 6-12 months of animal training classes? Now we'll have spent £2000-5000 or so, with no guarantee that it'd have worked. And even if it has, we'd still be in the position of maybe not being able to rehome it as it would have seriously restricted options (need huge fences, no kids, no other animals, always muzzled in public, etc)
Sometimes the best solution is the one that is going to be hated by the keyword warrior who's not going to have to deal with any of the consequences, or pay for them.
Edited by KFC on Monday 25th May 22:47
ali_kat said:
BASC said:
Domestic and feral cats are one and the same animal - Felis catus. Feral cats are persistent killers of nesting birds. If it can be shown that they have bred or are living in the wild they may be humanely dispatched. Operatives must make maximum effort to identify any ownership of a cat causing damage before attempting to catch or kill it.
I'm "insinuating'" that he doesn't give a fk about finding out whether or not the cat is a feral, a stray, or the Tom from 2 streets away, which the OP doesn't actually know himself stuartmmcfc said:
seems to be living in the orchard
KFC said:
.... just get someone to shoot it.
This could just be a lost pet, suggesting shooting it with no investigation, then saying it's not worth CPLs time/money to find out is morally & legally, wrong.I'd have a healthy wadge of money if I took money from everyone who claimed the cat in their garden was stray and then turns out it lives down the road!
That is not to say OP is wrong (it certainly doesn't appear to have a home) but just showing how common an error it can be, usually by, mostly, well intentioned people.
That is not to say OP is wrong (it certainly doesn't appear to have a home) but just showing how common an error it can be, usually by, mostly, well intentioned people.
We live on a farm and had a feral cat that visited every 3 or 4 months. My theory was that it had a big circuit that it followed as it's appearances were pretty regular. There are a lot of shoots in the area an I would imagine it's diet consisted of a fair amount of game birds. It was a huge brute of a thing, very unlike a domestic cat. It was white and I'm assuming it was deaf as you could get fairly near it if you approached it from behind. If it saw you, even from a distance it would be off. It was very, very battered and scarred and pretty scary looking. I don't doubt that any domestic cat would have been toast if it had gotten hold of one.
I've not seen it for a while so I'm guessing it's met a natural end or one of the local gamekeepers got hold of it. I always felt sorry for it as it really did look like it'd had a very tough life but there was no domesticating it. It really was a wild animal.....
I've not seen it for a while so I'm guessing it's met a natural end or one of the local gamekeepers got hold of it. I always felt sorry for it as it really did look like it'd had a very tough life but there was no domesticating it. It really was a wild animal.....
bexVN said:
I'd have a healthy wadge of money if I took money from everyone who claimed the cat in their garden was stray and then turns out it lives down the road!
That is not to say OP is wrong (it certainly doesn't appear to have a home) but just showing how common an error it can be, usually by, mostly, well intentioned people.
That's not the point. The OP asked for advice about a feral cat (well, ferel but we all know what he meant!) - see the title.That is not to say OP is wrong (it certainly doesn't appear to have a home) but just showing how common an error it can be, usually by, mostly, well intentioned people.
KFC provided correct advice based on that fact. If the cat is the pet of 83 year old Mrs Jones from 2 streets over then I'm sure KFC would have provided different advice (or kept his mouth shut).
Out of interest, why is shooting an animal causing it unnecessary suffering? Having shot animals in the past, if it's done cleanly and quickly there is less distress that other methods that one would deem acceptable (e.g. Injection).
I think the way KFC has been lambasted on this thread isn't particularly fair especially when people start coming up with all sorts of different scenarios it's, buts and maybes - when the question was about a feral cat.
If my uncle was a woman she'd be my aunt and all of that. By all means chip in with stuff such as 'oh, in my line of work it's very common for people to call them feral cats but later find out they're not so go steady', as opposed to 'I don't like it so it's illegal'.
I find your contributions to most animal related threads really rather interesting - you obviously know your onions and you put your time and effort into helping strangers on the Internet with their furry critters - I've even found it to be useful myself in the past. I'd say you're in danger of undoing that great work you do in the way KFC has been responded to.
IF KFC had bothered to suggest ensuring the cat is feral or stray (as the OP doesn't know for sure), maybe his suggestion wouldn't have got shot down
IF KFC hadn't said checking was a waste of time & money maybe he wouldn't have got shot down
Until the cat is proved feral, it is classed as a pet and therefore it is illegal to shoot it.
KFC has been praised in this thread by a few of us for his knowledge of dogs; but it is well known by the regular posters in ACG&S that he HATES cats & has posted this sort of wrong advice before.
Eta - read the thread I posted above for examples
IF KFC hadn't said checking was a waste of time & money maybe he wouldn't have got shot down
Until the cat is proved feral, it is classed as a pet and therefore it is illegal to shoot it.
KFC has been praised in this thread by a few of us for his knowledge of dogs; but it is well known by the regular posters in ACG&S that he HATES cats & has posted this sort of wrong advice before.
Eta - read the thread I posted above for examples
Edited by ali_kat on Wednesday 27th May 08:00
ali_kat said:
IF KFC had bothered to suggest ensuring the cat is feral or stray (as the OP doesn't know for sure), maybe his suggestion wouldn't have got shot down
IF KFC hadn't said checking was a waste of time & money maybe he wouldn't have got shot down
Until the cat is proved feral, it is classed as a pet and therefore it is illegal to shoot it.
KFC has been praised in this thread by a few of us for his knowledge of dogs; but it is well known by the regular posters in ACG&S that he HATES cats & has posted this sort of wrong advice before.
Eta - read the thread I posted above for examples
Have another look at the OP and please show me where it says the OP isn't certain. The only thing that I can see that shows any uncertainty is the stray/feral comment (even then the OP sounds certain). My reading is the it's only sometime after the idea of shooting the cat is put forward that the OP then introduced the fact he may not be sure.IF KFC hadn't said checking was a waste of time & money maybe he wouldn't have got shot down
Until the cat is proved feral, it is classed as a pet and therefore it is illegal to shoot it.
KFC has been praised in this thread by a few of us for his knowledge of dogs; but it is well known by the regular posters in ACG&S that he HATES cats & has posted this sort of wrong advice before.
Eta - read the thread I posted above for examples
Edited by ali_kat on Wednesday 27th May 08:00
Again, not to be pedantic but my take (and IANAL etc) is that you have to take appropriate steps to find out if it belongs to someone - I don't believe you have to prove without doubt that it's feral before shooting the thing. I am happy to be proved wrong on this point with legislation/precedent as opposed to quotes from rspca or similar websites.
My take on KFC's comments were not that checking was a waste of time and money but trying to solve the problem was either a waste of time and money or it simply moves the problem into someone else.
I am aware of the good that KFC does, however it has been posted on this thread something along the lines of 'don't undo all the hard work you do with the dogs', hence my comment.
For the record I'm both a cat and dog lover - gratuitous Piccy of part of me and Jakey:
When I first posted the OP I knew I was potentially lighting a fuse. However I didn't really expect it go on for so long.
In my OP I said stray/feral (ok I know I said ferel
which in my mind was another way of saying stray or feral as I obviously had no way of knowing. If it was a stray, then it is a pet that somehow got lost.
No one knew where it had come from and I live in a fairly small 2 road village, so it's unlikely to belong to someone around here- but not impossible.
Ironically, no ones seen it since Friday, so unless KFC's shot it , it's either moved on or gone home and is no longer a problem.
However if it does return, I'll go down the CPL route and see what they say.
In my OP I said stray/feral (ok I know I said ferel
which in my mind was another way of saying stray or feral as I obviously had no way of knowing. If it was a stray, then it is a pet that somehow got lost.No one knew where it had come from and I live in a fairly small 2 road village, so it's unlikely to belong to someone around here- but not impossible.
Ironically, no ones seen it since Friday, so unless KFC's shot it
, it's either moved on or gone home and is no longer a problem.However if it does return, I'll go down the CPL route and see what they say.
Edited by stuartmmcfc on Wednesday 27th May 13:24
As per my post from another thread.
This is my feral cat.
Coming in stealing food - check
Fighting with other cats in the street - check
Wouldn't let anyone near him - check
Hunting local wildlife for food - check
He is now called Bandit and has moved in and loves a fuss.
Just adopt him OP
I too am quite appalled at some of the opinions of, so called "animal lovers"
I love all animals, how one can say they like dogs but not cats is clearly no real animal lover IMO
This is my feral cat.
Coming in stealing food - check
Fighting with other cats in the street - check
Wouldn't let anyone near him - check
Hunting local wildlife for food - check
He is now called Bandit and has moved in and loves a fuss.
Just adopt him OP
I too am quite appalled at some of the opinions of, so called "animal lovers"
I love all animals, how one can say they like dogs but not cats is clearly no real animal lover IMO
IMHO - an animal lover would recommend ascertaining whether any animal was a pet or stray BEFORE suggesting it is shot.
Cats walk for miles, just because it is not known to the local few houses doesn't meant it's a stray,
KFC is well known in here for not loving cats & a nasty attitude about them, hence I requested that he stay out of it if he has nothing that will actual help any cat situation.
He is brilliant wrt dogs, but his attitude to cats affects the way I (and others it seems) read his posts; and not in a positive way. He may think he's being amusing, but it puts backs up - no one would ever say "just shoot it" in one of his stray dog threads!
Cats walk for miles, just because it is not known to the local few houses doesn't meant it's a stray,
KFC is well known in here for not loving cats & a nasty attitude about them, hence I requested that he stay out of it if he has nothing that will actual help any cat situation.
He is brilliant wrt dogs, but his attitude to cats affects the way I (and others it seems) read his posts; and not in a positive way. He may think he's being amusing, but it puts backs up - no one would ever say "just shoot it" in one of his stray dog threads!
The Moose said:
bexVN said:
I'd have a healthy wadge of money if I took money from everyone who claimed the cat in their garden was stray and then turns out it lives down the road!
That is not to say OP is wrong (it certainly doesn't appear to have a home) but just showing how common an error it can be, usually by, mostly, well intentioned people.
That's not the point. The OP asked for advice about a feral cat (well, ferel but we all know what he meant!) - see the title.That is not to say OP is wrong (it certainly doesn't appear to have a home) but just showing how common an error it can be, usually by, mostly, well intentioned people.
KFC provided correct advice based on that fact. If the cat is the pet of 83 year old Mrs Jones from 2 streets over then I'm sure KFC would have provided different advice (or kept his mouth shut).
Out of interest, why is shooting an animal causing it unnecessary suffering? Having shot animals in the past, if it's done cleanly and quickly there is less distress that other methods that one would deem acceptable (e.g. Injection).
I think the way KFC has been lambasted on this thread isn't particularly fair especially when people start coming up with all sorts of different scenarios it's, buts and maybes - when the question was about a feral cat.
If my uncle was a woman she'd be my aunt and all of that. By all means chip in with stuff such as 'oh, in my line of work it's very common for people to call them feral cats but later find out they're not so go steady', as opposed to 'I don't like it so it's illegal'.
I find your contributions to most animal related threads really rather interesting - you obviously know your onions and you put your time and effort into helping strangers on the Internet with their furry critters - I've even found it to be useful myself in the past. I'd say you're in danger of undoing that great work you do in the way KFC has been responded to.
I don't think the comment you quoted was even aimed at KFC.
Did I say shooting caused unnecessary suffering? I don't agree with it because it is too easy to get it wrong and shoot a non feral (there would be suffering if not shot outright)
I think I actually admitted to being in a bad mood and backed out of arguing with KFC (young baby in the house so very sleep deprived!).
I gave the OP appropriate advice for his circumstance, he does not want the cat shot so that discussion is actually irrelevant in this particular scenario.
Edited by bexVN on Wednesday 27th May 19:17
Attention KFC, apparently we are both running the risk of undermining/undoing all the good work/advice we have invested/given due to this thread!! 
Op, I am sorry that I assisted towards such a volatile thread. I really hope you gleaned something useful out of it all and I am glad to read that he may have found a new area/ gone back home for now.
Op, I am sorry that I assisted towards such a volatile thread. I really hope you gleaned something useful out of it all and I am glad to read that he may have found a new area/ gone back home for now.
Edited by bexVN on Wednesday 27th May 20:17
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