They shoot gophers, don't they?

Feral cats, which volunteers have been feeding for the past 10 years, feed in Anoka, Minn. Feb. 21, 2005. A new Wisconsin plan would declare free-roaming wild cats an unprotected species, just like skunks or gophers.  Anyone with a small-game license could shoot the cats at will, legally. (AP Photo/St. Paul Pioneer Press Joe Rossi)

"Songbirds make a lot of noise and wake people up. The world is better off without them" according to fluffy orange tabby Frisky, one of four feline panelists who offer their opinions on a variety of political issues from time to time at Laurence Simon's "Ask the Cats." Today's question:

What do you think about cat hunting in Wisconsin?

Ann Althouse, a Badger State resident, blogged the hot-button question a few weeks back, explaining that conservationists are worried about the ferals' predation of the state's bird population. But as hearings got underway yesterday, ailurophiles were not amused:

Feline lovers holding pictures of cats, clutching stuffed animals and wearing whiskers faced-off against hundreds of hunters at meetings around Wisconsin to voice their opinion on whether to legalize cat hunting.

La Crosse firefighter Mark Smith, 48, helped spearhead the cat-hunting proposal. He wants Wisconsin to declare free-roaming wild cats an unprotected species, just like skunks or gophers. Anyone with a small-game license could shoot the cats at will.

The ever fair-and-balanced Ann sees both sides:

I think feral cats -- non native predators -- really are a serious problem, but I understand the sensitivities of people who love pet cats. I do think pet cats should be kept indoors, and a lot of cat owners don't like to face up to that and are in denial about the problems their cats cause.

We'd been meaning to blog about this ever since Barry Johnson of enrevanche e-mailed us -- and the immediate catblogosphere -- the other day with links to an online petition to "Keep Domestic Cats in Wisconisin From Being Fair Game" (too late to sign up, but it looks like they far exceeded their goal -- lots of heartfelt comments) and "Don't Shoot the Cats," a clearinghouse for info.

And yes, we are torn and in denial as Ann suggested.  Tiny and Baby aren't allowed to roam here in their own urban neighborhood (too much traffic) but have free run of field and forest at Goomp's, where their inner feral emerges full blown the minute they jump out of the car, and the paw pads touch the driveway. They flop down, roll over and stretch in sheer enjoyment of being a cat, then head off into the wilds, often to the sorrow of the local bird and rodent populations.

Update:  Ann is on the case and thinks it's "basically bird lovers against cat lovers here, isn't it? Hunters are not the important factor":

Cat lovers and bird-loving hunters are girding for battle at tonight's Wisconsin Conservation Congress spring hearings, where citizens across the state will be asked to vote on whether stray cats should be hunted.

We don't know nothin' 'bout hunters -- the men in our family, while keeping guns, were against shooting animals, and we women were the type that wouldn't dream of hurting a fly -- but we love cats and birds, both, bigtime. When it comes down to the wire, we pop birds (not to mention squirrels, mice and other small mammals) out of cats' jaws.

Comments

[andophiroxia]

This is tough, but I do agree with Ann. I love cats and a lot of animals, but I also like hunting. This is a hard thing. It just really burns me though when a pet 'owner' chooses to dump the animal off when they can't deal with it and/or they won't fix their cat. I wish these people would have a better instilled sense of responsibility than to help create problems such as this.

GRRRRRRRRRRR.

[goomp]

Unintended consequences! Some two-legged donkeys think they are smart enough to control everything. Take the deer population in towns outside the city. First we have to protect the deer so they won't become extinct. Sounds like a good idea. Then we have to do away with the minor nuisance of dogs running loose and now we are overrun with deer eating our shrubbery and spreading lyme disease. Enough feral kitties can no doubt become a health problem. Let dogs run loose, and don't feed wild cats, and probably Darwin will take care of things.

[Barry Campbell]

Thanks for the link and the shoutout, Sissy.

I agree that feral cat populations need to be controlled, but there are proven methods for doing so (such as "trap, neuter, release"... or even in more extreme circumstances, trapping and humanely euthanizing them) that don't involve licensing people to take potshots at any cat not wearing a collar, which is what the rule change in Wisconsin basically proposes.

Sorry about that mass e-mail, by the way. It takes a lot for me to be motivated to spam a bunch of relative strangers' mailboxes, but I had, shall we say, a strong reaction to this story. I grew up in the South, hunting and fishing, and I know how the world works; I am not opposed to the humane control of animal populations in cases where their overpopulation causes problems in the natural world.

But Mister Gato, my constant companion, was a rescue cat... in fact, rescued from an urban feral colony, and is now a lovely, contented housecat.

I thought about all of the potential Gatos out there getting drilled by yahoos with .22's, and thus, was moved to write.

Whatever Wisconsin's proposal may be, "humane control," it ain't.

[Teresa]

While I would very much like to agree with Barry in his quest to humanely dispose of feral cats. The real problem - as always - comes down to money. Who's going to do it and how much will it cost? The problems with animal populations out of control - feral cats and dogs, deer, raccoons, possum, etc... have all been brought about because we've gotten rid of their natural predators.

Without some sort of predator to keep them in check - there is no way to keep up with the population of these animals unless a tremendous amount of time and money is spent. And that money must come from somewhere...

In an era where everyone complains about the lack of money for everything from schools, to roads, to medical care - I have a sneaking suspicion that wild animals may come pretty far down the list. And if they get to the point where they are a danger simply by their sheer numbers - you will see far less angst from the general population about getting rid of them by whatever means is necessary.

Not to be cold and calculating - just realistic.

[Walter E. Wallis]

Make them eat what they shoot.

[Confederate Yankee]

I think cat lovers are blowing this situation out of proportion in many cases, where the environmentalists and biologists are not.

If passed, blood-lusting Wisconsin hunters are not going to lay in seige outside your door, waiting to execute Mr. Whiskers with a barrage of rifle fire. That hysteria simply isn't warranted, as existing laws in two other states haven't led to rivers of feline blood. Blood is flowing, of course, but is is caused by the cats, not the hunters.

We know cats kill tens of millions small animals in Wisconsin each year, and hundreds of millions in the United States. Some of these animals being killed are endangered species, while some of the other millions of small animals killed by cats are important prey species for native carnivores, such as hawks, owls, weasels, martens, foxes, etc...

Cats are damaging the ecosystem, and while people like Barry make the case for other ways of controlling the population, these suggestions aren't economically realistic.

Put another way, would Mr. Campbell rather see his money wasted on nuetering a deadly non-native species (which when released, would still kill), or feeding and clothing homeless humans? Our coffers are not endless, sir, and one would hope a child is more important than a non-native pest species, even one you think is cute. Somehow, I just don't see you expressing the same level of concern for lampreys and other non-cuddly killers.

Bullets are cheap and despite Mr. Campbell's squeamishness, almost any commercial cartridge made will dispatch small game very quicky and relatively painlessly.

The law should pass.

[Peopleandtheirstupidpets]

The jerks who turn their animals loose to breed, [go potty] and kill everyhting in sight are the ones who are at fault. So are the [those] who insist on feeding strays so they can continue to breed and [prey upon] the native wildlife, but heaven forbid if we hurt a kitty!

[Barry Campbell]

Just an update on the Wisconsin situation... the Conservation Congress voted in favor of Question 62, but Wisconsin's governor quickly stepped in and said, in essence, "ain't gonna happen."

Details and links to more information here, to engage in a little egregious self-linking:

http://enrevanche.blogspot.com/2005/04/update-dont-shoot-cat.html