Were Do I Stand

[frazdog 252]

To avoid a pissing anybody of I would keep them on leads were theres pet cats about but once in the field their fair game.if cat owners can let there cats out on there own to piss an shite everywere an kill our native birds then they do so at own risk.shoulda had cat on a leash lol I mean under control

[Matt 160]

Just to clarify; cats are classified as 'property' in law, and unlike dogs, their owners cannot be held liable for their actions.

 

If your dog accidentally kills a cat you may be guilty of having a dog out of control in a public place, and criminal damage (whether on public or private property).

 

A cat can only be deemed 'feral' if it has no owner and is living wild. If controlling feral cats, the onus is on the person killing it to make sure they've carried out 'reasonable' measures to ensure the animal is definitely feral. You also have a legal responsibility to make sure your actions are humane.

 

Of course, we mustn't forget that the hunting act also outlaws the use of dogs to kill cats unless it's within the exemptions found in the act.

 

As others have already correctly pointed out, accidents happen, but people posting about deliberately killing cats (other than genuine ferals) do the fieldsports community no favours at all.