Feral Cats

[Kay 3,709]

Found this not sure if its upto date or not some of it seems to be American as well so dont shoot the messenger if it dont apply in the uk

 

 

 

 

LEGAL AND ILLEGAL METHODS IN THE UK

 

In Britain, deliberate poisoning of feral cats is not normally allowed as it puts wildlife and other domestic animals at risk. There have been cases of deliberate poisoning with rodenticide, but the use of poison is strictly controlled. There is the risk of scavengers ingesting the poison when eating carcasses. Harmless insectivores such as hedgehogs are particularly at risk from cat food laced with poison. Deliberate infection with cat flu or enteritis is also unacceptable. Contraception has sometimes been used as a short term measure prior to trap-neuter-release (TNR) schemes.

 

Because they are classed as vermin, feral cats ("nuisance cats") may legally be controlled by shooting by the landowner or his agents. They many also be live-trapped (using human box traps) and euthanized. More rarely, a feral cat is shot by a trained pest control operative because it is untrappable and there is no safe alternative.

 

One factory employed a Pest Control Agency to exterminate a feral cat colony. In 3 weeks, only 2 feral cats were trapped and destroyed - costing the factory the equivalent of US$1500. Had the factory been willing to maintain neutered ferals, a cat rescue group would have trapped, neutered and returned them for the price of neutering surgery (although US$750 per cat would not have been refused!).

 

Some land-owners take the law into their own hands, using leg-hold traps (illegal in Britain), crossbows, poisons or snares. Most of these methods are indiscriminate, killing pets and wildlife as well as the feral cats. In 2000, a British man was convicted of killing neighbours' pet cats using sardines or pilchards laced with cyanide; over several years, he succeeded in killing scores of pets before being caught and had enough poison to kill hundreds more.

 

People who take the law into their own hands risk conviction under animal cruelty legislation, but humane societies still see far too many cats which have lost legs in steel-jaw traps or who have cross-bow bolts embedded in them. The perpetrators are rarely caught.

 

At my local cat rescue shelter, we had two three-legged ferals living in one of the large enclosures. One (front leg amputee) had been found raising kittens despite severe injuries and the other, a male, had a leg partially amputated by an illegal trap. A pet cat lost a front paw to an illegal trap, but could not have the leg fully amputated because a back leg was mummified, possibly due to loss of blood supply to the limb (miraculously, the cat survived the leg mummification without succumbing to blood poisoning). Badly injured ferals, or those too wild to be retired to a captive colony, must be euthanized. Many more die of trauma or blood loss (sometimes having lost the limb first) or are killed when the trap is checked (stamping being one method of dispatch).

 

 

 

http://www.messybeast.com/ukferal.htm

[harddigging 42]

a cat can be openly killed on private property as long as its not a pedergrie

[Kay 3,709]

a cat can be openly killed on private property as long as its not a pedergrie

 

how would you know if it was a pedigree though

[Little Butch 16]

Kill the c*nt and then take It to the Vets to find out? :laugh:

Butch

[gnipper 6,837]

If its got a collar on it can't be done, and if its no collar and a fair distance from any residential areas then it can be shot or cage trapped for humane despatch.

[Matt 160]

Feral cats can be treated as pests, providing you can prove without a doubt that they are genuinely feral.

 

Unlike dogs, owners cannot be held responsible for the actions of their cats, and there is no requirement for them to wear collars, or be under control.

 

There is a strict code of practice for dealing with feral cats, and although it is not law, it can, and is likely to be used in a case of criminal damage if a cat was illegally destroyed. The onus would be on the person who killed the cat to prove that it was feral.

 

Be careful. Very careful.

[kiwi 4]

shoot them fast, bury them faster..........cats are number one our our hit list.

[Dawn B 212]

Feral cats can be treated as pests, providing you can prove without a doubt that they are genuinely feral.

 

Unlike dogs, owners cannot be held responsible for the actions of their cats, and there is no requirement for them to wear collars, or be under control.

 

There is a strict code of practice for dealing with feral cats, and although it is not law, it can, and is likely to be used in a case of criminal damage if a cat was illegally destroyed. The onus would be on the person who killed the cat to prove that it was feral.

 

Be careful. Very careful.

At last somebody with a bit of common sense!!

[Guest jbswildlife]

Feral cats

The domestic cat and feral cat are one and the same animal - Felis catus. The family pet is classed as the personal property of its owner and any unjustified control may lead to prosecution. Although the cat's owner cannot be held liable for its actions, they could sue for damages should their cat come to any harm or go missing.

 

Feral cats are prolfic killers of nesting birds. If it can be shown that they have bred or are living in the wild then they may be humanely despatched.

 

http://www.basc.org.uk/content/pestmammalspractice

[Simoman 110]

a cat can be openly killed on private property as long as its not a pedergrie

 

Not true.

[Simoman 110]

cats,by law, dont belong to anyone so i supose you could as they aint british wild life

 

Nope, thing is you can't be held accountable for your cats actions but they do legally belong to the owner, prove its feral and you could sort the problem, but proving its feral is the issue...........

[mad al 146]

shoot them fast, bury them faster..........cats are number one our our hit list.

 

 

call me "catman" :clapper:

[mad al 146]

a cat can be openly killed on private property as long as its not a pedergrie

 

how would you know if it was a pedigree though

 

 

, talk to the "pussy", it don't get better than a bit of good pedigree

[Kay 3,709]

Feral cats

The domestic cat and feral cat are one and the same animal - Felis catus. The family pet is classed as the personal property of its owner and any unjustified control may lead to prosecution. Although the cat's owner cannot be held liable for its actions, they could sue for damages should their cat come to any harm or go missing.

 

Feral cats are prolfic killers of nesting birds. If it can be shown that they have bred or are living in the wild then they may be humanely despatched.

 

http://www.basc.org.uk/content/pestmammalspractice

 

I find that interesting about ferals being prolific killers , i had 5 here at one time , had them from tiny things , eyes still blue , but i had them indoors in a cage with the intention of trying to bring them on, they were born to a feral queen who was speyed after she had stopped feeding the kittens & homed elsewhere

 

Although they lived in a domestic setting for years & i managed to bring them round a little, they were never going to be lap cats , once around 8 months old they were all neutered & were very predatory , bringing back mice almost daily & the odd bird, in the end i had to secure them as there killing was imo excessive for animals that were fed the same as any other cat i have had here .

 

But i have never had '' ordinary'' cats behave the same , i have always had kittens as these were when i took them on & yet there hunting skills were much better than any other cat i have had , apart from them being very spitty & black balls of fury if you did have to catch one of them for any reason they looked no different to any other cat

 

Thinking about it i also remember a kitten i took in for a while that was born in a house & it & the mother were shut in a spare room with a tray food etc , when i went to collect the kitten it was '' feral'' had no socialising from early enough , that didnt stay long enough to compare its hunting skills with the ones that did stay here

[Matt 160]

a cat can be openly killed on private property as long as its not a pedergrie

Not True!

In fact, absolute rubbish.