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Feral Cats?
#7793944
04/03/20 03:56 AM
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Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 496
HS2
OP
Bird Dog
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OP
Bird Dog
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 496 |
I just saw a show on the problem of feral cats in Australia. It made me remember that I've seen a couple or three at my property. I always let them go, thinking they're not doing much harm and would help keep the rats down. But apparently in Australia they're so bad that they're threatening the native wildlife. Does anyone know whether feral cats are a real problem in Texas, or just an occasional nuisance?
Podcast: Reasoning Through the Bible ReasoningThroughTheBible.com
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7793951
04/03/20 04:25 AM
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,060
notamtchance
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,060 |
If kept unchecked they could pose a real threat to the wild bird population. Like quail, turkey, pheasant, dove, and duck.
If I'm not hunting something I must be dead.
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7793956
04/03/20 04:38 AM
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 12,201
ntxtrapper
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 12,201 |
SSS. They don't belong in our habitat.
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7793961
04/03/20 04:54 AM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,796
dogcatcher
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,796 |
Combat Infantryman, the ultimate hunter where the prey shoots back. _____________"Illegitimus non carborundum est"_______________
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7793963
04/03/20 05:06 AM
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 17,721
Txduckman
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 17,721 |
We had one at camp that was awesome killing critters. One of the guys grabbed it and gave to our friend in the city. It died a year later of cat leukemia.
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7793987
04/03/20 10:07 AM
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,213
Hudbone
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 14,213 |
All I know is when too many cats were at the barn, Uncle Fred would tell me to grab my 22.
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7794000
04/03/20 10:54 AM
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,498
TX_LT230FH
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,498 |
Seen a few at my place. They don't last too long- the coyotes get them.
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: TX_LT230FH]
#7794037
04/03/20 12:11 PM
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,683
Walkabout
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,683 |
Seen a few at my place. They don't last too long- the coyotes get them. Not anywhere close to the top of the food chain. We never saw a litter survive the tom just “disappeared “.
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7794123
04/03/20 01:42 PM
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Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 2,078
TKandMike
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 2,078 |
They're hell on wildlife. I saw a video a few months back estimating that feral house cats kill over 3 billion birds annually in the world.
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: ntxtrapper]
#7794216
04/03/20 02:52 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 65,526
SnakeWrangler
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 65,526 |
SSS. They don't belong in our habitat. Same with feral dogs
I believe in science and I’m an insufferable [censored] Actually, BBC is pretty damn good "You Cannot Simultaneously Be Politically Correct And Intellectually Honest!"
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: SnakeWrangler]
#7794486
04/03/20 06:59 PM
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 780
DonPablo
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 780 |
SSS. They don't belong in our habitat. Same with feral dogs The 3rd S (shut up) can't be emphasized enough. Thanks to Rick Perry (and now Trump along with Congress), killing feral cats and dogs in Texas is a felony.
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7794585
04/03/20 08:27 PM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,332
Blank
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,332 |
"Domestic cats, officially considered an invasive species, kill at least a hundred million birds in the US every year—dwarfing the number killed by wind turbines. (See “Apocalypse Meow,” below.) They’re also responsible for at least 33 avian extinctions worldwide."
Unless they are on the front porch, they're a target.
Beer and whiskey, 'cause you can't drink bacon!!
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7794682
04/03/20 09:44 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 12,156
kry226
The General
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The General
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 12,156 |
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7794752
04/03/20 10:46 PM
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Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 919
DUKFVR
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 919 |
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7794777
04/03/20 11:04 PM
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 6,407
WileyCoyote
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 6,407 |
The neighbor behind me has an 8 acre lot inside the City Limits. He likes having feral cats around to keep the rats that live nearby in all the nearby heavy forested creek bottom areas in check, Every year several hawks nest on the property along with some buzzards too...and most the cats & squirrels "disappear" along with small dogs too. My Lab was raised on hog & cattle farm outside LaGrange and apparently was taught to run any of the big birds off at every chance. It get's really noisy when any of the big birds feed on the ground on what they've caught up with. Ron
It is TIME for Term Limits, cause Politicians are like childrens diapers and for the same reasons...Robin Williams "These are the times that try men's soul's"...Thomas Paine
"Those who fail to learn from History are doomed to repeat it" ....Santayana
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7794821
04/03/20 11:40 PM
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 279
glazer1972
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 279 |
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7794992
04/04/20 01:57 AM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,332
Blank
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,332 |
A half dozen traps, and a garbage can, will get rid of way more mice and rats than any cat ever will.
Beer and whiskey, 'cause you can't drink bacon!!
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7795039
04/04/20 02:49 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 12,156
kry226
The General
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The General
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 12,156 |
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7795046
04/04/20 02:54 AM
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Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 570
Papalote
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 570 |
I've seen a feral cat carrying a full grown cottontail. Got no use for them. Raptors and roadrunners will work on the mice.
Papalote
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7795150
04/04/20 10:41 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 11,913
Simple Searcher
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 11,913 |
At a previous lease there were about 20 feral cats living under the camp house. The past leasers said they kept the mice away, wrong, there was a mouse problem too. The camp house stunk of cat excrement and had fleas. A few mouse traps got rid of one problem, some bug bombs to get rid of another, and a few months later the cats mysteriously disappeared. It took some time for the smell to go away. We started seeing more quail in the years following. I rate feral cats right up there with feral pigs.
"Man is still a hunter, still a simple searcher after meat..." Robert C. Ruark
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: Simple Searcher]
#7795158
04/04/20 11:06 AM
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,342
copperhead
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,342 |
At a previous lease there were about 20 feral cats living under the camp house. The past leasers said they kept the mice away, wrong, there was a mouse problem too. The camp house stunk of cat excrement and had fleas. A few mouse traps got rid of one problem, some bug bombs to get rid of another, and a few months later the cats mysteriously disappeared. It took some time for the smell to go away. We started seeing more quail in the years following. I rate feral cats right up there with feral pigs. At least you can eat a feral pig.
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7795165
04/04/20 11:26 AM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,114
Flashprism
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,114 |
I have only seen one about 8 years ago at my place in Dickens county. I'm 5 miles from my nearest neighbor so feral for sure. Had known about there impact on wildlife and verified the lethality of my new 17 HMR..
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: copperhead]
#7795166
04/04/20 11:26 AM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 65,526
SnakeWrangler
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 65,526 |
At a previous lease there were about 20 feral cats living under the camp house. The past leasers said they kept the mice away, wrong, there was a mouse problem too. The camp house stunk of cat excrement and had fleas. A few mouse traps got rid of one problem, some bug bombs to get rid of another, and a few months later the cats mysteriously disappeared. It took some time for the smell to go away. We started seeing more quail in the years following. I rate feral cats right up there with feral pigs. At least you can eat a feral pig. What can’t you eat feral cats...meat is meat...how would it be any different than rabbit or squirrel......
I believe in science and I’m an insufferable [censored] Actually, BBC is pretty damn good "You Cannot Simultaneously Be Politically Correct And Intellectually Honest!"
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Re: Feral Cats?
[Re: HS2]
#7795211
04/04/20 01:30 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 5,192
LonestarCobra
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 5,192 |
The funny thing about it being illegal to kill a feral cat or dog is the fact they will be "euthanized" in short order once they arrive at the pound most of the time. My mom had a problem with them, and I trapped 23 cats and took them to the shelter in three different batches as I caught them. The guy out there gave me dirty looks and asked if I wanted him to give them shots and me keep them, because if not, in three days if nobody came to adopt them, they would all be put down, and he would be looking at putting down nearly 50 of them that week. I just asked him if he needed any help and he declined.
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