Open Season On Cats In Wisconsin?

[Purr]

The issue is an advisory question, that is among dozens to be aired in public debate in April at wildlife-related meetings in all of Wisconsin’s counties. The Wisconsin Conservation Congress which conducts the sessions uses them to give advice to state regulators on such weighty matters as changing the date for applying for a bear hunting license to banning electronic decoys in turkey hunting. The cat proposal would reclassify free roaming, domestic feral cats as an “unprotected species”. The cats could then be shot by anyone with a license to hunt small game. The rationale is that wild cats prey on songbirds in disproportionate numbers.

Question 62 - Feral Cats

Studies have been done in Wisconsin concerning effects of free roaming feral domestic cats. These studies showed free roaming feral domestic cats killed millions of small mammals, song and game birds. Estimates range from a minimum of 47 million up to 139 million songbirds are killed each year. Free roaming feral domestic cats are not a native species in Wisconsin. The above mentioned cats do however kill native species therefore reducing native species.

At present free roaming feral domestic cats are not defined as a protected or unprotected species. Thus Wisconsin should move to define free roaming feral domestic cats, as any domestic type cat which is not under the owner's direct control, or whose owner has not placed a collar on such cat showing it to be their property. All such defined free roaming feral domestic cats shall be listed as an unprotected species. In so doing Wisconsin would be defining and listing free roaming feral domestic cats.

62. Do you favor the DNR take steps to define free roaming feral domestic cats by the previously mentioned definition and list free roaming domestic feral cats as an unprotected species?

[squirrel]

Poor cats...

[Purr]

Yes, I think question 62 is just dreadful. There are two major problems with it.

The first is that cats that are family pets may be inadvertently shot. Suppose your kitty, that you let out in the back yard to roam, wanders a bit too far. Then some hunter shoots him, thinking your pet is a feral cat. That would be awful. And just because your kitty is wearing a collar is no guarentee that a hunter will see it or recognize your kitty as a family pet.

The second problem I see is that shooting feral cats is not a great way to control the population. A better way to trap as many animals as possible, spay or neuter them, and then release them back into the wild. That way they can't reproduce more feral animals.

That's just my two cents worth.