Is Feline-icide Legal?

“OK, in the words of Dave Barry, I'm not making this up. I got my tent out on Saturday to re-check the seams, etc., a few weeks in advance of Montanapalooza '02 v.3. Sure enough, I had to do a few touch-ups in a few places - no big deal. So I left the tent out on it's side (some of the touch-ups were on the floor seam) overnight to be sure everything was dry before I packed it away.

Sunday morning I went out to the patio to check it out, and noticed a wet spot. I figured it was just some dew, but I smelled it, and, you guessed it, some cat had peed on it! First, they come into our yard and poop on the lawn - lots of fun when you're mowing - now this! Well, if you have ever had a cat, you know that cat pee is some of the nastiest, smelliest stuff on the planet. First, I washed both inside and out on the spot with soap and water. Still stinky. Then, I sprayed lysol disinfectant/deodorizer stuff on it. Still stinky. My mind wandered ahead to unrolling and setting up the tent at Ouzel Lake, crawling inside, then crawling back out and huddling under a poncho.... So next I piled about a quarter inch carpet of baking soda on the spot and left it for most of the day. I vaccuumed (sp?) it up. Still stinky. Finally, I sprayed more Lysol. Then more. Not stinky. So I went ahead and put it away.

Will it still stink when I unpack it again? Is there anything else I could/should try on it? Tomato juice? A match? Nuclear fission? Do I need to go shopping at REI?

More importantly, are there any creative ways to kill or maim unwanted cats? Our cat stays indoors and doesn't bother anybody else's yard. Do people not realize that their cats are wandering around the neighborhood wreaking havoc? Have I had too much coffee?

I know I can count on TTers for some useful advice!”

“Your local Humane Society will lend you a trap for the stray cats. Try Fabreeze on the tent.”

“I think you should shoot the cat then have it stuffed and put it your neighbor's porch!”

“Buy a dog.”

“You may want to spot-treat it with an enzyme solution that's designed for that. You can get it at the pet store. It may take several applications to get rid of the stench. And don't be stingy with it either. Soak that baby. Good luck.”

“I hate cats. Cats and Rats--six of one...”

“The enzyme stuff works well, just don't let it dry in the sun. The longer the exposure the better. That's also why we put a clothesline in our back yard, because this area is cat central.”

“And you may want soak it in vinegar after you think you've got it out but before rinsing it.


Why don't the leash laws apply to cats? People aren't allowed to let their dogs wander unattended through the neighborhood day and night, why are they allowed to let their cats do that? I like cats but not roaming the neighborhood.”

“If you are in a rural area:

a .22 works pretty well, but it generally takes a head shot to ensure a quick kill.

personally, I prefer to use a .30-30”

“j/k folks,,,,you don't have to send hate mail.........”

“Heh heh....

Thanks everyone so far for the tips.

I'm not in a rural area, and don't own any firearms, but I have considered letting the grass grow and hiding mousetraps all over the yard (cat hops down from fence - snap! ouch! MEOWWWW!!). The cats are not "strays," in the sense that they do "belong" to people (most of them have collars). If I could catch them, I'd be glad to find their humans and give them a piece of my mind. The stuffed cat on the porch is a good idea, well, at least a funny one. Realistically, capturing a cat with a trap, then posting its mug shot around the neighborhood (maybe with a recent newspaper?) might be effective....

Thanks again - keep those ideas comin'!”

“"Felinus domesticus" is considered by biologists to be the number one cause for loss of songbird populations in the US.”

“Catch the buggers with a garden hose and soak 'em good, heh, heh”

“In Australia, it's now legal to kill untagged cats you find on your property. Not only legal, but encouraged, since cats are killing off many species which are only found in Australia. To own a cat, it must be spayed or neutered, always wearing an ID Tag, and kept inside.”

“Bummer about the cat spray. Even the female cats mark their territory on landmarks that other cats will check out. You’re just lucky that every other cat who made the round that night wasn’t trying to buck the hierarchy of the cat that sprayed your tent!

After having our seedlings dislodged from the fertile soil and replaced with kitty scat, I kluged together a cheap motion detector and electrically controlled water valve that would spray the cats--and our garden. I mounted the detector and the valve on a plank that could shield the detector from the weather and also allow me to put the thing anywhere I needed. (We called it our "sentinel.")

I noticed, after unplugging the sentinel when the plants were established, that cats wouldn’t even come near the garden plot for weeks. I even modified the sentinel to keep the raccoons out of the corn when it was near harvesting.

If you really want to train the neighborhood cats to stay out of a designated area, maybe something like this would work for you. (?)”

“you need to patent that and market it, DiggerBoy...now if you could only rig it up to spray Flaming Balls O' Tar (TM), then you'd have a really good product!”

“I hate cats and cat people, especially little old cat ladies with 20 cats. Cat's are dirty and disgusting. They don't give you unconditional love and their indifferent attitudes always make me want to kick them across a room. They are totally sociopathic creatures.

...worse yet, they don't even taste like chicken.”

“DiggerBoy, that is absolutely genious.”

“Like repels like?






Bahahahahahahahahahaha! I kill me!”

“Errrr, I mean genius.. (I obviously ain't one)”

“DiggerBoy, ever try soap shavings? Cats hate them and they're harmless to the plants.”

“When my daughter was little (less than one) we had to take her to the doctor because she had ingested a "gift" left by my wife's Barking Rat (read: small worthless lap dog). I rubbed my hands together with glee, thinking this might be the final nail in my reasoning to get rid of the damn thing once and for all. Unfortunately, the doc said that dog crap isn't really all that dangerous, as long as the kid doesn't make a regular habit of it.

He did say that cat crap, on the other hand, could be toxic...

BAN CATS!!!!!!!!”

“Creeping larval migrans.

They can occur in the skin or in the intestines. They come from parasitic nematode eggs penetrating the endothelium and hatching into larva which migrate (creep) around between the endothelium layers looking for a way in. Humans aren't a compatible host so can't get in. Eventually the immune system gets them. In the meanwhile they cause inflammation, swelling and itching/irritation. When it occurs in the skin it's ugly and irritating but not serious. When it occurs in the intestines it is very serious and can be fatal. Both are caused by infested dog or cat feces; the skin infection from contact, the intestional infection from ingestion. Wanna see some pictures? I'm sure I can find a link!”

“I love cats. They do give unconditional love, if they have sane, normal loving owners. They just are more discriminating than some pets.”

“Lyndy, They've brainwashed you too. You're now just another pawn in their evil plot to destroy the world!”

“I appreciate the help skully, but both my son and daughter are now old enough that they know not to eat dog crap, plus the dog is so old now it probably won't make it through the coming winter (YAY!).

Where were you 6 years ago?”

“Yeah, I'd tell you a tale from Sauron's youth but he'd kill me for it. Suffice it to say all kids do it and have no problems.”

“Where's snackboy with the cat recipe?”

“After I had this thing up and working, a coworker found this in a home-automation catalog:

The Scarecrow

This is actually better than my sentinel because its battery operated, but I can change mine to light up and make noise to keep raccoons away.”

“My cats give unconditional love, Indiana John. In fact, one gives me way too much attention. I'd rather he leave me alone sometimes. :)

Nature's Miracle. Its the enzyeme stuff. Pick it up at any pet store. White bottle, red lettering. Great stuff.”

“It's legal and encouraged to shoot feral cats on site in Wyoming and you don't even need a hunting license! What a deal. Just can't do it inna "city" limits.

Leash laws usually do apply to cats also - just not enforced. Strange to see a cat on a leash, they appear very unsettled.”

“Kats are kewl.


Yeah, yeah, yeah...
They do like the little birdies. That's why all my trees are wound with barbed wire from three to five feet above the ground. No more cats in the bird nests.

Dig this:
The blue birds nest annually in a creosote (corner) fence post. This year, they fledged the first set of youngun's. Then shortly after laying the second batch, the parents were KILLED BY A BLACK WIDOW SPIDER that had taken up residence in the post! EW!

Back to cats...
It is a felony to kill a cat.


Mebbe it was a bobcat (or lynx) that peed on yer tent.”

“Cat recipe, hell! Sounds like need some Cat Crap recipes.


Nature's Miracle is great stuff, too. Don't have a Weasel Rodeo without it!”

“i'll make a note, LOL!”

“Weasel Rodeo?


Why does that sound dirty? lol...”

“I always keep a squeaky-clean weasel!


(Wasn't this a Cat Thread?)”

“...we can make that sounds dirty too...”

“Go to the gun store and ask for a box of 22CB's. These are very, very quiet in a long barrel 22 rifle.
Remember head shots only at close range.
You can trim the tip of the bullet flat for more expansion upon impact.

The only sound your neighbors will hear is when you misplace a shot and the cat goes squalling through the neighborhood.”

“If you ask the county here they will loan you a cat trap. Once caught you take the nasty little sucker to the humane society. Costs $20 to bail them out or they snuff them (YAY!!) if nobody comes to claim them.”

“Just got back from a meeting, and, WHOA! look at all of the suggestions, jokes, opinions, etc. I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!

Yes, now I recall: Nature's Miracle is the stuff our neighbor uses to clean up after their dog when he pees in the house. Gee, I wish I had a dog.

Weasel Rodeo? TMI....

Actually, I love cats. Have a 15-year old one who insists on laying all over me whenever I sit or lie down - he's a great pal, as was his brother, who passed away a year ago. But I HATE cats who are loose in the 'hood.

No chance it's a bobcat or lynx - too urbanized around here. We only have 'coons and 'possums (big ones, too).

"The Scarecrow"? Cooooolll!! Kinda pricey though. Let's see, $65 of gear or The Scarecrow. Hmmmmm....

Here's my plan. Apply Nature's Miracle to tent. Borrow or rent cat trap. Capture cat. Hold cat for $400 ransom. Buy fancy new tent. Buy The Scarecrow. Go backpacking. (sorry, no shooting. btw, one office mate suggested a crossbow....)”

“I like the idea of getting a dog!

8)”

“I found that pegging the offending cats with erasers fired from a good slingshot does the trick. They leave, never to return, bruised but otherwise unharmed.”

“What if a bear pees on your tent?


"Gee, Bob, I think we're going to need a bigger trap..."”

“I like the idea of getting a dog, too. Just remember, once you singe the hair off and gut'em, you gotta bleed'em and hang'em for 24 hrs before you cook'em.”

“Try a wrist rocket with the included .38 caliber ball bearings. They can cause serious internal damage, but they'll die on the owners porch.
My North Face pack was sprayed by my roomates cat about 2 weeks after I got it off the shelf. To this day(6 years later) if I find the exact spot I can still detect a slight wiff of the offending smell.
I have a pet cat, but the other cats in the area, the ones that still live, stay the hell away. They will never take you seriously unless they think they might die...
Cats inside the home are a health risk, I can't believe people actually allow them to #&%!$ inside their home. Gross!!!”

“Here is the main problem with cats...

Any (I stress ANY) cat that is large enough to attempt to, will eat a human. Just look in their eyes. They stroll up cute and cuddly looking, purring and rubbing softly on your leg. But if you look deep in their eyes you can see it...contempt. Utter contempt. And not for you as an individual but for the entire human species. Every cat from the littlest tabby to the fuzziest persian wants to be a lion. They want to be a 300# man killer. They want to eat you and given the opportunity EVERY cat would. Those crazy ladies with 20 cats dont own the cats. The cats own them, that is like a training camp for future baby smotherers. Dont trust a cat. BAN CATS!”

“Put some ANTIFREEZE out in a bowl. Ya know, the green stuff for your car.”

“DD, I once had to dispatch some cats that got some anti-freeze from a broken line on my uncles allis-chalmers. It aint a pretty picture. If you are gonna kill something be man and kill it. Dont make it suffer. Anti-freeze takes from 4-24 hours depending on volume ingested. A slow and horrible death.”

“Get a Hav-a-Heart trap, catch it and haul it into the 'pound'. Notify its owner and after a few trips they should get the picture.”

“Just remember that in some states, crossbows are classified as firearms.

Of course, they're pretty silent too, so know one will know you've fired it...”