Wisconsin Vote today

They vote today about shooting feral cats in Wisconsin.

According to this article, it is already legal in Minnesota and South
Dakota.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...ck=1&cset=true


Justin

"Justin L" wrote in message
news
They vote today about shooting feral cats in Wisconsin.

According to this article, it is already legal in Minnesota and South
Dakota.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...ck=1&cset=true


Justin


Justin, can you give us a synopsis? I don't want to register for the CT, but
I want to
know what happened.

On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 09:54:36 -0400, "Mary"
wrote:


"Justin L" wrote in message
news
They vote today about shooting feral cats in Wisconsin.

According to this article, it is already legal in Minnesota and South
Dakota.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...ck=1&cset=true


Justin


Justin, can you give us a synopsis? I don't want to register for the CT, but
I want to
know what happened.


That is weird it wants you to register, I didn't have to....
I copied the article below:


Fur flies in Wisconsin spat between hunters and cat lovers

By John McCormick
Tribune staff reporter
Published April 8, 2005

MADISON -- Fluffy is in the cross hairs in Wisconsin and the fur is
flying as cat lovers nationwide rally to try to defeat a proposal
under consideration Monday that could eventually lead to legalized
shooting of stray cats.

Not since a highly emotional debate in 2000 over the creation of a
hunting season for mourning doves has there been so much controversy
over the killing of an animal in this state, a place where outdoor
traditions run deep.

Already death threats have been made against the western Wisconsin
firefighter who first proposed that hunters, farmers and others be
allowed to kill free-roaming cats to control their population,
estimated at a million-plus statewide.

The proposal meets its first formal hurdle Monday evening, when
thousands are expected to provide an advisory vote at conservation
hearings in each of the state's 72 counties.

Horrified feline lovers and the Wisconsin Humane Society are
encouraging opponents of the plan to attend the hearings, gatherings
that have traditionally been dominated by hunters and outdoor
enthusiasts.

The proposal--to classify feral cats as an unprotected species--would
still need approval from the state Natural Resources Board and
Wisconsin lawmakers. A small-game license might be needed to kill a
cat, depending on whether policymakers deemed them wild animals or a
public nuisance.

A wild or feral cat is typically defined as one with no identification
collar and does not show friendly behavior. Wildlife officials say
studies suggest the felines kill millions of songbirds in Wisconsin
each year.

For some, the elimination of such cats has long been considered part
of the "sportsman's code," a way to protect game birds. Many farmers
and rural residents also routinely kill the animals. But shooting a
cat is technically illegal in Wisconsin, even if the cat is harming
livestock.

"People don't realize how many feral cats are out there, and how much
damage they do," said Burt Bushke, a hunter from Mayville, who is
state project coordinator for a hunting and bird-watching group called
Wings Over Wisconsin.

Multiplying the problem

Bushke said city residents make the problem worse by dumping abandoned
cats in the countryside, where they multiply. "They can take down
ducks and pheasants. They hunt at night and people don't realize they
are out there doing damage," he said.

Mark Smith, a La Crosse firefighter who traps and hunts, first made
the feral cat proposal after he was angered by cats that prowl around
his home's birdfeeder. He did not return a phone call requesting an
interview.

Before the proposal reached the statewide level, it was passed on a
53-1 vote a year ago at the La Crosse County hearing of the
Conservation Congress, an advisory group to the state Department of
Natural Resources.

AnnMarie Kutzke, a DNR employee who is an assistant to the
Conservation Congress, said the state has received many telephone
calls and e-mails from concerned cat lovers across the nation and in
other countries.

"When you have a question of this nature, it brings people out," she
said, adding that turnout at Monday's hearings could reach 40,000
people.

Kutzke said she is only aware of laws in Minnesota and South Dakota
that allow feral cats to be shot, although others may exist. Feral
cats have become a problem in some areas of suburban Chicago. Several
towns have adopted laws to discourage feeding the animals and McHenry
and Lake Counties have set up trap, neuter and return programs.

Although the DNR has not studied the issue, a scientific basis often
cited in the debate is a 1996 paper published by a University of
Wisconsin professor who estimated there are 1.4 million free-range
cats in the state, responsible for at least 7.8 million bird deaths
each year.

But those trying to protect the cats question those numbers and say
the felines should be treated as humanely as birds.

"We agree that cats don't belong in the wild," said Ted O'Donnell, who
has helped organize a Web site and printed T-shirts in support of
feral cats. "But this is probably the least progressive way to
approach the feral cat issue."

Cat owners unite

O'Donnell, a 30-year-old Madison pet store owner and self-described
"cat freak," is one of the leaders of the "Don't Shoot the Cat"
movement, an effort that has politely, yet forcefully taken on one of
Wisconsin's most powerful political lobbies: hunters.

Feral cats play an important role in reducing rodent populations, said
O'Donnell, who has five cats. He said his group is also encouraging
farmers to help spay and neuter them.

Noting that cats are the nation's most popular pet--estimates suggest
there are more than 70 million--O'Donnell said feline owners are a
powerful lobby, if they could just be herded in one direction.

"Not everyone has the same value for the life of a cat," he said. "But
you can't ignore a huge population of cat owners."

Victoria Wellens, executive director of the Wisconsin Humane Society,
said her organization has received "hundreds and hundreds" of calls
and e-mails in opposition to the proposal, something she calls "cruel
and inhumane."

Wellens said West Nile virus and loss of habitat to development are
far greater threats to birds than feral cats. "There are more
effective techniques, such as trap, neuter, return," she said.

Hunters, especially those who live in the city and don't see as much
feral cat activity, are far from unified in support of the proposal.

"It's probably not a good idea because you don't know if you are
shooting someone's pet or a feral cat," said Gary Dallmann, a turkey
and deer hunter from Madison who was shopping for supplies earlier
this week.

Others said they expect rural residents will continue to control the
cat population as they see fit. "Unless you eat them, I don't see the
point of killing them," said Trygve Skalet of Waunakee.

Opponents of shooting feral cats say they hope Monday's statewide
hearings remain peaceful and respectful, unlike some of those during
the mourning dove debate.

In 2000, more than 27,000 people attended the spring conservation
hearings, with the vast majority supporting the establishment of a
hunting season for mourning doves, a grayish brown bird that became a
rallying point for hunters and environmentalists alike.

Results of the feral cat vote, which is also being monitored by
national animal-rights groups, are not expected until Tuesday or
Wednesday.

----------

On 2005-04-11, Justin L penned:

That is weird it wants you to register, I didn't have to.... I
copied the article below:


Does anyone else find it distastefully funny that hunters are
complaining that cats are hunting the animals that the hunters want to
kill?

"Dammit, they shouldn't be killing those critters; I should!"

Cats can't go to the grocery store.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
On 2005-04-11, Justin L penned:

That is weird it wants you to register, I didn't have to.... I
copied the article below:


Does anyone else find it distastefully funny that hunters are
complaining that cats are hunting the animals that the hunters want to
kill?

waving hand Yeah, me! I just wish they'd give me a license to hunt the
hunters since they're hunting the animals I want cats to hunt!!! ;

Hugs,

CatNipped

"Dammit, they shouldn't be killing those critters; I should!"

Cats can't go to the grocery store.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

On Mon, 11 Apr 2005 08:48:28 -0500, Justin L
wrote:
snip

the actual question Wisconsin voters will have to answer tonight:

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?

from:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/nrboa.../cca/index.htm

a site trying to stop this:

http://www.dontshootthecat.com/



Justin