Hundreds Attend Meetings Across Wisconsin to Discuss the Possibility of Hunting Wild Cats

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=662378

Wis. Considers Legalizing Cat Hunting

Hundreds Attend Meetings Across Wisconsin to Discuss the Possibility
of Hunting Wild Cats

By The Associated
The Associated Press

Apr. 12, 2005 - Feline lovers holding pictures of cats, clutching
stuffed animals and wearing whiskers faced-off against hundreds of
hunters at meetings around Wisconsin to voice their opinion on whether
to legalize cat hunting.

Residents in 72 counties were asked whether free-roaming cats
including any domestic cat that isn't under the owner's direct control
or any cat without a collar should be listed as an unprotected
species. If listed as so, the cats could be hunted.

The proposal was one of several dozen included in a spring vote on
hunting and fishing issues held by the Wisconsin Conservation
Congress. The results, only advisory, get forwarded to the state
Natural Resources Board.

Statewide results were expected Tuesday.

La Crosse firefighter Mark Smith, 48, helped spearhead the cat-hunting
proposal. He wants Wisconsin to declare free-roaming wild cats an
unprotected species, just like skunks or gophers. Anyone with a
small-game license could shoot the cats at will.

At least two other upper Midwestern states, South Dakota and
Minnesota, allow wild cats to be shot and have for decades. Minnesota
defines a wild, or feral, cat as one with no collar that does not show
friendly behavior, said Kevin Kyle with that state's Department of
Natural Resources.

Every year in Wisconsin alone, an estimated 2 million wild cats kill
47 million to 139 million songbirds, according to state officials.
Despite the astounding numbers, Smith's plan has been met with fierce
opposition from cat lovers.

Critics of Smith's idea organized Wisconsin Cat-Action Team and
developed a Web site dontshootthecat.com. Some argue it is better to
trap wild cats, spay or neuter them, before releasing them.

In Madison, about 1,200 people attended the Monday evening meeting at
the Alliant Center more than the 250 or so in a typical year, but less
than the 3,000 or so who took part in a debate in 2000 over whether to
allow hunters to shoot mourning doves.

One of the attendees was Katy Francis, who wore cat ears, whiskers, a
cat nose and a sign that read, "Too Cute to Kill." For Francis, "The
cat hunting thing brought me out because it was very extreme."


On the Net:

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/nrboard/congress/ Conservation Congress:

http://www.dontshootthecat.com Wisconsin Cat-Action Team:

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 07:57:15 -0500, Andrew wrote:

snip

well, it was rejected in one county at least so far:

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/...20586520.shtml


Justin

Critics of Smith's idea organized Wisconsin Cat-Action Team and
developed a Web site dontshootthecat.com. Some argue it is better to
trap wild cats, spay or neuter them, before releasing them.

How practical is it to trap, spay or neuter, release millions of wild
cats? Is this a workable solution? Who's going to pay for it?

I'm against cat hunting, but I also want to hear a realistic
alternative.

On 12 Apr 2005 13:05:31 -0700, "Ray" wrote:


Critics of Smith's idea organized Wisconsin Cat-Action Team and
developed a Web site dontshootthecat.com. Some argue it is better to
trap wild cats, spay or neuter them, before releasing them.

How practical is it to trap, spay or neuter, release millions of wild
cats?

No one is saying it is practical, they are saying it is the humane
thing to do. It also has been proven that killing them just doesn't
work.

Is this a workable solution? Who's going to pay for it?

The taxpayers. Ideally it would be just the ones that dumped the cats
to die in the first place. Unfortunately, everyone must suffer because
of the actions of a few.


I'm against cat hunting, but I also want to hear a realistic
alternative.

It isn't just hunting the ferals that is the problem. What if
someone's pet gets out accidentally without a collar? If they don't
act friendly, the could be shot if this eventually passes.
That is what scares me the most.

Justin

Justin L wrote:
On 12 Apr 2005 13:05:31 -0700, "Ray" wrote:


Critics of Smith's idea organized Wisconsin Cat-Action Team and
developed a Web site dontshootthecat.com. Some argue it is better
to
trap wild cats, spay or neuter them, before releasing them.

How practical is it to trap, spay or neuter, release millions of
wild
cats?

No one is saying it is practical, they are saying it is the humane
thing to do. It also has been proven that killing them just doesn't
work.

The proponents could says it is also equally humane to do something to
prevent birds from being killed for sport by wild cats.


Is this a workable solution? Who's going to pay for it?

The taxpayers. Ideally it would be just the ones that dumped the cats
to die in the first place. Unfortunately, everyone must suffer
because
of the actions of a few.

Unrealistic.



I'm against cat hunting, but I also want to hear a realistic
alternative.

It isn't just hunting the ferals that is the problem. What if
someone's pet gets out accidentally without a collar? If they don't
act friendly, the could be shot if this eventually passes.
That is what scares me the most.

That should be the pet owner's responsibility.

DNR Vows No "Open Season" on Cats
Apr 12, 2005, 12:55 PM
The head of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday
there won't be an open season for hunting cats, no matter how people
in Wisconsin vote on the proposal.

The DNR held public hearings in all 72 counties Monday night. At each
meeting, people in attendance voted on whether to allow the hunting of
feral cats. The wild cats are blamed for killing many songbirds in
Wisconsin.

In Brown County, the vote was 233-168 against the proposal.

The DNR says there are too many unanswered questions and problems
associated with killing roaming cats, and for that reason the DNR says
there will be no open hunting on them.


-mhd

wrote in message
news
DNR Vows No "Open Season" on Cats
Apr 12, 2005, 12:55 PM
The head of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday
there won't be an open season for hunting cats, no matter how people
in Wisconsin vote on the proposal.

The DNR held public hearings in all 72 counties Monday night. At each
meeting, people in attendance voted on whether to allow the hunting of
feral cats. The wild cats are blamed for killing many songbirds in
Wisconsin.

In Brown County, the vote was 233-168 against the proposal.

The DNR says there are too many unanswered questions and problems
associated with killing roaming cats, and for that reason the DNR says
there will be no open hunting on them.



I figured it would come down to this.

Mary wrote:
wrote in message
news
DNR Vows No "Open Season" on Cats
Apr 12, 2005, 12:55 PM
The head of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday
there won't be an open season for hunting cats, no matter how people
in Wisconsin vote on the proposal.

The DNR held public hearings in all 72 counties Monday night. At each
meeting, people in attendance voted on whether to allow the hunting of
feral cats. The wild cats are blamed for killing many songbirds in
Wisconsin.

In Brown County, the vote was 233-168 against the proposal.

The DNR says there are too many unanswered questions and problems
associated with killing roaming cats, and for that reason the DNR says
there will be no open hunting on them.




I figured it would come down to this.



I *hoped* it would! Fuggin ignorant eediots. Gawd forbid my cat were to
get out of the house accidentally. If someone were to shoot MY cat...oh
man...

wrote in message
news
DNR Vows No "Open Season" on Cats
Apr 12, 2005, 12:55 PM
The head of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday
there won't be an open season for hunting cats, no matter how people
in Wisconsin vote on the proposal.

The DNR held public hearings in all 72 counties Monday night. At each
meeting, people in attendance voted on whether to allow the hunting of
feral cats. The wild cats are blamed for killing many songbirds in
Wisconsin.

You know which "studies" they're relying on, don't you? The bogus Temple
fairy tales - "How Many Birds Do Cats Kill" a/k/a "The Wisconsin
Study" - but the methodology used in the article was never published!

Temple's most famous crock was "On The Prowl". When he was cornered in an
interview and asked to produce his data, Temple admitted that his numbers
weren't actually data but his *guesses* and "projections" of "how bad it
might be"..... He only has one 'study' actually published in a
peer-reviewed journal - which was questionable - the other three are bogus
and the ones used
extensively by bird groups or anyone else who has an agenda against cats.
I'd bet dollars to donuts that the bird groups fund his bogus studies.
Unfortunately, the damage his studies caused has already been done. He is
the *worst* danger there is to cats.




In Brown County, the vote was 233-168 against the proposal.

The DNR says there are too many unanswered questions and problems
associated with killing roaming cats, and for that reason the DNR says
there will be no open hunting on them.


People in the other two states where killing cats is legal should now
propose a bill to recind that law.

Phil




-mhd

"kitkat" wrote in message
...

I *hoped* it would! Fuggin ignorant eediots. Gawd forbid my cat were to
get out of the house accidentally. If someone were to shoot MY cat...oh
man...

Oh man, what? What WOULD you do? Kill the person who did it? Vandalize their
property? If so, you're at least as bad as THEY are, maybe worse--because
you're doing it to a human, rather than to an inferior animal. I'd be much
more upset at someone hurting a human friend of mine than one of my cats.

If you don't want your cat shot, CONTROL IT. Simple as that. I have cats,
and they NEVER leave the house--granted, I live in the city in an apartment,
but still.

There's nothing wrong with loving your cat, but some of you in here have a
love for your cat that is at least as perverted as Michael Jackson's love
for kids.

LRH