Is this a fat house cat?

[burmjohn]

Is this a fat house cat?

I think I saw him about 3 weeks ago too, prob wild right?  This is a solid 1/2 mile from any houses.

[shenders]

That is a big house cat.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Yep, house cat, could be feral. Only one way to solve that problem. 

[UpStateRedNeck]

Looks like a fat house cat, looks ALOT like my wifes rather rotund kitty.

[fasteddie]

A well fet cat and ........... it's quartering away ! 

[erussell]

unless you are 100% sure it is feral I wouldn't go shooting someones pet( and at that fat I highly doubt its feral). I don't think hunters need that kind of press with some crying little girl sobbing about her pitty that some mean hunter shot. Some douche bag shot a cat with a crossbow down here in Binghamton last month and it was all over the news about this cat running around with a bolt sticking out of it.

[fasteddie]

I was shooting woodchucks for a farmer in Walworth a few yaers ago . He told me to also shoot any cats I saw because they were Feral . I never shot any as I had no way to tell if it was wild and certainly didn't want to shoot someone's pet . I know that my mother's cat used to hunt several hundred yards from her house so just because they are a distance from a resident doesn't mean they are wild .

[Fairgame]

What are the laws on cats and dogs?  Do they have to have a collar on them?  How do you distinguish what is feral and what isnt?  Pet cats are one thing, but feral cats will destroy alot of small game in the area they are in. 

[burmjohn]

I'd have no problem tossing an arrow through it.  It has no collar, its on my property, and they will feed on animals I'd like to hunt.  Not to mention, this is over 1/2 mile from any house (only two near me, one has no pets, and one is a weekend NYC couple, so its not their cat)

[cbx46]

i had a problem with two dogs afew years back but i knew the guy and i told him the options i would sit all morn and just at sunrise hed let them out and theyd run circles thru the woods off his property he stopped but if he didnt i was very close to wacking them.  hes lucky bc i know a few old timers that would have done it the first time they saw them

[fasteddie]

I had my sister in law's neighbor's dog spoil my hunt . My sister in law told the neighbor to keep her dog across the road on their property but apparently they can't control the dog . I am not about to shoot it even though I had considered doing just that .

[erussell]

unless you have a couple of chickens or a goat tied up by your stand and the dogs come through and kill them ( which is baiting domestic pets    ) you will be in big trouble if you shoot a pet without cause just for walking on your property. Now if you report it to the dogwarden everytime you see them on your property then the owner will get in trouble. Don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out which is a more desireable outcome.

[burmjohn]

Is there a law against shooting a feral dog or cat?

[JGaruti3]

If no one finds out you shot it....

[WNYBuckHunter]

DEC told me cats without collars roaming around are considered feral and should be shot. Not saying I shoot them, but they would fit nicely down woodchuck holes. 

[Doewhacker]

Why shoot an animal that will take out those pesky chipmunks. And what if it isn't feral and the owners find out, you will go to jail for a while and then what?

Some of you worry about the anti crowd and then justify shooting a cat or dog.. real helpful to the rest of us.

[WNYBuckHunter]

So a feral cat should be left to reproduce? Hmmmm. How about holding pet owners responsible for their pets? How do you think feral animals get to be a problem anyhow? Ask the DEC about it, they will tell you what their policy is on feral cats.

BTW, chipmunks are not feral, they are part of the natural ecosystem.

[burmjohn]

And they eat / destroy more then chipmunks...

[Doewhacker]

Chipmunks are annoying, that was my point. Cats eat chipmunks, Coyote's eat cats. See it takes care of its self. Does anyone have a problem with cats in their area? I have yet to see packs of cats roaming the woods distroying things. But that is just me.

[steve863]

How much of a problem can feral cats be?  I find it hard to believe that they could be destroying too much of anything.  Heck, coyotes are snatching cats and dogs from suburban backyards, I doubt feral cats have a very long lifespan in the wild.  Maybe they get a chipmunk for breakfast and lunch and then they become dinner for coyotes. 

[WNYBuckHunter]

Feral cats are actually a pretty big problem in alot of areas. They are doing quite a bit of damage to songbird populations along with other native species. They carry disease and parasites and reproduce at a pretty high rate. They can live for years in the wild. Heres some info, you can get more from a web search on the subject...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_cat

[Doewhacker]

Very interesting, I never knew they were a problem. I guess because I have never seen it other than a suburban setting. I would still be very concerned with getting it wrong and getting in big trouble.

Did I mention I hate Chipmunks?  haha

[Culvercreek hunt club]

WNY.....you are trying to get rid of one mount...how much would a feral cat run you?

[Culvercreek hunt club]

and I am not sure but I think the size of HER has nothing to do with her feeding habits

[WNYBuckHunter]

WNY.....you are trying to get rid of one mount...how much would a feral cat run you?

HAHAHA, never inquired.