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07-18-2019, 07:00 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: East
Posts: 2,066
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At what point do you consider a barn cat "feral"?
Was out fencing today and as I neared a patch of bush I noticed what looked like a skunk. The 22 came out and as I got the critter into my scope I realized I was looking at a large black and white cat not a skunk.
Now I know a lot of people are going to freak out but here's how I see it. A cat living out in the wild all on its own is feral and therefore a pest that can have quite an impact on things like grouse and if left unchecked can cause quite a lot of issues.
I did not dispatch this particular feline as I knew its origins were from the neighbors about a mile away. Thinking about it afterwards lead me to the question.
How far away from civilisation does a cat have to be before it's considered a pest?
__________________
HOLD ON FUR!
For my coyote pics @trophy_country_coyotes on instagram
life's too short to fish nymphs
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07-18-2019, 07:37 PM
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Moderator
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Stony Plain
Posts: 6,568
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In my opinion once a cat is off it's owner's property on it's own ,it's a target. Any pet for that matter.
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07-18-2019, 07:41 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Communist state
Posts: 13,245
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All cats are feral.
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07-18-2019, 07:54 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Sask
Posts: 412
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The second it steps an inch off the owner's property line..
These invasive pests kill hundreds of millions of native birds per year in Canada alone.
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07-18-2019, 08:20 PM
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Moderator
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Strathmore
Posts: 5,573
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Far from his home he gets a chance to be coyote bait, he wanders onto my place he better be perfectly behaved.
__________________
If you're not a Liberal when you're young, you have no heart. If you're not a Conservative when you're old, you have no brain. Winston Churchill
You can, you should, & if you're brave enough to start, you will. Stephen King
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07-18-2019, 08:28 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Out of Town
Posts: 861
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Yep, I have no cats on my farm, they do more harm then good. Kill song birds that I happen to be a big fan of, tear the hell out of everything in the saddle shed, and **** and crap all through the wife's flower beds. If people like their cats so much keep them on their place, my animals stay on mine. They fall into the gopher/squirrel/magpie category for me and I do care what people think of it.
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07-18-2019, 08:32 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: onoway, Ab
Posts: 6,956
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I wish I could have a few barn cats. As soon as we get any about the first night they venture outside the barn the coyotes get them.
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07-18-2019, 08:49 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Sylvan Lake/South Calif.
Posts: 3,465
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My Skunk/Cat trap hasn't come out of the shed this year, not seeing many around here. A cat or for that matter a dog should stay on it's own property, if it wanders off & is caught in my yard & turned over to Sylvan bylaw & has a license the fine is:
$130 (first offence)
$260 (second offence)
$360 (third and continuing offences)
If it's feral they went to Klassic Kennels in R/D who had a barn cat adoption program that was quite successful.
D.
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Z-z
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07-18-2019, 10:10 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: East
Posts: 2,066
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Smokinyotes
I wish I could have a few barn cats. As soon as we get any about the first night they venture outside the barn the coyotes get them.
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sounds like your not shooting enough coyotes
__________________
HOLD ON FUR!
For my coyote pics @trophy_country_coyotes on instagram
life's too short to fish nymphs
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07-18-2019, 10:18 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 304
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tikka250
sounds like your not shooting enough coyotes
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I kind of like coyotes, on account of I hate cats and mice so much.
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07-18-2019, 11:55 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Leslieville
Posts: 2,482
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I shoot any stray toms that show up and the females don’t generally roam.
Someone dropped off two kittens at the end of our driveway and one of them ended up in my truck fan. Wrecked the fan shroud and tore off a bunch of wiring when the fan kicked in, which cost about $2000 to repair. Sorry nice then I have been quite intolerant of cats that don’t belong at my place.
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We talk so much about leaving a better planet to our kids, that we forget to leave better kids to our planet.
Gerry Burnie
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07-19-2019, 05:28 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: At the end of the Thirsty Beaver Trail, Pinsky lake, Alberta.
Posts: 24,497
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jungleboy
In my opinion once a cat is off it's owner's property on it's own ,it's a target. Any pet for that matter.
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Nope....if it's just wondering around then take it up with the real azzz which is the owner.....select your azzz target accordingly.
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Be careful when you follow the masses, sometimes the "M" is silent...
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07-19-2019, 05:30 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: At the end of the Thirsty Beaver Trail, Pinsky lake, Alberta.
Posts: 24,497
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kurt505
All cats are feral.
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So are the Cougars at the legion
__________________
Be careful when you follow the masses, sometimes the "M" is silent...
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07-19-2019, 07:22 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Lamont
Posts: 861
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Not sure how people keep mice out of equipment and buildings without cats. We have 7 to 10 cats at any one time here around the farm, without them the mice destroy equipment, everything in the feed shed, twine, nest in hoses and spare parts, etc.
Our cats keep the mice in check, would never be without them. I also see the cats out in the pasture killing gophers and regularly bring pocket gophers in from the hayfield. Yes, they wander and yes some dont make it home. To me they are a necessity.
Our native bird population is flourishing here, just for those who are wondering. Some evenings there are 40-50 American Goldfinch on the feeders, every tree swallow house raised a batch of young and the Baltimore Orioles behind our shop had a successful nesting.
Seagulls and magpies kill more young birds here than any of our cats do.
Craig
Sent from my SM-A505W using Tapatalk
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07-19-2019, 07:48 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Central Alberta
Posts: 21,399
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If it's not my cat, it's feral. Greatest cause of song bird mortality.
Grizz
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"Indeed, no human being has yet lived under conditions which, considering the prevailing climates of the past, can be regarded as normal."
John E. Pfeiffer The Emergence of Man
written in 1969
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07-19-2019, 08:16 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: At the lake
Posts: 2,502
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jungleboy
In my opinion once a cat is off it's owner's property on it's own ,it's a target. Any pet for that matter.
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Do you feel the same way about children ?
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07-19-2019, 08:25 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: BowIsland
Posts: 449
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ceedub
Not sure how people keep mice out of equipment and buildings without cats. We have 7 to 10 cats at any one time here around the farm, without them the mice destroy equipment, everything in the feed shed, twine, nest in hoses and spare parts, etc.
Our cats keep the mice in check, would never be without them. I also see the cats out in the pasture killing gophers and regularly bring pocket gophers in from the hayfield. Yes, they wander and yes some dont make it home. To me they are a necessity.
Our native bird population is flourishing here, just for those who are wondering. Some evenings there are 40-50 American Goldfinch on the feeders, every tree swallow house raised a batch of young and the Baltimore Orioles behind our shop had a successful nesting.
Seagulls and magpies kill more young birds here than any of our cats do.
Craig
Sent from my SM-A505W using Tapatalk
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x2
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07-19-2019, 09:49 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,914
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott h
Do you feel the same way about children ?
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Assinine post.
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07-19-2019, 10:00 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 87
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No harm, no foul, no kill.
I had rats a few years ago when I raised pigs, I got two fixed males, far less mouse problems. I know my cats go off my yard, but they are now outdoor farm cats, I can’t see them doing any harm, I’d say anyone who killed them for just “being” needs to grow up.
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07-19-2019, 10:11 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,914
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sledin
I can’t see them doing any harm,
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Don't fool yourself.
" Birds killed by cats in Canada
Estimates presented here suggest a very substantial mortality of birds, with roughly 100-350 million birds killed annually by 5-10 million outdoor cats. "
from here http://www.ace-eco.org/vol8/iss2/art3/
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07-19-2019, 10:27 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: NW Calgary
Posts: 2,785
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jungleboy
In my opinion once a cat is off it's owner's property on it's own ,it's a target. Any pet for that matter.
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So you are ok with shooting some child's pet dog, horse, cow, cat just because they got out even though you don't know the circumstances of how it happened? I could see if it was a repeat and they were harassing something but that's not always the case.
Touches close to home to me. Growing up we had a dog that followed the horses when we chased cows. The dog had always found its way home after. Except one time it showed up in a neighbors yard as it had got lost on its way and that neighbor shot him. He wasn't harassing anything as the owner never had animals and the dog wasn't big nor was he aggressive. Shot him just because it went on his property trying to find its way home.
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07-19-2019, 10:36 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Sask
Posts: 412
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FCLightning
Don't fool yourself.
" Birds killed by cats in Canada
Estimates presented here suggest a very substantial mortality of birds, with roughly 100-350 million birds killed annually by 5-10 million outdoor cats. "
from here http://www.ace-eco.org/vol8/iss2/art3/
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Bingo.
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07-19-2019, 10:50 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: At the end of the Thirsty Beaver Trail, Pinsky lake, Alberta.
Posts: 24,497
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams
If it's not my cat, it's feral. Greatest cause of song bird mortality.
Grizz
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nope....got cats...no mice....lots of song birds....they start their daily ritual about 0400hrs...natures alarm clock!
__________________
Be careful when you follow the masses, sometimes the "M" is silent...
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07-19-2019, 10:57 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: At the end of the Thirsty Beaver Trail, Pinsky lake, Alberta.
Posts: 24,497
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FCLightning
Don't fool yourself.
" Birds killed by cats in Canada
Estimates presented here suggest a very substantial mortality of birds, with roughly 100-350 million birds killed annually by 5-10 million outdoor cats. "
from here http://www.ace-eco.org/vol8/iss2/art3/
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This as with anything in nature needs a balance....cant have 10 thousand cats running on a tropical island and not eat....balance is out of whack....in some areas the balance is just that...balanced.....and then the pendulum swings the other way very little cats and a infestation of mice, birds etc.....balance.
__________________
Be careful when you follow the masses, sometimes the "M" is silent...
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07-19-2019, 11:07 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,958
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We live in a small town (~300ppl). We had a few stray cats roaming around town. I don’t know how many were strays and how many were pets that were allowed to roam. My wife is a huge animal lover and wanted to trap them and was willing to even pay to get them fixed if needed. The problem was we didn’t want to take a kids cat to the SPCA. They were never a huge nuisance and this was the 1st year I didn’t have mice in the trailer.
Well, the neighbours got together and went on a hunting trip. Killed 6 kittens and shot 8 adult cats. I get that some of these cats were pests but I don’t agree with the killing spree that had to happen. There were other options.
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07-19-2019, 11:12 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,914
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 58thecat
This as with anything in nature needs a balance....cant have 10 thousand cats running on a tropical island and not eat....balance is out of whack....in some areas the balance is just that...balanced.....and then the pendulum swings the other way very little cats and a infestation of mice, birds etc.....balance.
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That's the problem right now - not just Canada but worldwide. There is a significant decline in native songbird populations and the singular greatest mortality factor is cats. Free roaming cats.
I have two yard cats that help to keep the mice at bay - that and a 365 day/yr 24 trap "mouseline". Without the cats the trapline can't keep up. But it was especially hard this spring when a week after the bluebird pair returned the wife found his feathers strewn on the front doorstep. I still see the female around the yard but no other male has shown up and she didn't nest. When the barnswallows were about to fledge we locked the cats in the garage for four days - they are as hard on songbird populations as they are the mice. It is a problem, and ignoring the truth of it won't make it go away.
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07-19-2019, 11:13 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,914
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 58thecat
nope....got cats...no mice....lots of song birds....they start their daily ritual about 0400hrs...natures alarm clock!
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House Sparrows are not a songbird, they are a plague.
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07-19-2019, 12:07 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Sask
Posts: 412
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FCLightning
House Sparrows are not a songbird, they are a plague.
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When were House Sparrows mentioned? Yeah, them and Starlings and Pigeons are invasive but this is about the other several hundred species of native birds
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07-19-2019, 12:34 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,914
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JareS
When were House Sparrows mentioned? Yeah, them and Starlings and Pigeons are invasive but this is about the other several hundred species of native birds
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58theCat mentioned all the birds he had in his yard - at four in the morning. It's the male House Sparrows that start up loudly vocal at that time. I just wish there was a little more light at that time so I could get my sights on the buggers. My point was that having House Sparrows in your yard doesn't count for squat.
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07-19-2019, 12:44 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Foothills
Posts: 2,337
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tikka250
Was out fencing today and as I neared a patch of bush I noticed what looked like a skunk. The 22 came out and as I got the critter into my scope I realized I was looking at a large black and white cat not a skunk.
Now I know a lot of people are going to freak out but here's how I see it. A cat living out in the wild all on its own is feral and therefore a pest that can have quite an impact on things like grouse and if left unchecked can cause quite a lot of issues.
I did not dispatch this particular feline as I knew its origins were from the neighbors about a mile away. Thinking about it afterwards lead me to the question.
How far away from civilisation does a cat have to be before it's considered a pest?
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Should have shot it.
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