You just can't win!

[PsychoCannon]

So it's 3AM in the morning and me and the Girlfriend (along with most of the block) get woken by Yowling, crying and howling as two very noisy Tom cats fight over whos boss of the car park behind our flats, right on the fence at the end of the car park opposite our bedroom window in fact.

After 20 minutes of this the Shouting and banging on windows starts but half an hour on they are still going at it and the Girlfriend is screaming at them to shut up and burrowing into the pillows, so I do the only logical thing.
I get my Air Rifle and shoot the buggers (don't worry it's an airsoft gun so stings like hell but wouldn't of done any real harm).

They scarper, peace reigns...and I get an earful for being mean and shooting the cats.....which were in the process of ripping each other to pieces...
You just can't win :(

That said I think I've made an enemy of one of them who stopped under my window to take a good look at me before legging it! and I'm wondering what he's plotting as revenge.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/07/man_blames_cat/

[Quedos]

would have done the same myself!

[missyburd]

YC would have backed you up 100% on this one I'm sure but I should imagine the cat-lovers on here may say otherwise!

The toms are so noisy when they yowl but I find it doesn't tend to last too long. Just chucking stuff in their general direction would have sufficed in my book but people deal with stuff in different ways :-P

[PsychoCannon]

Thought about it but they were out of throwing range and there are a lot of cars between me and them, would probably have ended up smashing someones window =p.

Yeah it seemed to go on forever as we were going to wait it out but considering I had enough time to wait..then give up, go to the spare bedroom, unpack all the kit, put it all together, load it and they were still going I think we gave them ample time to settle their differences without intervention =p.

I'll make dinner tonight before the other half gets home see if it smooths things over =p, something white meat...like cat :)

[Mr Speirs]

After reading the first sentence of that story I thought to myself, If I had an air rifle I'd shoot the things. :)

[Spiderman]

I'm a cat lover but i also wouldnt hesitate to shoot em in the butt with an airsoft knoowing its not gonna hurt em in any real way.

I had a cat that kept breaking into my place thru the cat flap and eating my cats food. Its was a local stray and stunk like a tramp too. I tried everything to keep him out but one day i came home and he was trapped in the kitchen. Its went totally nuts when i went near it but good job i'd just got in and was in full bike gear.
It aint been back since but what i had to resort to wasn't pretty...and no i didnt hurt it at all.

[missyburd]

I'm a cat lover.

Thought cats taunted spiders something rotten? ;-)

[Biker Biggles]

A Jack Russell usually gets rid of noisy cats I find.

[Owenski]

lucky you had the gun IMO, Im just concerned it took you soo long to decide to shoot ;)

[Bluewolf]

.

[PsychoCannon]

Let loose the dogs of war..err...yorkshire, I say.

[Rorshach]

PC, much as i agree with the annoying poxy tom cat thing, i cant condone the way you resolved the situation. Airsoft is fine as long as its their butt you hit, not their eye as happened with one of my cats, that later went on to be put down down due to sepsis.
she, unlike your situation was guilty of the crime of sitting on a fence in the sun

[Purplevamp]

I am a cat lover, a huge one..........but i know what its like when you get two toms scrapping in the middle of the night.
I have 5 cats , 4 girls and 1 boy, they have all been spayed and nuetered but it doesnt stopped the toms from fighting.
Mine has a regular spat with a ginger tome that hangs around, and you can guarantee that they start at about 3 am. I have found though that a big water bottle filled with water works for me. If you squeeze it at force the water squirts out quite a distance, and my aim is now prettey good, even when in all sleepy eyed lol.
I have been thingking of investing in one of those kids water gun that shoot water for miles........... Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

[PsychoCannon]

PC, much as i agree with the annoying poxy tom cat thing, i cant condone the way you resolved the situation. Airsoft is fine as long as its their butt you hit, not their eye as happened with one of my cats, that later went on to be put down down due to sepsis.
she, unlike your situation was guilty of the crime of sitting on a fence in the sun

Hi,
That actually crossed my mind so I used single shot on the butt of one of the cats, took 3 shots for it to take the hint and they both scarpered.
As with most airsofters the first thing that crossed my mind when I take the gun out is saftey.
That said I have no idea how I would of reacted if I'd hit an eye...airsofters worst knightmare...

[Dan]

Our next door neighbour has a dog that barks loudly at all hours of the day and night, which they do nothing to prevent or train out of it.

I imagine if I posted on here that I'd brought out a gun (of any kind) and shot it to give it a 'hint' that there'd be a good few pages of replies by now, no doubt threatening to report me to the police and all sorts.

So why is it OK because it's a cat? I bet those of you posting that you'd have done the same would be the first to complain if it was your dog/hamster/guinea pig or whatever that someone had shot because they didn't like its behaviour.

I like both cats and dogs, and to be honest the thought of shooting one just because it was making a racket, I find appalling - regardless of whether or not it's 'just' an Airsoft gun.

[PsychoCannon]

Strange as it sounds dog barking doesn't tend to bother me so much, it's the high pitch ear splitting YOWLING of that cats that drives me insane.
Then again if there was one next door doing it all times of night and day...strangely you're right..I wouldn't think of shooting it...no idea why!

I'm not cattist =p,.

[Owenski]

Because dog owners are held accountable for their dogs actions. Cats roam around free causing all kinds of problems, veg patches, milk, plants etc all have been victim to cats.
So if you see a cat you shooo it away and shout it to FO but as cannon said these cats didnt take the verbal hint. If it were dogs then at this point you'd expect the owner to pipe up retorting with "stop shouting at my dogs etc" again cos dog owners are accountable for a dogs actions.
For some reason how ever the cat owners are not, so cats get away with things scott free. Cannon did the next thing on the list IMO, verbal warnings did nothing so physical actions needed to be taken. A projectile is the most conveniant method and whats more precise than a air rifle. I assume everyone is aware of what an Airsoft weapon fires? If not look it up, people go out on weekends and shoot each other with these weapons they are harmless (unless recived in the eye) firing small plastic balls. Cats going hell for leather wont have been too worried about the plinkers, hence 3 shots needed. If it hurt the cat wouldnt have needed reminding twice.

ps I am a cattist, Im allergic so I figure they hurt me first.

[Dan]

Because dog owners are held accountable for their dogs actions. Cats roam around free causing all kinds of problems, veg patches, milk, plants etc all have been victim to cats.
So if you see a cat you shooo it away and shout it to FO but as cannon said these cats didnt take the verbal hint. If it were dogs then at this point you'd expect the owner to pipe up retorting with "stop shouting at my dogs etc" again cos dog owners are accountable for a dogs actions.
For some reason how ever the cat owners are not, so cats get away with things scott free. Cannon did the next thing on the list IMO, verbal warnings did nothing so physical actions needed to be taken. A projectile is the most conveniant method and whats more precise than a air rifle. I assume everyone is aware of what an Airsoft weapon fires? If not look it up, people go out on weekends and shoot each other with these weapons they are harmless (unless recived in the eye) firing small plastic balls. Cats going hell for leather wont have been too worried about the plinkers, hence 3 shots needed. If it hurt the cat wouldnt have needed reminding twice.

ps I am a cattist, Im allergic so I figure they hurt me first.

As an owner of several cats, I am happy to be held accountable for their actions, as I am a responsible and mature individual. They spend the majority of their time either in my house, my garden, or on the open ground to the front of my house. They certainly don't go wandering into other peoples' houses and gardens as we are surrounded on all sides by hostile territory, containing threats including a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, a family of cat-hating asians, and a Peregrine Falcon. They even toilet on my land.

If only the same could be said of the myriad dog owners who live near me whose dogs wander the streets depositing faeces wherever they like, jumping over walls into peoples' gardens, barking at people as they walk down the street, chasing people/animals they dislike, fighting, barking etc.

However, unlike you, I won't tar all dog owners with the same brush you're applying to all owners of cats. I just recognise that some dog owners are ********s and some are not, just as some cats are a pain and some are not.

The point I'm making is that I still wouldn't shoot a dog or a cat no matter how much I dislike that particular animal. The choice of weapon is still an irrelevance. It's all very well saying 'Airsoft guns are harmless unless they hit you in the eye' - that's like saying 'minefields are perfectly safe, unless you walk in them'.

[Ed]

stuff

+1. I have two cats. They don't yowl as they come in at night. I wouldn't be happy if anyone shot them, airsoft or not.

[gruntygiggles]

PC, I can get how annoying that must have been. Personally, I wouldn't be able to shoot at anything, even just an airsoft as I wouldn't want it done to my animals. I'd have just gone outside and shooed them away or thrown water over them. Not condemning you for using your airsoft....I jusy know how devastated I'd be if I did that and hit the eye.

I agree that there are many bad cat and dog owners around. If you'd seen the pile of poo bags behind mine and VT's tent, and Ophics.......you'll realise that the good dog owners NEVER leave their dog mess around. I must have picked up 10+ poos that AR weekend that were from before the AR, just because I didn't want people coming down the field and thinking any of us had left it there.

[gruntygiggles]

Our next door neighbour has a dog that barks loudly at all hours of the day and night, which they do nothing to prevent or train out of it.

I imagine if I posted on here that I'd brought out a gun (of any kind) and shot it to give it a 'hint' that there'd be a good few pages of replies by now, no doubt threatening to report me to the police and all sorts.

So why is it OK because it's a cat? I bet those of you posting that you'd have done the same would be the first to complain if it was your dog/hamster/guinea pig or whatever that someone had shot because they didn't like its behaviour.

I like both cats and dogs, and to be honest the thought of shooting one just because it was making a racket, I find appalling - regardless of whether or not it's 'just' an Airsoft gun.


Dan, your neighbours dog sounds BOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRED out of it's mind. What breed is it, how much does it get walked? It's such a pain when people don't control their dogs. Our neighbours dog is a huge Alsatian/Chow mix and because they never bothered training or disciplining him, they can't let him off the lead without him running off. So, they think they are great because they walk him three times a day, but he never goes off the lead and does the same 1 mile round trip every time. That's it. They never stop him barking and I've had sooooooo many sleepless nights. He evens bites his owners if the try to go near the sofa when he's on it.

They think it's cute....yeah right! Funny thing is, when he's in the garden and they are all in the house, I can stop him barking almost instantly, by interrupting him when he starts and staring at him over the fence. He just stops. It's not hard, but they refuse to do it.

[Owenski]

were from before the AR, just because I didn't want people coming down the field and thinking any of us had left it there.

Lol, abi and I did that too so people wouldnt think it had been left by Miya.
I admit I wouldnt have thought of water, but now you've mentioned it wouldnt that distress the cats more lol? Its a retorical question Im not picking a fight just been a muppet.

I think in the same situation I'd have done what PC did, but I realise we're not all the same so other would act different to me. Thats what makes the org a beautiful place, as PC said You cant win. But you can loose and still get a good nights sleep so that when tomorrow comes you can feel a lot better about it.

[gruntygiggles]

Lol, abi and I did that too so people wouldnt think it had been left by Miya.
I admit I wouldnt have thought of water, but now you've mentioned it wouldnt that distress the cats more lol? Its a retorical question Im not picking a fight just been a muppet.

I think in the same situation I'd have done what PC did, but I realise we're not all the same so other would act different to me. Thats what makes the org a beautiful place, as PC said You cant win. But you can loose and still get a good nights sleep so that when tomorrow comes you can feel a lot better about it.


Well, they do hate water, but if you miss or get a direct hit....you can't harm them at all. You're right though, you can't win. Someone will always disagree. I've had some of that on the forum already today...lol

[Red Herring]

Like Spiderman we had a stray Tom that kept coming into our house through our cat flap and spraying everywhere, the stench was horrendous. In the end I set the cat flap to "in" only and sure enough came home to find it trapped in the hall. By opening appropriate doors I chased it into our conservatory (tiled floor) where I proceeded to put a bucket of water over it before letting it out. All happy then for a couple of months before it started again. Repeated the trick with the cap flap but this time when we came home and found it in the hallway it took one look at me and then charged the cat flap, smashing straight through it and disappearing from sight. Never seen it since, they obviously do learn...! As for shooting it with an air soft gun, risky given the possibility of hurting it seriously but under the circumstances probably a lot less than other people may have done. You never know if you hadn't shot it with that perhaps one of your other neighbors may have shot them with something a bit more substantial?

[Bluewolf]

.

[PsychoCannon]

OK it probably wasn't the nicest of things and I could have hauled my lazy...naked...ass out to chase them off, but I was tired and irritated =p.
Not to mention the sight of me running at them starkers at 3am would of probably done them far more harm than the airsoft gun :)

[Dan]

Dan, your neighbours dog sounds BOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRED out of it's mind. What breed is it, how much does it get walked?

I think it is just boredom - but it's also a vicious thing. It's a Staffy, and it is absolutely horrid - I'm absolutely terrified of the bloody thing.

I don't think it does get walked much.

Oh, the joys of ex-council estates.

[Dan]

Not to mention the sight of me running at them starkers at 3am would of probably done them far more harm than the airsoft gun :)

There's your tactic next time then ;)

[PsychoCannon]

There's your tactic next time then ;)

Never heard it called that before :D

[gruntygiggles]

OK it probably wasn't the nicest of things and I could have hauled my lazy...naked...ass out to chase them off, but I was tired and irritated =p.
Not to mention the sight of me running at them starkers at 3am would of probably done them far more harm than the airsoft gun :)


:smt046

[Specialone]

I have 2 cats, one female, one male, who fights with every cat around
I have gone out to my cat in the middle of the night before to shut him up.
He has even got into a scrap with a fox and one time i went down into the garden as i could hear a fox screeching and there was my cat sitting calmly on the garden table looking at this fox while its trying to get at him.
Water is great at splitting fighting cats up, any that dare to venture into my garden and fight with my cat gets hosed along with my cat.
my cat knows when i pick the hose up he flees.
I would be very peed off if i found somebody had shot at my cat, possibly shooting them with something stronger.
People who have a hatred for cats are not nice people IMO, they are defenceless animals, easy targets.
Foxes are far worse at making noise in the night, i hate them f**king things.
Phil

[PsychoCannon]

I used to have a family? of foxed in my back garden or there abouts and the pups (I assume?) would make the most gawd awful racket at 2am!

Anyone recomend a water pistol with approx 50 meter range :)

[gruntygiggles]

I used to have a family? of foxed in my back garden or there abouts and the pups (I assume?) would make the most gawd awful racket at 2am!

Anyone recomend a water pistol with approx 50 meter range :)

It's called a Skulk of foxes. I didn't know I even knew that until our pub quiz on Sunday......
Q/ A skulk describes a family of what animal?
A/Hmmmmm, I think it might be foxes....and I was right.....woo hoo!

They can be a real pain in cities and towns......very rarely see them where we are now. They know to stay away from people as most around here are hunted every year!

[Specialone]

Mrs specialone bought me a big water gun a couple of xmas's ago, its probably capable of 35 ft, im sure if modified most of these super soakers would reach the distance you said.
(edit)Sorry thought you said 50ft, not metres.

[Rorshach]

try an ultra sonic scarer,

or stale urine and mark your terratory :sunny: :smt077

[PsychoCannon]

well it's about 3 car lengthes from window to fence, then 6 car widths to the edge of the car park so its actually about 20 meters.

[missyburd]

People who have a hatred for cats are not nice people IMO, they are defenceless animals, easy targets.

Oooo this could open up a whole can of worms...What about the poor defenceless birds that many cats find great pleasure in killing just for the sake of killing? Don't get me wrong I like cats, they're great. However, all pets have their pros and cons, to call them defenceless animals is a bit of an exaggeration. They have damn sharp claws and can run damn quick too, not really defenceless :-P

[-Ralph-]

We have a neighbourhood bully, fights with all the other Tom cats, has done some nasty damage to my cats face and ears and put one of the other neighbours cats in the vets for a few overnight stays. It's owners are unrepentant, know it's a problem, but obviously don't want to keep the cat inside and deal with litter trays, or get rid of it. To them it's their cuddly little angel, and since it seems to win all the fights they don't have any injuries to deal with.

Yes, it takes two to tango, but this animal comes and sits outside our patio door or on the windows sills yowling at our cat through the glass in the middle of the night. Our cat and the other Tom who ended up at the vets just keep distance from each other and never fight. This 'bully' is definitely more guilty than the others, it's obsessed with stalking, chasing, seeking out and fighting the other cats 24/7.

I'm sick to the back teeth of our cat getting battered and getting woken in the middle of the night by it winding our cat up through the glass, or fighting with other cats outside (ours now comes in at night for this very reason).

If this bully gets trapped in the back of my garage or a corner of my garden one day the next thing it'll see is the inside of a black plastic bin bag. If I had an air rifle the problem would have been sorted already.

[yorkie_chris]

I hate the fact that cats will kill anything for a laugh, birds that are no threat to anything (and an important part of the ecosystem, so 'r lass tells me). AND I hate the fact that one was looking at my fish longingly the other night, AND the fact that one once had a habit of taking a dump behind my shed/workshop and stinking the place out.

For f***s sake. I have a dog, it doesn't run wild killing stuff, if it did I'd 100% expect someone to blow him to bits with a shotgun!

If you have so few friends you need a pet to curl up with and are too fat to walk a dog then keep the thing under control or buy yourself a Bratislavan sex slave or something.


Right, I wouldn't shoot a cat with an air rifle. Unless you have an FAC air rifle then you are nowhere near guaranteed a humane kill. I might risk it with mine but only at less than 20 yards (shorter than the garden) with a definite headshot. 12 ft lbs is not enough muzzle energy.

Airsoft guns, (with really low energy as is allowed in airsoft) then yeah go for it if you are confident you can make the shot.

I have however set a steel plate up where I had seen the cat, and put a shot into the plate. PING and the cat goes supersonic over the fence :-D Not seen that one since...

BUT if I see that ginger thing looking at my fish again, I'm going to nail it to the shed with the crossbow and feed it to them!

[zsv650]

there's a few that scrap round my neighbourhood in the early hour's of the morning there's nothing more irritating imo sodding thing's.

[yorkie_chris]

It's all very well saying 'Airsoft guns are harmless unless they hit you in the eye' - that's like saying 'minefields are perfectly safe, unless you walk in them'.

1) Designed to be non-lethal and to shoot your mates with for a laugh.
2) Designed to be a concealed remover of limbs to dissuade use of an area by infantry.

Bit of a naff simile there.

[Specialone]

Oooo this could open up a whole can of worms...What about the poor defenceless birds that many cats find great pleasure in killing just for the sake of killing? Don't get me wrong I like cats, they're great. However, all pets have their pros and cons, to call them defenceless animals is a bit of an exaggeration. They have damn sharp claws and can run damn quick too, not really defenceless :-P

Cats killing birds unfortunatly is part of the food chain, i hate it when my male cat kills birds, if i see him stalking a bird ill spray him with the hose.
Most animals as you know, have a predatory enemy so its not fair just use cats as an example.
Animals die from natural predators all the time, death by humans is not natural.
What right as human beings have we to kill another living thing if its no gain to us for food etc, i know this sounds a bit hypocritical as im a meat eater, but thats the way i feel.
The thing that pees me off is some people, inc people on here think its some kind of macho sh*t to talk about killing cats, but you never here about people 'dealing' with problem dogs in this way.
I personally wouldnt pick on a person ten sizes smaller than me and thats just the way i see it.
Phil

[-Ralph-]

but you never here about people 'dealing' with problem dogs in this way

As somebody that has shot a number of dogs I can tell you.

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=132183

OK, not quite the same, but an animal is an animal, including dogs.

Animals have been shot for causing a nuisance for years, just think about rabbits, foxes, etc. The only thing to my mind that makes shooting a domestic cat more distasteful is that it's somebody's pet and that person/family would be upset, but if those owners have been given plenty of opportunity to do something about it and have chosen to take the "no skin off my nose" attitude...

I have a cat as a pet and I'd be upset if somebody shot it, but then I would never knowingly allow my cat to cause a nuisance to my neighbours, and if he did I'd expect the neighbours to speak to me before contemplating such action. If they had done so on a number of occasions and I did nothing about it then I'd not be surprised if the cat didn't come home one day.

This is all hypothetical anyway as I'm not going to buy an air rifle just to kill the neighbours cat (YC says it wouldn't be powerful enough anyway) and to use a sack, a brick and a canal you've got to catch it first.

[-Ralph-]

Question - in the spirit of not unnecessarily killing cats. If you drove a cat 10 miles away and let it go, would it find it's way home? :D

[Specialone]

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=132183

OK, not quite the same, but an animal is an animal, including dogs.

Animals have been shot for causing a nuisance for years, just think about rabbits, foxes, etc. The only thing to my mind that makes shooting a domestic cat more distasteful is that it's somebody's pet and that person/family would be upset, but if those owners have been given plenty of opportunity to do something about it and have chosen to take the "no skin off my nose" attitude...

I have a cat as a pet and I'd be upset if somebody shot it, but then I would never knowingly allow my cat to cause a nuisance to my neighbours, and if he did I'd expect the neighbours to speak to me before contemplating such action. If they had done so on a number of occasions and I did nothing about it then I'd not be surprised if the cat didn't come home one day.

I agree, if i was approached by a neighbour about my cats' behaviour i would try and do something to correct it.
But regarding the dog thing, you hear of more cruelty to cats than you do dogs, i also back that up with info from a friend who is a RSPCA inspector who personally dealt with the cat being thrown from a balcony a couple of years ago.
People still see cats as easy targets IMO, they wouldnt try it with a pitbull.
The fact is most of us see our pets as part of the family and if anything happened to any of our pets in this way we would be devestated and annoyed and me personally i would want revenge not prosecution.
Phil

[Specialone]

Question - in the spirit of not unnecessarily killing cats. If you drove a cat 10 miles away and let it go, would it find it's way home? :D

Ralph, i do believe they would, i moved house when a kid only 2 miles away but our cat at the time got out of new place and went 'home'.
We found him lying on the grass outside old house sunning himself. :D
Phil

[Red Herring]

How about a paint ball gun? That should just about have the range, has a bit more "stopping power" with lower velocity than an airsoft pellet and would make identification of the culprit in the morning all the easier.....

[-Ralph-]

Ralph, i do believe they would, i moved house when a kid only 2 miles away but our cat at the time got out of new place and went 'home'.
We found him lying on the grass outside old house sunning himself. :D
Phil

20 miles?

[Dan]

1) Designed to be non-lethal and to shoot your mates with for a laugh.
2) Designed to be a concealed remover of limbs to dissuade use of an area by infantry.

Bit of a naff simile there.

But both illustrating the consequences of improper use.

Minefields ARE safe. If you don't walk in them.

Airsoft IS safe. If you don't shoot someone in the eye.

I'd say there's a lot of similarity.

All depends on how you use the item in question, doesn't it. The point is, your dog might be well controlled. Many are not.

My cats are not a nuisance to others. Many are.

None of these statements make it right for someone to whap out a weapon of any kind in the middle of the night and take a potshot at whatever's annoying them.

Cats killing birds is their instinct, it's part of the food chain. It's nature in action - I'm sure your OH will be able to reconcile these facts - in the same way, no matter how well trained any dog is, faced with the right situation its instincts will take over - protecting the pack leader (its master) will result in it attacking a threat, without doubt. I'm sure your dog would have no problem attacking another if it threatened you - once again, nature in action.

Instinct is instinct - broad-brush generalisations are poor means of fighting an argument in my opinion.

[Graciepants]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/8195156.stm

PC - just hope the cat you shot isnt one like this - cos it'll leave you to burn :smt101:smt037

[Lou M]

My friends cat has just been shot with an airgun, so far it's cost her £1000. If anyone shot at my cat, softgun or not I would seek revenge, whether or not he's yowling and fighting another Tom, you should never shoot at an animal.
A cat yowling is not as bad as putting up with neighbours music (and believe me I have extensive experience of this).

[keith_d]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned that yowling cats and foxes are close to the frequency of crying babies, which may explain why it wakes people up so effectively.

Personally, I'm all in favour of Supersoaker water pistols to deal with nuisance cats. Unfortunately, nuisance dogs usually enjoy a good soaking.

[missyburd]

Most animals as you know, have a predatory enemy so its not fair just use cats as an example.
Animals die from natural predators all the time, death by humans is not natural.

That could be argued. A human could be seen as a predator, regardless of how natural it is, people do kill them to eat in certain parts of the world.




Cats killing birds is their instinct, it's part of the food chain. It's nature in action - I'm sure your OH will be able to reconcile these facts - in the same way, no matter how well trained any dog is, faced with the right situation its instincts will take over - protecting the pack leader (its master) will result in it attacking a threat, without doubt. I'm sure your dog would have no problem attacking another if it threatened you - once again, nature in action.


More importantly however, this thread is not about someone shooting to kill the feline nuisance, but simply to deter.

[missyburd]

But regarding the dog thing, you hear of more cruelty to cats than you do dogs
Phil

That probably has more to do with the fact most domestic cats are free to roam wherever they please, making themselves more vulnerable to chavs and other such lowlives. Dogs are generally kept under control (unless owned by said chavs) in back gardens or on property.

[yorkie_chris]

But both illustrating the consequences of improper use.

Minefields ARE safe. If you don't walk in them.

Airsoft IS safe. If you don't shoot someone in the eye.

Cats killing birds is their instinct, it's part of the food chain. It's nature in action - I'm sure your OH will be able to reconcile these facts

Planting landmines somewhere you want to make an unfriendly place IS proper use.
Shooting cats with a toy gun (and yes airsoft is a toy) is maybe not proper.

A cat is NOT part of the food chain if it is killing things for fun. Neither is it in any way natural if YOU bring a predator to an area which naturally would not support any number of cats! So that one falls on its rse...

If anyone shot at my cat, softgun or not I would seek revenge, whether or not he's yowling and fighting another Tom, you should never shoot at an animal.

If someone shot your cat with a "softgun" (presume you mean an airsoft gun) you wouldn't notice. They fire a 6mm plastic ball. I've been shot in the eye with one at 10 paces (albeit a weak one) and I'm not dead.

As for you should never shoot an animal? Are you some sort of vegetablist?

And your friend who's spent a grand on a shot cat, I will reiterate I do not believe in shooting things with real weapons unless it has a very high chance of a rapid and humane kill. Not part of this arguement at all!

if i was approached by a neighbour about my cats' behaviour i would try and do something to correct it.

But regarding the dog thing, you hear of more cruelty to cats than you do dogs,

1) How can you tell where a certain cat lives?
2) That's because cats are more annoying than dogs.


Personally, I'm all in favour of Supersoaker water pistols to deal with nuisance cats.

Probably the best compromise.

[-Ralph-]

And your friend who's spent a grand on a shot cat

Supersoaker - Probably the best compromise.

I wouldn't spend a grand on a cat TBH, even my own cat, but thats a different debate.

Dunno about the supersoaker, it'll still come back.
I'm still thinking a 20 mile one-way trip in a cat carrier is the best compromise, just gotta catch the damn thing. Anyone got any ideas for a humane cat trap? ;-)

[Specialone]

A cat is NOT part of the food chain if it is killing things for fun.


1) How can you tell where a certain cat lives?
2) That's because cats are more annoying than dogs.


1, My cat eats its kills, so not for fun. my female cat is scared of her own shadow, so wouldnt kill anything.
2, Most cats down my road roam, but will spend a lot of their time on their own driveways so you could probably identify them quite easy.
3, Thats your opinion, i f**king hate dogs that bark for hours on end, far more annoying than any cat, i like dogs BTW.

Again, cats = easy target = woody for macho tw*t doing the cruelty.

BTW at present, i feel like strangling 1 of my cats as its being a pain in the rse
Water deterent is best option and one i endorse.

[Bluewolf]

.

[PsychoCannon]

I certainly wouldn't shoot a cat with a real air-rifle!
The as*hats that broke into my place or stole my SV however!!

Having thought about it I'll be looking into a water pistol if this becomes a regular event =p
It will also come in handy for getting the other half out of bed as she's taken to snoozing for half an hour and being late for work, I do it because I care =p

[gruntygiggles]

I certainly wouldn't shoot a cat with a real air-rifle!
The as*hats that broke into my place or stole my SV however!!

Having thought about it I'll be looking into a water pistol if this becomes a regular event =p
It will also come in handy for getting the other half out of bed as she's taken to snoozing for half an hour and being late for work, I do it because I care =p


Oooh, ooooh, Can I have one for Stretchie too????

[yorkie_chris]

1, My cat eats its kills, so not for fun. my female cat is scared of her own shadow, so wouldnt kill anything.
2, Most cats down my road roam, but will spend a lot of their time on their own driveways so you could probably identify them quite easy.
3, Thats your opinion, i f**king hate dogs that bark for hours on end, far more annoying than any cat, i like dogs BTW.

The point I was making is that as they are introduced into the local food chain to prey on all manner of things means they are in no way natural. So the whole thing about them killing things being natural arguement falls on its rse, because they aren't naturally there!

You think I could be bothered walking around the neighborhood looking for a cat?

[Rorshach]

lol...just remind me, what the indiginus animals are again?

[PsychoCannon]

to the UK? Wild Boar, Dinosaurs and the greater burberry crested chav.

[Rorshach]

lol...good call.

...and Robins, gotta love Robins

[bikerchick82]

I've got a cat that would annoy the hell out of the pro water deterrent voters....

He loves water, gets in the bath and shower with me.....He's a house cat so he also has baths on his own.....

He'd probably look at a supersoaker in much the same way a dog would!

I've also got a dog and out of the two of them?

I'm more tempted to shoot the dog :-dd

[PsychoCannon]

Great....now I have George Michael in my head with dodgy animation >_<

[Caddy2000]

Oooo this could open up a whole can of worms...What about the poor defenceless birds that many cats find great pleasure in killing just for the sake of killing? Don't get me wrong I like cats, they're great. However, all pets have their pros and cons, to call them defenceless animals is a bit of an exaggeration. They have damn sharp claws and can run damn quick too, not really defenceless :-P

I might open this can if I may...

I hate the fact that cats will kill anything for a laugh, birds that are no threat to anything (and an important part of the ecosystem, so 'r lass tells me). AND I hate the fact that one was looking at my fish longingly the other night, AND the fact that one once had a habit of taking a dump behind my shed/workshop and stinking the place out.

For f***s sake. I have a dog, it doesn't run wild killing stuff, if it did I'd 100% expect someone to blow him to bits with a shotgun!

If you have so few friends you need a pet to curl up with and are too fat to walk a dog then keep the thing under control or buy yourself a Bratislavan sex slave or something.


Right, I wouldn't shoot a cat with an air rifle. Unless you have an FAC air rifle then you are nowhere near guaranteed a humane kill. I might risk it with mine but only at less than 20 yards (shorter than the garden) with a definite headshot. 12 ft lbs is not enough muzzle energy.

Airsoft guns, (with really low energy as is allowed in airsoft) then yeah go for it if you are confident you can make the shot.

I have however set a steel plate up where I had seen the cat, and put a shot into the plate. PING and the cat goes supersonic over the fence :-D Not seen that one since...

BUT if I see that ginger thing looking at my fish again, I'm going to nail it to the shed with the crossbow and feed it to them!

Your lass is right, one of the largest killers of songbirds are cats.....
12ftlb is more than enough! I can kill a rabbit stone dead at 60 yards with my air rifle. At 100 yards a 12ftlb air rifle has more power than a 12 bore! Treat them with the respect they deserve!

Cats killing birds unfortunatly is part of the food chain, i hate it when my male cat kills birds, if i see him stalking a bird ill spray him with the hose.
Most animals as you know, have a predatory enemy so its not fair just use cats as an example.
Animals die from natural predators all the time, death by humans is not natural.
What right as human beings have we to kill another living thing if its no gain to us for food etc, i know this sounds a bit hypocritical as im a meat eater, but thats the way i feel.
Phil

The domestic feline is not part of the UK food web; it is a human problem, therefore needs a human solution just like rabbits!
Cats do an enormous amount of damage to ecosystems, but that doesn't matter because they are cute!
The problem with cats is that not a single species in Britian has evolved with the domestic feline as it's predator, so does not have the mechanism to deal with it. So yes, it is fair to use the cat as an example! Also can you please tell me what the natural predator of the cat is?
The right to kill is a duty to conserve the precious ecosystem that we as a species constantly destroy - we have to become the predator to keep the balance.

Cats killing birds is their instinct, it's part of the food chain. It's nature in action - I'm sure your OH will be able to reconcile these facts
Instinct is instinct - broad-brush generalisations are poor means of fighting an argument in my opinion.
That's an action in the wrong place, it has taken hundreds of thousands of years for mammals to find their place in the ecosystem, and now man just moves species around willy nilly - how many tribes in South america have been killed by the cold virus? How long until the backbird becomes a rare sight in the UK?
I'm afraid you're the one with the broad brush...


Again, cats = easy target = woody for macho tw*t doing the cruelty.



I'm not a tw*t, just someone who earnt a degree in conservation, and now works trying to save as much of what we have left.
I am all for controlling species that have no control, whether that's rabbits, grey squirrels, or even cats.
Please remember that there is more than one way to do things (I nearly said to skin a cat, but didn't think that'd go down well), so I'm not talking about shooting cats, yet. But I do think that cat owners need to take more responsibility of their pets as they are the most ecologically damaging of all our pets.

[timwilky]

Oi Ralph

I have deliberately kept out of this one, and you drag me in.

Personally I wouldn't bother shooting a cat, they have their place in the food chain keeping down the rats and mice. Far better to shoot the people who think they own them and feed them up on whiskers and the like instead of letting them do what nature intended and feed themselves on vermin.

Anyway one guaranteed cure for a moggy problem (http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/838865/)

[Specialone]

I suppose the same people who would harm a cat or any other animal without it being a food source are also the same people who would quite happily club a seal pup to death or torture a hamster.

This is my last post on this subject because it seems people are divided on this, but one thing i am sure about, if someone harms my cats and i find them, they are gonna wish they hadnt.

[-Ralph-]

Oi Ralph

I have deliberately kept out of this one, and you drag me in.

:mrgreen:

[missyburd]

I'm not a tw*t, just someone who earnt a degree in conservation, and now works trying to save as much of what we have left.
I am all for controlling species that have no control, whether that's rabbits, grey squirrels, or even cats.
Please remember that there is more than one way to do things (I nearly said to skin a cat, but didn't think that'd go down well), so I'm not talking about shooting cats, yet. But I do think that cat owners need to take more responsibility of their pets as they are the most ecologically damaging of all our pets.

Nicely put. Its thanks to the Romans that we have the domestic cat in Britain and I have no doubt in my mind that the small bird population does better for it! I'm not sure about keeping the rats and mice down either, what's the saying about rats, you're no further than a metre from a rat in a city? We have more rodents running about our streets than ever before, I wouldn't say the cats have had much effect on their numbers whatsoever. Besides which, rats have nasty bites and are bold as brass, why would a cat be bothered with that when it can have a fluffy featherbrain?

Anyway I feel I am digressing somewhat, point made :mrgreen:

[Balky001]

I have two cats, I always speak to them responsibly before letting them out :rolleyes:. Sometimes I suspect they don't always do what they promise they will

You can't treat a cat the same as a dog and you can't treat a dog the same as a goldfish.

[Graciepants]

ok ok ok sorry if this is hitler, but next time there is a tom cat fight....

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2578242/Pet-cat-eaten-by-giant-snake.html

[Spiderman]

you read the sun? :shock: jeez i thought you were a classy kind of chick.

[orose]

I thought they all liked a bit of rough from time to time... mind you, I'd have thought she'd had enough of that on her plate

[Owenski]

I have two cats, I always speak to them responsibly before letting them out :rolleyes:. Sometimes I suspect they don't always do what they promise they will

You can't treat a cat the same as a dog and you can't treat a dog the same as a goldfish.

Tell me about it, my fish get in a total flap when I try take them for Walkies.

[Graciepants]

you read the sun? :shock: jeez i thought you were a classy kind of chick.
thats just a clever facade :smt116

I thought they all liked a bit of rough from time to time... mind you, I'd have thought she'd had enough of that on her plate
dont let dave read that!! 8-[

[yorkie_chris]

I've got a cat that would annoy the hell out of the pro water deterrent voters....

200 bar jet wash. That would probably splatter the thing over the other side of the valley.Hilarious and humane (well)...

I suppose the same people who would harm a cat or any other animal without it being a food source are also the same people who would quite happily club a seal pup to death or torture a hamster.

Killing things is not the same thing as cruelty. I'd say that cats are far more guilty of sadistic torture than anyone who would use ones head for target practice.

[Bluewolf]

.

[missyburd]

Flying fish..?

Technically fish can flap their tails, gills and fins without being flying fish ;)

[yorkie_chris]

12ftlb is more than enough! I can kill a rabbit stone dead at 60 yards with my air rifle. At 100 yards a 12ftlb air rifle has more power than a 12 bore! Treat them with the respect they deserve!

Cats do an enormous amount of damage to ecosystems, but that doesn't matter because they are cute!

The problem with cats is that not a single species in Britian has evolved with the domestic feline as it's predator,

Ballistics geek in me says that depends entirely on the load! I don't think I'd want a 00 shell in my direction, 100 yards or not!
Should be plenty power for 40 yards then, maybe I make conservative estimates. Or I could just use the crossbow...

Which is why you'll get such responses from people on here "how can they be annoying, they're so cute". My favourite cats are the one's I have after 15 pints of a weekend wrapped in a pitta bread with some soggy salad and hot sauce.

Dunno, my mates greyhound will kill and eat any cat it sees. Solution? More wild greyhounds.

[SoulKiss]

20 miles?

But you wouldn't know until you opened the box whether it was still alive :)

[yorkie_chris]

Of course because you could not know it would be simultaneously alive and dead.

[454697819]

I have mixed feelings about this,

Scaring cats is easy, as for using an airsoft, its one way but wouldnt be my prefered.

I keep my two cats in at night to lower the risk of being struck by cars in the night.

They both hunt as we live in the country and I am very greatful that they do.

I love my cats a lot and its not that I need a pet but I want one and take very good care of it, so if I heard that someone at it i woudl expect them to be ok with me shooting them in the ****.

seems fair.

Dont forget if someone sees you with a rifle out of the window, they migth get entirly the wrong idea, then we would see your nakes ass on police camera criminals ruint he world one night being arrested by the ARU.

hey hum

[yorkie_chris]

So by that logic if your cat was fishing in my pond, I could stab you with some pointy things and drown you?

Of course the police and CPS would not approve, but I doubt I am breaking any laws by shooting the cat. Which is quite nice actually.

[SoulKiss]

So by that logic if your cat was fishing in my pond, I could stab you with some pointy things and drown you?

Of course the police and CPS would not approve, but I doubt I am breaking any laws by shooting the cat. Which is quite nice actually.

Not nice - animal cruelty/mistreatment laws would get you.

And it could be argued that a pet = property, so criminal damage.

[Bluewolf]

.

[SoulKiss]

What about birds..? If they don't flap their wings does that mean they're fish..? If a cat flaps its tail does that mean it could be both..? Or does it just mean someone has shot it..?

Heres one for you then...

unborn or newly born rabbits, which are called “Laurices.” (Laurice was officially classified as “fish” in 600 A.D. by Pope Gregory I, and thus permissible during Lent.

Gotta love those crazy Popes....

[yorkie_chris]

Not nice - animal cruelty/mistreatment laws would get you.

And it could be argued that a pet = property, so criminal damage.

Cruelty being deliberately causing pain, being shot in the head won't be painful for long!

Pet might = property, but if it was a dog on "moy laaand" damaging livestock then that would be fair game.

(and since people here are prepared to argue that cats are a natural part of the ecosystem then I am quite happy to call decorative koi livestock!)