The appropriate firearms and ammunition must always be used. Shooters should not shoot at an animal unless it is clearly visible and they are confident of killing it with a single shot. Only head brain or chest heart-lung shots must be used. Shots to the head are preferred over chest shots as they are more likely to cause instantaneous loss of consciousness.
Chest shots do not render the animals instantaneously insensible and are likely to result in a higher incidence of wounding. Shooting at other parts of the body is unacceptable. The shooter must be satisfied that each animal is dead before another is targeted. Wounded cats must be located and killed as quickly and humanely as possible with a second shot preferably directed to the head. If left, wounded animals can suffer from the disabling effects of the injury, from sickness due to infection of the wound, from pain created by the wound or from thirst or starvation if unable to drink or capture food.
To minimise the animal welfare implications of leaving dependant kittens to die a slow death from starvation, it is preferable not to undertake shooting when females are lactating eg September to March in non-urban habitats.
There is a high probability that any female cat over six months old that is caught during this time will be pregnant or lactating. If lactating females are shot, efforts should be made to find dependent kittens and kill them quickly and humanely.
Litters may be found near to the trap site in the base of hollow tree trunks, among boulders etc. Impact on non-target animals Shooting is relatively target specific and does not usually impact on other species. Only shoot at the target animal once it has been positively identified and never shoot over the top of hills or ridges as other animals or people may be out of sight beyond the hill in the danger zone.
Health and safety considerations Firearms are potentially hazardous. All people should stand well behind the shooter when an animal is being shot. The line of fire must be chosen to prevent accidents or injury from stray bullets or ricochets. Shooting from a vehicle is potentially dangerous. An agreed safety procedure between the shooter and others in the vehicle must be in place to ensure that people do not enter the field of fire or disturb the taking of a shot.
Firearm users must strictly observe all relevant safety guidelines relating to firearm ownership, possession and use.
Firearms must be securely stored in a compartment that meets State legal requirements. Ammunition must be stored in a locked container separate from firearms. Adequate hearing protection should be worn by the shooter and others in the immediate vicinity of the shooter.
Repeated exposure to firearm noise can cause irreversible hearing damage. Safety glasses are recommended to protect the eyes from gases, metal fragments and other particles. Warm, comfortable clothing and stout footwear is recommended, especially when shooting at night. Care must be taken when handling feral cat carcasses as they may carry diseases such as toxoplasmosis, ringworm and sarcosporidiosis that can affect humans and other animals.
Routinely wash hands after handling all carcasses. Equipment required Firearms and ammunition Small bore, high velocity, centre fire rifles fitted with a telescopic sight are preferred eg. Hollow-point or soft-nosed ammunition should always be used. Rimfire weapons with lower muzzle energy are not recommended because of the greater risk of non-lethal wounding.
The accuracy and precision of firearms should be tested against inanimate targets prior to the commencement of any shooting operation. Other equipment if shooting at night, a handheld spotlight at least watt , or a helmet or headband mounted 12 volt 35 watt spotlight fox whistle for making artificial rabbit distress calls , if desired first aid kit lockable firearm box lockable ammunition box Procedures Identification of feral cats Feral cats are similar in appearance to domestic cats; however when in good physical condition, the feral cat has increased overall muscle development, which is especially noticeable around the head, neck and shoulders, giving the animal a more robust appearance.
Feral cats are predominately short-haired with coat colours ranging between ginger, tabby, tortoiseshell, grey and black. White markings may be present, particularly on the chest, paws and abdomen, but completely white cats are very rare.
Ginger cats are more likely to be found in semi-arid and desert areas, while grey and black cats are found in scrub and forests. In many ways, a true feral cat can be seen as another form of wildlife, and some homeowners may regard its hunting of mice, chipmunks, rabbits, and other garden pests to be perfectly acceptable.
Just as bird-lovers dislike stray cats, some gardeners may welcome them for the predatory benefits they offer, just as a fox or owl is welcomed. However, if you find that multiple cats are frequently prowling your yard, this is no longer a natural phenomenon, and it's probably time to take steps to control the population. Cats and Birds. American Bird Conservancy. Stojanovic, Vladimir, and Peter Foley. Infectious disease prevalence in a feral cat population on Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Deak, Brooke P et al. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI vol. Department of Agriculture. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads.
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Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. In This Article Expand. Stray Cats vs. Feral Cats. Use Scare Tactics. Techniques to Avoid. Can feral cats be hunted? Will a stray cat go away on its own? Can I simply ignore a stray cat? Featured Video. Article Sources. The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Read More. Your Privacy Rights. That's how solutions are found to problems. Truth is, vaccinated and sterilized cats are the best humane option we have. Extremists like Ted Williams who think the mass slaughter of feral cats by a pain pill—wielding populace is the right solution should kindly keep their manifestos to themselves; that type of incendiary ranting has no place in civilized discourse.
We believe Mr. Williams doesn't deserve to be paid by the National Audubon Society, either. Please, click the button below to send a letter to the National Audubon Society calling on them to further demote Mr. Williams, ideally to part-time custodial arts engineer. What a perfect time for you to endorse the practice of TNR. By the way, we asked the Orlando Sentinel to print a rebuttal op-ed, and they declined our request. Follow Julie on Twitter. No-Kill What does no-kill mean?
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