I Really Don’t See a Problem
…with the majority opinion.
…Out of curiosity, I boiled down the Jim Stevenson case and sent it to a few environmental-ethics professors. Most agreed with Callicott:
Shoot the cat.
Morality | tree hugging sister | 
December 4, 2007 9:57 am
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Shoot ’em like the mangy critters that they is.
“They’re cats! They chase birds.”
Actually, I don’t give two hoots about the cats. Nasty buggers, generally.
And I don’t give two hoots about a bird that is so easily killed by a cat, either. There just might be a good reason why these birds are endangered, such as, they’re too stupid to watch out for cats.
The only real issue is the law this time. Did the guy act lawfully to use a rifle in that area? Did he comply with the state laws on hunting? Are cats considered vermin that can be killed without a license?
If there is an ownership issue with the cat, i.e., the toll booth man, then if the cat was wrongfully killed, then the cat killer owes the toll booth operator the cost of the cat. Here’s five bucks, go away.
It’s all well and good to be outraged by many things that happen in society, but this is a clear case where reasonable laws are already on the books and they can easily be used to equitably and justly settle the issues.
It’s not a matter of loving cats or birds. It’s a matter of obeying reasonable laws enacted by our government.
“It’s not his fault that he’s an unstoppable killing machine!”
Cat lover that I am, I atill have to agree with the general consensus here. A feral cat cannot be domesticated. Capture-and-spay programs, while humane, only manage the problem, since there are always new strays. As long as the guy hasn’t violated any law, he shouldn’t be in trouble for downing one of these critters.
And unless Mr. Toll Booth guy can demonstrate ownership, he’s SOL as far as I’m concerned. (Hopefully, as far as the law is concerned, too. Feeding it don’t make it automatically yourn.) If he can demonstrate ownership, how does he explain owning what is essentially a wild animal? In most jurisdictions one needs a permit to own an exotic pet, especially if it’s dangerous to yourself or other creatures. In essence that’s what a feral cat is. Even the domesticated variety are known to hunt from instinct, even when well-fed and kept mostly indoors. Part of the charm – which thus makes it part of the responsibility of the owner (if any).
Feral cats are a problem, and need to be eliminated. I say this as a cat lover as well. The only concern I have is selecting the proper caliber of ammunition for a quick kill (.30-06 is a tad large, for example).
On the flip side, Sis will be pleased that no one has used the p word as yet.
Think big picture, Skyler. This is one of those simple things ~ what I would assume being a ‘discharging of a firearm within whatever’ ~ morphing into WWIII. He probably shouldn’t have SHOT, but if he could’ve trapped the little rat bastard and dropped it off at the pound…basically the same end result, but no fine.
Ah, ‘responsibility of the owner’. A LOVELY sentiment, Diptera! I am also a kitty lover, BUT only ones who are inside and STAY that way. I’m sick to death of lazy ass cat owners booting kitty outside because they’re too frickin’ busy to be bothered by cleaning a litter box. I’d much rather have my cardinals safe in the backyard than provide fodder for their feline.
On the flip side…
Or I might FLIP out.
THS, I’m not sure how what you said is different than what I said. So how is our big picture different?
I say, shoot the cat if it’s a menace. Or find some other way of doing away with it.
And I LIKE cats.
The birds were here before we brought cats into the picture (housecats are not native to the U.S.). Cat owners have a certain responsibility to see that their pets do not become a menace. This includes, I would argue, spaying and neutering them and whereever practicible, keeping the cats indoors.
(I would also add: I wish something could be done to silence the dogs that people put out on cold nights [because they don’t want to be arsed with waking up to let the dog out to pee] that bark all night long. Preferably something non-lethal to the dog because it’s really not its fault that its “pack” has banished it out into the dark and cold, but I would like to see something that would a. Shut up the dog and b. make the owner sorry he ever staked Fido out in the back yard.
And dogs that are a menace- as in, that threaten children or attack people – they should probably be done away with. A woman not to far from where I live was killed by a bunch of feral pit bulls a few months back.)