We reported our shot/killed cat to the sheriff today.

[bertha katzenengel]

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8071613

A sheriff's deputy and a representative of animal control visited Mrs. V. at home (she works at home; I don't).

Turns out that it is legal to shoot stray animals on your property, but you must shoot to kill, not wound.

I'm so flabbergasted, so infuriated by this news that I have no more words. Only ground teeth and clenched fists.

[Shell Beau]

1. I can see shooting the animal if it were posing a threat.

I can't imagine that your cat was posing some sort of threat. Do you know who did this?

I wouldn't shoot an animal, but I could see someone doing it if one of their animals or children were in danger.

[bertha katzenengel]

8. We don't know who did it.

If I did, I'd stand on his chest and shoot out his eyes with my BB gun.

[TZ]

2. I'm guessing thats a county thing.

Somehow, I don't see that flying in Montgomery or PG county.
Sorry....:wtf: :grr: :hug:

[bertha katzenengel]

9. Yeah, Southern Maryland . . .

Chuck County is blue, but you wouldn't know it at a glance. You really wouldn't.

[IndianaJones]

3. does anyone keep chickens or other small animals around where you live?

I would look there first.

[bertha katzenengel]

10. not that i know of.

thanks

[stuntcat]

4. oh no

I missed the first thread. She was just a good little cat, WTF is wrong with people? :cry: This kinda stuff gets to me so bad, some people are way worse than any animals could be.

[bertha katzenengel]

11. stuntcat

:hug:

[blueraven95]

5. bertha

what county are you in? That sounds to me like a law that needs to be changed, or at least looked at.

Would it be possible to collar your cats? And possibly microchip them? I know my vet in Baltimore microchips for fairly cheaply, and then your ferals could not be considered strays. Just a thought.

Anyway, hugs to both of you. I couldn't imagine losing one of my cats so brutally - I can't imagine what you are going through.

:hug:

[bertha katzenengel]

12. Charles County.

I am thinking of putting collars on them. I haven't in the past because they always manage to get them off.

:hug: Thank you, blueraven.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I am SO sorry!!!! *great big hugs*

[bertha katzenengel]

13. ty, GPV

:hug:

[cwydro]

7. Oh my god bertha!

I am so sorry.

I missed the first thread.

How awful. Who shoots a cat for crying out loud? What did the poor thing do? Crap in their yard, walk on the car?

[bertha katzenengel]

14. She probably just walked in their yard.

We're known in the neighborhood as the house with the cats. What people probably don't know is that all of them (except maybe the newbie, Angel) are spayed & neutered and are cared for to the greatest extent we can manage. We consider our ferals OUR cats.

I am just hopeless, helpless in this situation. :(

[GoddessOfGuinness]

15. Oh Bertha...I'm so sorry!

:hug::hug::hug:
Poor Toonces! :cry:
:hug::hug::hug:

[bertha katzenengel]

16. sweet Goddess

thank you :hug: i am so heartbroken

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. Didn't she have kittens awhile back?

I don't understand how people can be so mean...

[bertha katzenengel]

18. No, that was Skittles.

She's semi-feral, but lives indoors.

I think I said this upthread - if I knew who did it, I'd stand on his chest and shoot out his eyes with my BB gun. Fucking shithead bastard.

:cry:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

19. I hope s/he gets overrun by mice

with nary a cat in sight to help them.

[MicaelS]

20. Not everyone is a cat lover, many people are bird lovers

And that is one reason why cats get shot. Take some time to read these links, especially the first one from the Times. I live in the city, not the country, and I have a good friend who lives in the country who is a cat lover and cares for some ferals, so I can see both sides of the story. I like birds, but I'm not a birder. I like cats, as long as they're kept indoors where they belong. Feral cats are not parts of the natural ecosystem, whereas birds are. If you get the professionals involved in the debate and involve the Endangered Species Act they are going to come down on the side the birds.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/magazine/02cats-v--birds-t.html

http://birdchaser.blogspot.com/2008/03/cats-kill-over-1-billion-birds-each.html

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/09/0907_040907_feralcats.html

[hedgehog]

21. What is a natural ecosystem? There have been humans in North America

for about 50,000 years. I think the emphasis should be on a stable ecosystem. I keep cats, and some of them brought down birds. On the other hand, I don't spray, and I keep some meadow and 45 acres of woods. By providing habitat, I benefit more birds than my cats kill. I'd put my 60 acres up against any 60 acres in my mother's suburb where all the cats are kept indoors any day.

[zanne]

22. It is cruel to shoot a cat.

How about a stray dog? If somebody shot a stray dog, would that be just fine with you? Feral cats are feral through no fault of their own. If someone adopted that cat as a barn cat, then nobody, and I mean nobody, had the right to shoot it. If anybody shot one of my barncats, that heartless person would be in legal trouble. I'd make sure of it.

[MicaelS]

24. Not everyone agreees with you

As the NY Time article stated. I'm not in favor of shooting strays unless they're a direct threat to humans or livestock. I'm just making the point WHY some people do shoot strays / ferals. Seems like most people here tend to be cat lovers, which is fine. I just wanted to point out that there are many people in this country who are birders and they feel every bit as strongly as cat lovers do.

[bertha katzenengel]

25. Oh, don't start this shit with me, MicaelS

We have been through this and through this on this message board, feral cats vs. birds. I'm not going to argue this with you.

It is total bullshit of you to bring this up in a thread about grief.

[zanne]

28. Agreed. It shows poor form. nt

[Mrs. Venation]

30. Do You Have Any Idea How Fucking Insensitive This Is?

I don't care if you or anyone else disagrees with feral rescue. You could have started your own fucking thread and talked about this. Instead, you intruded into a thread where Bertha is trying to work through her grief. That's like picking a scab and opening the wound again.

People who post shit like this have pretty much soured me on DU. This particular post makes me want to puke.

We took that sweet little kitty to the emergency vet expecting to bring her home and nurse her back to health. We didn't know some asswipe shot her until after the vet examined her. This has been an agonizing experience for us, and we have reached out to DU for some measure of comfort and healing. You just had to get your little "feral cats are evil" dig into this, didn't you, fuckhead?

Congratulations, asswipe. In my opinion you are just as cruel as the bastard who shot our cat.

[ThomCat]

23. Damn!

x(

So strays are fair game? I guess I'm not surprised. :(

I'm very sorry about the loss of your cat. :hug:

[bertha katzenengel]

26. thank you, ThomCat

My neighbors can't know that they're not strays. I wish there were a way I could educate my neighbors. These feral cats are spayed and neutered and cared for. Someone suggested collars, so I'm thinking about it again for my tame ones. If i could get them on the ferals, I would. But they're feral.

[Blue Diadem]

27. I'm sorry Bertha, I had no idea.

I wouldn't have suggested you call to report it if I'd had any idea. :-(

Damn stupid idiots that just want to kill things. :grr:

I know it's difficult but try to remember that what you do is a good thing. You've given love & care that many kitties might never have known. :hug:

[poiuytsister]

29. I'm so sorry, I've been there

I lived in a tiny town in southern IL in a former life. My toddler had just learned to play with the front door and my cat escaped. By the time I found out what happened my admittedly cat hating neighbor gave me some bullshit story about how he looked sick so they shot him.

Yeah, right!