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Wisconsin Considers Legalizing Cat Hunting

Michelle Kaminsky - Apr 2005

Ever wished that you could, ahem, "take care of" your neighbor's tomcat that sprays your house, cries unbearably during mating season, and rummages through your trash? Well if you live in Wisconsin, you just may get your chance.

On April 11, a majority of Wisconsin residents voted to legalize hunting of free-roaming cats, ignoring the sizable number of feline-friendly voters wearing cat whiskers and gripping cat stuffed animals. Question 62 at the annual meeting of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress asked people in 72 counties whether free-roaming cats should be lifted from the protected species list—meaning that both wild cats and any domestic cat not under direct control of its owner or without a collar could be shot.

What does this mean for Wisconsin cat caretakers? It could mean a greater emphasis on controlling the little bundles of fur if a law is passed, but don't go out and buy kitty camouflage or a leash just yet. Cat season will remain closed if animal protection advocates like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), veterinarians, and ordinary kitty-loving citizens have anything to say about it. Along with a handful of state lawmakers who insist that Wisconsin has more pressing matters at hand, they have banded together to fight against any such legislation—and this is sure to be a real cat fight.

Currently all cats are protected under state laws that prohibit cruelty to animals, but feral cat hunting is legal in Minnesota and South Dakota, Wisconsin's upper Midwest neighbors. Why? Experts estimate that, globally, feral cats may have brought about the extinction of more bird species than any other cause except habitat destruction. In Wisconsin alone, about 2 million wild cats roam the heartland, and they kill anywhere between 39 and 139 million songbirds per year as well as an underdetermined number of small mammals.

Proponents of feral cat hunting also note that because cats are a non-native species, they compete with owls and hawks for food, dipping into their numbers, and can also carry and spread disease to other animals and humans. Many hunters, though, shied away from publicly expressing their views at the Wisconsin meetings; some suggest a reluctance to do so in the face of an already controversial mourning dove hunt.

The legalization of feral cat hunting was first proposed by Mark Smith, a firefighter from La Crosse, in last year's meeting of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress. Every second Monday in April, the Congress holds public meetings to gauge opinion on various fish and wildlife issues. This citizen advisory group reports to the state Department of Natural Resources and the Natural Resources Board, who in turn forwards findings to the Wisconsin Legislature. Then the lawmakers decide whether to introduce a bill and vote, leaving the final say up to the governor, Democrat Jim Doyle, who signs or not—and he says he won't.

On the other side of the debate, cat supporters have had their claws out from the get-go. PETA wrote a letter on behalf of its 4000 plus members and supporters in Wisconsin urging the Congress to keep free-roaming cats protected. The animal advocacy group encourages the capture of feral cats and their removal from open society, but wants a solution to the problem "in accordance with humane standards and existing laws."

PETA's letter states that the lift of the protection would be akin to "declaring an open season" on cats and would put "countless animals at the risk of violent and painful deaths." The group also warns that felony cruelty to animals cases would rise if cats were unprotected.

This view is supported by at least one group of veterinarians from WaukeshaCounty who insist that cat shootings are already a problem that would only grow with a law permitting feral cat hunting. Randy Schuett, a veterinarian who keeps barn cats, said, "Every time you shoot a cat and think you've killed it, you're wrong. I'm tired of patching up these animals." Indeed, one meeting attendant stated that he thought he was always permitted to shoot feral cats.

There are also community groups formed for the sole purpose of defending a cat's right to roam, including the Wisconsin Cat-Action Team, which espouses its views on the Web site DontShootTheCat.com. The Friends of Ferals works with the Dane County Humane Society to remove cats from the wild and spay or neuter them. However, dissidents note that when these cats are released back into the wild, they still kill.

Other than animal cruelty concerns, there are also basic biological ones. Betty Lipscomb of Cats International, a group that endeavors to help people better understand cat behavior, urges us to remember history. She notes that in the Middle Ages, we learned the hard way that free-roaming cats are a part of the ecosystem—without them, we'll have free-roaming rats.

And it's not only traditional cat lovers who are against feral cat hunting. An unlikely chirp of support came from Karen Hale, the executive director of the Madison Audubon Society, one of the largest organizations devoted to birds, when she voted "no" on the proposal, citing its controversial nature. Hale recommended more studies, analysis, and discussion to determine whether feral cat hunting is really the best solution to the disappearance of Wisconsin's songbirds.

So what are cat lovers in Wisconsin (and elsewhere) to do? Responsible pet care is always advised; in the case of new legislation, this would mean keeping Frisky out of the line of fire to avoid the heartbreaking, surreal news that your furry friend has been gunned down.

But the strategy of gathering together and letting the fur fly also seems to be working; whether alone or in groups, pals of those with paws should encourage lawmakers to investigate more humane solutions to the feral cat problem. With a concerted effort that offers constructive solutions, the friends of felines can help to assure that curiosity—and not disgruntled neighbors—remains the number one killer of cats.

Update: At a May 25, 2005, meeting, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board declared they had decided not to pursue this measure further.

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Comments

Submitted by Anonymous on Apr 14, 2010 - 10:19AM

I think that it should stay illegal for the people to hunt house cats. That is an act of animal cruelty, like they said. and there are so many songbirds in the USA and other countries. So the birds can take care of themselves, the cats need help. DON'T SHOOT THEM! AND DON'T MAKE IT LEGAL!

Submitted by Anonymous on Jun 22, 2010 - 3:13PM

Cats are the most disgusting animals! I worked in Rent to Own where we had furniture returned by cat owners. The urine stench was in every case overwhelming. And just try to get the smell out, Not very easy. I shall say that after seeing what I have in the RTO Industry, I will never own a cat, nor will I allow any family or friends to bring their cat into my home. I have stopped dating women who own cats. If the cat problem is that bad in Wisconsin, then Good Hunting!

Submitted by Anonymous on Jun 27, 2011 - 2:59PM

We have 6, six & proud of it! Lord only know what kind of "clients" you have in the RTO industry. NO one who has entered our house could guess he had cats. Guess when your "clients" return stuff, the are letting cats express there distain of your prices, policies etc.

Submitted by Katie on Aug 11, 2011 - 8:24AM

Your experience could be said of any animal; I used to be a dog owner (still love 'em) and he stunk more than my cats. Your broad judgment based on this experience through RTO is not fair....

Submitted by Marty Dorsey on Jun 24, 2010 - 1:19PM

I grew up in a ranch in Texas many years ago. Feral cats were always a problem. Unfortunately these cats inbreed, creating abnormal behaviors. Too many or not enough toes were common, droopy eyes, serious skin deseases and retardation. When enough people complained about infected scratches and attacks, the Sheriff's Dept. sent deputies with special gear to kill the cats. Hunters think nothing about killing a mountain lion which is far more precious than a feral cat. As long as we have an irresponsible population who are not going to neuter/spay their cats, this will continue. The behavior of feral cats should be observed and train groups to hunt the feral cats in an expidient and humane manner.

Submitted by JayPea on Aug 6, 2010 - 6:15PM

I live in Minnesota and I do not like the feral cat hunting law. It gives way too many trigger happy hunters carte blanche to shoot your pet right in your yard or on your property, where your pet has every right to be. Everything the posters have said about cats killing songbirds and disease and inbreeding, etc, can be said about most rural populations of people (I am one of those rural people), and you don't see too many people advocating hunting season on 10-year-olds with BB guns or the creepy people with guns we have met out and about. As for it mentioning in the article about an undetermined number of small mammals, I hope to heck they continue. I do not want to be hip deep in mice, rats, chipmunks and other rodents. If you don't think rodents impact birds, think again. They chew bushes and trees and can girdle them or allow disease to enter through the holes in the bark and kill them, so the habitat dies, and rats also will eat any eggs or baby birds they can get. They spread many diseases, and are just plain destructive in large numbers, as are any animals in large numbers. What we, as humans, need to do is not kill these animals. We need to solve the problem by funding catch, fix and release until the numbers are manageable and probably we need to make it socially unacceptable/a misdemeanor to allow our pets to remain unneutered and loose to breed indiscriminately. Put the blame where it belongs, on irresponsible humans, and put solving the problem where it belongs, don't make the cats pay for what their irresponsible owners did to them.

Submitted by Anonymous on Nov 18, 2010 - 11:32AM

Grow up cat lovers, cats are just like the song birds they can "fend" for themselves.

Submitted by AnonymousPete on Nov 21, 2010 - 8:20PM

Feral cats are a problem and like it or not are a man induced non native invasive sepcies. They kill for the thrill. I raised roller pigieons and had one wipe out my whole flock and never ate a bite from one of them. I see them in fields daily and have watched them pack around baby rabbits still squealing. Even declawed they are a very efficent killer.

The program we need is nation wide ban on them running free. Found afield they need dealt with like a free roaming dog. If they have a collar they get turned into the shelter if not they get euthenized.

Submitted by Anonymous on Apr 4, 2011 - 5:53PM

You people need to grow up. I commonly "hunt" feral cats, whether it is illegal or not. There were about 40 where I live. I AM a cat lover. My cat goes outside and wanders around my yard. The feral cats attack her on site. They spray all over my house, simply because I have a cat. They fight on my deck at night, and a few have even been attacking my dogs. No one would do anything. Fine, I'd take matters into my own hands.

I have been culling their numbers for about a year. The neighborhood has seen a drastic reduction in feral cat numbers, from about 40 to 15. Everyone is thanking me, since the cat issues were not only related to me.

I would never shoot a cat with a collar. I don't believe in removing house cats. Feral cats are a true and growing problem in the state. If you live in the country, they are horrible and overwhelming. If "hunting" like me, you aren't in it to torture the animals or thrill kill. The numbers do have to come down.

Submitted by Anonymous on Jun 5, 2011 - 10:10PM

I am A Cat Lover. But I do think shooting feral cat should be legal. I also feel that there should be a law so if a person wants to buy a cat or own a cat that they need to have it spayed or neutered with a time limit for the person to do so or that cat will be removed and sold to a responsible owner. if a person wants to bread cats they need to have a license with training To breed which needs to be check on regularly,to make sure that things a sanitary, the cats are well taken care of and healthy not free roaming, also they would need to keep records on who they sold to with proof of neutering or spading and proof of shots ,
I have a 10 year old male cat neutered. He goes outside with a collar and is attached to a leash we live in the country, but we never leave him out alone he is very spoiled but a very good cat extremely smart and well behaved, in the summer he likes to go outside to use the bathroom (like a Dog).This past Memorial day (just A Few Days ago) we were outside and saw a scrappy looking cat, we did not touch the cat, feed it or encourage it to come around.That cat has Distemper Now my cat has the distemper virus I have been treating him for the past 2 days and have not left the house since. Luckily because I treat my cat like a kid I pay attention to him and do not just let him come and go as he wishes (by the way he knows not different and is very happy).I was able to get him to a vet the same day he did not want to get up or was not able to get up, I have been giving him a strong Antibiotic every 12 hours. today is the first day he has gotten up to eat and drink his food. I have been trying to have this cat trapped so it will not infect more animals i have called the local animal authorities with no response and local animal organizations how say they cannot help I need to call this place or that place. So at this point I have given my husband the Ok to shoot and kill that cat if it comes around our neighbor is going to do the same. At least then the cat will not have to suffer and Die in pain or spread Distemper to other cared for pets. Sometimes you just need to do what is right. I do not blame that cat for getting my cat sick, I blame the people that have cats and do not take care of them.


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