All Wisconsin Animal lovers and anyone else interested Please Read **UPDATE** 4/13/

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All Wisconsin Animal lovers and anyone else interested Please Read **UPDATE** 4/13/

4/13****NEW UPDATE

http://www.dontshootthecat.com/
from WinCustomize Forums
A vote will come up in your state on April 11 to try and pass a law making it legal to shoot feral, and ultimately domestic cat's. Here is a link to the proposed bill Link



And here is a link that show's county by county where you can go for the meeting on the matter.



Link




*UPDATE*
Here is a copy of the alert I received. It explains this a little better.
Dear Best Friends Network Member,



Many of you may have heard of the Wisconsin man who wants to create a hunting season on feral cats in his state. It has received nationwide attention. In case you haven’t heard of this, here is just one of the recent articles: http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=31029&ntpid=3



Because so many of you have asked, we wanted to let you know what is happening and what is being done to help protect Wisconsin cats:

On Monday, April 11th at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Congress Question #62 will be up for vote. Question #62 would define feral cats as an unprotected species, as if that's not bad enough, a feral cat is considered any cat without a collar and not under the control of the "owner". This means that it will be legal to hunt cats with no season or bag limit. To see the entire question:



http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/nrboard/congress/sh/cca/index.htm



There is a statewide campaign to defeat Question #62, led by a local coalition of animal groups and concerned individuals called Wisconsin Cat Action Team. They are organizing people to attend the hearings and voice their opinion.



What exactly can you do to help?

Right now the Cat Action Team feels that letters, emails, and phone calls from out of state will not help. If the vote passes, laws would have to be changed and the proposal would go before the legislature. At that time letters and petitions will be appropriate and we will keep you updated.



The key right now is getting the word out to Wisconsin residents to attend the hearings on April 11th and vote! If you have friends or family in Wisconsin, please urge them to attend the hearings and to spread the word to their friends. The more people we can let know, the better! For locations in each county for the meeting on the 11th go to http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/nrboard/congress/sh/lo/index.htm. The Cat Action Team is also looking for people to be County Coordinators in each county to help get the word out.



A website has been set up with more details and will continually be updated: Don’t Shoot the Cat (www.dontshootthecat.com). Also, a Don’t Shoot the Cat fact sheet is attached with more information. Please feel free to contact [email protected] for more information.



Thank you for being a part of the Network and for all that you do!



Sincerely,



Deborah Delgado-Hand

No More Homeless Pets

Best Friends Animal Society

5001 Angel Canyon

Kanab, Utah 84741

(435) 644-3965 ext. 4401

[email protected]

www.bestfriends.org


4/13 UPDATE****
Dear Best Friends Network Member,



You may have heard about the proposal in Wisconsin that would allow it to be legal to shoot free roaming cats.



In Wisconsin, any individual is able to propose questions to those who attend the annual Conservation Congress hearings. Wisconsin resident Mark Smith proposed that free roaming cats be removed from the protected species list, which would make it legal to shoot them. This issue was discussed at the meetings in each county on Monday night. This is NOT yet a law that will be going into effect.



Even though there were more yes votes than no votes at the meetings on Monday, they was just a small percentage of Wisconsin residents and in by no means a representation of the views of the entire state. The results of the Spring Hearings are forwarded to the Natural Resources Board and Department of Natural Resources for further consideration following the statewide recommendations from the Conservation Congress at its annual meeting. The State Legislature would then need to pass legislation to implement this proposal. And then the Legislature would ultimately decide this issue.



When we, as well as many of you, contacted officials in Wisconsin about this situation, they responded with a resounding “no” when asked if such a law would be passed in their state.



Jim Holperin, Secretary, Wisconsin Department of Tourism responded saying “No bill or any other proposal to allow shooting of cats, wild

(feral) or domestic has ever been advanced in Wisconsin, nor will one be. No legislator would be foolhardy enough to author such a measure. Cats are safe here. Regardless of the Conservation Congress outcome, however, that vote is only advisory. It does not have the force of law.”



The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary assures it won't be open season on stray cats in the state. Secretary Scott Hassett says that will be the case regardless of how residents voted on such a proposal. Hassett says there are too many unanswered questions and problems associated with killing roaming cats.



For background information on this situation please visit Alley Cat Allies at http://www.alleycat.org/wi.html



Make sure to visit www.dontshootthecat.com to keep up-to-date on this issue.



We are keeping a close eye on this situation and will keep you informed of the latest updates and how action can be taken if needed.



Sincerely,



Deborah Delgado-Hand

No More Homeless Pets

Best Friends Animal Society

5001 Angel Canyon

Kanab, Utah 84741

(435) 644-3965 ext. 4401

[email protected]

www.bestfriends.org
22,403 views 83 replies
Reply #51 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks Bill. Very sweet of ya!
Reply #52 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Wow, you talk about killin' a few cats, and everyone gets all political. I just want to know, is there a limit to how many you can shoot and can you get an out-of-state permit? Now, if they'd only bring back ALF...
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #53 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Don't feed the troll Cindy
Reply #54 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Lantec, Your advice allways seems very sound, and this piece of advice is no different..

Zero.
Reply #55 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Don't feed the troll Cindy


Don't give it another thought. I don't carry that kind of food anymore! And thanks.
Reply #56 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Lantec and Zero...
Reply #57 from WinCustomize Forums Top
LoL, Thanx Cindi, and the same to you! (I havent gotten the whole emoticon insertion thing down yet so I cant share)

By the way, Happy belated Birthday form me as well!

Zero.
Reply #58 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks Zero. I appreciate that. Awful nice of ya!
Reply #59 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks
Luck of the Irish to you also!
Reply #60 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well, Thank you Lantec. Thats awful nice of ya!
Reply #61 from WinCustomize Forums Top
feilz navidad!!... no wait..opps too much irish creamer in my coffee ... happy Birthday and happy St'Pattys Day.
Reply #62 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thankyou very much Master Apprentice HG Eliminator. Very nice of you! And a belated Happy St. Patricks Day to you!
Reply #63 from WinCustomize Forums Top
**Here is an update**
There has been over 8,000 signatures on the petition against the proposed law that will enable anyone to shoot any unattended cat or without a collar to be shot on the spot. Please, if you have'nt signed it yet, please consider doing so at http://www.dontshootthecat.com/

Thanks alot to those of you that have, and to those of you that will.
Reply #64 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Just went and signed it,cl...I grew up with cats and dogs, and cats unless they are totally housebound will roam on occasion. And that is not a feral cat! And just how is s "hunter" going to tell the difference anyway! I can not understand where people come up with these ideas.
Reply #65 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Just went and signed it


Thanks alot. I don't know where they come up with it. It is beyond me.
Reply #66 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well, even if a Hunter could tell the difference, it doesnt matter..the law gives people that do not care for cats a perfect opportunity to go taking out any and all cats they see,(within the letter of the writtin proposal of course) for no other reason than they personally dont like the animals..thats wrong..
Not to mention teens in their infinite boredom for something to do at times "Lets go shoot some cats" ::laughs::

I dont know who in their right mind ever let it get this far.. The cat problem must be really something to witness if they are taking such irrational idea's into consideration..

Ah well,
Hopefully reason will prevail,
Zero.
Reply #67 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Zero, If this law passes they will be able to shoot ANY cat unattended or not wearing a collar. It is absurd and crazy. And you are absolutely right about the teens. They will be killing cats as fast as they can pull the trigger. It is totally mindless. Anyway, thanks for your input. I will update this again when I get another alert. Read comment 63 for the latest. Thanks, Cindi
Reply #68 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Australia has 'feral' cats, dogs, horses, camels, rabbits, foxes, cane toads, ad nauseum....all of which are open to 'culling'.  It also has some of the 'most' unique animals on the planet....or rather...HAD some.

There IS no place for any uncontrolled introduced species in any environment.

Of course...that includes humans too....the species guilt of all those 'unfortunate' introductions.

The 'culling' can be more appropriately targeted at the human.....and some countries do that quite well, what with liberal gun laws, etc....

I have a cat.....but also have a sense of responsibility....she's not allowed outside at night [hunting time]....and is almost NEVER seen beyond our title boundaries....and 192 sq meters ain't big.

Idiot gun-toters aside, it is the responsibility of the pet owner to NOT allow their charge to endanger or impact upon native wildlife.

Similar legislation has been adopted in areas of Australia.....and yet some dickhead introduced a fox into Tasmania recently....and that state is in panic mode as the potential for damage is enormous.

If/when the idiot is found....he should be shot along with the fox[s].

Anyone who really understands the precarious nature of our ecological habitat should welcome 'introduced species control'.....and does.

By the way.....in the time it took to write this comment, several species are now extinct that weren't prior.

Reply #69 from WinCustomize Forums Top
for 'guilt' ready 'guilty'....post editing is broken....  Spell checker 
Reply #70 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well, The bill proposal has passed the vote. It will be ahwile till it actually can or will become law, as it now has to pass the State Legislator ect. I want to thank all of you who signed the petition against it. All is not lost yet. We who are against this can hope that those in power will have more conscience than some of the residents do. I will keep you updated.
Reply #71 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I heard about this and seen it on the news. How stupid. Even more, Congress actually listened to this guy? Freakin' hillbillies.
I suppose its too late to sign the petition.
Reply #72 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Unfortunately the feral cats is doing a lot of damage. They are also always in awful health too. I remember seeing the feral cats before. Jeez they looked awful. It's best just to kill them.

Please remember not to picture healthy house cats when thinking about feral cats. Those two is so different it's basically 2 species. Thin cats, sometimes with patchy furs is more common, and they can fight and spread disease to healthy house cats. That's how my favorite cat, Sped died.

Of course, teaching people about spray/neuter to protect from having too many cat kittens is important too.


So, what about hunting law?

Yes I support hunting cats. Kill those unhealthy cats. Good hunting.
Reply #73 from WinCustomize Forums Top
That'll be 'spay', Rolf, not 'spray'....
Reply #74 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Of course, teaching people about spray/neuter to protect from having too many cat kittens is important too.


Spaying and neutering is The Most Important thing. If the people were taking care of their cats in the first place, this would not be a problem. Prevention is always better.
Lets try something new. Take care of them to begin with. Lets take responsibility for our actions instead of killing what the lack of responsibility creates. This bill does not differentiate between sick and healthy cats. All cats not wearing a collar or accompanied by a human will be fair game. If everyone had the attitude you do, it would not be long till we start killing sick people.
Reply #75 from WinCustomize Forums Top
They might not achieve their desired goal even if the law is passed. Euthenizing wolves worked wonderfully back in the early history of our country, but not so with coyotes. The more coyotes that the US Fish and Wildlife killed, the greater the population rose. They discovered that the coyotes started having larger litters of pups due to the attack on their numbers. If I already mentioned this, I apologize, but this thread has been going a while.

Instead of having hillbillies (maybe drunk hillbillies) plinking everything that moves outside their windows, why not set up box (live) traps in the problem areas and then euthenize them if they are indeed feral (easy to tell with a cat)? Too much cost, I guess.