Subject: Re: Wild Cats

From: MICHAEL BRZEZOWSKI <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 1995 22:09:53 -0500 (EST)

> We have a single barn cat, gets the occassional hand out and not much else.
> No mice, one rat, moles dwindling. All kinds of birds (plenty of habitat).

	I still agree about the feeding thing.  My uncle has a horse barn.  IN
	it he has 3 nuetered cats and no mice/rats.  These cats are WELL fed.

> One or two cats are probably OK. A whole raft of them is trouble. Same goes
> for dogs. Spay, nueter, or just kill any domestic animals that pose a danger
> of uncontrolled breeding. Yes, I said kill. In our area, two people in the
> last year or so have had confrontations with feral dogs. I suspect that a lot
> of "coyote" damage east of the Mississippi is feral dogs. 
> 
	Kill.....still goes against my nature.  I do not kill anything unless
	it is in a direct conflict with me (a "my life or his" confrontation).
	I do completely agree with you about spaying and nuetering.  I have
	been waiting to respond to the note about how someone had wild cats
	and wanted them to breed other wild cats.  I think that is lidicrous.
	Feral animals are a major problem everywhere in the world.
	PLEASE...for your sake and the animal's sake...get those cats
	nuetered.  2-3 cats should take care of most rodent problems.  Also,
	feed the poor buggers.  Mousing used to be a survival technique a long
	time ago, but not anymore.  The "instinct" (I hate that word...it make
	many false acusations) has been long bred out of the cat.  The
	instinct to hunt for food that is...the instinct to hunt is still
	there.  Cats hunt for fun and are more successful if they are well
	energized.       

*** Next subject ***  Visiting/Helping other Homesteads.

     Does anyone have a Homestead that I could visit/help-out at this summer?
     I will be working and probaly only have weekends off.  So, if anyone
     would like to have a visitor, and lives within 5-6hrs of Philadelphia,
     please let me know.  Also, if anyone lives near Machias, or Bangor
     Maine...I am going there for a week in the beginning of August.

Thanks...Mike

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 1995 17:18:26 -0500

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From: Mike Mayer <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 07:46:01 -0600 (CST)

On Wed, 1 Mar 1995, MICHAEL BRZEZOWSKI wrote:
[snip]
> 	Feral animals are a major problem everywhere in the world.
[snip]

I agree. Too many feral cats are sick and half blind from eye infections. 
I have no intention of adding to the number of such cats. The two spayed
cats we have do a great job of keeping the mice down. The first was
rescued from our junk pile at about 5 weeks of age, fed, eyes cleaned up,
and ear mites eliminated. The second was found in front of the local school
in a box.

They hunt from instinct, not from hunger alone. I could take a piece of 
baling twine, tie a little knot in the end and shake in front of the 
kitten and it would pounce on it. That's instinct, not hunger. 

==============================================================================
 Mike Mayer                     (414) 751-3557           [email-masked]

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From: MICHAEL BRZEZOWSKI <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 22:45:44 -0500 (EST)

** I abstain from this argument due to the grounds of emotions **
    - Mike B

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From: Sal Schettino <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 09:35:42 -0800 (PST)

> and ear mites eliminated. The second was found in front of the local school
mine are not  sick or blind in fact that are healthy feral cats that love to 
hunt to eat.  they pounce on ball of twine because mom bring them mice 
when they are young and teaches them how to kill.  you can call it 
instinct i call it training from mom.  Moms are the best hunters because 
they have to feed the babys.  I can no way catch them and spade them they 
will not let you come close enough and if I could i don't think i will 
because I think if you spade them they losses  some of that hunting 
instinct.  Mom hunts for the babys and teaches them to be good 
hunters . everyone has their own ideas of how to treat cats.  Some folks 
keep them in the house some even dress them in little clothes.  Some 
treat them like their babys but around here they are just natural cats.  
Untill i see a reason to cut off there nuts or cut out their insides i 
will pass.  the question was what do I do about mice. I say cats. 
they work for me.  They showed up here and are doing a good job so every 
once in a while I feed them .  Later if they get to be a bother I will 
call and have them taken away but for now they do a great job.  I don't 
need a pet I need a mouser and a rat eater.  They seem very happy to 
me.they were raised around the chickens and because of that don't eat 
chickens.  they eat what mom taught them to eat.  If you raise them with 
a baby rat they will not eat rats.  I raise mine around baby chicks and 
have not see them bother the chickens.  Mom cat taught them to eat 
rats and mice.  I would throw them trapped gophers when they were babys 
and have found half gophers around in the fild so it must have worked.  
They came here complete cats and so far I like the way God made them. 
Pesticides and rat poison kills more birds that cats. I know I'm going to 
get flamed for this but one reason I like having my own place away from 
the city is because I can build it the way i like.  And I like whole cats 
a little on the hungry side.  

> kitten and it would pounce on it. That's instinct, not hunger. 

Sal Schettino,Organic Farmer,don't panic eat organic,[email-masked]
or check out my homepage:            http://www.rain.org/~sals/my.html    .

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From: [email-masked] (Karl Henning)
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 95 13:14:36 EST

> or check out my homepage:            http://www.rain.org/~sals/my.html    .
Hey there! with all due respect, i would like to think we'll never see
flame here but respectful dialog.  I guess i'll just say since you cannot
even get near them fixing is indeed out.  However,  Is it not a responsible
person who choses to minimize the local devestation around ones home, by 
managing the domestic life? It was man who relegated felines to begin 
with.  Gosh it's so easy to go off on a tangen here but I kinda think
it's all part of responsible rural living, there isn't much land left and we
should be good to the area.  Knowone can think of everything, just that
personal freedoms should be balanced with respect towards the life that 
was there before our settling there.  Our neighbors have still not complied
with local ordanances that restrict roaming dogs,  they chase wildlife and
they stole some dearskins of mine hanging outside our porch!  I do appreciate
the observations of what cats eat and what the'll live with.  I'll take that
to heart.