Feline infestation demands hunting season

House Editorial

Some people like to have their cats curled up in front of the fire, but soon some people in Wisconsin may be able to mount a cat above the mantle.

Wisconsin residents are concerned over the abundance of free-roaming or "feral" cats and feel the solution would be to open a cat-hunting season to keep this problem in check.

The state should adopt the proposal — the state estimates that there are more than 2 million feral cats in Wisconsin and no effective programs are in place to control them.

The proposal would allow licensed hunters to shoot and kill these feral cats, much like policies already in place for controlling the skunk and gopher populations in the state.

While the idea of hunting cats may be horrific to some, there is good reasoning behind it. Not only do stray cats kill millions of songbirds a year, they also can easily spread disease. These cats do not have enough natural predators and their numbers are growing out of control.

Catch-and-release programs that spay or neuter the cats then and return them to the wild don’t address the true problem or help control the population. While no program is all-encompassing, removing the health risk a live feral cat produces is the most effective method of control.

These cats are not domesticated animals, but wild. They have been raised without human contact and, while stray dogs are caught and taken to the pound, cats are often left untouched, allowing the population to grow exponentially.

As the population grows, nature cannot support such massive populations and even more problems arise. The ecosystem must be considered, and while the idea of shooting a cat seems harsh, it is truly for the greater good.

While deer are hunted to control their numbers, most hunted deer are also food, which adds reason to the killings. While the cats will most likely not be consumed, think of all the animals and bugs that are killed on a daily basis for mere annoyance. People often do not eat mice, rats or flies, yet, when one is seen, the goal is often extermination. If the feral cat population is not controlled, it will become a great problem, as there will not be enough resources to support them.

Steps must also be taken to ensure that pet cats are not shot by over-zealous hunters. A possible solution is brighter collars for these animals so that they are very recognizable.

Emotion should not blur reason in this instance. These are possibly disease-carrying animals that should be classified with raccoons or skunks. In fact, by taking care of a feral cat, you may unintentionally attract other wild animals.

Owners are also responsible, as they need to keep a collar on their pets and ensure that they do not wander off to either interact with feral cats, for they may be mistakenly hunted, or help to spread disease.

Feral cats are not acclimated for human contact and are dangerous. By allowing the open hunting of these beasts, the community can only benefit. The hunters will be given another hobby and people in general will be safer as they are kept clear of animals that are nothing more than a hazard.