Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!apple!mips!prls!philabs!ccnysci!christ
From: christ@ccnysci.UUCP (Chris Thompson)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: birds threatened by cats
Keywords: cat prevention
Message-ID: <3757@ccnysci.UUCP>
Date: 24 Nov 89 15:06:46 GMT
References: <791@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM> <1565@intercon.com>
Distribution: usa
Organization: City College of New York
Lines: 39

In article <1565@intercon.com>, ooblick@intercon.com (Mikki Barry) writes:
> Cats are entitled to roam on your property.  Shooting them (poisoning them,
> hurting them, trapping them, etc.) is cruelty to animals and fines and/or
> jail terms are the usual punishment.  You would also be civilly liable to
> the owner of the cat.
> 
> I suppose that the poster who advocates killing cats would do the same if
> a neighbor's child wandered onto his property?  Sure, it's your property.
> Blow the kid away, right? :-(.
> 
> Regardless of how you feel about cats, killing them is against the law.
> 

I think that depends upon which state you live in.  In some states, certain
birds are protected, and it is legal to kill any animal which is found
killing one of those birds.  Also, do you feel this way when some of the
birds in the area might be members of a threatened/endangered species?
Also: all (read ALL) migratory birds are protected by international treaty
and federal law: the owner of a cat is obligated to ensure that their
pet does not kill protected animals.  I ran into a case of this over this
past summer: a dog rampaged through a shorebird colony, and ate many of the
eggs/chicks in the colony.  The local DEC/Warden was ready to shoot the dog
on sight if it ever did that again.

Cruelty to animals usually does not include killing them, if it is done
in a (relatively?) humane manner.  Cruelty  to animals is usually defined
in terms of torturing or mistreating them.  So, if you kill a cat by
burning it to death, yes, that is cruelty to animals.  If you shoot it,
it isn't cruelty, it is merely expedient.

I can't believe you equated killing a child with killing a cat.  That is
definitely one of the more asinine things I've heard, and to ascribe that
feeling to someone you don't even know is obscene.

Finally, cats do not have the right to roam my property if I don't want them
to.  Else, why is it my property?


Chris Thompson


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