Friday, October 7, 2011

Feral Cats caught by Camera Trap

We placed our trail camera by a creek in an open space park near our house, and we were surprised when the results showed a pair of feral cats coming and going in front of the camera almost every evening.


We also got quite a few blurry pictures of the local deer, birds, and raccoon along the creek, and a couple of slightly blurry pictures of a rat or rat like creature.

I guess we shouldn't have been too surprised. The creek is probably a good home for these cats.  There is cover in the bushes, rats and birdies to eat, and water to drink.  I suppose they could get on quite well.

You will notice in one photo a strange snaky streak next to the black cat.  We are not sure what it is.  A snake ghost?  A ghost of some other animal?  Or just the blur of the reflecting eyes of another cat as it ran through the photo?

They say coyotes and mountain lions come into this neighborhood from time to time.  We have not seen them here and have not caught any on the trail cam, but we did see a dog-like foot print in some sandy soil behind our house.  If they do come around, these cats may find life here a bit less enjoyable.

Feral cats have caused tremendous harm to the native populations of birds, especially song birds, and many naturalists have sounded the alarm about them. Should we try to capture and deliver these critters to a shelter? At least if they can be neutered, they won't be contributing to the problem by producing more ferals.

5 comments:

  1. you don't need a camera there mate - ya need a gun. I'm not meaning to be bloody thirsty - just making a point. Feral AND domestic cats are a serious threat to wildlife and when you do the math of just how destructive they really are - it's mind boggling.

    Irresponsible 'pet' owners make my blood boil!

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    1. Stfu Bob!!!!!! Tigers,lions,etc do the same thing their all in the cat family...lol Should we shoot all them too..Brought up to hate cats..get over yourself mate..lol mate????And nobody cares if your boiling mate..mate??? ..lmao

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  2. "Let’s be unequivocally clear—the number one threat to birds is people. And, there is no credible evidence to show cats have any significant impact on bird populations. As animal advocates, we want what’s in the best interest of all animals, including birds. That means protecting animals—all animals—from being killed."

    From the Alley Cat Allies web site. PLEASE read more there. People need to be informed before they post false, damaging information.

    http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=1029

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  3. Killing the cats is counterproductive--More will arrive to fill the previous cat's spot.

    Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) is the better idea--and your local shelter can probably help for free....The Alley Cat Allies page (as mentioned above) will have the info.

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  4. Bob stfu feral and domestic cats have been around forever...Wildlife is threatened..lol So there should be no tigers,lions,etc....They all do the same..Another ass**** brought up to hate cats....Get over yourself mate..lol Mate????

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