feeding cats to snakes

[Jonno from ERD]

I'd still like someone to answer me this:

What makes a kitten or puppy any cuter than the lizards, bilbys, koalas, possums, wallabys, etc. that snakes eat in the wild?

Simple answer - public perception. The same reasons snakes are loathed. We were doing a show today at Mudgereeba on the Gold Coast, and one lady refused to come near our harmless Carpet Python. Her reason "Because it's a snake!". She didn't know exactly what she was scared of, it was just hard wired that snakes = bad, and that's that. She eventually came around and had a cuddle with him once she realised that there was no reason to fear them, and was actually embarresed at how she had acted.

Cheers

Jonno

 

[Hetty]

G'day thenothing,

You need to look at the situation from a number of different angles. Firstly, any animal that isn't native to Australia, and is out of a persons control (i.e. outside), should be considered feral. I can not for the life of me fathom why someone who cares so much for their cat, let it wander around in this world full of danger - if they really cared for them, they'd be responsible and keep them inside!

Back to the "different angles" comment. Whilst the situation with cattle is not a preferable one, it does have its positives. Economically, grazing land can have significant rewards for Australia. Feral cats don't, in fact it's the opposite and they cost us money. If someone could create a secret formula that would replace the need for grazing cattle in Australia, I would be all for it, however that isn't going to happen, and I need to eat meat at night and have milk on my Weet-Bix in the morning, and a lot less animals die as a result of grazing (I said grazing, not land clearing!).

In short, there are positives of having cattle in Australia, there are no positives to having cats.

Where's Sdaji?

Cheers

Jonno

I'm not debating whether or not there are positives to having cats in Australia, I personally believe they should have never been introduced, just like foxes and cane toads. However, a domesticated cat outside is simply not feral. A feral cat lives and breeds entirely 'in the wild'. That is the definition of a feral cat.

 

[Miss B]

I had a pedigree Ragdoll cat a few years ago, and I made her live indoors 24/7. I hate the fact that cats kill. I've also got a moggy who lives at my Dad's place, and she kills the occasional field mouse and the odd gecko or bird too. If it were legal for me to humanely kill her I probably would, I'd really like to get rid of her to be honest.

Dogs can be real killing machines too, though it's not particularly common. My partner's Siberian Husky will kill anything he has the opportunity to - pidgeons, possums, other birds and small mammals etc. In fact he even killed a neighbour's pet cat once. I hate it, but what can you do? Lock him inside 24/7? Make him wear a bell? :shock:

Actually I'm serious about that question, what can you do to stop a dog from killing things? :|

 

[spilota_variegata]

Pythoninfinite, why exactly shouldn't this thread continue?
it's quite a valid argument, every one is behaving, there's no reason to close it.
__________________


The original question was basically "do people feed cats to snakes?" And the answer is: yes, sometimes, and in some circumstances, they do, if the snake will eat them, and the keeper has access to them. I once kept Boa constrictors when I was working for the WA Museum in Perth, and on a couple of occasions when I had access to dead cats (I once killed one accidentally in my car), I fed them to these snakes.

Maybe a poll would more succintly answer the question at hand

 

[Ramsayi]

I had a pedigree Ragdoll cat a few years ago, and I made her live indoors 24/7. I hate the fact that cats kill. I've also got a moggy who lives at my Dad's place, and she kills the occasional field mouse and the odd gecko or bird too. If it were legal for me to humanely kill her I probably would, I'd really like to get rid of her to be honest.

Dogs can be real killing machines too, though it's not particularly common. My partner's Siberian Husky will kill anything he has the opportunity to - pidgeons, possums, other birds and small mammals etc. In fact he even killed a neighbour's pet cat once. I hate it, but what can you do? Lock him inside 24/7? Make him wear a bell? :shock:

Actually I'm serious about that question, what can you do to stop a dog from killing things? :|

Bottom line is its your dog your responsibilty.Its a cop out saying "but what can you do?" If locking him inside 24/7 is what it takes then thats what you should do.

 

[Jonno from ERD]

thenothing,

You're right - by correct definition, domestic cats that are neglected are not feral. Fortunately however, a lot of us don't realise they're not feral until after they've been euthanised.

Miss B - If you're serious about wanting to legally dispose of the moggy, I can help you out (humanely and legally!).

Dogs, opposed to cats, are totally trainable in most scenarios. A mate of ours from SA is an absolutely incredibe dog trainer, and dogs are far more obedient than cats. Locking them in secure compounds is a viable option, too.

Cheers,

Jonno

 

[Miss B]

Bottom line is its your dog your responsibilty.Its a cop out saying "but what can you do?" If locking him inside 24/7 is what it takes then thats what you should do.

No, it's not my dog. If you read my post you'd see that I said the dog belongs to my partner.

And locking a fully-grown Siberian Husky inside the house 24/7 is not a viable option. Sending the dog insane with boredom (and possibly destroying the house in the process) over a couple of pidgeons and the odd possum, that does not make sense to me. As far as the neighbour's cat is concerned; well, their cat came into my partner's yard. If they can't contain their cat, that's their problem. I'm sure their cat killed plenty of native wildlife; so really, the dog was doing nature a favour by killing the cat.

Anyway I was actually asking a serious question, about whether there is any way to reduce the likelihood of him actually catching and killing things. Would a bell work? I know cats can learn to walk so that the bell does not make any noise, but dogs aren't as nimble as cats.

Another thing... are possums protected in QLD? I mean, the dog is killing possums every now and again, can my partner get in trouble for that?

Jonno, as far as the cat is concerned, you can do that?? How does that work? I have tried rehoming the moggy but no luck. Can't even give the damn thing away :?

 

[bundy]

feeding cats to snakes is cool. cats are evil and destroy every living creature small enough to be a little toy!

 

[Jonno from ERD]

G'day Miss B,

I have a C02 gas chamber here that I use specifically for euthanising feral cats that are caught in cat traps by friends and myself. It is 100% legal, the cats simply go to sleep and never wake up. If you're serious about disposing of the cat, I am only too happy to help.


Cheers

Jonno

 

[Pythoninfinite]

I'm sure it's up to you - if you take your cat to the vet and tell them you want it put down, they will do it for you. People do that with unwanted animals all the time, it's not illegal to have an unwanted animal euthanased.

Jamie.

 

[Rennie]

No, it's not my dog. If you read my post you'd see that I said the dog belongs to my partner.

And locking a fully-grown Siberian Husky inside the house 24/7 is not a viable option. Sending the dog insane with boredom (and possibly destroying the house in the process) over a couple of pidgeons and the odd possum, that does not make sense to me. As far as the neighbour's cat is concerned; well, their cat came into my partner's yard. If they can't contain their cat, that's their problem. I'm sure their cat killed plenty of native wildlife; so really, the dog was doing nature a favour by killing the cat.

Anyway I was actually asking a serious question, about whether there is any way to reduce the likelihood of him actually catching and killing things. Would a bell work? I know cats can learn to walk so that the bell does not make any noise, but dogs aren't as nimble as cats.

Another thing... are possums protected in QLD? I mean, the dog is killing possums every now and again, can my partner get in trouble for that?

Jonno, as far as the cat is concerned, you can do that?? How does that work? I have tried rehoming the moggy but no luck. Can't even give the damn thing away :?

Actually, I know someone who's staffy's injured a cat that came into their yard. The dog owners were responsible for the vet bill, it cost them $800 and the cat was eventually put down anyway.

 

[Miss B]

Actually, I know someone who's staffy's injured a cat that came into their yard. The dog owners were responsible for the vet bill, it cost them $800 and the cat was eventually put down anyway.

That is ridiculous. Sometimes the law is completely devoid of common sense, like the armed robber who injures himself (tripping on a hose left strewn around the backyard) and sues the owner of the home he was attempting to burgle (and he won!!). Sooooo stupid :x

Anyhow this was a long time ago, before I even met my partner, so I don't know the finer details. All I know is; cat came into yard, dog killed cat. If my moggy went into someone's yard and was killed by their dog, I'd think 'fair enough'. Cat shouldn't really have been roaming anyway.

Jonno; I am going to make one last-ditch attempt to rehome puss. If I can't; I may very well take you up on your offer! I'll let you know. Cheers.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

And if you take up Jonno's offer of a CO2 sleeping pill - you'll be able to offer the carcase to someone with a big coastal or scrubby - and that will justify the length of this thread...lol

Jamie.

 

[Miss B]

And if you take up Jonno's offer of a CO2 sleeping pill - you'll be able to offer the carcase to someone with a big coastal or scrubby - and that will justify the length of this thread...lol

Jamie.

LOL good point :shock:

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Hope you didn't think it was in bad taste...:shock

 

[Scleropages]

They call it muchnowa — the "face scratcher." In the eastern part of the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a mysterious flying object has supposedly attacked more than 100 sleeping villagers. They see a flashing light, feel an electric shock and a hard object, and emerge with scratched faces and limbs.

At least seven unexplained deaths have been attributed to the muchnowa, and the result has been mass hysteria — a panic that has yielded more deaths. The police killed one man when a mob stormed the station demanding protection. Another man killed his mother — ostensibly accidentally — while shooting at the mysterious light.

Theories about the cause abound, and the news media has reported each new one with delight. It may be an extraterrestrial being, or simply disoriented migratory birds or bats. Some blame genetically engineered insects from Pakistan; others, laser-equipped terrorists. The Indian Institute of Technology tried injecting science into the less-than-reasoned debate, saying the phenomenon is a rare form of lightning, but to little avail.

This is not the first such mass delusion to seize India. Last year, a "monkey man" — reputed to be half man, half monkey — terrorized Delhi residents. Six years ago, Uttar Pradesh was gripped by fear of the manai, or man-creature, which was said to be stealing babies. In the resulting hysteria, 40 people were lynched. The manai, upon investigation, turned out to be a pack of wolves dislodged from their habitat by deforestation.

Uttar Pradesh is one of India's poorest, least developed states. Perhaps rumors spread more quickly among the uneducated; perhaps the muchnowa furor is simply displaced anxiety about the state's failure to protect the welfare of its citizens.

Whatever it is, it has left its mark.

And you think cats have probs.....

 

[Miss B]

Hope you didn't think it was in bad taste...:shock

No mate, not at all! Hehe.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Hey - I LIKE that...

Fits in nicely with the debate here lol

J.

 

[da_donkey]

SSSSHHHHH.................he's listening to you................

 

[wicked reptiles]

dammit, stop all this upside down writing immediately, its making my head sore!