So I now have this very big feral tom cat problem

[dirtlooter]

Our cat, a female, has been having some major issues with this huge feral tom. He comes in and basically roughs her up to get all of her food. I have seen him three of four times but he scoops very quickly at the slightest noise. He has put our cat up high in the rafters when he comes around looking for food or whatever. He has left huge piles of crap at our back door and right next to the cat's food dish. I have seen lots of male bobcat droppings where they are marking an area etc. They also will have regular toilet spots where they leave a lot of sign. I have been trying to trap him, via a large live trap but have been catching everything else first, like possums, coons, and a couple other smaller toms. I have been relocating just about every thing about 8 miles south of me, the other side of town.

We have dealt with tons of feral tom cats over the years, my mother would get totally pissed when they would sneak in and kill the kittens so the female would come in heat again. The really big toms are huge with huge heads and are very efficient killers. They are pretty mean even in a live trap and to me worse than a bobcat to get out or release. I released a very wild black cat this evening, about 8 miles away and it was gone in a blur, headed more south. Anyways, the cat I am after now is a very mean one but I know what he likes to eat, if the other critters will leave it alone long enough for him to find it. Toms like this one will quickly kill any younger males that stick around too long. Yeah, I caught our cat in the trap but I left her in it for an hour or so, she walks wide of it now. its just a matter of time, just not sure about the release though. DL

 

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[sandchip]

Do what you've got to do and keep it to yourself. Good luck, man.

 

[Duckshot]

Well you can't relocate it to another person's problem, that would be rude. Relocate it to kitty heaven. Drowning works if you can catch it I suppose, a .22lr if you can't. Feral cats kill an awful lot of song birds. Shoot 'em for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and trespassing too!

Just make darn sure it is feral.

 

[GB1]

yep 22lr will work so will 22 mag and a pellet gun

 

[Bama Billy]

Drowning? That’s seriously disgusting, be humane and end it quickly

 

[Oddjob]

The release should be pretty easy, either call animal control or kill it; you can shoot it, dump the trap in a trash can full of water, jumper cables. Its really endless, just depends on if you have any mental issues. I would suggest animal control.

Then of course there is the Pur Trade, but only really worth between 50-100 bucks.

 

[Terry Soloman]

LOL!

 

[dirtlooter]

Well you can't relocate it to another person's problem, that would be rude. Relocate it to kitty heaven. Drowning works if you can catch it I suppose, a .22lr if you can't. Feral cats kill an awful lot of song birds. Shoot 'em for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and trespassing too!

Just make darn sure it is feral.

oh it is very feral and is staking out it's territory. caught another possum last night, kind of an endless supply at the foot of the 2nd tallest mountain in Arkansas. He left his pile in the cat's chair that we have set up for her to sleep in with cushions etc. at this point, just trying not to offend anyone LOL. The wife was comparing this to Cujo or Night of the Grizzly but she is from NH(city girl mostly at least then) This area has always been a dumping ground for the people in town, they bring their unwanted animals and kick them out of the vehicle as they go by. I have watched dogs chase after their owners but the owners hauled butt. one of my neighbors routinely "re-releases" them back in town.

 

[Duckshot]

Drowning? That’s seriously disgusting, be humane and end it quickly

Drowning is humane, what do you think happens to muskrat, otter, beaver, and mink when they are caught in a properly set leg trap?In my state trappers are fined for catching these furbearers without a properly set trap that will quickly drown the catch.

And, as a matter of fact, cutting off the oxygen to the central nervous system produces a kind of "high". Some people choke themselves to achieve their desired form of euphoria. Now that's disgusting!

 

[DizzyDigger]

DL, I've worked at socializing feral cats for over 15 years now, and
as much as I hate to say it, there are some that are never going to
trust a human, especially an older tomcat.

Most humane and expedient would be a .22 right at the base of
the skull, or directly into an ear. Leave some food for it, and be
prepared to terminate it while it is occupied with the food.

I hate having to take the life of any animal, however it is, sadly,
the best option. There are times in life when circumstances force
us to do that which we detest most. You need to protect your
own cat from it, not to mention it may carry feline leukemia or
a host of other issues.

Agree with Duckshot about drowning, HOWEVER, not in this case.
The cat would be go through a ton of trauma being caught, bagged
and then transported. Drowning is the most humane method of death
(other than a conibear trap) for animals trapped in/near water.

 

[TommyB]

Another option is to NOT leave food outside. Feed your cat inside. If there is no food to attract all those animals, they will not come back

 

[Holyground]

I trap them and then take them on a nice long Sunday drive. I make sure there are still some left in my area. They are needed here and out in the country for mice control. I don't know if you have noticed but since the push to have all cats nuetered, the mice population has exploded. We need losts of wild cats slinking around in the shadows doing their work because, I HATE MEECES TO PEECES!!!! I've had them get into my research storage and eat old maps!!! I HATE THEM!!!!!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Good Luck with the feral tom cat problem. I love reading about your life adventures!

 

[bowwinkles]

The best solution I have seen is to trap the target cat and get him in a burlap bag. Twist the bag up so the animal is in a bundle and feel around until you locate his balls. Split the bag a bit and drag the sack out and split it and snip off the two residents of that bag. Splash a bit of disinfectant on the area and release him in the area of your choice. He will no longer be a problem. Some of the best old friendly cats in our area were done.

 

[Megalodon]

Well you can't relocate it to another person's problem, that would be rude. Relocate it to kitty heaven. Drowning works if you can catch it I suppose, a .22lr if you can't. Feral cats kill an awful lot of song birds. Shoot 'em for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and trespassing too!

Just make darn sure it is feral.

I don't assume that cats kill only native birds. I suspect they are opportunistic and also remove a lot of invasive species that out-compete the native birds, parasitize native birds' nests, or spread diseases to native birds. When native birds, like bobwhite quail in my area, became scarce, cats took the blame. The reality is almost certainly more complex than that simple guess.

 

[Duckshot]

I don't assume that cats kill only native birds. I suspect they are opportunistic and also remove a lot of invasive species that out-compete the native birds, parasitize native birds' nests, or spread diseases to native birds. When native birds, like bobwhite quail in my area, became scarce, cats took the blame. The reality is almost certainly more complex than that simple guess.

Haha, I'm not assuming anything either. I have seen some hunting kitty cats' leavings in barns. Sparrows, cardinals,finches, robins, and some I couldn't identify. I seen a friend's neighbor's house cat nab a gossling Canada goose off the edge of his pond. Took off with it. It's not conjecture. They don't just eat rodents. House cats that hunt and feral house cats will kill wild birds.

 

[dirtlooter]

I live out in the country for a lot of reasons and one of them is to live how I want to. I am not changing how we want to live or have outside animals to suit a feral animal's whims. If I have a bear problem, it will get dealt with one way or another but always legally and sometimes they get trapped out by the Game and Fish. Other times I use the rubber shot that they have given me but they have also told me to shoot them in the butt with low brass bird shot at a distance.

 

[smokeythecat]

I love cats. Especially the inside kind like I have. 40 years ago the next door neighbor had a wild herd of 29 feral cats. Elderly person who kept using her social security money to feed them. One day I was visiting and she commented how they were eating her out of house and home. These were very feral. She wanted to get rid of them, so I borrowed a live catch trap from the animal control folks and we got 28 of them. The last one was a huge black Tom and was too smart for the trap, so we decided to leave it alone. A couple months later, I'm walking my 3 year old daughter across the property and this beast is sitting on a concrete piece and snarling and stalking us! We retreated back to the house (that was the year of the bad rabies around here) and I came back with my .22. End of story. Didn't like doing it but it may have been sick.

 

[Stringtyer]

I'm not certain that being intact (not neutered) is a requisite for cats to hunt and kill. Our neighborhood cats are all "fixed" yet they do a pretty good job of catching birds and mice. My favorite, Jackson, got trapped in my garage one day while I was at work and my mouse problem disappeared. He came around the corner of the house one day with red feathers around his mouth and a suspiciously dead Cardinal was found in the vicinity.

I believe you can harvest the occasional feral cat without fear of other, undesirable populations getting out of control. Just be thankful it's not feral hogs.

 

[RustyGold]

Here in Calif. we’re not allowed to live trap and release elsewhere. I’d take care of that cat ASAP.