If you live in town or in a city, there are usually laws against shooting off a firearm in a populated area. I'm not sure what rights the cat owners would have, since they were in his backyard, though.

In parts of outback Australia, feral cats are such a nuisance that people have created "Cat Trees". Shot cats are strung up in trees to show the severity of the problem.

Where I live unfortunately it happens all the time, that is why I keep my cats in a cat run. YOu said you answered a call, can you tell us what happened to him?

I hate to send a really elderly man to jail, but you just can't be going around shooting innocent little kitty cats for shits and giggles. That is pretty deliberate and downright wrong. I say send his ass to lockdown. Even if just for a day or two. And then make him volunteer at the animal shelter for community service. Maybe if he gets to know animals on a personal level he'd be less inclined to use them for target practice.

i feel sorry for the old chap, cats pooping in my yard drive me nuts, but on the advice of other anserbaggers im taking the orange peel route rather than the shotgun cat killer route which i was thinking about for awhile.

I'm just wondering if it were rats if you would be asking this question. I find it kind of disturbing that just because cats are cuter they somehow get more sympathy. But, anyway, to answer your question, like Lizzie says, since they were in his backyard, and, since he is old, he will probably get away with a slap on the wrist. He probably at least needs a good pop in the jaw though.

The penalties for discharging a firearm in the city limits are usually like a few hundred dollars fine and 3 to 6 months in jail. It's probably about the same for cruelty to animals. A judge most likely would only sentence for one, not both. I think there should be mandatory mental illness treatment.

i'm thinking there should be some sort of punishment for animal cruelty on his part, though you could probably lessen it because he's elderly. nevertheless there are laws that should be abided and he can't slide for it...but it makes me sad. whatabout the animal owners?

You have to ask why he was shooting them. Were they eating his birds? attacking the pet mice he let loose in his backyard? I don't mind he was doing it if he had a good reason. He should have left the house, though. In GA you can't hunt from the inside the house.

He needs an award. Probably the key to the city. There are just too many evil cats in this world. Someday I'd like to shake this man's hand. DOWN WITH KITTY!!

if he can kill a cat with a .22 the old goat must be a pretty good shot.

He should be tought how to properly cook the cats.

I am sure he would be arrested for animal cruelty. You just can't take the law into your own hands, no matter how serious the cat problem is. Imagine if one of those shots went astray and struck a person.

i think he deserves a pat on the back.I do not own a cat yet i have cats crapping in my garden and on my drive. I own a dog that craps in my gerden and i clean it up. I do not throw the dog out to wander the streets and crap on everyone elses property but mine. If my dog did it on someone elses lawn I would get a knock on the door and be expected to clear it up, why should the irresposible cat owners get away with it? If a cat uses my garden as a toilet do I have the right to shoot it with an air rifle as long as i do not cause suffering to it. by he way I live in the uk, does anyone know the answer to this one?

He should be shot with a 22 caliber rifle.....

uncontrolled cats drive me crazy,they are an introduced predator and exist purely for the entertainment of the mostly stupid owners who let them out to decimate the wildlife.I'ts high time cat owners had the same responsibility for their pets as do dog owners. under no circumstances must you hurt them, they are deemed to be "free spirits" ......seriously, the RSPB / RSPCA sit on the fence afraid to upset Cat owning members.Meanwhile the Birds/Frogs/Voles in my garden suffer from the attentions of this "furry cute" monster. I can understand why people get frustrated and "do something" about Cats.

It will depend on what the laws are regarding firearms and animal cruelty in your area and how good the judges are in enforcing them. A law is only as good as it's enforced. In our state, leash laws only apply to dogs. Cats are considered free-range animals. We also have Buster's Law where it is now a felony to abuse an animal where beforehand, it was only a misdemeanor. But it seems to me that if the man didn't like the cats on his property, there would be other means to deal with it. If the cat owners are told about it, then refuse to comply, the animals could be removed from their care. That's whey I keep mine indoors, or try to - for their own safety, the safety of wildlife and to prevent their trespassing on neighbor's properties.

First let me say that I don't hate cats. Now let me ask you some questions. When was the last time that You plunged your hand into rancid cat crap when you were tending your plants? Have you had to remove dead Blackbirds from your front lawn and later find a nest full of dead chicks? Have you ever had a cat climbing up your windows to reach a birds nest? Oh yes it did , it stuck its claws into the rubber seals around the glass to get a grip and nearly had the sealed unit out. So far all of these cats have survived and I own 3 air pistols and an air rifle and I am a good shot. Now for some more questions. How come there was more than one dead cat in this guys yard? Could it be because cats assume that they have territorial rights? What happens if somebody pots a cat with a slingshot? These are a damn sight harder hitting than an air gun and only marginally below a crossbow. If I go out to tend my garden and spot a cat having a crap and brain it with a handy rock is that worse than shooting it? Cats can pass through my garden without hinderance, providing the dont start hunting or crapping, and the tom which has been spraying round our front door had better not be spotted by me. The problem is that we are humans and can rationalise, cats are predators and hunt. It's natural to them. I have found that a live capture cat trap baited with sardines, a day without food, and a thorough soaking with a hose does persuade most of them not to come back but just like humans there are always a few who are incapable of learning. Now for all you hunter gatherers out there look up the opening page of www.targetbunny.btik.com for a recipe for cat. Enjoy

A trip to the local mental health care facility first. If they find he is not sufferering from any dementia, then jail time.

I think he should be given a medal,there are too many cats prowling around decimating the wildlife.Cat owners are usually giggling idiots who take no responsibility for the anti social actions of their pets i.e. crapping in other peoples gardens. If he was shooting wild birds I would be upset,but not cats,they are a menace to wildlife and gardeners alike. An introduced predator and I have no time for them or their simpering owners who rave on about "how natural" it is for their damm pets to kill everything that moves.

He was endangering other people. I like cats but cats that run loose kill for fun and not just for food. What he did is not really right but the cat owners need to take their responsability. <sp>

There are laws about shooting a gun within the city limits, endangering people (one ricochet could kill someone), killing animals (although it could be argued they were strays, since they were in HIS yard), etc. ALL laws broken should be enforced, and his rifle and ammo confiscated.

Crazy thing is, in the UK you can be prosecuted under a number of different laws if you shoot a cat. In more civilized countries, including eg: Canada, if the animal is on your private property, its legal to trap it and then dispose of it. Ditto the US. The fact is, the UK is so soft-headed about animals. Beat your kids, and you will get a caution, shoot a cat, and you are looking at time in HMP. Go figure.

He should be awarded a medal! Cat owners should be responsible for cleaning up there cat mess and paying for the damage they cause. This nonsense about they have the right to roam is spouted by owners whom will not take responsibility for their own pets,I am fed up with cats messing in my garden and scratching the paint on the roof of my car!

Give the man a medal for having such great aim in his old age! It really pisses me off that so many cat owners think its just fine to let their cats run loose in the neighborhood. I hunt squirrels in my back yard - partly for fun, partly because they are a real pest and do damage to my house trying to find winter nesting space in the attic. (They also eat the insulation off the wires supplying my house with power and cable.) Anyway, I have no trespassing signs in my yard to keep people away (don't want any accidental shootings of people) but the cats LOVE my yard - and they scare off the squirrels when I'm shooting them. No, I haven't killed any cats yet, but I have a pump air-rifle that I use to kill the squirrels (10 pumps per shot for squirrel) and I DO shoot the cats in my yard with it to scare them away (I use 4 or 5 pumps on cats - not enough to put a hole, but enough to hurt). Anyway, I suppose it's long and most people won't care anyway, but there IS another side to the story people, and if this old guy has only a .22 at his disposal, I say more power to him. If you love your cats and don't want them to get shot at, keep them indoors.

He should get the Death Peanility. I can't stand animal cruelity.

Where does this man live?

I think that man should have a mental help check up and pay for a fancy funeral for cats and take his gun away.

Please see my previous post and then let's look at the situation involved in all of this once more. Here in the U.K. cats are deemed as "Free Spirits". If a crap dispenser owner complains about a dead pet a prosecution will follow. A cat is an animal and therefore not likely to logical thought the way we do it. There seems to be some confusion regarding size. How small, or large does a cat have to be before it is considered as a "Pet" in the eyes of the law. If, for example, a Burmese jungle cat (they can be kept with correct documentation and licences), escapes and is shot with an adequate firearm, who will be prosecuted? If a cat owner complains that somebody shot his cat because it was making strenuous efforts to get into an other persons aviary can the aviary owner sue for damage and loss of HIS/HER property? As an OWNER you assume in law the responsibility for whatever you OWN, be it car, dog, gun or bus. The fact that some kitty obsessed judge has ruled that a cat is a "Free Spirit" answerable only to the laws of nature. Oddly enough the last bit is rarely quoted since the instant riposte will be, "What the law of the jungle, kill or be killed?", since that leaves the cat "owner" in a black hole. On the one hand he is claiming it is his cat and on the other that as a "Free Spirit" it is not possible for it to be his cat. The main issue is of cruelty to animals and since this is a definite no no it must be heeded. The problem is the definition of cruelty. If a killing shot to the head is "cruel" then every abattoir in the country must be shut and I do not care what religion it is killing meat for because a capture bolt gun is used to slaughter the animal. "Well no your honour, we stun the animal with high voltage electricity first" Great! Torture as well as cruelty! Then what about deer hunting? The acceptable shots are head, chest, through or behind the shoulder, or up the anus so that you rake as many major organs as possible to ensure a clean kill. Since the deer are also "Free Spirits" why is a cat not allowed the same privileges? Why does the owner of a cat assume the right to press charges against the person seeking only to defend his property from the depredations and vandalism of an owned "Free Spirit" and assume that he is immune from a reverse prosecution? As I said in my original post "I do not hate cats and they are free to cross my property at will, however I will not permit them to hunt or defecate. The Stainless Steel Rat

He should be arrested and made to pay the fines. I seriously doubt if it is a crime that will include jail time. Maybe someone should aim at him out of a window and shoot!

Give him an award.

Good luck to the guy, some seem people think that their pet cat is free to roam around other people private property and using it as their personal toilet. In addition owner think its OK for "cuddly kitty cat" to freely kill wild birds that they ambush. If people want to keep pets thats fine but keep them under control and on their own property or.. bang bang!

I would shoot him four times, not in places that would kill him. But see what if feels like.

&quot;He did not do it again because, in less than an hour, the police came and confiscated his pistol. He told me the next night, on patrol, that the confiscation was only a formality, and that with his past record, his standing with the Civil Guard, and, if necessary, a word from highly-placed friends, his Beretta would be returned to him within a few days. (I did not bother to tell him that I was one of the several neighbours who telephoned the police right after the shooting.) But he was wrong. His permit was cancelled, and no amount of pleas, promises, and name-dropping helped him to regain it." Source and further information: http://www.zygmuntfrankel.com/zf119.html

After I put a bullet in the rotting guy's neck, I would call ASPCA and the police. They violated 19 different kinds of laws. Try to save the kitties and dig a place to bury the old bastard :)

A few months in jail would do. Maybe a year.

He should be very well fed.

Nothing, if the cat ventured into the garden of the mans property. What people don't understand cats are vermin they breed like rabbits & kill anything for fun not to eat. If they come in my garden my dog scares them away but if my dog got hold of one, would he be classed as a dangerous dog????? that wouldn't happen because he's a labrador & is as soft as playdough. But if this man has a problem with cats coming into his garden then yes i agree with it. If you care so much about your pet why let it roam around allday & all night? I wouldn't let my dog roam around!!! Most cats are pets but some are strays they're the one we need to take care of. Cats kill the song birds of the uk which are getting less & less each year!! If you let your cats out in the uk it's fair to say they run the risk of a car hitting them, a dog ripping them to shreds or being in the sights of an air rifle!!! In my book cats are in the same league as rabbits, crows, rats, mink, pigeons & magpies. I know I'm going to get alot of flak for this, but I don't care cats are big rats. They rip through rubbish bag kill birds & do their mess in you gardens & not their own.

They were in his yard. He shouldn't be charged with anything unless he is within city limits where firing guns is not allowed. The cat owners who allow their cats to over breed, run, and bother this man should be charged with animal cruelty. They create this problem and endanger their animals by allowing them to run. Sorry, but living in a neighborhood where cats ruin new auto paint jobs by sliding down the sides of new autos, fighting and screaming under bedroom windows, crapping in all flower beds, killing birds, etc...., I have little concern for this man trying to reclaim a bit of his space since the cat owners won't respect his quality of life or his space.

the person should die and go to hell tell him that he is a bitch