feral cats

18 Stories

Trump's Childhood Home Invaded by Feral Cats

Neighbors aren't happy about the dozens of felines who've converged upon residence in Queens, NY

(Newser) - Former President Trump falsely claimed that immigrants were eating their neighbors' pets in Springfield, Ohio, but in what HuffPost calls "ironic fate," cats appear to be haunting Trump's childhood home in New York City—with griping neighbors trying to find the residence's MIA current owner. Curbed...

A Famous Cat Population Faces a Crackdown

NPS wants some 200 strays removed from historic site in Puerto Rico

(Newser) - Hundreds of stray cats that roam a historic seaside tourist area of Puerto Rico's capital, where they're considered both a delight and a nuisance, will be removed over the coming year under a plan unveiled Tuesday by the National Park Service. The NPS says it will contract an...

Australia Goes After 'Ruthless Killers': Feral Cats

They're blamed for killing billions of animals a year

(Newser) - "They are walking, stalking, ruthless killers." That's how Australia's minister for the Environment and Water characterizes cats—feral ones specifically, not pets kept indoors—and she's laid out a series of ideas to majorly tamp down their numbers. The animals are blamed for wreaking havoc...

Kids' Cat-Hunting Contest Called Off

New Zealand event canceled after outcry

(Newser) - A feral cat-hunting competition for children has been canceled after it was not received as well as organizers might have hoped. As the BBC explains, in New Zealand, feral cats "are considered a pest and a risk to the country's biosecurity," and an annual hunt is held...

Women Determined to Feed Stray Cats Are Convicted

Beverly Roberts, 85, and Mary Alston, 61, were found guilty of criminal trespassing

(Newser) - Two women's insistence on trapping and feeding an Alabama town's stray cats—an effort that involved neutering the cats at their own expense—has led to a conviction. Beverly Roberts, 85, and Mary Alston, 61, were on Tuesday sentenced to 10 days in jail (which the Montgomery Advertiser ...

1K Cats Descend on Chicago to Take Down Its Rats

Hundreds of feral felines released by animal shelter to deal with city's rodent problem

(Newser) - Chicago has a rodent problem—one so bad the city has been deemed the "rattiest city" in the nation for the last six years. One local animal shelter has been hard at work combating the issue, using a rather low-tech method: It releases hundreds of feral cats onto the...

Why Poisoned Sausages Fall From the Sky in Australia
Why Poisoned Sausages
Fall From the Sky in Australia
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 28, 2019 4:30 PM CDT

Why Poisoned Sausages Fall From the Sky in Australia

An effort to cull 2M cats is underway

(Newser) - People around the world were quick to oppose Australia's plan to cull 2 million feral cats by 2020, with many going online and signing petitions in hopes of saving their furry friends. That was 2015. With 2020 approaching, Jessica Camille Aguirre takes a long look at where things stand...

Australia Fights Killer Cats With Massive Anti-Cat Fence

Just 50 or 60 felines can eat more than 70,000 native animals per year

(Newser) - It’s not a Guinness world record yet, but Australia has built what is reportedly the world’s longest cat-proof fence. Conservationists are hoping the 27.3-mile fence bordering the Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary in central Australia will help save endangered animals like the mala, a type of small wallaby, from...

Hawaii's Monk Seals Face New Threat: Cats
It's Cats vs. Monk Seals
in Hawaii
Oct 24, 2016 5:00 PM CDT

It's Cats vs. Monk Seals in Hawaii

Feline feces causes a real threat to endangered creature

(Newser) - The feral cat population has exploded in Hawaii, where they are not native and face no natural predators—and this could spell disaster for the endangered monk seal. That's because cat poop often contains a parasite called Toxoplasmosa gondii, and when sewage and polluted runoff carry the infected feces...

NZ Plans to Kill Every Rat, Feral Cat, and Possum

In the world's 'most ambitious conservation project'

(Newser) - New Zealand could soon be the envy of New York. The country has announced a "world-first" project to exterminate all non-native pests, including possums, stoats, feral cats, and rats by 2050, reports the Guardian . Why? Well, the pests, which the government says cost $2.3 billion per year, also...

Australia, Celebs Battle Over Future of Murderous Feral Cats

'This animal genocide is inhumane and ridiculous'

(Newser) - The lesser bilby. The crescent nailtail wallaby. The desert bandicoot. The large-eared hopping mouse. These are just four of the adorably named animal species that are now extinct thanks largely to the approximately 20 million feral cats currently populating Australia, the New York Times reports. This week, the Australian government...

Australia Wants to Kill 2M Cats

The feral version, and only to save many other endangered species

(Newser) - Australia is trying to save the mountain pygmy-possum, the brush-tailed rabbit-rat, and nearly 40 other mammal and bird species, but to do so, it wants to exterminate about 2 million cats—the feral variety. Feral cats are in the Aussie government's sights under its "Threatened Species Strategy,"...

Problems Multiply for Vet Who Bragged of Cat-Killing

Kristen Lindsey being investigated by State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

(Newser) - The problems are multiplying for the Texas veterinarian who boasted about killing a cat with a bow and arrow . Dr. Kristen Lindsey has already lost her job at a clinic in Brenham and she's now being investigated by the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, according to KBTX...

Big Problems for Veterinarian Who Boasted of Killing Cat

Kristen Lindsey was fired from her job, the matter is under investigation

(Newser) - A Texas veterinarian has lost her job after posting a Facebook photo on Wednesday night of what she described as her "first bow kill"—an apparently dead cat with an arrow through its head. KBTX reports Dr. Kristen Lindsey has since taken down her Facebook account, but the...

Utah Law Would OK Shooting Homeless Animals

Animal rights organizations outraged

(Newser) - Irritated by the proliferation of stray cats and dogs? Just move to Utah, where soon you’ll be able to take care of the problem … by shooting them. The Stir points to a new law being proposed by Rep. Curt Oda, a Republican who wants to legalize the killing...

Wild Cat Gang Keeps Lost Boy Alive

Huddled together to keep him warm, brought him food

(Newser) - Police in Argentina recently found a 1-year-old homeless boy being cared for by wild cats, the Daily Telegraph reports. A policewoman on patrol noticed an unusually large cat gathering which, on closer inspection, was surrounding the boy. Doctors believe the eight cats snuggled up to keep the child warm on...

Fertile Felines May Require New Laws

Cat population could reach dangerous heights: researcher

(Newser) - America’s wandering cat population is growing—and if communities don’t address the issue, their numbers could spiral to alarming heights, LiveScience reports. As it stands, there’s a cat for every 3.5 Americans, and reproducing roamers contribute to the 5 million cats euthanized yearly. Cities may need...

LAPD Gets Cats to Scare Rats
LAPD Gets Cats to Scare Rats
Dec 29, 2007 1:28 PM CST

LAPD Gets Cats to Scare Rats

Feral felines spook rodents that were running over desks, digging into bags

(Newser) - The LAPD is using six feral felines to shoo away pesky rats and mice from its lots, the Los Angeles Times reports. The mangy, homeless creatures can't be broken in as house pets, so an animal rescue group placed them with the city’s finest to control its rodent problem....

18 Stories