Re this thread on bird killing cats I wondered what the legalities were on this issue. Is is legal for a property owner to take out nuisance feral cats on their property in most jurisdictions or not?
I don’t know, but do it on the sly and nobody else will know either. .22 would work.
Around here you can borrow a live trap from animal control. Set it out and bait it and then call them to come pick it up when it’s full.
No matter how logical it may be, killing cute little innocent kitty-cats will rub some people the wrong way, so beware. The ire of a pet owner knows no bounds.
I’m sure that it depends on a local or state law, not a federal one, so check your local ordinances.
That said, I know that it’s legal in some places, because there was a big to-do a few months back where a semi-stray cat was shot in a bird preserve. The cat was regularly fed but not otherwise cared for by a neighbor, and a birdwatcher type shot the cat to protect the threatened birds that the cat hunted. This was somewhere in the south- Louisiana? Mississippi, maybe?
You can shoot a feral cat in Texas.
Killing cats to protect birds can have its downside, though.
Interesting. The new story in your link says:
“It is not illegal in Texas to shoot a feral cat. It is illegal to shoot someone’s pet.”
This article on the Jim Stevenson case says that killing feral cats in Texas was not previously illegal but has since been made so.
Here locally you must trap the cat in an approved, no harm, cage and take it to animal control.
I think I’ve asked this question before, to no effect: if your cat is killing birds protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, are you legally liable? Seems like the answer ought to be yes.
Formal Warning.
It’s this kind of post that gets you in trouble. Advocating an illegal act is against the rules of the SDMB. Don’t do it again.
samclem General Questions Moderator
Eliminating feral cats, whatever your method ( 
), only creates a vacuum effect. Studies show new feral cats will simply move into the open territory. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the best method for managing feral cats and keeping their numbers to a minimum.
Here is some information on feral cats from the Humane Society.
The birds will likely become more careful. Remember, these are wild animals. We can’t expect predator and prey coexist peacefully–even though we’d like them to. I hope your love for birds extends to all animals, including these homeless cats.
If more people would spay and neuter their pets, we wouldn’t have feral cats.
Pardon, I did mean to include that killing any animal with intent is considered animal cruelty in many states. Here is a list of cruelty laws . (It’s a little dated.)