# kittens as fishbait? Wtf? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585 "2003-07-29T03:32:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/21 "2003-07-29T13:55:11Z")
Well the girl who told me this believed it as fact and said it was her uncle that did it. Said the orange ones work the best (Im assuming along the same concept of using that orange wool looking stuff Ive seen used as bait). I ve seen them using small fish and frogs live, and didnt like that, at all but for some reason the thought of using kittens just really offends me. ---
**Author:** ![Achilles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dc4da7/32.png) [@Achilles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achilles)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/22 "2003-07-29T13:57:49Z")
At least they’re not rabbits. ---
**Author:** ![WILLASS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WILLASS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WILLASS)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/23 "2003-07-29T14:55:37Z")
Did you not know that the best bait for catfish is cat? I have had similar luck with puppies to catch dogfish and parrots to catch parrot fish. Cathode ray tubes from old TV sets make the ideal bait for thornback rays! ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/24 "2003-07-29T15:03:37Z")
Apprently there’s a catfish can [eat a dog](http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=3160437), so using a cat as bait is not completely unthinkable. Also Snopes says [these photos of giant catfish](http://www.snopes.com/photos/noodling.asp) are real. Still… It sounds very much like a UL. I’m not ready to believe it without more proof. ---
**Author:** ![Dragline](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@Dragline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragline)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/25 "2003-07-29T15:22:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achilles \* > \*\*People may drown them, but it would take a pretty strong stomach to impale the little guys on a hook… euch… \*\* It would, but for crabs, you just put 'em in a bait holding cage - no need for hooks. ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/26 "2003-07-29T16:43:52Z")
Seems odd to me. Those huge fish taste terrible. It’s like using ice cream to fish for brussel sprouts. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/27 "2003-07-29T18:33:32Z")
You mean you’d rather just eat the kitten? ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/28 "2003-07-29T20:41:13Z")
NPR did a story on this practice, in 1986, but it was about shark fishermen off Florida. It seems kittens take a long time to drown, so they’ll keep bleeding and kicking and attract sharks better than most other bait. ---
**Author:** ![Threadkiller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@Threadkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Threadkiller)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/29 "2003-07-29T21:18:36Z")
I’ve baited a hook with _live worms_ before without a second thought. The worms didn’t seem really happy with the idea. Admittedly cats are biologically closer to us than worms, but I don’t see what the big fuss is about. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/30 "2003-07-29T23:01:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lieu \* > \*\*You mean you’d rather just eat the kitten? \*\* Well… no, no. Must. resist. joke. Must. resist. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/31 "2003-07-29T23:15:24Z")
\>\> fish taste terrible \>\> You mean you’d rather just eat the kitten? Definitely. Even if the pussy tastes like fish 🙂 Ok, I am willing to concede the photos are legit. And I am willing to concede some assholes is Italy may have used kittens as bait just like it could have happened anywhere else but I am not willing to concede it is acceptable or common there. I have seen too many cases of things exagerated in the reporting and even ULs taken from the Net reported as true and even things taken from The Onion reported as true so i take it all with a grain of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Slartibartfastt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@Slartibartfastt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slartibartfastt)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/32 "2003-07-30T00:51:47Z")
BTW, I posted that link after a few seconds of googling. I dont know myself if it is true or just an UL, but I did hear a talk show host mention a news story about it so I just did a quick search. PS The part I dont know if I should believe is using the kitten for bait. I know that catfish can easily grow big enough to be interested in one. I have pulled in a 50 pounder out of a small river here in kansas and his mouth was big enough that you coud use both hands to hold him up by its mouth. ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/33 "2003-07-30T01:23:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Balthisar \* > \*\* > To reguide where I’m going with this, does anyone know the result of the case several months ago of a pet shop owner accused of feeding kittens to his snakes? This was a slow-news-day-national story when it came out, but I have no idea who won, and won’t bother to point out who I hope won. \*\* I think you’re thinking of [this](http://www.freep.com/news/locway/pups25_20021125.htm) case, where an Animal Control supervisor in Detroit was fired for allegedly feeding puppies to a snake. (Charges weren’t filed, due to lack of evidence.) ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585/34 "2003-07-30T11:14:05Z")
Nope, not that one **look!ninjas**! But thanks; I didn’t know about that one. The case I’m thinking about was specifically kittens, a pet shop, and a child witness. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kittens-as-fishbait-wtf/191585.md?page=1)