Australia’s Cat Killing Vigilantes
This is a story of cat killing vigilantes which tells me that Australia’s attitude towards domestic, stray and feral cat is disgusting. It is reprehensible and they should be ashamed of themselves.
Tweet from Cat Busters
A group of sadistic people have formed “Cat Busters”. They advertise themselves by putting flyers through letter boxes across Melbourne and Sydney. They say that they always act within the law but what they do makes you wonder whether the law is a complete ass or at least completely inhumane.
They trap any outdoor cat that they can and then take the cat to the local pound where they gleefully advertise that the cat is almost invariably destroyed.
As to feral and stray cats they hunt them with rifles. They place photographs of the rifle and the dead cat on the Internet, on social media, once again gleefully advertising their sadistic pastime. They love killing cats and the law approves.
Cat Busters showing off their cat kills on Facebook
The flyers say that Cat Busters catches cats and in suburban areas they catch the cats using cage and leghold traps and that most captured cats and up being destroyed. They then say that any cat who is found outside of its owner’s property risk being captured and killed. This presumably is intended to terrorise the community into keeping their cats indoors. I’m not sure whether it is obligatory to keep cats indoors at all times in Sydney and Melbourne, the areas where they operate. It probably is a legal obligation which allows them to act within the law (but see below).
Leghold trap
Unfortunately, as mentioned above, the law is cruel and this cruelty is compounded by the almost forgone conclusion that any cat taken to a local pound will be killed.
Cat Busters showing off their cat kills on Facebook
The RSPCA in Australia tell us that they are investigating the matter. They ask for concerned people to contact them. Cat Busters has been criticised by concerned residents and cat owners.
The law wasn’t intended in my opinion to facilitate this sort of cruel behaviour.
Cat Busters say:
“In residential areas, we trap cats. This is done entirely in line with local laws. We then deliver the trapped cats to the local authority, which in most cases is the local council. Most of these cat with end up destroyed. A good result!”
To add insult to injury in rural areas shot cats are often strung up with dead foxes on fences.
Cat Busters kill strung up on fence
“In country areas, including in state forests et cetera, cats may be trapped, baited or shot, depending on the specifics of the area being covered. This is done entirely lawfully. It is the legal responsibility of cat owners to keep their cats within their property boundaries at all-time.” (Cat Busters)
Cat Busters showing off their cat kills on Facebook
The RSPCA say that cats and dogs aren’t allowed to roam onto other people’s property in the state of Victoria. That is not the same thing as being outside the owner’s property. Has Cat Busters got the law right?
The RSPCA Victoria say:
“Another person can therefore trap your cat on their own property and can then contact the council to collect the animal.” – Once again this is not the same as trapping any cat outside anywhere as stated by this obnoxious group.
The RSPCA say that feral cats need to be managed but in a humane way. They imply that this group is not acting humanely towards cats which is quite obvious. All traps can cause injury especially and harm, leg holds, so they should not be used unless it is absolutely necessary.
Over many years it is hard to deny, as it has been made abundantly clear to outsiders, that Australia’s relationship with the domestic, stray and feral cat has deteriorated and this group, Cat Busters, have taken the lead from the authorities who enact the laws to act inhumanely towards cats. Their behaviour is legal (they declare) and therefore in this instance the law is encouraging inhumane treatment of animals. That can’t be right.
Source: Daily Mail