Best/favorite gun/ammo combo for feral cats

sore shoulder · Post by **sore shoulder** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 3:01 pm

I've used .223, .22, .45 and 12ga and personally I've become fond of my Savage bolt .22 with a 3x9 and CCI Velocitors. I think that Velocitor round is hands down the best .22 available. The wildlife around my place has returned to normal after I cleaned out a bunch a few years back. They were very hard on the birds, rabbits, chipmunks and squirrels. I was constantly finding baby bunnies with thier heads torn off and uneaten. Those feral cats will kill just for sport. I expect with the economy getting worse that we will see an upswing in cats and dogs in my area. We had a huge feral dog problem that I helped eradicate some years ago. Apparently city people think we are their unwanted pet depository.

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 3:08 pm

Around these parts, shooting a cat/dog would get you jail time, no matter how feral or distructive

But if I were so inclined, a CB Long would be dandy. Knocks 'em right down, um, err, so I've been told

mescalero1 · Post by **mescalero1** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 3:09 pm

I would be interested to know if anyone has used the .17 Mach II for this application.
How did it perform?

JimT · Post by **JimT** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 3:20 pm

Whatever is at hand. The .22 Magnum out of the little rifle is pretty deadly on them. I got up on an old tom who was licking himself -- he never even heard me coming -- that's kinda rare. When I cocked the hammer he looked up at me and I put it right in the front of his chest and that was that.

wm · Post by wm » Thu Jul 09, 2009 3:24 pm

I use a two prong attack when felines threaten our compound......a combination of psychological and chemical warfare.

I cause palpable decline in spirit and morale with my dog and I use H20 out of my garden hose to encourage their evacuation.

It works, collateral damage is minimal, conforms to exsisting treaties & accepted standards of conduct and the clean up is realitively benign.

Wm

P.S. I have resorted to a wrist rocket, & partially frozen paintballs to both sting and mark particuarlly persistent felines.

SJPrice · Post by **SJPrice** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 3:39 pm

when they try to take up residence in my barn I resort to "trap em and scrap em" as for caliber and cartridge, it is whatever is in my hand at the time. as Mr. Jim T. said, shot placement is the key.

L_Kilkenny · Post by **L_Kilkenny** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 4:58 pm

Guns? Don't need no stinkin gun! My dogs have em down for the count before I even know they are around.

I will agree that the Velocitors are the best thing going for .22LR varmints. Head and shoulders above the Mini-Mag and even the stinger for game in the 10-25lbs range.

LK

rjohns94 · Post by **rjohns94** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 6:17 pm

i like my .54 Flintlock.

Seems I see more of them when I'm out with the flinter than any other time.

Nobody · Post by **Nobody** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 6:41 pm

buckeyeshooter · Post by **buckeyeshooter** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 7:49 pm

12 guage shotgun with #6 shot.

mescalero1 · Post by **mescalero1** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 8:01 pm

^%$# it Blaine,
Now I wont be able to get one in the crosshairs without thinking of that video!

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 8:16 pm

Since the age of about six, I was in charge of eliminating feral cats and dogs on the farm, and for me to this day, the little .22 LR has no shortcomings as far as accuracy, or potency for a humane kill (I want to eliminate them but I won't stand to see ANY animal suffer needlessly). It doesn't require (out of a rifle or carbine) hearing protection, doesn't disturb any neighbors, and is sufficient out to 75 yards.

Beyond that, anything you can hit well with makes sense.

I have known a couple deer hunters (two were veterinarians) who have used such rounds as 12 gauge saboted slugs, and one friend was shooting his .416 Rigby when a feral wandered onto his range. He said it 'field dressed' the cat...

Again, anything HUMANE should be fine, and that translates to anything accurate enough to hit their little golf-ball-sized head or center chest at range, and same or greater power than .22 LR.

mescalero1 · Post by **mescalero1** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 8:35 pm

I have a feral that lives in my quonset building.
I have a Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4 and a Bronco 4x4 in there and have no problems with mice damage.
My uncle, 6 miles away has mouse damage in his vehicles, he was complaining about it, and I reminded him, he did not have that trouble when Izzy ( a cat ) lived there.
He is searching for a cat.

horsesoldier03 · Post by **horsesoldier03** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 8:52 pm

I took a big TOM while hunting deer last season with my 30-30. I will guarentee he would have hit around 20-25lbs.

Doc Hudson · Post by **Doc Hudson** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:05 pm

Marlin Golden Model 39-A, topped with a 2-7X Simmons scope and loaded with either Remington copperclad HV-HP's or Remington Yellow Jacket Hypervelocity-Truncated Cone-HP's.

For handgunning cats, I like my 5.5" barreled Ruger Super Single-Six loaded with Winchester copper-plated HV-HP's

Pisgah · Post by **Pisgah** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:25 pm

A few years back, a widowed lady friend of mine had a tremendous feral cat problem. Her barn, stable, indeed her entire 120 acre tract, were overrun with literally hundreds of them. Animal Control traped a couple dozen -- didn't make a dent. The abundant small game population disappeared, and the cats were severely inbred, ubdernourished, and diseased. The entire place smelled like a stale litterbox. A freakin' threat to public health and safety.

It took over a year, but I cleaned up the problem. I used three main tools. Early on, I had great success with an Argentine HiPower 9mm pistol -- the gun was very accurate, and those 9mm hollowpoints struck like the hammer of Thor. Next was a 20 ga. full-choked Mossberg pump. #4 shot was instant death out to 50 yards. Last was a scoped Marlin Camp Carbine 9mm, and it was lightning out to 100 yards.

To be honest, at first I was skeptical about how effective these guns would be, but based on the results I'd say that all three were arguably ideal to the task. I missed my share of shots, but the cats I hit were, without exception, instantly down for the count.

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:35 pm

One of my longest-time shooting buddies says the SAME thing, every time I show him a new gun I bought, or even just one I read about in a magazine, for the past 40 years. . .

"That would make a good CAT gun...!"

He says it regardless of what the gun is; some ones I remember:

1889 Marlin in .32-20
1894 Marlin in .44 Mag
1894 Marlin in .357 Mag
96/22 Ruger in .22 LR
Mossberg 12 gauge 8-shot pump gun
Garand in .30-06
Garand in .308
Marlin XLR .444 Marlin
Bushmaster Varminter .223
.50 Beowulf Upper for Bushmaster
.338 Lapua (never could afford to get one, though...

)

Post by **Hobie** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:39 pm

Good to hear from you Frank!

I like the .22 WMRF especially the Federal TNT load. The Rem load is very good as well. No, Mom's cats went to a good home.

6pt-sika · Post by **6pt-sika** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:43 pm

I've used the 22 Hornet , 22LR , 22 MAG , 222 REM , 12 gauge with #4 shot and last but not least I used a 444 Marlin with a 270 grain Speer bullet once !

El Chivo · Post by **El Chivo** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:07 am

I don't hunt feral cats, but I understand that a 12 pound Coehorn mortar works best:

http://www.buckstix.com/CoehornMortarHunt.htm

sore shoulder · Post by **sore shoulder** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 7:29 am

Hobie wrote:Good to hear from you Frank!

I like the .22 WMRF especially the Federal TNT load. The Rem load is very good as well. No, Mom's cats went to a good home.

Hey Barent. You really should try the Velocitor. It's the cats meow.

pdawg.shooter · Post by **pdawg.shooter** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 8:23 am

wm wrote:I use a two prong attack when felines threaten our compound......a combination of psychological and chemical warfare.

I cause palpable decline in spirit and morale with my dog and I use H20 out of my garden hose to encourage their evacuation.

It works, collateral damage is minimal, conforms to exsisting treaties & accepted standards of conduct and the clean up is realitively benign.

Wm

P.S. I have resorted to a wrist rocket, & partially frozen paintballs to both sting and mark particuarlly persistent felines.

Might that be considered "water boarding"?

Post by **Hobie** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 9:31 am

sore shoulder wrote:
Hobie wrote:Good to hear from you Frank!

I like the .22 WMRF especially the Federal TNT load. The Rem load is very good as well. No, Mom's cats went to a good home.
Hey Barent. You really should try the Velocitor. It's the cats meow.

I haven't had any with me when the necessity has presented itself.

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 9:36 am

I don't have a problem with them at my place in the woods, I think the coyote keep them in check. I've been told coyote catch and eat them, don't know if that true or not.

My problem is at my house in town. Granted, it's a small town of 1000+/- people, but I'd still get in trouble using any kind of firearm on them. The issue is, along with a few homeless cats, some of the problem cats "belong" to my neighbor.

I don't like the fact that they are reducing the songbird population, they bring fleas into my yard (along with the fleas the squirrels deposit), they use my shrubbery as litter boxes and I am constantly finding scratch marks on my truck which is parked under the carport. They use it as an overnight perch. Oh, and they pester the H3ll out of my dog (Jack Russell) when I have her tethered out in the yard. They will sit just out of reach and "tease" her.

Post by **Hobie** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 10:08 am

In town a Havahart trap does wonders. Best beware, it is illegal in some places to even do this.

JohndeFresno · Post by **JohndeFresno** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 1:41 pm

Hobie wrote:Good to hear from you Frank!

I like the .22 WMRF especially the Federal TNT load. The Rem load is very good as well. No, Mom's cats went to a good home.

Catshooter · Post by **Catshooter** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 2:53 pm

<-------------- I earned that name.

Had a friend with about 35 nasty feral cats infesting his barn/milk house. I use a second year production 1911 Colt that had been accurized, Smith sights, and the H&G 68 at about 1000 fps. Worked a treat. Left a finger-sized hole, no muss, no fuss.

Ah, good times.

Blain,

Great video. I did my cat extermination about 50 miles from you in Gig Harbor. Thank God I escaped that whole state.

Cat

BenT · Post by **BenT** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:43 pm

The formula for keeping feral cats away from the farm is to have 2 tom cats ,preferably siblings , so they don't fight each other all the time. They will keep any stray tom's away, you'll hear it in the middle of the night when there is a stray. Plus three females to kill mice. They are a little more ambicious than toms. Of coarse I went to the humane society and got my discount spay coupons and took care of the females. I've had the same cats around for 5 years now withouy any extras. Of course the toms can't figure out why they can't get any attention from the ladies. They're alittle slow!

mescalero1 · Post by **mescalero1** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:11 pm

A little?

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 7:18 pm

I think its disgusting and immoral the way you guys talk about hurting cats. Animals are God's creations and we should help them all we can. Every night I leave a well filled dish of anti-freeze for them to quench their thirst on.

.218 Bee---------Cat Rifle

jeepmann1 · Post by **jeepmann1** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 8:00 pm

Mine is a 22 Cheetah 60 gr hp bullet @ 4000 fps. Taxidermy is out of the question though (they literally come apart at the seams) .Also have been known to use a 125gr 357 hp out of the handi with a LARGE dose of powder. Almost as effective.

Rimfire McNutjob · Post by **Rimfire McNutjob** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 1:51 pm

I was wondering when the "cat rifle" would make its obligatory appearance.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 2:12 pm

Rimfire McNutjob wrote:I was wondering when the "cat rifle" would make its obligatory appearance.

Me too! I'm keepin' my head down on this one in case the Cat Lady comes back!

O.S.O.K. · Post by **O.S.O.K.** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 2:15 pm

The .223 fmj is way overkill but very humane to the cat. They don't feel a thing trust me - just bang, lights out.

As for the Velocitors, I too am a fan and a head shot with that or a .22mag or .17Mack or Mag will do the trick very quickly - just be sure to put the pill in the cranium....

Fungus Sam · Post by **Fungus Sam** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:29 pm

Like Jim says, whatever is at hand. However, my favorite cat shot occurred with a 220 Swift. I looked out from my workshop one day and spied a feral cat out on my range. He sat down at about the 75 yard line and proceeded to just look around, maybe like he'd just finished a meal of songbird. I centered a 55 gr V-max on his chest. All I could find when I walked down there was the top of his head with the ears and about 6-8 inches of fur down his back. The rest of the cat had vanished.!! Love those V-max bullets in the Swift.

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 4:01 pm

Sixgun wrote: Every night I leave a well filled dish of anti-freeze for them to quench their thirst on.

Hopefully that was a joke - too many 'innocent' animals might get poisoned. Better to use either a gun (you are there to determine if the target is truly a 'hostile' or not), or a Have-A-Hart trap (you come along later, and release the 'good guys' accidentally snared, or take them 'out back' if they are in need of elimination).

gundownunder · Post by **gundownunder** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 8:18 pm

I know from personal experience that the .22 is adequate though not what I would call ideal for those tough outback cats. A roo shooter once proved to me that a .243 with hollow points is ideal, and I'm still waiting to find out what my 357 with 125gr hollowpoint XTPs will do.
Hey Hobie, if the "have a heart" trap is one of those cat freindly type things I'm sure it could be made less freindly by adding a 12ga and an open paddock for a spot of low level skeet shooting.
How in hades could any intelligent state pass a law that protects environmentally destructive ferals? but if you happen to be unlucky enough to live in such a place, just remember to apply the three SSS principle.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 8:41 pm

AJMD429 wrote:
Sixgun wrote: Every night I leave a well filled dish of anti-freeze for them to quench their thirst on.
Hopefully that was a joke - too many 'innocent' animals might get poisoned. Better to use either a gun (you are there to determine if the target is truly a 'hostile' or not), or a Have-A-Hart trap (you come along later, and release the 'good guys' accidentally snared, or take them 'out back' if they are in need of elimination).

Doc,
Absolutely a joke. I am a firm believer that when something needs to die, it must be done swift and without suffering. The only time I would deviate from this line of thinking would be when killing a child predator, if the case ever presented itself to me.
In all reality, I find it hard even to kill mangy foxes around the house anymore. I do, but I don't like it.----------------Sixgun

lever-4-life · Post by **lever-4-life** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 8:52 pm

Never had a real problem with house cats, a mountian kitty thought it needed my goat more than I did though

I have had more problems with degenerate crankers "loosing" their stupid pit bulls in my neck of the woods though. I have only had to kill two and I felt real bad after it but for the record a 110 grn sp out of a .30 carbine works well.

mescalero1 · Post by **mescalero1** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 8:59 pm

I bet it does!

BlueStateSaint · Post by **BlueStateSaint** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 2:24 pm

I'm a little touchy on feral cats, as the cat that my wife and I have now was close to being a feral, as some individual didn't feel it was worthy of his family's attention. My sister gave it some attention, and it latched onto her family, much to the chagrin of her cat. So, she made a couple of phone calls, and lo! Oreo had a home. Took her 10 minutes to take over the apartment. We had her spayed at the first opportunity. Oreo's become quite enamored of being an "inside" cat, though if we let her, she'd kill chipmunks at the first opportunity.

I've encountered only one feral cat up at the deer camp I belong to, in the Adirondacks--in the offseason. I think that a good amount of them become coyote chow. Supposedly, once a coyote gets a hankering for cat flesh, it will ignore other prey animals to zero in on cats.

But, to go back to the subject of the OP, it seems to me that a .22LR would do the job.

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 3:05 pm

BlueStateSaint wrote:I'm a little touchy on feral cats, as the cat that my wife and I have now was close to being a feral, as some individual didn't feel it was worthy of his family's attention.

I don't think many of us lack compassion for the animal itself - the CAT can't help it if some human didn't hold up their end of the bargain.

If the Humane Society wants to come out and catch them all and take care of them, I'm all for that (as long as I'm NOT taxed for it), but until that is the case, I will humanely eliminate them. Just like DEER - think about all the various ways cats actually die in the real world, and the humane bullet is actually one of the better ones. Around here the alternatives boil down to:

a) hit by cars (at least usually quickly fatal for a cat, vs. slow death for deer)
b) slow death by disease or starvation if the parasite load is too high
c) eaten (usually before fully dead) by coyotes or wild dogs
d) shot

If "e) taken to a little old lady to spend its remaining days on her lap when not eating tuna fish" were an option, I'd certainly rather do that than shoot them, but as a 'hunter' and gun enthusiast, it seems reasonable to rise to the occasion and as long as I can do it humanely, use the opportunity to hone shooting skills and test new guns/loads.

The sort of 'morbid' humor surrounding it is probably just the way we deal with it - kind of like the jokes the ER docs, morticians, and ambulance drivers tell - 'insensitive' but no harm.

Post by **David** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 4:36 pm

Very illegal around here as well so you have to be very quite or use "blue" tuna.

GabbyHaze · Post by **GabbyHaze** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 4:42 pm

The 22 LR will do the job just fine, you don't need over kill. 22LR is the least expensive ( Unless you use an Air Rifle ) and will kill any small game you come across.
Most of my hunting today is done exclusively with 22 LR. I hunt rabbit, prairie dogs, rock dogs, porcpines ect, all with the 22LR. It's become my favorite caliber to hunt with.

JT

t.r. · Post by **t.r.** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 7:48 pm

Years ago, I was a SSgt in USAF. One of my addit'l duties was wildlife control officer at ________ AF Base. I set out box traps several hundred yards from Base Housing at dusk and caught dozens of animals. Un-collared cats were to be destroyed. I wore Welder's gloves and used a ball peen hammer to terminate the cats. It was a cave-man type of execution but it didn't hurt the animals. One whack to the skull gotterdone.

Possums & coons were shot with 22 CB loads. Skunks were drowned in the trap so they wouldn't spray.

Dozens of pheasants were caught in simple tube type of baited traps.

Geese were also caught with traps but drowning type that had to be set after dark and checked before dawn.

Jack rabbits were strangled in snares attached to rods and lift weights.

My family ate well during those years. Nope, we never ate cat, coon, possum, or skunk.

Good trapping to you.
TR

tman · Post by **tman** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:19 pm

in my humble experence, the velocitors work well enough, that i traded the .22mag away. the difference between the 2 doesn't justify the cost between the 2. if the velocitors not enough, i 'd goe with the .223 or the .357mag. just my experence.

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:53 pm

I was thinking devilish thoughts about a .45-70 vs. a .50 BMG, but decided instead to pick the one on the left...

"Kitty Patrol" - (ammoguide.com)

cpt Dan Blodgett · Post by **cpt Dan Blodgett** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 11:41 pm

Having no personal knowledge but have heard in the city limits of a major AZ city a box trap, a boom box playing rock and roll of your choice, a chipmunk rifle and cb caps takes care of the problem when touched off when in contact to the back of the head.

Hecter · Post by **Hecter** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 9:06 am

The 17 HMR is becoming my favorite as of late. Great in settled areas. My all time favorite is the 22-250 with 55gr. Hornady SP bullets.

Rick-F · Post by **Rick-F** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:54 am

mescalero1 wrote:^%$# it Blaine,
Now I wont be able to get one in the crosshairs without thinking of that video!

You can work thru it. . . When you get one in the crosshairs, and the video starts to play in your mind, pull the trigger about 1/3 way thru the video; you will not get to the closeup in the final scene. After 4 or 5 encounters, the video will no longer matter.