freediver wrote on Jan 24
th, 2011 at 9:58pm:
Mantra, if you are going to that much trouble you should make a trap, like I did. If you are prepared to sit there and wait, get a milk crate or something a bit heavier, prop one side up with a stick, and put food under it. Tie a string around the stick you can pull it out at the right moment. Then put a few bricks on it and call the RSPCA, or have a lid handy that you can slide under and secure tightly. Make sure the cat doesn't escape as you may have trouble the second time. It's a great activity for kids.
The cat would get too distressed if it was trapped - it's a yowler and the sound of it's screeching would get to me. You have to also book the pickup - so it could remain trapped for a day or so in the heat.
I'm trying the most humane approach and started yesterday by letting it in for 5 minutes. He immediately went over and sprayed on my curtains. It was like letting a skunk into the house.
Quote:It also encourages people to take a simpler option, like hitting it over the head with a cricket bat. This is arguably more humane, though it is hard to change your mind if it turns out to be someone'e pet.
Hitting an animal over the head is the humane option when you consider the stress of them being trapped, dragged to a strange place for a week then euthanised, but a cat is too big for that.
I used to be able to purchase ether from the chemist, although it's illegal to sell. Unfortunately it's rarely stocked any more, but it's a quick painless method of putting small injured animals down. Vets don't use it either, regardless of the stress and pain caused by a large needle.
If people cared for their cats, they would keep them inside or in a run. It's the cat who suffers when others have to dispose of it. Too many cats aren't microchipped or desexed - yet their owners profess to love them.