Why does Tesco Coonagh Cross need a pest elimination company to remove feral cats?

sophie4187

I am astonished at the lack of compassion shown towards cats in this country. Cats are not rodents - people get them and let them roam outside without neutering them and then complain about the vast amounts of ferals?! And then have a go at an organization like Limerick Feral Cats who are actually taking their own time and money to fix problems that have been created by other people?!

I don't understand the logic. Cats are in no way a threat to the health and safety of the public. Pretty sure cats are cleaner and more independent than many people.

If you don't like cats, dont get one but they deserve a chance like any other animal. But ah sure this is the country where it's funny to kill cats on Halloween and show them being blown to bits on TV.........

wandatowell

FutureGuy wrote: »

Hilarious!!!

I really am truly sorry that you were offended by my comment.

SarahBeep!

sophie4187 wrote: »

I don't understand the logic. Cats are in no way a threat to the health and safety of the public. Pretty sure cats are cleaner and more independent than many people.

You are my new favourite person because of this comment!

MikasaJaeger

Feral cats are not pests nor are they a health and safety risk. As someone who has been around feral cats I can attest to this. The ignorance of some people here sadly doesn't shock me anymore. Ferals exhist because of people throwing away unneutered pets or not bothering to fix the pets they have. It's not their fault (the cats) and they are just trying to survive on the few resourses out there. Tesco at Coonagh is doing what they think is easiest and hassle free. They don't care about the welfare of innocent animals.

As for those who think it's funny to joke about killing innocent creatures or who "don't get" cats. Think for a moment please. Have some compassion for these helpless animals. Cats like all animals are acting on instinct they are pure innocence and only act to protect themselves and survive.

feartuath

Feral Cats should be captured and destroyed in my opinion,think of all the song birds the kill every year hundreds!
I had two cats on the farm this year and I saw one of them on the rafters of the hay shed killing the swallows in the nest and the were well fed cats
He had to go.

MikasaJaeger

Feral cats are not pests nor are they a health and safety risk. As someone who has been around feral cats I can attest to this. The ignorance of some people here sadly doesn't shock me anymore. Ferals exhist because of people throwing away unneutered pets or not bothering to fix the pets they have. It's not their fault (the cats) and they are just trying to survive on the few resourses out there. Tesco at Coonagh is doing what they think is easiest and hassle free. They don't care about the welfare of innocent animals.

As for those who think it's funny to joke about killing innocent creatures or who "don't get" cats. Think for a moment please. Have some compassion for these helpless animals. Cats like all animals are acting on instinct they are pure innocence and only act to protect themselves and survive.

Insect Overlord

sophie4187 wrote: »

But ah sure this is the country where it's funny to kill cats on Halloween and show them being blown to bits on TV.........

Are people still complaining about that scene in Love/Hate? Jesus tap-dancing Christ...

meoklmrk91

The whole "I don't like cats, so who cares if people kill them, are cruel to them etc." stinks in my opinion. To say that they should be killed because they are a health and safety risk is a cop out, they are no more of a health and safety risk than a stray dog and I can guarantee you that if Tesco were killing stray dogs then people would loose their marbles. You don't have to like cats, that's fine, I don't care, but why anyone would wish them harm I will never understand.

Limerick Feral Cats do fantastic work in the county. along with Limerick Animal Welfare, LSPCA etc. and all in the face of adversity and attitudes like the ones that are plain to see in this thread. It is incredibly disappointing to see. Animals are not disposable, these cats were some ones pet, or the descendants of someone's pet, this someone did not do the responsible thing and neuter their pet. So why should the cats suffer? What harm are they really doing? Feral cats will not go near anyone or scratch them, they are feral for feck's sake! They are terrified of humans. From the attitudes here it is plain to see that our wonderful rescues, who are in my opinion, the greatest asset we have in this county, will be very busy and under pressure for a long time to come.

ninty9er

fleabag wrote: »

As other posters have said, these feral cats won't be going anywhere near shoppers.
But of course using the 'health and safety' argument backed up of course by the 'liability' issue and you have a sure-fire winning argument. This is the excuse used by everyone who doesn't want to deal decently with a problem. "Oh it was a health and safety issue" A convenient argument to close down any thoughtful, viable alternative responses.
Why are issues like insurance liability allowed to override compassion and decency?? It is this attitude that is responsible for a lot of the lunacy and misery in everyday life - we can't or won't do the decent thing because insurance companies tell us how we must behave - in case God forbid - we aren't insured. Sure kill a few cats, at least we won't be liable then ...

Much as this may displease you:
1. Unless you are the internet personification of these cats you can't make any claims about how they might act.
2. Humans are more important than cats, particularly ones who give your business money.
3. A liability issue doesn't have to occur to make the RISK of one possible, this is why companies are obliged to audit risk, to PREVENT liability issues.

I don't imagine any of that matters to you, but if I were Tesco, it's what would matter to me.

sophie4187

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Are people still complaining about that scene in Love/Hate? Jesus tap-dancing Christ...

My point exactly! Ah sure it's just TV! Hah!

sophie4187

feartuath wrote: »

Feral Cats should be captured and destroyed in my opinion,think of all the song birds the kill every year hundreds!
I had two cats on the farm this year and I saw one of them on the rafters of the hay shed killing the swallows in the nest and the were well fed cats
He had to go.

Feral cats aren't the only culprit here. I've seen dogs, fox, etc kill songbirds and what? They should all be destroyed?

It is called nature. Birds aren't at the top of the food chain for a reason. Cats are doing what is in their nature to find food.

And what do people feed "farm cats" for? To keep them around to kill mice. I suggest next time there should be a discussion with these farm cats that they can have all the mice they want but song birds are off limits! See how far that goes.

um7y1h83ge06nx

I do sympathise with the views here by the Limerick feral cats group but I'm a little skeptical about what they are saying about feral cats is true too. As always the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Out of interest I did a quick google of white papers on feral cats and it seems there may be a disease risk alright. this is from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Now of course ultimately it is the fault of irresponsible cat owners for creating this feral cat problem so it is a bit tough on the feral cats.

http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/live/ec1781/build/ec1781.pdf

sophie4187

There's a disease risk in everything if you leave your house. I'm no more at risk to catching something from a feral cat then I am walking around the crescent.

Pumpkinseeds

Derrick Square Freighter wrote: »

I do sympathise with the views here by the Limerick feral cats group but I'm a little skeptical about what they are saying about feral cats is true too. As always the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Out of interest I did a quick google of white papers on feral cats and it seems there may be a disease risk alright. this is from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Now of course ultimately it is the fault of irresponsible cat owners for creating this feral cat problem so it is a bit tough on the feral cats.

http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/live/ec1781/build/ec1781.pdf

Since when has Ireland had plague and Rabies? That article is ridiculous tbh. Cat scratch fever can be caught from any cat, I've been scratched many many times in the past 30 years and never had a problem, which is the case with most cat owners. As for toxoplamosis, it's a risk that is more commonly contracted from handling raw meat than from cats. You'd have to be rummaging around in cat poop to risk catching it from cats.

Kess73

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

Since when has Ireland had plague and Rabies? That article is ridiculous tbh. Cat scratch fever can be caught from any cat, I've been scratched many many times in the past 30 years and never had a problem, which is the case with most cat owners. As for toxoplamosis, it's a risk that is more commonly contracted from handling raw meat than from cats. You'd have to be rummaging around in cat poop to risk catching it from cats.

Correct. One has a much greater chance of getting it from uncooked meat. Lamb and pork in particular. Raw chicken and turkey are also common carrier of toxoplamosis in most European countries. Cooking normally removes it, but the handling of the meat or the dumping of raw meat can lead to the spread of toxoplamosis as animals eating the dumped meat.


Also the percentages given in the Nebraskan study may be correct (and I would suggest that they are) for the sample group that they tested, but other American studies in the past have brought back percentages ranging from just above 0% to the high 90's. Location, diet etc are crucial to results and there is certainly no way that there is one neat figure that could be used worldwide in terms of the % of feral cats that has toxoplamosis.


Is a topic that has come up in the Nature & Birdwatching forum in the past, and I think it is one that is far from clear cut.

Insect Overlord

sophie4187 wrote: »

My point exactly! Ah sure it's just TV! Hah!

That's not what I meant. It's not "just TV". The viewer should be sensible enough to figure out that when a bad character does a bad thing on TV, it's part of character-development. It is not the writers/director/producers telling people to go out and copy that character.

sophie4187

Insect Overlord wrote: »

That's not what I meant. It's not "just TV". The viewer should be sensible enough to figure out that when a bad character does a bad thing on TV, it's part of character-development. It is not the writers/director/producers telling people to go out and copy that character.

You are correct, however, there are kids that haven't been taught this by their parents. These are the kids that grow up to be adults and think it's okay to kill animals for fun.

bazz26

Kids shouldn't be watching Love/Hate anyway as it is an adult themed program.

Also there seems to have been more uproar from the simulation of an animal's death in one episode on that program than the more graphic simulations of numerous people being killed over 4 years.

Just think the whole Love/Hate cat controversy got blown out of all sense of proportion and actually highlighting it did more harm that good.

sophie4187

bazz26 wrote: »

Kids shouldn't be watching Love/Hate anyway as it is an adult themed program.

Also there seems to have been more uproar from the simulation of an animal's death in one episode on that program than the more graphic simulations of numerous people being killed over 4 years.

Just think the whole Love/Hate cat controversy got blown out of all sense of proportion and actually highlighting it did more harm that good.

Kids shouldn't be watching but they do. And these are the kids that reenact what they see and don't see any consequences for it.

But this thread isn't about that. It is about the unfair treatment of feral cats in Ireland and I was using that as an example of the lack of compassion for cats.

hotbabe1992

I wont be buying from tesco after hearing about this,i can do without,their selection of food is crap anyway and the whole horsemeat scandal?enough,ive heard they fix prices in ireland to be higher than what they get in the uk..there a miserable rip off..

on the issue of feral cats - they are wild live off rats and are needed in the community,i make a point of feeding a feral cat that has wandered into our garden recently,our tom does a great job of killing rats and thats a job that has to be thanked..

Tesco wont know what they are missing when they kill these cats,they are needed to clean up the rat populations,remember rats can bite humans and have been known to,not only that they carry around on average over 40 different diseases including hepititus..

um7y1h83ge06nx

hotbabe1992 wrote: »

on the issue of feral cats - they are wild live off rats and are needed in the community,i make a point of feeding a feral cat that has wandered into our garden recently,our tom does a great job of killing rats and thats a job that has to be thanked..

Good point.

boomerang

Actually, while many cats will kill rats, most won't eat them, unless very desperate. Cats are a great rat-deterrent, though.

And with a greater concentration of cats in urban areas, the cats can't get by on hunting alone - they need their diet supplemented - either by scavenging, or having someone feed them.

hotbabe1992

I know what youre saying some cats wont eat the rats but the tom i have wandering around our garden first came to us desperate and hungry he even ate rats and birds ...I had to dig a little hole with a small shovel and bury the eaten remains(carcases),anyway i noticed when we fed him too much he would get lazy so we only feed him once a day,and he is fit and slim and kills all the rats and birds,not like our other fat f*cker indoor cat who stays in all day lounging around comfortably like a king and eating when he feels like it..

Such a difference between the two cats,but having said that our indoor one ran away a few days back and caught a bird and two small rats(its about what he could manage anyway),he didnt eat them though..He is a totally different personality,and hates getting his paws dirty,he is a very obsessively clean-clean kind of cat,while the tom isnt afraid to get down and dirty blood on his snout and all(but he does clean himself down afterwards)..

TheBeast17

So is it just two cats that were removed? Tescos manager or whoever it was said in his email it was two the way some people are going on here you swear there had been some sort of massacre of hundreds of cats. Also is there any proof at all that these cats were killed?

wotswattage

TheBeast17 wrote: »

So is it just two cats that were removed? Tescos manager or whoever it was said in his email it was two the way some people are going on here you swear there had been some sort of massacre of hundreds of cats. Also is there any proof at all that these cats were killed?

None so far.

And the cat group plan on returning cats to Tesco if they can't find homes for them (albeit in a neutered state).

boomerang

wotswattage wrote: »

And the cat group plan on returning cats to Tesco if they can't find homes for them (albeit in a neutered state).

Wrong.

Pumpkinseeds

wotswattage wrote: »

None so far.

And the cat group plan on returning cats to Tesco if they can't find homes for them (albeit in a neutered state).

Perhaps you could talk to Limerick Feral Cats volunteers before you make totally unfounded statements about there plans for helping the Coonagh cats.

TheBeast17

wotswattage wrote: »

None so far.

And the cat group plan on returning cats to Tesco if they can't find homes for them (albeit in a neutered state).

So this whole thing is based just on this cat group saying the cats were killed with no proof whatsoever? Bit ridiculous to go making claims like that if you have no proof imo.

boomerang

Pest controllers don't rehome cats to farms. That's baloney. And Tesco refuse to divulge any further information.

Meanwhile there are at least five more cats there, when after trapping the first two, Tesco said the matter was over and "we don't have a cat problem."

TheBeast17

boomerang wrote: »

Pest controllers don't rehome cats to farms. That's baloney. And Tesco refuse to divulge any further information.

Meanwhile there are at least five more cats there, when after trapping the first two, Tesco said the matter was over and "we don't have a cat problem."

But still no proof that the cat was killed.