Shooting cats in WA

Cat ‘welfare’ groups in WA have just spent the last five years declaring that cats are an unspeakable, unmanaged pest decimating wildlife, in an effort to get their cat laws passed. It was inevitable that the constant cat-bashing from those who claim to be an authority, would lead to empowered cat haters targeting pets. And now that’s the reality for cats in the state:

The female cat, named Freya, failed to return to her Tuart Road home at nightfall earlier this week.

Freya’s owner found her dead the following morning with a suspicious wound to her lower abdomen.

The owner took Freya to a local vet who conducted an x-ray on the area.

Metallic fragments were found throughout Freya’s abdomen, indicating a possible gunshot.

However, the great absurdity of the animal welfare industry in WA isn’t simply that their campaign to rid the state of strays is leading to the harm of people’s pets, but something much more horrifying;

RSPCA chief inspector Amanda Swift said they were seeking witnesses to assist their investigation into the incident.

“We are treating this incident very seriously, as cases of animal cruelty such as this are utterly unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” she said.

“The maximum penalty under the Animal Welfare Act is a $50,000 fine or five years imprisonment.
…..
“It’s important for all members of the community to remember to not take matters into their own hands,” Ms Swift said.”

While it is deemed ‘utterly unacceptable’ for the community to shoot cats – with massive fines for a prosecution – the same cannot be said for animal management. As cat laws drive cats into suburban and rural pounds in record numbers, pounds even a few minutes outside the CBD are disposing of cats in the cheapest way possible – with gunshot. And this is acceptable under current legislation;

Killing methods for a trapped cat deemed by the officer to be ‘feral’ may include;
– captive bolt
– lethal injection ie overdose of a recognised anaesthetic or analgesic agent (eg Lethabarb)
– CO2
– And can be done by firearm;

The only other humane form of euthanasia in the field… is the use of firearms by killing the cat with a single shot to the head. The operator must meet the requirements set by WAPOL and the Firearm Act and have permission to shoot in the area. All people present should be moved away from the trap. The operator should wait until the cat is motionless, and the range for a firearm should be 5-20cm from the head before a shot is fired.

The RSPCA is turning a blind eye to this obvious abuse by their peers; people in authority who the community believe are working in a humane fashion when managing their pets.

In the last financial year RSPCA WA received over 20,000 calls and investigated over 6,100 reports of animal cruelty.

Exactly zero of these 6,000 investigations were to verify the manner in which pounds are disposing of cats. Which would be easy – a council using a veterinarian would be able to provide the number of cat intakes, the number of cats killed, and a monthly invoice verifying the figures of cats given a humane injection.

Instead, one cat dead in suburbia makes every news feed in the state – while dozens killed by animal management in precisely the same manner, go unmentioned. And investigating pounds for killing cats in support of the new laws the the organisation so vehemently endorsed, is unlikely to be on the RSPCA’s agenda soon.