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The Feral Cat
On a visit to the station during my teens we were all awoken in the early hours of the morning by this ungodly screaming sound. It was still dark and the sound appeared to be coming from the direction of the woolshed. Being dark and with daylight just an hour away the kettle was put on and it was decided to have breakfast and wait until daylight before searching for the source of the blood curdling noise.
As soon as daylight was upon us we cautiosly ventured outside. The screaming was still continuing and Peter Degoumois decided to get a rifle to take along with us. The sound was definetly coming from the woolshed and it was just a short walk from the house so we ventured across all wondering just what it could be that was making such a weird noise. As we got nearer, we realised that the noise was coming from the outside dunny at the sheds. We approached with some caution and found the door was closed.
Peter took over the rescue work on his own from here as we all stood back not knowing what was about to attack us when the door was opened. Slowly, Peter moved to the front of the dunny and then slightly to the side and with the butt of the rifle pushed the door open. In doing so the animal inside was more startled than anyone and leapt into the air and promptly fell straight down the pit. Now we had another problem. How to get it out of the proverbial about 10 feet below ground.
Not being able to see down into the pit because it was too dark a torch was sent for and upon it's arrival revealed that the animal in question was a feral cat. Only one thing to do with ferals and that is to kill them. Well, Peter had the rifle so it became his job. The problem was how do you shoot down into a pit when you cant really see the target. A couple of shots were fired down the hole and upon inspection it was found the target was still alive. Peter, being a lot like his father, was not going to be beaten. He realised the solution and headed off to grab a German Luger pistol belonging to his father, a relic from the second world war.
The luger was loaded and with torch in one hand and the gun in the other, the target was now to meet it's fate.
With one shot, the whole dunny shook and filled with smoke. Even from outside, the noise was deafening. A sheet of iron one one side came off. While we waited outside, Peter slowly staggered out of the smoke filled dunny, coughing and spluttering and holding his hands over his ears. He had dropped the Luger and torch and yes you guessed it, down into the pit. The screaming from the feral cat had ceased and to this day no one knows if the bullet had killed the cat or whether it died of shock from the explosion that took place.
Peter was about a week suffering from deafness and when he recovered his hearing he then had to go and retrieve the Luger from the dark pit that was the shearing shed dunny. I do not know how he retrieved it but it was safely returned to it's hiding place.
Feral Cats
A feral cat (or stray cat, alley cat) is a cat which has been separated from domestication, whether through abandonment, loss, or running away, and becomes wild. The term may also refer to descendants of such cats, but not to wild cats, whose ancestors were never domesticated.
In Australia the term feral cat refers to cats living and breeding entirely in the wild. Significant populations of wildlife in Australia, including marsupials, reptiles, and birds, poorly adapted to this efficient predator, have allowed the establishment of stable populations across most of the country.
Adult feral cats, that were never socialized with humans, can rarely be socialized. Feral kittens can sometimes be socialized to live with humans. The ideal time for capture is between six and eight weeks old. Taming at this age may take only a couple of days. Older kittens can be tamed - but it takes longer. Also, an older kitten may bond only with the person working with them, which can make adoption difficult, but not impossible.
Feral cats may live alone but are usually found in large groups called feral colonies. The average life span of a feral cat that survives beyond kittenhood is usually cited as being less than two years,[1] while a domestic housecat lives an average of 12 to 16 years. However, feral cats aged 19 (Cat Action Trust) and 26 (Cats Protection) have been reported where food and shelter are available.
Cities, Australia, and North America are not native environments for cats. The domestic cat comes from temperate or hot, dry climates and was distributed throughout the world by humans. Cats are extremely adaptable, and feral felines have been found in conditions of extreme cold and heat. They are more susceptible to cold, damp conditions than to cold alone. In addition, they are vulnerable to predators such as dogs, feral pigs, wolves, bears,cougars, bobcats, foxes, crocodilians, birds of prey, and coyotes.
Feral cats have found a place in the popular imagination, perhaps due to the cat's reputation for being independently minded. For instance the famous television cartoon character Top Cat, a wily "alley cat" would always manage to get the better of the good-natured policeman, Officer Dibble. T. S. Eliot's Jellicle Cats, who are now known throughout the world through Andrew Lloyd-Webber's hit musical Cats, were themselves inspired by a colony of black and white feral cats in London, England
Created on 09/10/2008 12:57 AM by Rod
Updated on 09/10/2008 01:00 AM by Rod
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