Wisconsin Dnr Feral Cats

The wisconsin department of natural resources has adopted the position that feral pigs are exotic non native wild animals that pose significant threats to both the environment and to agricultural operations. Experts estimate that globally feral cats may have brought about the extinction of more bird species than any other cause except habitat destruction. The wisconsin humane societys tnr program provides spayneuter and vaccination services to feral cats for a nominal fee.
wisconsin dnr feral cats

The wisconsin dnr has adopted the position that feral pigs are exotic non native animals that pose significant threats to both the environment and to agricultural operations.

Wisconsin dnr feral cats. Wisconsin state law currently protects these animals. Feral pigs can transmit diseases and parasites and can be extremely destructive to recently planted fields and gardens. Although the majority of voters at the conservation congress meetings recommended to classify feral house cats as unprotected the wisconsin dnr decided not to act on this recommendation due to the very vocal protests. The states department of natural resources said that 51 counties supported the proposal and 20 rejected it with a no vote in one county.

What is a feral cat. No it is not. It gathered some support but it did not get off the ground. Question 62 feral cats studies have been done in wisconsin concerning effects of free roaming feral domestic cats.

Currently all cats are protected under state laws that prohibit cruelty to animals but feral cat hunting is legal in minnesota and south dakota wisconsins upper midwest neighbors. Any person who wants to have a feral cat spayed or neutered and who agrees to our guidelines is welcome to participate. After searching throughout the wisconsin dnr website feral cats are neither listed specifically as a protected nor unprotected species. Clearly free ranging cats are a major predator of birds in rural wisconsin.

These studies showed free roaming feral domestic cats killed millions of small mammals song and game birds. An unprotected species can be harvested with no bag limits possession limits or seasons meaning the season is open year round. For the whs service overview and discharge instructions click here. Currently feral cats are not classified by the wi dnr.

The department promotes aggressive removal anywhere feral pigs are reported. The densities of free roaming cats in rural wisconsin are several times higher than the typical combined densities of other mid sized predators like foxes skunks opposums and raccoons. About 15 years ago wisconsin came up with a controversial proposal to allow hunters to kill feral cats. Estimates range from a minimum of 47 million up to 139 million songbirds are killed each year.