Would a paintball kill a cat?

I've been hit with a paintball or 2, and if struck in the right spot, I'm sure a paintball hit to a cat could do some serious damage. That would be why most paintball parks (around here at least) require children under the age of 12 or 14 to wear protective vests, etc besides the standard protective eyewear.

I agree with Cheryl, the motion-activated sprinklers would be the most humane option for the cats, and I have had luck myself with the super-soaker method, especially using water mixed with vinegar. However, if you feel the need to have them permanently disposed of, at least use a live trap and let animal control put them down humanely.

Cat's right. It hurts like you would not believe if hit right with a paintball. Not only that, I've seen pets get really sick from the glycol in the paintballs if they eat it. They get a severe case of vomiting and diarrhea. I have seen one dog have seizures from it. I would trap and then humanely euthanize them. There are some products that can be used to deter animals from coming into the yard, but it will also affect your dog. It has a smell to them that they don't like. You also have to reapply on a regular basis.

I side with Clay on this. I live out on 7 acres that is surrounded by woods. Our neighbors have 30-40 cats to keep the mice at bay around his feed yards. They are not handleable. So, when they step on my property a real quick .22 to the head or body and it's one less cat to worry about.

Paintballs can and will cause harm to the cat while not dispatching of it. Depending upon where you live, I would either put them down for the count or trap and then put them down. Just make sure you pop them while they are snarling at you so the guilt is less.

Griz

I forgot one more thing. Check with your animal control, there may be a limit as to how many cats/dogs can be owned per household. There should also be a restriction on outdoor pets not contained. Enough complaints can be filed to where the neighbors have to either get rid of the cats or properly contain them. If those cats have parasites and your children/pets are in that yard they run the risk of contracting them. Children can get roundworms, tapes, giardia, coccidia, hookworms from the contact of infected feces. Not to mention if those cats have fleas/ticks, they'll be bringing those little buggers into your yard as well.

of people that are into herps, I cannot believe you don't see the big picture here. Cats torture, maim and kill HERPS! Don't get me wrong, I like cats, but only if they are kept responsibly indoors. I much prefer walking out into the backyard to see songbirds, Green Anoles, Med Geckoes, Texas Spiny Lizards, 6-lined Racerunners, Tarantulas, than some damn cat box! Our backyard is almost 2 acres with a 6.5ft privacy fence. The Rottweiler keeps the backyard free of cats and any other unwanted visitors. The front yard has a live trap set.

Cats also "torture" and kill rodent vermin. I live on a small farm, and we keep outdoor cats to keep rodents from making dirty messes in our feed and such, I can't imagine what a problem we'd have rodents if we didn't have outdoor cats, as I refuse to put out poisons for the number of other animals it can affect. We don't have all of those wonderful outdoor herps here in Iowa, what we do have they don't mess with (salamanders and toads and such)but I still enjoy listening to the songbirds (and the chickens crow in the morning, lol). And I'd be pretty ticked off if someone decided to "pop" them just because they were outdoors and not indoors. They are also spayed/neutered and well-fed enough so that they don't wander.

That said, it IS a different situation living in town, as I believe Steve does. There is no reason for someone who lives in town to have multiple only-outdoor cats. However, there is no reason for the cats to be caused to suffer, either. It's not their fault that the humans who own them are too stupid to keep them at home. That was my whole point. If you need to get rid of them, just do it humanely.

Cathy,
You are demonstrating responsibility with your cats. Unfortunately this is not the case with so many people.
You are taking care of your cats, and have them neutered. I'll bet they are also tame and will come to you for attention. People should have little reason to "pop" your cats.
The cats I have dealt with are completely feral. They don't even meow, they growl and hiss at humans. They were born in the woods, and have never had any interaction with people.
I have never enjoyed killing them, they are just being what they are designed to be, but they are a nuisance. They roam the neighborhood finning for themselves.
I have taken two or three to a friend of mine to release in her barn for rodent control, but the majority I have to put down.

I live in small town. My propertly is only a bit over 3/4 of an acre. There are 30 houses on my street (I'm the last house on a dead end).

I cannot shoot on my property otherwise I get arrested.

Unfortunately there is nothing on the books regarding the amount of cats (or dogs) you can own.

The problem is that it started with 3 cats a few years ago. They had kittens and now it is up to 8. Next Summer there might be more once again.

These things have run into my house when I opened the back door and they are NOT friendly. They leave dead mice and birds on my back patio. They used the kids sandbox as a litterbox. My neighbor almost ran them over backing out of his garage because they just lay in the driveway and refuse to move. They also "marked" his laundry one time when his wife had brought the clothes out to hang and left them there while she went back inside to answer the phone. She came out and the cats were in the clothes and made a mess.

I am not the only one fed up with these cats. We have tried to talking to "owners" but they will not do anything. I do know animal control was called once already but the cats are still here so I don't know what stopped them from rounding them up.

I am going to call animal control again Monday. Hopefully they will do something this time.

Originally Posted by Clay Davenport

They don't even meow, they growl and hiss at humans. They were born in the woods.

Just like these. They are nasty. Arched backs, hissing, taking a swat at you. My kids got to close one time thinking they were regular cats and went to try and pet them. Thanksfully they got scared when they saw the reaction of the cats. If they got scratched, I can tell you, I would have been arrested for discharging a firearm in a residential area.

The latest additions were born outside.

The only people who can even approach these cats are my neighbors who put food and water on their front step for the cats. They will not do anything to keep these cats contained since they say they are "outdoor cats".

I say they are a nuisance.

it's time to trap them and take them to the shelter. You will get it done a lot faster than animal control. Most animal control agencies will not pick up cats.
Here in Texas, if you are feeding a stray dog or cat, after 72 hours it's your legal responsibility to have tagged and vaccinated. You might check for this in your area. Another useful tool if you know who the owners are. Fines ad up quickly. I used to work for animal control and have been on both sides of the fence. I've never heard of them objecting to cats being humanly trapped and brought in to the shelter. On the otherhand, I don't object to Clay's remedy either.

Good luck,