Commissioner Proposes Using Tasers On Stray Cats

[OhioChick]

POSTED: 5:59 pm EDT March 28, 2008
UPDATED: 6:18 pm EDT March 28, 2008

LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio -- Lorain County is having a problem with stray cats, and the county commissioner came up with a new way to catch them: stun them with Taser guns.

In the latest commissioner meeting, Betty Blair said stunning the cats would make them easier to catch and spay or neuter.

No other officials have jumped on the proposal yet, so Lorain County is still looking over options to control its cat crisis.

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/15736384/detail.html

[Clear Blue Sky]

1. Huh???

[MasonJar]

2. My assessment is that a stun gun would kill a cat. How do these

nuts ever get elected?

[OhioChick]

3. One has to wonder..... nt

[Warpy]

4. Fucking psychopaths!

If they want a REAL stray cat problem, they should try rounding them up and removing them from the environment.

Feral cats eat a lot of vermin, both insect and rodent. Yes, they reduce songbird populations, but birds are not the staple diet. Insects and rodents are.

Cat haters in power always manage to wreak havoc when they do eliminate much of the cat population. See: Black Plague.

[lonestarnot]

6. Well the problem with a round-up is that more will come to take their place as the

environment supports. That's what we were told downtown Phoenix. They did something though because the feral population appears to have thinned

[Warpy]

14. The best, most humane way to thin the feral population

is to catch, neuter and release.

While clods continue to get kittens and then dump them when they grow up and aren't cutesy pie any more, there will be feral cats. The best we can do is limit the problem by limiting their breeding.

[lonestarnot]

19. Yes and release back where they were captured.

[drmeow]

33. There's a feral colony

next to me here in Tempe. Someone called animal control and the guy said most of the cats were so sick that they wouldn't survive the trap, neuter, return. That may have been what happened in your neighborhood. I know that animal control at least in Tempe works with AZ cats (the people who do tnr here).

[lonestarnot]

37. I have suspicions as to what happened with those cats, but will not disclose here.

AZ Cats was contacted prior to their disappearance, but they did not help.

[warren pease]

32. Simple substitution...

The best, most humane way to thin the human population

is to catch, neuter and release.

While clods continue to have babies and then abandon them when they grow up and aren't cutesy pie any more, there will be feral kids. The best we can do is limit the problem by limiting their breeding.


Yup that's more like it.

Pamper the cats, fuck the humans. And double fuck the ones with tasers.


wp

[lob1]

11. You are 100% correct.

[dkf]

5. What a crazy woman!

Jeez what is wrong with some people.

On edit: Isn't it odd that we are protesting use against animals and not saying anything about using it on humans? I find it kind of twisted.

[lonestarnot]

8. Ugh, I think you may have missed those posts. LOL

[dkf]

12. Guess so. I just felt disgusted at the thought of my cat being tasered.

Maybe its a shame on me moment.

[lonestarnot]

17. It is pretty sick. Poor animals have no idea WTF!

[dkf]

18. Neither do some poor humans!

[lonestarnot]

20. Very true.

But the proposal was tased cats here.

[selador]

47. tasers are an excellent

and humane law enforcement (and self defense) tool

otoh, using them in the manner mentioned here is ridiculous.

[eShirl]

7. I don't think they'll like that

[flvegan]

9. Or...use a properly baited humane trap.

Sounds like Betty Blair is loony.

[OhioChick]

10. Here she is...

http://www.chroniclet.com/2008/03/28/blair-suggests-zapping-feral-cats

[flvegan]

13. "...we don’t have the authority to shoot them, you could Taser them"

Weeeeeelll, enough read.

Batshit stupid crazy insane. Betty Blair, you ignorant moron...

[flvegan]

15. Oh, and hard to believe she's a Dem. But...she is.

http://www.loraincounty.com/government/candidates/?id=114

[OhioChick]

16. Wow....

:crazy:

Says she's a cat owner, to boot.

[Donnachaidh]

21. how about tazering the cat owners who refuse to spay/neuter their pets?

There are humane ways to catch feral cats, so they can be spayed or neutered. Perhaps this nutbag figures she'll save the county money by just killing them outright with tazers?

I'd like to see her volunteer to be tazered, to *prove* it's not harmful. Put up or shut up, Ms. Commissioner. :grr:

[kestrel91316]

22. kestrel proposes using a harpoon on Ms. Blair. With electricity.

Tasers stick in the victim via a NEEDLE. How long is it, and what gauge? And what happens when it scores a direct hit on the lateral thorax and penetrates to the heart?? OOPS.

Frankly, shooting them with a .22 would be kinder. Ms. Blair must not have any cats in her family.

[OhioChick]

35. Ms. Blair is in fact a cat owner....

"A cat owner herself, Blair offered Tasers as a way of catching the hard-to-capture felines after a resident’s letter complaining about strays was read aloud during the commissioners meeting."

http://www.chroniclet.com/2008/03/28/blair-suggests-zapping-feral-cats

[EFerrari]

38. Then the city or county need to go to her house and do an inspection.

What an idiot.

[kestrel91316]

40. I submit she should test out her plan on her own cats first, then.

[BuelahWitch]

42. How the hell can a cat owner advocate this?

She must either be lying or have a heart of stone. I used to feed a bunch of ferals outside my old apartment in Salt Lake city. We had a fenced in patio, and they knew they were safe there. It was a joy to both me and my mother to be able to give food, water and a little shelter to these poor, unwanted animals. Never in the world would I have given a thought to killing or hurting them.

[OhioChick]

46. Amazing, isn't it?

A few Summers ago, I had several strays that would stop by and I'd feed them. I felt so bad for them.....they looked so dehydrated and worn out when it would hit 90 outside. If I already didn't have 3 dogs at the time, as well as a ferret..I would've taken a few in. (Surprising that they came here after picking up the scent of other animals)

I did however contact the animal protective league here which picked up a few and always let me know when they were placed in good homes. :)

[BuelahWitch]

49. Good for you!

True animal lovers wish to help them, not make them suffer. :hi:

[hyphenate]

23. Me thinks this one

needs to be retired to the same nursing home as Bill Frist. Psychotic idiots. Dem or puke doesn't matter--insanity doesn't descriminate.

I think that people should pass this on (the original link) to as many of the respectable animal rights groups around. I recall when (I think it was Wisconsin?) they wanted to shoot the ferals, and they backed down when so many people responded against them. (This was about a year ago, I believe, though it could have been in 2006). I will definitely be sending it to several of my animal charities, and the more the better.

[hyphenate]

25. Right state,

wrong date.

Wisconsin, 2005. :)

[Lorien]

24. Of for Chissakes! Haven't these morons heard of Havaheart traps?

Geez. I have one that I lend out to groups that catch and find homes for ferals (or neuter/ spay the cats who can't be tamed). Some friends caught every stray in their neighborhood using just the one trap in about two weeks. Tasers would likely kill the animals (I'm guessing that that's what she really wants to do, anyhow).

:eyes:

[Skittles]

51. that's how I caught the elusive Riff Raff

yes INDEED! I ordered the trap over the internet. :D

[enki23]

26. if they made cat tasers that were appropriate to their size, maybe.

i'm very much in support of efforts to spay and/or neuter stray cats, though in many places it's probably all but impossible to actually make much of a dent in the populations. in any case, using tasers designed to knock down an adult human is probably not such a good plan.

[cliffordu]

27. I think she needs to be tazed to see if she

REALLY has the courage of her convictions.....

[AdHocSolver]

28. Tasering a cat would most likely kill it.

If the body being Tasered has a large surface area, the voltage is spread out over the area and the voltage per unit of area is less.

A cat, being relatively small, would experience a very concentrated high voltage level and its heart and lungs could very likely cease to function. A Taser uses tens of thousands of volts, perhaps as high as 50,000 volts.

It is risky enough when used on humans. It is really upsetting when "technology-challenged" people come up with some really stupid ideas.

By the way, during the Middle Ages, the European population, being emininently superstitious, believed cats to be demons and destroyed most of the cat population of Europe. This action, of course, led to a huge increase in the rat population, which just happened to be carrying the fleas that hosted the plague.

I remember reading that cats are believed to have been domesticated very early in human history because they killed mice and other vermin that would attack grain harvests. In one sense, cats could be credited with contributing to the development of human civilization.

Moreover, cats are skittish animals. Even if Tasering didn't kill a cat outright, that animal would be devastated by the experience, and not survive for very long anyway.

[BearSquirrel2]

30. Lets not forget ...

Lets not forget that they weren't to keen on "serpents" either. I still have trouble telling people there is no need to kill harmless garder snakes.

[selador]

48. some problems with your analysis

i have no idea if a taser would kill a cat, but you have some serious misstatements here

"If the body being Tasered has a large surface area, the voltage is spread out over the area and the voltage per unit of area is less."

this is false. i can say this from training (and i've also been tased myself). tasers are MORE effective, the wider the distance between the probes. the surface area of the animal is not relevant because the voltage ONLY goes from one probe to another. not the entire surface area. that is undeniable

"It is risky enough when used on humans. It is really upsetting when "technology-challenged" people come up with some really stupid ideas."

it is NOT risky when used on humans. certainly FAR less risky than baton strikes.

it is Extremely safe for humans

and btw, i am completely against the idea of tasing cats.

[Diclotican]

29. OhioChick

OhioChick

If ANYONE tried to do that with my cat, and the kitten she have now. I would tease he/she all the way to the Grave jard stone. Even if the man in the case, was a man with uniform.. You don't TEASE animals with 50.000 volt as some of this teases shoot out.. This is just F**** stupid. And this OFFICER should be arrested, for wiliness to use torture against animals

Even STRAY CATS have rights.. And in very many cases this cat's can be replaced, to families who can care for them. But it may cost little to fend for the cats.. And they do have the habit of being pregnant... My cat was pregmant for over 8-9 weeks. And up 5 come out.. On my Sofa, thank lord I have a leather sofa, who was easy to wash up after the kitten was born.. Two of them was born dead. But under my kitchen benk, Today I have a VERY proud mother, and tree small kitten, who are just 2 weeks old on monday. Very cute cats by the way. But the mother is _very_ proud of them, and are out in the living rom every 15 minutes of the day, just to say that I need to come to the box, where the kitten are to se how they are.. Very nice she trust me that way, but very irritation because I have other things to do too...

And if I am not that wrong. Betty are a woman insent she?.. A Woman with that view.. Good grief, hope she never get shildren...

Diclotican

Sorry my bad English, no my native language

[OhioChick]

36. Yes, Diclotican

Betty is a woman.....a woman who owns cats, herself. You would think that she'd have a heart, but I guess not. Betty does have children and grandchildren, too. Surprising, isn't it?

So, your cat had little kittens? How cute. :) A friend a mine called me to come to her house when her Himalayan cat was giving birth. It was amazing. I stopped by her house a couple of weeks later and those kittens looked like cute little furballs running around the house. :)

[Diclotican]

41. OhioChick

OhioChick

He are a woman, who _own_ cats herself?.. And have both children and grandchildren but even then can say, he wanted to tease the stray cat... What a woman:eyes:

Yes, 3 small kittens. And I was there all the way even. It was indeed amazing to se how the small little animal was coming out, så tiny, så vulnerable.. And then to se the mother, who was there for them. Not at is was the first time she have had kitten, so I guess she know the routine by now.. But it was my first time to se it hapend..

Today the Small kittens are bigger, but are still the small kitten who need protection, and the mother are there for them. Just out enough to do what she need to do when she is out..Then in again to se after the kitten.. Very gentle mother by the way my grown up cat;).
The kitten are just 2 weeks at today, but they are curious about the world, so I guess it would not be long before their climbing out of the basket, to se what is there. Then I might have to safeguard the house little more than today... So the kitten would not be in harms way... But they are growing, and gaining more and more life as time goes by... I would be hard to give them away I guess, but what I can do, is to be sure to give them safe, nice home where they can be loved, when the time comes:)

Diclotican

SOrry my bad english, not my native language

[OhioChick]

44. Diclotican

That woman's kids/grandchildren will probably be just like her. :eyes:


Your kittens are only 2 weeks old! I'll bet they are as cute as ever. If you can, you should take some pictures and post them! :)

Soon, you will have to safegaurd your house, as those kittens are going to be wandering around and getting into trouble! I'll bet it's going to be hard to part with them when you give them to good homes. It would break my heart and I'd want to keep all of them! :)

[Diclotican]

50. OhioChick

OhioChick

Maybe, and then the circle of "bad habit" start all over again.. But it can be that the next generation are not like their grandmother/mother either...

yes, TWO weeks today, monday at noon the first kitten come to the world, and then 4 more, but it was just 3 of them who was alive, the other two was born dead. Sad but I guess it have something witht that my "vesla" are not that big a cat.. And 5 was little to much.. But the tree who are live, are living well, and are starting their first step around in the casked. But it is a difficult task to get all 4 feet to go under the body I guess B-)

I can try to take some picture and post them. I am not sure how to post them but would try then. They are indeed cute small creatures. And maybe in a coupe of week I have to run around and try to get them out of harms way.. As into the toilet or something like that.. I know other cats I have had, was very curious about the toilet or the shower.. I mean REALLY curious.. And often get into some problems over that.. A another cat I once had, named Susa, when she was young have the ugly habit of climbing into the toilet, and then get stuck.. But I saved the day, literary and it was a afraid, wet cat who was given comfort by me, and she never was doing that stunt again:think:

O yes, to go part with them would be the most difficult to do I guess.. Even today, when they are living there I would be sad when they are not there.. I am thinking about have one of the kitten here, but I am not sure yet.. I would be nice to have two to comfort each other. Even that the mother maybe would be little strict on the young cat... But I would my best to give all tree a good home, when they are going out from the nest.

Diclotican

Sorry my bad English, not my native language

[LisaL]

31. Oh dear lord.

:wtf:

[C_U_L8R]

34. Give me a taser

I know what to do with it

grrrrrrrrrrrr !

[Echo In Light]

39. And what a wonderful message that will send to neighborhood bullies and sadists

Who already hate cats due to their being culturally associated with femininity.

[Kitty Herder]

43. That's just plain sadistic. nt

[Rosemary2205]

45. New kitteh collar - "Don't tase me Bro"

Someone in that town HAS to make it up. PLEASE!!

[donheld]

52. Stray Cats Proposes Using Tasers On Commissioner

:grr: