# Graphic Question about killing an animal, don't open if you don't want to read it



## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Okay, that disclaimer aside I have a question. This is NOT about killing goats. But I wanted to put it in this forum because it is a forum that does include some knowledge of killing.

I have (had I guess) three cats. One of my cats attacked a chicken. I scared her off the chicken and decided to give her a second chance on our farm all the while trying to find another home for her.

Today I found her with a baby chick (one of my meat chicks) in her mouth.

So not having found another home for her I had to come up with another idea. I called the shelter and they have a 1 cat adopted for 100+ cats PTS.

I figured the stress of the 3 day holding time frame, and then put up for adoption for a couple days and then PTS would not be what I think she deserves.

So I decided to get my air rifle and put her down. I didn't make this choice lightly. But my livestock does have to come first. I cannot have a cat attacking my livestock.

Oh and on a side note, this is not my mongoose killing cat. This cat has only so far hunted lizards (sad face love lizards) and now chickens.

Okay, so I grabbed the air rifle. I went out and called for my cat. I brought some kitty treats with me and petted her for a few minutes. Got her purring, happy, snuggles. I put the treats on the ground and she was happily gobbling them up. I shot her in the head. It was quick. She kept breathing so I did it again. She had no reflex responses..... But was still breathing. All total, I shot her in the head 4 times. 

Granted I've killed a mongoose, but this was so different. I hated each second of it. She just kept breathing, I wanted peaceful and quick. She had no eye responses so I think she was brain dead? But her heart kept pumping?

Can I have some advice on how I could do this better in the future? Not that I'm planning on killing any more cats (cept maybe ferals so I really should know what I'm doing) but I'm planning on using the air gun to kill my meat rabbits for our dinner table.

I feel sad that I had to kill her. She was a nice girl, but I cannot have a killer. Since they are outside "barn" type cats taking the cat to the vet to be PTS is not an option, the stress that would cause them is just not worth it to me. Does that make sense? It's not expensive, just stressful. 

I don't feel sad that my livestock (chicks) will be safer.

My husband is out of town for the week. Why is it when I have to kill an animal (mongoose, cat) my husband is out of town? I wish he could have done it.

Sooooo. How can I do this better? How can I improve the death of animals I have to kill? I hate killing things, but at the same time, it is part of owning a farm and growing your own meat. 

I would ask in advance that no one be too judgy. I did what I had to do. I feel like poopies about it, but it had to be done.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Dayna Im not well versed in firearms but I would think something with a bullet would have been more swift.
We had a barn cat that ate half our under 1 week old chicks. He disappeared.
Sorry you had to do this but you had to do what you had to do.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

This has the firepower of a 22 rifle. Hawaii has VERY strict gun laws. I used this:

http://www.amazon.com/Crosman-Nitro...=Crosman+Nitro+Venom+Dusk+Air+Rifle+air+rifle


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

im thinking your air gun is not powerful enough...a 22 might be ..well...over kill ( no pun intended)...but it would be fast and done as done can be..one shot....and yes..on a farm you must do what is needed...a chicken killing cat is not any better to have around than a chicken killing owl..


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

> This has the firepower of a 22 rifle. Hawaii has VERY strict gun laws.


Perhaps holding the barrel right at the base of the head next time?


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

See, that's what I did. That's why I'm so confused. My husband thinks the cat was brain dead after the first shot, but that the body just kept going and it upset me. Not to be gross, but brains came OUT after the first shot.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Its my 2cents that every farm needs a firearm that can do the job in one shot.
You might have strict laws there but sheesh what are you gonna do if say free roaming dogs come in? Or if a goat needs to be put down now? Im sorry Im not paying a vet for euthanasia if I have a bullet that costs way less.

eta just read that. sounds like a pretty powerful weapon. Sounds like it did do the job, remember the aftershock; the body still moves though no one is home.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

the cat very well may have been dead after the first shot..perhaps the body took a minutes to understand what had happened...I would have done the same thing though...a few nore to make sure done was done...


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Lets just say that if there is an emergency with a goat there could possibly be a .38 handgun somewhere that I could probably find...... But for that to come out and risk me going to jail it has to be a very very real goat emergency.

Sound travels well out here. Last time I heard a gunshot I saw police all over the area. I think we might have the worst gun laws in the US. And me coming from a gun loving Alaska! It's been a hard adjustment.


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## HonestOmnivore (Feb 26, 2013)

Your cat was braid dead - heart and lungs can keep going, that's how we get organ doaners after all- brain death while the blood is still circulating. The heart and lungs stop on their own after a few minutes without any additional action.

I asked my vet how to put down an animal and she said that the kindest way is blunt force trauma to the head. GROSS and IMPOSSIBLE if you love the animal. A bullet to the brain is the best option to those of us who have a heart.

I've had to put a few animals down, plus I hunt deer (which I shoot in the head much to the horror of my dad). If you can't stand knowing that the body is still breathing, on a small animal you can also do the trappers kill. I've only done this after I've knocked the animal out. I shot a male adult raccoon in the head with a hollow point 22 short and he was still breathing (he was in my neighbor's attic) and I finished him off this way. You put the heel of your boot on the ribcage, just behind the shoulder and step down with all your weight. You will compress the heart and kill the animal. WAY too traumatic to do this if the animal is awake!!!

I'm so sorry you had to go through this - I think you approached it the right way! I hope if I ever need to be put down, it happens while I'm eating some treats!!!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Cats are simply very very difficult to put down. This is really disturbing, you've been warned...

Driving home one day I saw a cat in the road that had been hit by a cattle truck. I figured I'd throw it off to the side of the road so I didn't have to look at it near our driveway. I got out and this cat with it entire hind end squashed started chasing me growling and clawing...Okay. I drove back to the house settled the kids grabbed the 20 gauge shotgun and walked back.
I put the barrel right behind his ear and blew half his head entirely off. That darn thing just picked his head up and looked at me. He wouldn't die. I ended up getting the .22 and shooting 4 more times. 
When I told my husband about it later that's what he told me, cats are just very hard to kill.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Thanks for the responses.


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## Epona142 (May 26, 2008)

What a tough thing to do. Hugs!

I do think the first shot did it, the body was just going through the motions. I don't think the cat suffered at all. I have used similar air rifles to dispatch rabbits for eating. They are not pellet guns, but pretty powerful little rifles.


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Dayna , the cat most likely was brain dead.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I really hate the thought of making an animal suffer. So seeing her move was very uncomfortable for me.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Sorry you had to do that....and yes, it is tough. I had to finish off a kitten my mother accidentally stepped on and it was horribly disturbing....they die hard.
:hug:

ETA: Farming is NOT for the weak.....


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

> Farming is NOT for the weak.....


Never heard a truer statement about farming!
Hugs to you Dayna! I too think the cat was brain dead, or at least unconscious, after the first shot. My paramedic brother tells me that he has seen many people who have been shot in the head. Even if they are not dead, they are unconscious. _Every single one._
I don't think the kitty suffered any. :hug:


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## Springbett Farm (Jan 5, 2011)

My husband uses high powered air rifles and they have plenty of power to kill raccoons, possums, and yes, cats. He even has one he can kill deer with. That said, the cat was definitely dead and never knew what happened by the first headshot. I would have shot another time to make sure, like you did. You do what you have to do... as humanely as possible. I had my hubby put down a stray cat this way a few years ago- I know it sounds harsh. But the darned thing was attacking my other cats, eating their food, and he was just a mean nasty Tom that wouldn't leave. Never had a problem since.


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## TrinityRanch (Mar 26, 2013)

goathiker said:


> Cats are just very hard to kill.


What can we say... cats have 9 lives


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I don't think kitty felt anything ... I'm very sorry :hug:


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Thanks everyone. After more reading, I do think she was "dead" after the first shot. The rest were more for my comfort.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

We once had a cat get hit with the fan in a truck. Its happened several times and before they either died instantly or got.away with just missing hair. Not this cat. She was in there in the middle of august in 106 degree weather so it was very unexpected. Well he got her out of the fan thinking she.was dead, as soon as she hit the ground she drug her self with her front legs screaming the whole way. It took five shots before she stopped convulsing and throwing herself around. I just knew she was going to come out of the grave afterwards. Never seen anything like it... it was the weirdest thing ever! Cats are very hard to kill indeed but to me it sounds like she was already out and the breathing was reflexes.


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## HonestOmnivore (Feb 26, 2013)

Ok, I held back as long as I could on my cat story... We had a barn cat get kicked in the head (the horse kind of tripped over him, it wasn't intentional) and it knocked his eye out. I couldn't find him and assumed he went off to die. About a week later he was at the community cat food bowl and when I said his name he looked up and the (now crusty) eye moved like it was tracking with his good eye! SO GROSS! He disappeared again, and the next time we saw him it had healed over. One tough cat.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

HonestOmnivore said:


> Ok, I held back as long as I could on my cat story... We had a barn cat get kicked in the head (the horse kind of tripped over him, it wasn't intentional) and it knocked his eye out. I couldn't find him and assumed he went off to die. About a week later he was at the community cat food bowl and when I said his name he looked up and the (now crusty) eye moved like it was tracking with his good eye! SO GROSS! He disappeared again, and the next time we saw him it had healed over. One tough cat.


Where we used to live there was a stray like that. He was a mean thing too


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Wow these stories are so shocking! They definitely aren't weak animals! They sound like zombies hahaha


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## Used2bmimi (Oct 3, 2012)

Yep, I agree that the cat was at least senseless if not dead on the first shot. And I agree that your gun was powerful enough. Just be warned, rabbits do that too so don't let it take you by surprise. Sme animals do it longer than others, turkeys are just awful. But if you know in advance it isn't so hard to see. Hugs to you for having to do that, but you are right that it was much more humane to do it at home when she was happy than to subject her to being sent away and then PTS. You have my respect and my sympathy.


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## Ember (May 23, 2011)

I'd invest in a small 22 rifle or 22 handgun. We have a air rifle as well but I would t shoot anything besides a squirrel with it. We use 22 or larger to put anything down

Or if its small enough an this is so gross but was the quickest humane way we had a duckling that got mangled by a cat and we squished its head in with a brick. I can't even type that without cringing so you'd have to be strong with that one.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Ember said:


> I'd invest in a small 22 rifle or 22 handgun. We have a air rifle as well but I would t shoot anything besides a squirrel with it. We use 22 or larger to put anything down
> 
> Or if its small enough an this is so gross but was the quickest humane way we had a duckling that got mangled by a cat and we squished its head in with a brick. I can't even type that without cringing so you'd have to be strong with that one.


I have to follow local gun laws. My husband is employed by the federal government in an enforcement capacity. If I was caught _knowingly_ breaking a gun law..... Lets just say that I will not be purchasing any firearms that are not pellet air guns.


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## Ember (May 23, 2011)

Where do you live? Having a 22 and shooting it shouldn't be illegal I could see if you lived right in town you can't discharge a firearm but in the country I can't see it being a problem.


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## Ember (May 23, 2011)

I just saw Hawaii. That may be a whole new ballpark. Maybe 22 pistol?


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## OutdoorDreamer (Mar 29, 2012)

We have a .177 caliber Gamo Bull Whisper air gun. It is powerful enough for small game. My boyfriend has killed many squirrels and even a possum with it. 
if you need more power for putting down a larger animal, there are larger calibers of air guns out there. There is a video on YouTube of someone hunting wild boar with a Gamo .22 pellet gun. He shot it between the eyes and it dropped instantly.


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

Dayna said:


> I have to follow local gun laws. My husband is employed by the federal government in an enforcement capacity. If I was caught _knowingly_ breaking a gun law..... Lets just say that I will not be purchasing any firearms that are not pellet air guns.


Is a simple .22 rifle seriously illegal where you are? They even allow those in the UK, a place with even stricter gun laws than the United States!


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

Like everyone else said, I think your cat was brain dead after the first shot, it just took the body some time to realize what had happened and for everything to shut down. I have been around when a few horses were put to sleep and each one would take one final deep breath, even after the heart stopped beating. Kind of shocking, but the vet did warn us each time that the horse would take one last breath. So maybe your cat was doing something similar. The only thing I can think of is if you didn't shoot up high enough. Typically when you shoot an animal right between the eyes, you are only shooting through their nasal passages and not into the brain. If you shoot just above the eyes, but in the middle of the head you are hitting the brain. I have heard of people trying to shoot a horse that way and the horse would end up suffocating to death.

For your rabbits would it be easier to just slice their throats? I just can't see someone holding a rifle up to a rabbits head, they just seem kind of small to shoot with a rifle at close range, even if it is a small air rifle.


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## RedGate (Dec 7, 2012)

Working as a vet asst. even cats "put to sleep" don't usually go down easy! Shocking to me at first! The first cat I ever helped put down traumatized me. Sweet kitty had been hit by a car fractured pelvis, one rear leg crushed, not really anything that could be done. I was holding the rear legs so they couldn't scratch the vet while working on the injection in a front leg and someone else had her scruffed... Meds all in. Cat is softly low growling and panting. And the other tech let go of the scruff..3 seconds later with an awful yowl the cat hissed and whirled off the exam table into the pharmacy and attempted to leap up the shelf but didn't make it (crushed leg!?!) and back flipped into a heap on the floor. We were all pretty shook up. Then we waited forever for her heart to stop beating. We all were praying the waiting room was too busy for her sad owner to hear all the commotion.... We also put down an ewe once that STOOD straight up! Scary. So sorry about your kitty experience. I'm sure you've found comfort in these comments.


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## m57gonefishing (Jan 26, 2012)

As others have said the cat was probably dead. Even with larger calibers they sometimes breathe for a bit. Sometimes not. Up close and personal is never fun but at least you know it was quick.


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