Shooting cats: Am I allowed to shoot feral cats?

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Am I allowed to shoot feral cats?

Domesticated cats can prove a real pain in the neck, but you would be committing an offence by shooting one.

By David Frost

Monday, 26 April 2010

I know about most of the restrictions on shooting vermin, birds, foxes, rabbits etc but one thing I haven't been able to find out though is the stance on cats.

I have read the general licences but didn't notice if they are listed.

Now I guess that shooting someone's pet cat is a big no, but what about feral cats? There seem to be increasing numbers of them - are we allowed to shoot them?

Shooting legal advice
DAVID FROST
General licences are all about managing pest birds. Only a few mammal pest species (badgers for example) have specific protection under the law.

There is nothing to stop you shooting a feral cat provided you are absolutely certain it is feral.

The difficulty is in distinguishing between a genuinely feral cat and someone's domestic moggy that's wandering a long way from home.

If you shoot a domestic cat you would be committing criminal damage and as well as being charged you could also be sued by the owner for damages.

Cats have less protection in law than dogs and if, for instance, you run one over you are not obliged to report the matter to police as you are with a dog.