Huntress shoots domestic cat caught in live trap but initial shots were not fatal

GERMANY-NEWS AND COMMENT: The story comes from Zusmarshausen. It's in German with a Google translation on the Bild online newspaper website. This is the alleged shooting of a domestic cat trapped in a 'live trap' (a trap put down by trappers of wild animals). 

Huntress shoots domestic cat caught in live trap but initial shots were not fatal. Photo: SOKO Tierschutz (pixelated out the cat's head)

It occurred in December 2020. The woman hunter was videoed shooting the cat more than once. The shooting occurred in a forest near Augsburg. It appears that the initial shots may not have been fatal. Clearly this was a matter for investigation on the grounds of animal cruelty. You cannot euthanise a cat in my view with a shot to the head. If the first shot is not fatal then it is a clear case of animal cruelty. 

Huntress shoots domestic cat caught in live trap but initial shots were not fatal. Photo: SOKO Tierschutz

The authorities, both the Augsburg Public Prosecutor's Office and the Bavarian Hunting Association (BJV), are investigating. No doubt we will not know the outcome. The hunter's committee called Swabia is yet to make a decision about the case. There appears to be an acceptance that it was cruel. The shooting was recorded by an animal welfare organisation who had presumably infiltrated the hunting.

Freddie Mercury would have loved Bohemian Catsody!

 

Bohemian Rhapsody parody with cats. Screenshot.

Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

---

The world knows that Freddie Mercury loved cats. One of his songs was inspired by perhaps his favourite cat Delilah. I have some pages on Freddie Mercury and his cats which you can read by clicking on the links below if you wish. I'm not sure that this version is, truthfully, that great but I don't think that's the point. It's a very good attempt and a lot of effort must have gone into it.

ASSOCIATED PAGES:

1. Freddie Mercury’s favorite cat DELILAH
2. Freddie Mercury: his ten cats and Bohemian Rhapsody the film
3. Last known photo of Freddie Mercury was with his cat Oscar

As you guessed it is a parody on Queen's iconic 1975 smash Bohemian Rhapsody. The lyrics go like this:

"Mama, just killed a mouse
Ate it all except the head
That's your present on your bed
Mama, a sign of my love
Why did you scream and throw it all away?"

Health tip: checking your cat for gum disease

A lot of cat owners are understandably unaware of the state of health of their cat's gums and teeth. You might get a glimpse of your cat's gums when they yawn but it might not be enough. And the upper outside area of the gums, at the back, is where gum disease can often start. The same, by the way, applies to people. 

If you want to reduce bleeding gums when you brush your teeth you should always focus strongly on the outside upper at the back of the mouth and eventually the bleeding will go away. In addition, you should use a good mouthwash occasionally. 

I'm digressing but the same problem exists with domestic cats and it is perhaps the single biggest reason why domestic cats are put under a general anaesthetic. In fact, Dr. Bruce Fogle in his book Complete Cat Care states that "I anaesthetize more cats to treat the tooth and gum disease than for any other single reason".

Use cotton buds to check for blood on cat gums. Photo: Pixabay.com. Words added.

Certainly, gum disease and dental health is in the top 10 or perhaps top five of all domestic cat health problems. It is, therefore, important to check gum health from time to time. Bruce Fogle states that an easy way to check your cat's teeth and gums regularly "is by running a cotton bud around the gum line". This means gently placing a cotton bud under the cheek against the gums around the upper teeth at the rear of the mouth, as mentioned. A cat should accept this especially as it can be done quickly. If you encounter blood or signs of pain you should take your cat to your veterinarian.

Sometimes veterinarians say that you can check oral health by bad breath but this is rather vague. Also, bad breath can be caused by kidney, liver disease, feline leukaemia or by a bowel infection. Indeed a foreign body such as a bone stuck in the mouth or on oral tumour and older cats can cause bad breath. So the cotton bud check is a good one. I would recommend it.

2 nutritional advantages cats have over humans

There are 2 nutritional advantages that cats have over humans. The domestic cat does not require vitamin C. This is because it is synthesized in their livers. Humans don't have this ability. Apparently this deficiency in human biology is due to "a mutation in the GULO (gulonolactone oxidase) gene, which results in the inability to synthesize the protein" (stackexchange.com). 

2 nutritional advantages cats have over humans. Cat drinking. Domestic cats are in general poor drinkers because of their wildcat inheritance. Photo: in public domain.

The second advantage cats have over us in terms of nutritional requirements is that their kidneys are very efficient. This is because their ancestors (North African wildcat) lived on the edge of deserts. They get most of their water from the prey animals they eat. Mice are 70% water. This is why domestic cats are poor drinkers, which is also why they tend not to drink enough water to make up for the lack of water in dry cat food. This arguably leaves them mildly dehydrated if they are on an exclusively dry diet.

ASSOCIATED PAGE: Do older cats need vitamins?

Both these nutritional advantages proved very useful to ships' cats. We've all heard of scurvy due to the lack of vitamin C in a sailor's diet. That health problem does not exist for ships' cats. And if water is scarce onboard ship, the frugal water requirements of ships' cats leaves more for the sailors.

ASSOCIATED PAGE: Link between fish-based foods and chronic kidney disease in domestic cats?

If you throw in polydactyl ships' cats so they can maintain their balance while at sea (thanks to the extra toe!), you have a very useful working animal on board ship. It is said that polydactyl cats were preferred over standard cats because sailors believed that they could keep their balance better. I doubt the story but it makes a bit of sense.

Domestic cats have more control over their lives than dogs

This is a little note about cat domestication. For an animal to be fully domesticated humankind must have complete control over their lives. Humans need to control what the animal eats and where they go. And, importantly, how they breed. Purebred cats aside, as most domestic cats have a lot of control over their lives they can't be considered as completely domesticated.

Domestic cat wandering outside. Photo in public domain.

Arguably the trend in keeping cats inside all the time is one more step in total domestication. It is probably a major step as it means complete control over what they eat. Outside cats hunt and choice prey to supplement their commercially prepared diet.

It is not just about human control over cats. The mentality of domestic cats is closer to their wild ancestor than for dogs. They've retained the wild cat mentality. A cat can go from eating a freshly killed mouse one minute to eating kibble the next and enjoy them equally.

The life of a purebred cat is very much more under the control of humans. They are more likely to be kept inside the home all their lives and their existence is down to selective breeding by a breeder. The breeder chooses if they exist. Their appearance is controlled by the breeder and to a certain extent their character. The purebred cat is more domesticated.