"Now, how to trap a cat - any suggestions?"

Meat smeared with fish oil works.

I too don't like killing animals, which is why I changed my methods of dealing with feral animals. But, as the owner of my property I am required to manage it, which occasionally forces one into difficult dilemmas. In NSW we have WIRES (Wildlife Information and REscue Service, in its original form) and Im one of the founders of the New England Branch, so I've been well exposed to many of the dilemmas. Because I have a lot of ROTAPs on my place and work in town I refuse to have sheep; I prefer macropods and other marsupials and they clutter up my driveway wonderfully. But technically, they're 'owned' by the Crown, not by me.

If I ran sheep and saw some uncontrolled dog on my place, harassing the sheep, the law would support me if I gave the dog a sudden dose of lead poisoning. If that same dog were harassing the wildlife on my property (arguably much more vulnerable, if less economically valuable), the law would prosecute me if I shot the dog. Many people express some surprise when I tell them this.

Feral cats are even worse for wildlife but there's not many records of them molesting sheep. Even though cats may be beautiful creatures, I prefer the wildlife and reserve the right to. appropriately, manage any cats on my property.

Cheers, Rowan