Feral cats lose Wisconsin vote

MILWAUKEE, April 13 (UPI) -- Feral cats crept closer to being declared an unprotected species in Wisconsin, but are still a ways from becoming targets for hunters.

Wisconsin's Conservation Congress meetings -- convened in each county in the state each April -- drew about twice as many participants Monday as most years since the feral cat issue was on the agenda.

The measure to make cats without collars or not under an owner's control unprotected from hunters passed 6,830 to 5,201, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Mark Smith, of La Crosse, Wis., proposed stray and feral cats be classified as an unprotected species. Smith cited research that the cats kill millions of songbirds and game birds each year. Since news of his idea was made public, Smith has received death threats.

But the cats aren't in danger yet. The five-member Conservation Congress must consider the measure and make a recommendation to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. And any change after that must go through the state Legislature, which officials predict is highly unlikely.