Maybe you could shoot her kudos? Or give her some steak with anti freeze or something similar.

And there was me thinking your mind was a wretched wasteland, devoid of anything remotely resembling a good idea…

Whatever some may think and say about her I liked this a lot in the VMA .

Jesus Christ, I always wondered what sort of idiot fell for those shlocky speeches and false tears…

I wouldn’t recommend anyone waste their time by signing that petition as it falls so short of addressing the real problems with cats that it’s pointless.

I am, however, considering drafting my own petition, to make cat owners accountable for damage to bird, reptile or rodents that are protected by law. It might also include making it legal for landowners to use reasonable means to eradicate cats from their property (ie, trapping or shooting).

Well, no-one else has closed it either. And unfortunately, you’re still here too.

And to paraphrase your good self, this place is a much better place for it. ;)

Fair enough Cougar, thanks for your moderate viewpoint. Let’s hope other moderators exercise similar restraint on any other subjects that might polarise opinion.

I’ve behaved perfectly well… (See? I even resisted the urge to type “purrfectly…)

Some people seem to think my posts are “trolling”, just because my views are at the opposite end of the spectrum to their own. Personally, I find it morally abhorrent that people release cats into our environment, free to run amok, defecating in children’s sandpits, killing protected wild species etc, etc, etc.

However, I don’t complain to the moderators whenever someone posts a picture of a cat. And there have been some rather militant “pro-cat” views expressed on this forum, and I don’t just mean on this thread.

The problems I’ve come up against in the past is that the moderators’ personal views are, in some cases, diametrically opposed to my own, and they seem to have allowed those views to dictate how they deal with me.

Sadly, this stifles debate, which is after all, the purpose of this forum.

No argument should be settled by someone playing the empathy card completely unchallenged, and whilst cat owners might find my views challenging, there are others who agree, wholly or in part.

That’s one helluva ride, good luck! How long are you expecting it to take?

And I think that frame should be fine, if you break it, you may ask a small boy to operate the bellows while you forge it back together! :)

Yes.

Maimed??

It looks like descent value… I wouldn’t expect that “mythical steel ride” in that sort of price range though, it’s very basic tubing.

You’d need to spend at least that much on a frame alone to get anything in 653 of 853 steel (which are the lighter, better-riding tubesets).

Looks like a perfectly nice bike though.

Sudo just turns your crack-thatch into a sticky matted mess… You can make a decent homebrew version my mixing it with Vaseline though.

And it doesn’t come with that lovely feeling, like Nicole Scherzinger sipping Créme de Menth and then blowing gently on your barse…

I prefer something with a bit more poke for “larger game” esselgruntfuttock… ;)

Jamis are quite popular in the States, far less so on this side of the Atlantic, so consequently, they’re very good value.

A friend had a racebike (can’t remember the model name) which came with full Dura-Ace for about the same price as the groupset on its own!

He used it for a couple of seasons and liked it. Had trouble selling the frame though as it wasn’t a popular brand. If it fits and is good value and you like the way it looks, I don’t think you’ll go far wrong…

A good smear around your barse and sitbones should be enough. Some of the older types that came in a squirty bottle were handy for a good dollop in the chammy but with Assos Minty Arse Lard etc, a good thick smear is usually enough…

If you have problems with your balloon knot, a quick diddle with a finger-full might help, although there are better over-the-counter creams for these sort of shenanigans.

I keep a close eye on where my cat is whilst I am on this forum

Joking aside, if more people who were “anti-cat” made their views known, more cat owners might keep a close eye on their cats. Which is essentially what we want…

I think you’ve just made my point for me – the inability to feel empathy with other people’s empathy…

Backatcha sunshine. You’re unable to empathise with my viewpoint that your cat is vermin, a danger to protected wild bird species, and should be exterminated if it enters my property. You sir, are clearly a sociopath!

For all those cat shooters and poisoners. Do you understand the difference between pets and livestock for food or even wild animals. The point about pets is that there is an empathetic bond between owner and pet that is why people generally think that killing pets (or indeed being cruel to them) is abhorrent and is illegal.

But if it was a dog running amok, the owner would be held accountable. Can you not see the difference?

Your pet is exactly that… YOUR pet, not mine. To me, it’s just vermin.

How exactly would you like us cat owners to control our pets? keep them locked up? Put them on a lead? Come on, if you’re so dead against them being allowed to roam you could have the decency to offer some solutions? Or is that pathetic petition it?

Absolutely, to both of those suggestions. As an absolute minimum this should be law, the same as it is for dogs or any other domestic animal that us capable of killing or causing damage to property. Why on earth is this not the case??

Also, the law needs changing so it is not a crime to protect your property, and the animals/birds – wild or otherwise – that dwell therein from these animals by killing them humanely if they trespass and harm or worry livestock. Same as it is for dogs.

HW77 is a cracking gun and you might find one in budget. But they tend to start around the £250 mark, same with the TX200.

They’re a very similar gun, and considered the benchmark in their price bracket – it’s just a case of which you like the feel of better.

I have a .22 HW77 for squirrels etc, it’s a heavy lump but very easy to hold a site mark as it’s so well balanced. Just below 12ft/lb so plenty of power and accuracy.

In my experience, break-barrel springers are nowhere near as accurate as under-lever types. But they do tend to be cheaper.

Don’t think so – we never had a litter tray for ours. However, she was raised by her mum in the wild for 6 months.

Oh well, if you don’t, that must be the case. I wonder whether you should drop a quick email to the manufacturers of cat litter to tell them that their invention will never take off… :roll:

Bump for anyone that didn’t see this thread, I’ve been every year since this started – I ride with a group every Tuesday night so we change our plans slightly to Ride the Lights with kids, other-halfs etc.

Fantastic evening and the weather’s good – nice offshore breeze.

EDIT something just occurred to me. I was always told cats bury their poo, and the one we had when I was a kid certainly used to do this in loose earth. Is this what’s not happening?

Yes, some cats sh*t on open ground, some bury it in loose soil. The only loose soil most people have in their gardens is where they have a flower bed or vegetable patch – so the faeces is discovered when the soil is dug or vegetables planted/harvested.

Another problem is that some children like to play in sand pits. Cats just LOVE sh*tting in sandpits.

It’s more to do with the fact that owners like their cats to sh*t in a litter tray rather than on the carpet during those few hours that they’re actually in the the house.

So cats now naturally seek similar substrates in which to sh*t, meaning that anyone who wants to grow their own veg, have a gravel drive, or provide a sand pit for their children to play in will fall victim to these evil animals sh*tting all over their property.

Out of interest, do you object to dogs crapping in public areas?

Dog owners are fined if their animals foul in public.

Any reason why that shouldn’t be the case for cat owners?

Any reason morally why cat owners should feel it’s acceptable to allow their animals to roam free and defecate wherever the fancy takes them?

Just trying to stimulate debate Footflaps.

Nobody seems able to answer my questions though: why should cat owners not be compelled to control their pets in the same way that dog, alligator or boa constrictor owners are?

But if you aren’t you do realise that there are only certain types of animals you are legally allowed to shoot?

I don’t think cat (domestic or otherwise) is on the list and you are probably committing a firearms offence.

Just criminal damage. From a moral point of view, why is it OK for people to release an unnatural apex predator into the environment and then be unaccountable for the damage it might do to protected species?

If I turned my dog out first thing in the morning and went to work whilst it wreaked havoc to farming livestock or protected wild animals, I would be punished and/or the dog would be destroyed.

The glaring shortfall of the law as it stands is that for some bizarre, archaic reasons, cat owners are not held accountable in the same way that anyone else is.

Let’s look at it from a different angle: If I had a pet alligator or a poisonous or constricting snake, should I be allowed to let it loose all day? What would you want to happen of that animal was allowed to roam, completely unfettered, on your property and kill your pets or wild birds after you’d spent a lot of money trying to create a safe haven for them?

Schrödinger had the right idea?

Poison them and hit them with a hammer? A rifle is far more humane.

Of someone’s much loved pet ?

If it’s “much loved”, keep it safely locked away. Nothing grinds my gears more than the selfish b*****ds who turn their “much loved” lethal apex predators loose first thing in the morning to decimate the local bird, reptile and rodent populations… Apart from the ones who whinge when people like me don’t have such a loving attitude towards their animals.

He should be **** pilloried.

Erm, OK, so… 4-letter word, possibly rude, describes a type of pillorying… Nope, can we have a clue? What does it rhyme with?

Do you really use an air rifle to shoot cats for pleasure kudos?

It’s simply a case of neutralising the threat to our threatened bird, rodent and reptile species. As a conservationist, I don’t take a great deal of pleasure in killing anything, but anyone who’s used a high powered air rifle will know the sense of satisfaction one gains from an accurate hit. ;)

Just squirt them with a water pistol.

Or just squirt them with a lead-infused jet of cold air from a Weihrauch hw100. It guarantees that they won’t do it again, and it’s still fun! Yey! :D

They’re shot on sight if they enter my property. If a cat is allowed to kill a bird or animal species that is protected by law, the owner should bear the full brunt of the law. It mystifies me why this isn’t the case.

And it mystifies me why it is perfectly legal to shoot a dog that is worrying livestock, but perfectly illegal to shoot a cat that is killing rare or protected species on my land.

As far as I’m concerned, the OP’s petition is a complete fail as all it seems to address is catshit in the herbaceous borders, and none of the more important aspects of the cat problem…

I doubt it, but more to the point, does it work??

Cannondale’s ‘Continuously Ergonomic Race Vehicle’

Looks to me like they’ve taken the one element of traditional bike design that is pretty much perfect (the direct steering front wheel) and replaced it with some vague, possibly cable-actuated witchcraft steering!

You’re probably right, but it’s nice to know people are still pushing the boundaries regardless of the UCI’s dumb rules.

Would be perfectly legal in a club 10 though… Anything goes. I raced an Elliptigo last week! (I reckon it would have gone 30-45 seconds quicker with a disc wheel ;) )

The Supersix is a very relaxed frame to ride, so I wou;dn’t worry about getting something more “sportive orientated” as has been suggested.

It has a relatively long headtube, which is why you see the pros using negative rise stems on them.

Personally, I’d go for the smaller one – longer stems handle better.

I ride 56cm frames with 130mm stems. It’s easier to go a bit shorter if necessary and still have a decent stem length. If you start out with an 80mm stem on a bike with a longer t/t, you’re going to compromise handling if you try and go any shorter.

A man takes his goldfish to a vet, “I think my fish has epilepsy…”
“He looks fine to me” says the vet…
The man replies “wait til I take him out of the bowl…”

These threads just get better and better!

Go carbon. I really can’t understand why anyone would buy an allu frame in this day and age.

The oft-spouted bull about a good allu frame being better than a crap carbon one is wearing a bit thin. The exponents of this theory always recommend a Cannondale in the same breath – don’t listen to them.

The carbon bikes you mentioned are far superior. Giant bikes all tend to be quite comfy – maybe not as lively as some but they’re great.

They should look in the boot of his car…

“I’m gonna lock her up in a trunk, so no big hunk can steal her away from me”…

Ah, this is another of those STW Grammar Nazi posts… Had me scratching my chin for a moment, thought it was on of those completely pointless threads. Turns out it’s only almost completely pointless.

MS-181 here too, can’t go wrong with it. They do an entry level one called an MS170 but it’s a bit poxy – the 181 has steel dogs on the blade and is a much better built saw.