A La Crosse man who wants the state to permit hunters to kill stray cats said he has received a wave of angry reaction to the proposal, including at least two death threats.

Since he requested a vote on his proposal at the Wisconsin Conservation Congress meetings April 11, Mark Smith said he's gotten phone calls and messages both at work and at home, according to La Crosse police.
One call made while Smith was working at the La Crosse Fire Department suggested "it should be ... open season on firefighters," according to police reports.

In another, a woman told Smith she had heard that if the Wisconsin Legislature approved his plan, "they will hunt Smith down and kill him," police said.

Smith, 48, has proposed that any cat not under its owner's direct control, or not wearing a collar, should be considered fair game for any hunter with a small-game license. He wants to see the state reclassify free-roaming cats as an unprotected species, arguing that the ones out in the wild are no different than other invasive species.

Smith said his proposal was prompted by cats prowling around the bird feeder at his home.

Hunters and others who attend the conservation congress spring hearings in each of the state's 72 counties next month will vote on the proposal, but the vote is advisory only. The Legislature would have to pass a measure to allow cats to be hunted.

Police are taking the threats against Smith seriously and are working to trace further calls to his home or workplace.

Smith was not at work Wednesday and did not return a call to his home Wednesday afternoon.

Dan Springer can be reached at (608) 791-8269 or dspringer@lacrossetribune.com.

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