Cat-lovers protest against feline hunting

Feline lovers holding pictures of cats, clutching stuffed animals and wearing whiskers faced off against hundreds of hunters at meetings around the United States state of Wisconsin to voice their opinion on whether to legalise cat hunting.

Residents in 72 counties were asked whether free-roaming cats - including any domestic cat that is not under the owner's direct control or any cat without a collar - should be listed as an unprotected species. If listed as so, the cats could be hunted.

The proposal was one of several dozen included in a vote on hunting and fishing issues held by the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.