Forum Moderators: open
Anyway, my neighbor's cat went home nutless and not one person in my neighborhood has complained in over a year, including the owners. Just thought I'd post an update.
Little Mac pretty much keeps all the unwanted pests out of the yard. He's only on his chain when we've got the grill or smoker fired up.
Never heard of a law that would allow someone to kill my cat if it accidently got out and wandered onto their property <shudder>.
As far as not being "fully domesticated", if you have a dog that's hard-wired with a high prey drive, you will never get rid of that prey drive either. You can suppress it, but you'll never get rid of it.And such a dog would either need to be fully restrained (e.g. fenced yard or chain) or destroyed. Society does not tolerate such dogs running free and no one would really complain if said dog was shot for invading a farmer's chicken pen or harassing livestock.
It's funny how a mention of cats brings out such vehement opinions from cat lovers and cat haters alike
I can't think of any other species where discussions get so heated (maybe pit-bulls, but that's not a whole species).It is because the defenders of cats can not see past their personal love for their furry companion to realize what their companion's feral cousins are doing to the ecosystem. Cat lovers are allowing emotion to rule rather than common sense and logic. Dogs are wonderful companions as well, but I'd never cry fowl if one was shot for invading a neighbor's chicken coup.
Why do we treat cats differently than dogs? Why are dog owners more reasonable in general about realizing that dogs must be restrained and can not be allowed to run wild wantonly killing wildlife?
Birds can be a nuisance too - I've never had to clean cat droppings off my carWild birds (e.g. Canada Geese referred to above) are a natural part of the environment. We are invading their traditional habitat and turning it into our lawns and golf courses. As such we have an obligation to accept their white squishy revenge.
And such a dog would either need to be fully restrained (e.g. fenced yard or chain) or destroyed. Society does not tolerate such dogs running free
I know a lot of high-drive dogs who take out their fair share of small wildlife in their own, private, fully-fenced back yards.
if said dog was shot for invading a farmer's chicken pen or harassing livestock.
Apples and oranges - I thought we started out talking about a species impact on wildlife, not on animals which belong to someone (whether pets or livestock). Anyway, my point was that you can't fully "domesticate" what's hard wired into any species.
Wild birds (e.g. Canada Geese referred to above) are a natural part of the environment. We are invading their traditional habitat and turning it into our lawns and golf courses.
And in invading it, the natural means of keeping their population in check are gone and the geese are thriving disproportionately. The resulting goose droppings in parks and playgrounds can pose a hazard to childrens health. There are humane ways to minimize that nuisance that don't involve shooting any geese, but I'm not getting into that - we've already strayed (pun intended) far enough from the original topic.
People. People are to blame - irresponsible pet owners, overdevelopment ... Ultimately, it all comes down to people.
[edited by: MamaDawg at 7:01 pm (utc) on April 27, 2007]
guano
People. People are to blame - irresponsible pet owners, overdevelopment ... Ultimately, it all comes down to people.
Wonderland, it should gradually disappear until nothing
is left but.... : )
Take note of what you have copied:A person who, while hunting, fishing, trapping, or taking wildlife
That's right I'm quoting a law dealing with trapping wildlife. What kind of trap did she use? I don't ever remember seeing a Havahart "pet" trap in the store before. Most of the traps I see are for "wildlife."
And I do love cats myself, my male cat was neutered before he knew any better and is a great pet. He doesn't leave my side let alone leave the yard.
You should understand that mating cats are very noisy, especially when they are "doing it" underneath the floor boards of your house, banging around. If he had not started bringing his girl friends over, he'd still have all his stuff.
[edited by: spaceylacie at 2:30 am (utc) on April 28, 2007]
How would you feel if someone mauled one of your animals?
I would feel angry, probably. On the other hand, the owner didn't seem to care enough about their animal to keep it at home. I had a neighbor once who let a rooster run everywhere (in the city). Two mornings of that rooster on my fence was all it took for me to come up with a solution. Yowling cats and continuously yapping dogs would fare no better. Take care of your pets and their needs.
Kudo's spaceylacie.
Don't spit into the wind.
Don't argue with a cat person.
One of my first posts on this thread was the same as those here recently. It's pretty easy to figure out who we are and what you did wouldn't be appreciated by everyone.
If my outdoor light was too bright and it bothered someone's sleep I'd expect them to talk to me about it first rather than breaking my light. In the same way if I smashed someone's light I wouldn't be posting it here.
Just think of "ALL" the other things that could happen to that cat. If we weigh the pros and cons, that particular cat was fortunate. Others are not as fortunate.
So, for all you cat lovers/owners, please keep those felines in the house before something less fortunate happens to them. They could stray into DG's backyard. Hmmm, I think the cat would rather have his huevos removed surgically instead of caninically. ;)
You handled it wonderfully - too many neighbors would have just killed or dumped the offending animal, but you, wonderful and caring person that you are, did what the owners were too irresponsible to do. My hat is off to you. The cat owners should be ashamed and embarassed that you had to do their job for them.
Some of y'all are acting like she committed the crime of the century. Just to make sure we all understand, the neutered being was a cat, not a person, or prized stallion, or animal nearing extinction, OK? It's not like there's a shortage.
The owners should be grateful that you handled the problem so humanely. You are a hero, really.
I saw a cat playing the piano the other day! I used to have a cat who played ping pong. I certainly don't find it all that odd for there to have been a tom who liked to bring his dates to a specific place for amore.
Why do we treat cats differently than dogs?
Because cats are smarter ;)
If my outdoor light was too bright and it bothered someone's sleep I'd expect them to talk to me about it first rather than breaking my light. In the same way if I smashed someone's light I wouldn't be posting it here.
I still don't even know who the cat's real owners were/are, neither did any of my immediate neighbors,
No tags, no owner.
I think it's been over a year since I posted that I was thinking about neutering my neighbor's cat
[edited by: JudgeJeffries at 6:06 pm (utc) on April 28, 2007]
If the cat was running free, no one was exercising ownership. Pretty simple really.
>>most are now chipped not tagged.
I highly doubt that, but feel free to make up some more 'facts' if it makes you feel better.
That's right I'm quoting a law dealing with trapping wildlife. What kind of trap did she use? I don't ever remember seeing a Havahart "pet" trap in the store before. Most of the traps I see are for "wildlife."
I really do believe that you should have thought more carefully before taking the action that you did and before bragging about it here. It took me 30 seconds to get your name and address and your neighbours (or their friends or relatives)
How would you feel if someone mauled one of your animals?
Any cat owner should know that a free ranging tom cat has a very short life expectancy and is highly susceptible to being seriously mauled in fights. If the cat was of any true value as a breeding cat, the owner would have had an obligation and self-interest to take better care of the cat and keep from self-inflicted harm due to fights (e.g. kept it indoors).
The simple fact of the matter is that ANY cat roaming free without a collar and ID should be impounded. If the cat is suitable for adoption it sterilized before being adopted. If the cat is not suitable for adoption it should be euthanized just as would be done to stray dogs.
Spaceylacie should be applauded for taking responsibility that others were not willing to take. As a result of her actions, one cat will probably lead a longer healthier life, there is one less cat in the world producing feral offspring and the neighbors will have one less cat making a horrible racket during breeding time.
If my outdoor light was too bright and it bothered someone's sleep I'd expect them to talk to me about it first rather than breaking my light.As has been pointed out, this is a red herring. Because the light is affixed to your house, your neighbor would know where to go and complain. If a cat had no tags there is no way of knowing who to complain to. Hence my stance that no tags no owner.
>>most are now chipped not tagged.
I highly doubt that, but feel free to make up some more 'facts' if it makes you feel better.
Is that a veiled threat I see?Is a very cheap shot. My neighbour’s dog strays into my back garden so does that give me the right to carry out surgical procedures on it? Would my neighbour be annoyed, I think so. Would he do anything about it? Quite possibly.
The way I see it, no one owned that cat. It was allowed to run free.
Even if the cat was "trespassing" in Spacey's yard - the cat didn't know any better, plus you just don't neuter a cat because the neighbor isn't keeping the animal confined to his/her own property. Causing irresversible surgery under false pretenses without permission is pretty much against the law.
My neighbors have a boxer pup that strayed over every now and then. I'd walk him back, hook him back up and let them know he got loose. They fixed the problem after he knocked over my garbage cans and dragged trash all over my yard. I told them it was his last chance and he hasn't been back since.
The neighbors down the road have a Rottie they keep chained up. It's mean and cantankerous. Probably because they keep it chained up 24/7. If it ever finds its way into my yard I'll shoot it. I don't trust it.
You seem to ignore the fact that there was some history with that cat.
>>the cat didn't know any better
Yep, cats are pretty stupid critters. Dogs usually know when they're misbehaving. Doesn't cut it as an excuse though.
