Irresponsible Owners

[Esmae]

Fricking cats. Why it is even legal to own an animal and allow it to go and kill other peoples pets with no comeback whatsoever is beyond me. Finally curbed next doors after it killed 3 of my elderly bantams. Today found the one from up the road after my chicks. I totally, totally hate them.

I like cats I have to say and my Silkie cockerel sees off any cat stupid enough to come into the garden, that manages to get past the whippets. Cats here have broken the land speed record with the cockerel on their tails! Sorry about your bantams.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Really sorry about your chooks, Clodagh. I didn't even realise that cats went after poultry. Have you spoken to the cat's owners?

Our now resident cat luckily lived with a chicken in her former life, so wouldn't go for poultry, I hope. The JRT absolutely would, but she doesn't get the chance.

If alien cats come into our garden then it's up to them to take evasive action if necessary. I certainly wouldn't keep my resident dog on a lead in her own garden in case of intruders. As it is, the dog and the cat team up to see the intruder off.

 

[Clodagh]

I like cats I have to say and my Silkie cockerel sees off any cat stupid enough to come into the garden, that manages to get past the whippets. Cats here have broken the land speed record with the cockerel on their tails! Sorry about your bantams.

I do let my dogs out as soon as I see one and they do chase. The girls didn’t live with a cockerel as they were too old, and also they were in the garden so less electric fence. I don’t feel I should have to guard my own property beyond good fences though.

 

[Clodagh]

I haven’t seen next doors cat after a campaign of water pistols, screaming at it and letting Pen out as soon as it’s seen. It also took one of the girls, still half alive into next doors house so they kind of couldn’t miss the problem.
I don’t actually know if they still have it.

 

[TheresaW]

I’ve had cats most of my life, but not since we lost the last oldie. One of the huskies would definitely kill a cat if she caught it, but at the end of the day, it is the dogs garden, so I won’t restrict them. The odd cats they’ve chased have soon learnt to stay up on the fence.

 

[AmyMay]

My view is: my land, my dogs, intruders of the feline variety take their life in their own paws/hands.

Completely agree.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Never get cats in our garden, thankfully, as the waterfall attracts a lot of birds: they queue up in the conifer. My dream of having chickens is never going to happen given how prey oriented Goose is.

 

[Clodagh]

Never get cats in our garden, thankfully, as the waterfall attracts a lot of birds: they queue up in the conifer. My dream of having chickens is never going to happen given how prey oriented Goose is.

They soon learn. Particularly if you have electric fence in the way

 

[splashgirl45]

We had someone move in next door but one to me and his bloomin cat used to be out all night as it had a car flap, every night my dogs used to go mad xx at about 2 to 3 am and it was the cat on my flat roof.. I got really fed up and bought a cat scared from Amazon and put it in the roof. It hasn’t been on the roof since but now jumping off the fence to my patio which sets the dogs off, so now I have to shut my dogs in the living room at the front of the cottage so they can’t get to the kitchen door .. drives me mad and also we hardly have any visiting birds now which has happened since the thing arrived. I feel that if people want cats they should be kept in their own garden . If my dogs were rampaging at 3 am I would expect complaints (quite rightly) as it is I am in a terraced cottage and have had to apologise to my neighbours whose sleep was also affected

 

[AmyMay]

Deleted

 

[CorvusCorax]

Nah, over the years mistakes have been made and our dogs have nailed our own rabbits/cats and I've had to deal with the aftermath. For it to happen to someone else's pet would be even more horrendous.

You think you'd not mind it happening, until it happens.

 

[SadKen]

I don’t keep my two on a lead so cats are obliged to be wary or stay away, preferably the latter, but the garden is too small for them to get up enough speed.

As an aside a girl I knew was on social media a while back loudly complaining about animal cruelty towards her cat. Turns out a neighbour had absolutely drenched it after it repeatedly cr*piped in their garden. Not hurt it. Just chucked a bucket of water over it. I thought it was absolutely hilarious. ‘Animal cruelty’

 

[TheresaW]

Nah, over the years mistakes have been made and our dogs have nailed our own rabbits/cats and I've had to deal with the aftermath. For it to happen to someone else's pet would be even more horrendous.

You think you'd not mind it happening, until it happens.

I definitely wouldn’t like it. Have been upset the couple of times she’s got wild rabbits whilst on a long lead. I’ve only seen a couple of cats on the garden over the last few years, and as I said, they do stay up on the fence. I just think, it is their garden, and they should be able to run and play as they wish.

 

[JJS]

Nah, over the years mistakes have been made and our dogs have nailed our own rabbits/cats and I've had to deal with the aftermath. For it to happen to someone else's pet would be even more horrendous.

You think you'd not mind it happening, until it happens.

Finally someone speaking sense! As a cat and dog owner, I’ve been shocked by some of the responses on here My two are house cats (mainly because I don’t want to risk them being involved in an RTA), but no way would I allow my dogs to terrorise my neighbour’s cats in my garden. I’d be horrified if they did - and I’m appalled that some people are so unphased at the thought of their dogs hurting someone else’s pet.

 

[Tiddlypom]

But cats are savvy, and will soon learn which gardens it is best not to venture into.

I'd never allow my dog to deliberately terrorise a cat, but if she has to hasten one on its way through our garden (there are plenty of trees and fences for cat to shimmy up) then so be it. My garden, fenced to keep the dog in.

I can't get my head around house cats. A catio, yes, but not housebound cats.

 

[some show]

As an aside a girl I knew was on social media a while back loudly complaining about animal cruelty towards her cat. Turns out a neighbour had absolutely drenched it after it repeatedly cr*piped in their garden. Not hurt it. Just chucked a bucket of water over it. I thought it was absolutely hilarious. ‘Animal cruelty’

My neighbour agreed with me squirting her cats with water pistols if they appear on the fence so I have free rein to do so! Everyone around here knows my dog would shake one to bits if he got hold of it and is fast enough to do so, and it's been a constant worry for me over the years because cats will be cats (curiosity etc etc) and sometimes don't realise he's lying out there sunbathing. It's annoying because I feel like it's his garden, not theirs, so he should be free to spend as much time out there as he wants, but like CC the last thing I want is to have to tell one of my good neighbours he's killed their much loved pet.

 

[cauda equina]

If a cat owner is happy for their animal to roam freely why should other people make themselves responsible for its safety?

 

[Clodagh]

I accept I probably deal with more dead things than a lot of people (bar people actually employed in killing) but tbh if my dogs killed a cat I’d be absolutely fine with it. People who own cats don’t mind them killing peoples pets, I see no need to ‘rise above them’. My labs absolutely wouldn’t, they just chase, so it’s not a problem but it doesn’t change my decision.
I wouldn’t resent a farmer who killed a dog that was killing his animals.

 

[blackcob]

I resent having to check my garden for suicidal cats as much as anyone, but the reality of a dog actually killing a cat is really Not Nice.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Again, nah, been here eight years and in my experience, the cats very much do not learn.

I suppose it's about the size of/how you use your garden as well. I walk through it to go and exercise my dogs by walking them or taking them elsewhere or to training by car, I've never put them out in it unsupervised to run around as the wall out front is too low.

 

[CorvusCorax]

How do people think it would play in the community/local press/social media if their dog killed a family/pet cat, if even in their own garden? It would cause a right stink around here. And yes, dealt with my fair share of dead things too.

And yes, I think people should be similarly outraged about cats and the fact that they're allowed out at all hours of the day and night to stalk the hedgerows and kill songbirds and poultry.

I do absolutely resent keeping my pets under tight control while others don't, but from childhood I've had it drummed into me not to be the one with the Fierce Alsayshuns. It's never a good look.

 

[Clodagh]

How do people think it would play in the community/local press/social media if their dog killed a family/pet cat, if even in their own garden? It would cause a right stink around here. And yes, dealt with my fair share of dead things too.

And yes, I think people should be similarly outraged about cats and the fact that they're allowed out at all hours of the day and night to stalk the hedgerows and kill songbirds and poultry.

I do absolutely resent keeping my pets under tight control while others don't, but from childhood I've had it drummed into me not to be the one with the Viscous Alsayshuns. It's never a good look.

Well if it happened I probably wouldn’t put it in the local press or social media! It’s not going to happen anyway, unless I give up labs and get something with a bit more drive. It would be a game dog to take on a cat, even Sash the lurcher stopped when they turned to face her.

 

[Jenko109]

I actually don't think there would be too much uproar for a dog killing a cat, when the cat has ventured into the dog's garden.

My dogs have lived with cats. Slept on the bed alongside cats. Would I trust them not to kill a 'foreign' cat in their garden? Absolutely not! The lurcher especially, would make short work of a cat I'm sure.

I would never restrict them in their own garden. If they caught a cat then I would absolutely feel sorry for the owner, BUT I would not feel guilty and I would not think my dogs had done anything wrong.

I would like to think that the majority of reasonable people would understand that if a dog kills a cat because the cat has trespassed into the dog's garden, then there is nobody to blame.

Cats will be cats and dogs will be dogs.

 

[Clodagh]

I actually don't think there would be too much uproar for a dog killing a cat, when the cat has ventured into the dog's garden.

My dogs have lived with cats. Slept on the bed alongside cats. Would I trust them not to kill a 'foreign' cat in their garden? Absolutely not! The lurcher especially, would make short work of a cat I'm sure.

I would never restrict them in their own garden. If they caught a cat then I would absolutely feel sorry for the owner, BUT I would not feel guilty and I would not think my dogs had done anything wrong.

I would like to think that the majority of reasonable people would understand that if a dog kills a cat because the cat has trespassed into the dog's garden, then there is nobody to blame.

Cats will be cats and dogs will be dogs.

I understand the owner would be upset, I’d be devastated if my dogs got killed for chasing sheep. But I don’t let them go and do that, or kill things whenever they feel like it. It’s being responsible.

 

[blackcob]

I have seen many an online pasting for the same, witch hunts to name and shame, calling for the dog to be euthanised, what if it was a child etc. - remember, so much gets filmed now too.

I venture that some of this is breed dependent also, a labrador would probably get cut more slack in trial by social media than the kind of dogs I like to own.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I sense a rural vs urban divide

 

[Tiddlypom]

I sense a rural vs urban divide

Defo more pragmatic here out in the sticks.

 

[AmyMay]

We get the odd cat in the garden, mostly ferals. No way would I restrict my dogs access to her garden because of them.

 

[marmalade76]

I sense a rural vs urban divide

Indeed. I am on a rural Facebook group where someone posted about a neighbour's cat that was peeing on their decking and other places, terrorising their own cat and continually waking them at night by trying to get in through their windows. There were the usual suggestions like water pistols, hoses but a fair few said that if they were in that situation, the cat would have already "disappeared"

 

[some show]

I do absolutely resent keeping my pets under tight control while others don't, but from childhood I've had it drummed into me not to be the one with the Fierce Alsayshuns. It's never a good look.

That's a big thing for me too, greyhounds need all the good press they can get since they aren't seen as good pet dogs by a lot of people, so I do what I can to keep mine safe/other creatures safe from him!