I was not attacking you. But just to point out that when someone offers an opinion or help you pooh pooh them as being not having any kind of smarts at all. Maybe we do not train dogs but have the knowledge of owning dogs for over 25 years does provide a person with insight in dealing with different things with their own animals. I'm sorry you feel personally attacked but you shouldn't attack others by referring to them as know nothings or stupid in other words. Not everyone knows every thing about every subject but we should all try to learn from one another not put anyone down who might gain more knowledge by the people here who I thought were trying to help one another.

Michelle, my post was not meant as a personal attack on you, gut on the prevalent attitude of pet owners who le their animals roam. It's great that you have the property to let them out (do they actually stay on it?), but most people don't.

I know who owns better than half the visitors in my yard and they are all fixed, but not one is going to keep their cats in, and for sure no one has offered to come and scoop the neighborhood litterbox. Not one of them intends to keep their cats indoors.

I intended only to express my frustration, and until you walk a mile in my mocassins, I wish you would refrain from calling me part of the problem.

Don't let anybody lay a guilt trip on you. You have a legitimate grievance, you have explained the problem, warned them, and if they do nothing to solve the problem, then do what you must. I hope you have tried some of the ideas people here have suggested. I haven't tried them, and can't say if they work or not. Nobody that complied with your request to keep their cats off your property will suffer.

bcre8tive,

I certainly didn't feel as if you were attacking me personally. I also was not trying to lay a guilt trip at your feet.

Just as you were, I was speaking in generalities. As you say, "until you walk a mile...".

Same goes for the flip side. As a 11+ year veterinary assistant, I know there are those out there who do their best, with little help from neighbors or the city, to help cats who have been dumped. At least the neighbor who owns the cats has spayed/neutered them. And that's a lot. I'm sure you know how much it costs.

At $71 for a spay and $38 for a neuter, our clinic is one of the cheapest in our locality.

I also know that, just because one has a cat fixed, doesn't mean it's theirs. I have any cat that walks through my yard fixed... whether it's mine or not.

Unfortunately, I DO have irresponsible neighbors. Dogs, goats, cats, chickens... all on my property. The dogs and goats cause WAY more problems than the cats ever thought of...

Anyway, when the dog thing was getting out of control a few years back, I wrote a letter expressing, in a contructive way, my displeasure at all the dog crap in my yard. I too had toddlers and no fenced yard to keep the dogs out at that time. I also asked that anyone that owned a dog, please keep them penned or chained. Any dogs left roaming after a week, were going to be taken to the nearest shelter or placed in a new home (NOT KILLED). I put the letter in all the mail boxes up our road.

Thankfully, the problem was taken care of... for the most part. After about two weeks, my closest neighbor (the one with the goats, chickens, & un-fixed cats) started letting her dog out and about again. I'm a laid back person so one dog didn't bother me and we eventually had a fence put up in our backyard.

The letter approach may be something for you to try. Let your neighbors know of your displeasure (without getting accusatory) and maybe say that, if the problem is not corrected, you will be forced to call the local animal shelter. Even ask if they would be willing to come scoop cat crap out of your yard! LOL. This will also give you evidence that you tried to solve things peacefully. Make sure you save a dated copy.

I certainly don't like that solution, but I realize that sometimes things like this must be done. Just remember that these are people's pets. If they have children who love these animals, you'll be responsible for having killed their friends. I would be devistated if someone hauled off my animals without first explaining the problem to me... and so would my girls.

One person's solution may not always be an option for someone else...

Okay, so I'm new to this board and will try to refrain from putting my foot in my mouth, BUT, in my never to be humble opinion, I think it's okay to have the ASPCA come and pick up strays. If they are someone's pet and that pet owner takes care of their animals on a regular basis, then wouldn't that pet owner automatically go to the ASPCA to look for their animal when their animal disappears for more than a day? Animals don't get put down or put up for adoption the day they are brought in so as long as the pet owner comes looking for his/her pet within a day or two after disappearing than it's okay. I think this is more humane than allowing them to roam and possibly get hit by a car, get in a fight or be taken away by a stranger. At the ASPCA they'll be safe and fed. My chow got out once after a bath so she wasn't wearing her i.d. collar and was taken to the ASPCA, I got her the next morning safe and sound. Besides, I have problems with a stray cat who has decided to crawl under my house every night. All night all we hear is "Yowwwwwl!" for two weeks now. Not fun when you're trying to keep your 18 month old from waking up every time. We can't figure out how the heck this cat is getting under there, we've closed the entrances and then open them reluctantly for fear she may die under there if not let out. Even if cats covered up their poop, the smell of their urine is ferocious! Don't really appreciate that.

Tootles,
Mom in Cali :eek:

I hope you all make the right decisions when it comes to stray cats. I just think if people were more reoponsible this won't happen. If they would spay and neuter their cats instead of dumping them off somewhere then we won't have this problem in the first place. I have 2 cats of my own. I found them outside so there is no way I could make them indoor cats, because I tried and failed. They are too adventurous to stay indoors.

Michelle

First you may wish to know what is the normal practice of cats in your area. For example I live in TN now. We live about 3 miles out from a town of 5000 people in a subdivision of about 20 houses.
Everyone owns one cat I would guess some more. They all run loose, I normally have two or three in my yard at any one time. More if I throw any left overs out in the yard.

This is just the way it is where we live, ( no real dog rules either although basically a few people locally would just shoot a dog running around in their yard. ( country people got to be scared of them)

This also was about the way it was in south GA where we I lived before also.

I would most certanly ask some new neighbors about the cats, it may well be the kids down the street pets.

No way better to make friends in a new area that to have peoples cats carried off to the pound.

This is an old thread but seems to be a continuing problem. I read that some of you love your cats and to keep them in the house will be cruel. I'm sorry but to let your cats roam around other people's properties is just being irresponsible as a pet owner and disrespectful as a neighbor. You may think everyone in your neighborhood loves your cats roaming around but they don't. I love cats and have a cat myself. I also love songbirds and have a birdfeeder in my backyard. When I went out to my backyard with my cat on a leash today, I noticed feathers all over the place. Apparently a cat that one of our neighbors allows to roam free killed and a ripped apart one of the songbirds that came to visit my yard.

I take my cat outside with a lease and wouldn't think of letting him roam free. I live in a suburb of a major city and the risk of finding my cat flatten out across the payment is not worth allowing him to "live more naturally".

This is an old thread but I am just now having the problem.
Moved into new neighborhood, have an indoor cat who likes
To go sit on the deck, does not leave the deck. Tonight, Jan 2, 2006,
The neightborhood cat comes up on the deck and attacks my cat
So now who is the irresponsible cat owner and why shouldn't I call
The pound, I am a big animal lover, but when my cat comes in
Bleeding because it is on its own deck then how can you not
Want to do something to the neightborhood cat who is not a stray,
But ITS "RESPONSIBLE" OWNERS HAVE NO IDEA where it is. Help me
Understand this.

I have said what I have to say on this subject a long time ago. People that respect others, keep their pets at home. If you have your pet under control, you have no reason to attack Labman for suggesting problem pets are reported to animal control. People that let their pets cause other people problems are the bad guys, not the ones that call animal control.

Actually where I live it's illegal for not only dogs, but cats as well, to be running loose. All cats have to be licensed and have to be kept indoors or kept in an enclosed yard where they can't escape. If your cat is picked up you face a stiff fine of $250. It's good for the cats in the long run, because they are not subject to various cruelties, and won't get run over by cars, etc. However, since the law was implemented 5 years ago, the mouse and rat population in the city has gone up dramatically. So there are some disadvantages too!

Leben one of the users is stupid why would you take the cat to get tested on? Not unless you're a heartless person which I don't think you are considering you asked for help on this issue, personally I think shelters are sad all the animals sit and wait for someone to come and get them and it doesn't happened the animals end up being put to sleep I think you should contact a friend who you know will take good care of a pet maybe even a parent who's alone :D :)