[Aurora_Bell]

Yes I have two acres but only 1/4 of it is fenced. My neighbor it's quite a distance from me. It's not like suburbs, I'm country.

[Lucky098]

I am somewhat relieved that Colorado has a law of "fence to keep out"... If someone's cat wonders onto my property and is killed, it's the owners fault.

You should look into your county rules and regulations and see if there is a way to fight this

Isn't it enough that you have to fork over $1100 for you to fix her cat?

Everyone is so hyped up with this pit bull thing that is spiraling out of control.

Other pet owners and lovers of pets need to realize that a government telling its people which pets they can own won't stop at pit bulls (or their mixes). Since animals are considered property still, this is just as ridiculous as the government saying you cannot own a specific type of car because its fast and can potentially do some damage to you or others.

Oh Bella, I'm so sad for you right now :( Its not fair.. any way you look at it, its just not fair. :(

[Wondergirl]

So what would this woman have done if a coyote or raccoon would have attacked her cat (on HER property)? I want to do something to help Lady.

[Aurora_Bell]

I'm not sure what can be done right now. All this support is amazing. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. At this point it's all up in the air. I never thought it would be me in this situation.

[Wondergirl]

I'll write letters and make calls. Tell me details, if that time comes.

[Alty]

The attack occurred on Bella's property, but only part of her property is fenced. I don't live in the country, but hope to within the next 2 years. It's very costly to fence a few acres. My yard is tiny, super small. To fence my yard, 16 years ago, cost over $1000 dollars. That was just for the supplies, not to put up the fence. We did that. I don't even have 1/8 of an acre for my yard. Tiny!

This just makes me so mad. So upset. So... I don't even have the words! I'm pi$$ed off!

WG, I've had a few cat incidents, and before I go on, I want to tell you that I love all animals. I love cats. I'd have cats if hubby wasn't allergic. So would he. We love cats.

Indy, our lab cross that died just before Christmas, was the most docile dog I've ever met. The neighbor kids used to ride on his back, when I wasn't looking. He never so much as growled at them. My bunnies used to jump on his back, used him as a stepping stool to get on the couch. His response? He's lick them. Our bird used to peck at his fur. Once, Marty got a bit frightened, flew, landed on Indy's head. Indy didn't even blink. He took it all in stride.

Having said that, Indy had two run ins with cats. One was a kitten. Indy was tied up in our front yard. I was with him. We have an even smaller front yard than we do a back. The leash extended to the edge of our driveway, and the edge of our lawn. He was kept on our property. The neighbor across the street got a kitten. Cutest little thing. That kitten, at less than 8 weeks of age, would cross the busy street, come to our property, and sit on the tree just out of Indy's reach. Indy would whine, wag his tail, and the kitten would sit in the tree, taunting (for lack of a better word).

This went on for 2 weeks, every single day. I'd take the kitten back to it's owner, ask that they keep it inside, that I was worried that it was crossing the street and taunting my 70 pound dog. They laughed it off.

Well, after 2 weeks of this, Indy had enough. It was one taunt too many. The kitten came to our property, climbed the tree, and Indy broke his leash. The leash was made of mountain climbing rope. It was tested and approved to hold 300 pounds. He snapped it in half like it was thread. The kitten pounced out of the tree and ran, Indy at his heals. The got to the middle of the road, the kitten turned, and slapped (that's the only way to describe it) Indy in the face with both paws. Indy was so shocked that he turned around and came back home. No injury.

The second time Indy was on a new leash, stronger than the first. It was winter. He saw a cat at the neighbors house, by their garage, across from our culdesac. Indy once again broke the leash and took off. The cat sat there, by the garage, Indy charging towards him, both hubby and me running after Indy screaming "Stop, come, no!" The cat didn't move. Indy got to the cat, picked him up, and tossed him in a snow bank. Thankfully we were right behind him, grabbed him before he could hurt the cat, and that was the end of it. That was also the end of Indy being in the front yard.

[Aurora_Bell]

I refuse to let lady's rehoming go in vain. No dog should hands to be torn from it's family because of the way they look.

[Alty]

So what would this woman have done if a coyote or raccoon would have attacked her cat (on HER property)? I want to do something to help Lady.

R (hubby) said the same thing.

If a pet is attacked by a wild animal when you're being an irresponsible pet owner, it's an act of God. If a pet is attacked by another pet, on the other pets property, and your pet has no restrictions, even though you're at fault as a crappy pet owner, the animal defending it's property is at fault.

What needs to be done is this. Laws need to be changed. Pet owners need to be made responsible for their pets, regardless of that pet is. If you have a dog, and it attacks someone off leash while you're going for a walk, you need to be responsible. If you have a cat and you decide to let it wander the neighborhood, going onto other people's property, and it gets injured, you're responsible.

The thing that makes me the most upset about this, is that people are expecting animals to act like people! A cat doesn't know that it shouldn't go into the neighbors yard! If a cat is allowed to roam, that's what it will do. A dog doesn't know that it shouldn't chase the cat that comes into her yard, otherwise it's a death sentence!

Dogs are dogs, cats are cats, birds are birds, animals are animals! It's human beings that need to learn. Not the animals. It's a human change that needs to take place. We need to wake people up!

Sorry Bella. Don't mean to rant here. I'm just so mad about this. So very mad. Love you!

[Wondergirl]

Like I said before, cats don't belong outside, even in the country. Too many dangers. I've spent my life trapping and rehoming or finding homes for outdoor feral and stray cats. Too bad if someone owns that cat. (And I do know which neighbors stupidly let their cats go outdoors 'cause their cats wander over here to visit our cats sitting in the windows.) I don't think I've rescued an owned cat yet, but don't make me swear to that.

[Alty]

I refuse to let lady's rehoming go in vain. No dog should hands to be torn from it's family because of the way they look.

I'm with you. I think we all are.

So what can we do to change this?

It's in our hands. Human hands. Only human beings can change this. So how do we do it?

It's no longer of "we have time, people will wake up". It's now a matter of "We need to save Lady".

[Cat1864]

Bella, if this happened while you were at work, was Lady out of the fenced area when you got home? If she was in the fence, who put her back in or is this woman claiming that after attacking the cat Lady jumped back over the fence?

What proof does this woman have that Lady attacked her cat? Was there an eyewitness who is not a realtive or 'close' friend of the cat owner? Are there any bite marks on the cat?

This is starting to sound very fishy.

[Wondergirl]

Bella, if this happened while you were at work, was Lady out of the fenced area when you got home? If she was in the fence, who put her back in or is this woman claiming that after attacking the cat Lady jumped back over the fence?

What proof does this woman have that Lady attacked her cat? Was there an eyewitness who is not a realtive or 'close' friend of the cat owner? Are there any bite marks on the cat?

This is starting to sound very fishy.

My very thoughts. I also wonder if Lady is a scapegoat (and a source for easy money). That's why I was trying to find out what happened without saying what I was thinking.

Has this neighbor ever expressed dislike for Lady?

I would sit down and write out the entire episode with who, what, where, how, why, etc. Were there witnesses? Who says what? Which animal was where and when?

[Aurora_Bell]

I agree wg, a cats place is in the home. Alty 100% agree. Too much pressure on family pets to behave like humans. People forget animals don't think like humans.

[Alty]

Like I said before, cats don't belong outside, even in the country. Too many dangers. I've spent my life trapping and rehoming or finding homes for outdoor feral and stray cats. Too bad if someone owns that cat. (And I do know which neighbors stupidly let their cats go outdoors 'cause their cats wander over here to visit our cats sitting in the windows.) I don't think I've rescued an owned cat yet, but don't make me swear to that.

I completely agree. I'm in the burbs, but even here there are coyotes, and other wild animals. A cat that's allowed to roam and wander, is just easy prey.

We learned the hard way not to let our cats have free reign. I have to admit, we let them roam and wander for many years. My mom and dad felt that was a cats right. Some of our cats went to wander and never came back. Whiskers came back with an ear missing, and scratches. Ginger killed a neighbors cat, also allowed to roam free. :(

Well, it's a dogs right too. Dogs aren't born to be leashed, enclosed. Wild dogs roam, they hunt, they live in packs. Why aren't dogs allowed free rein?

Why are cats allowed to roam, unless their owners decide to be responsible, but dogs have to be tied down, or enclosed? But, when that irresponsible cat owners cat comes into the yard, the dog, a hunter, an animal that protects its turf, is the one that's killed when it attacks the animals invading its space? Cats are hunters too! Cats and dogs aren't really all that different. But cats have freedom, dogs don't. Should one invade the other, it's always the dog that dies for it.

Animals are animals! That's really the bottom line. Until all humans are responsible for any type of animal that's in their care, it's not fair to punish the animals. By this I mean the cat owner, not Bella and Lady. I know that Bella treats her dogs like dogs, and does everything right for them. They're walked, fed, loved, trained. They have space to run, and be dogs. This is all on the cat lady, and not at all on Bella and Lady.

[Alty]

Good questions Cat and WG (feeling a bit weird calling Cat, Cat, right now). ;)

Bella, does this cat lady have proof that it was Lady that attacked her cat? Or did she just say so?

If she has no proof, fight it.

Don't say a thing to her. Don't apologize, don't offer to pay vet bills. Demand proof that Lady attacked her cat.

If she can't provide the proof, then she has nothing.

[Wondergirl]

She needs photos or witnesses. The cat could have gotten injured in some other way and she is blaming Lady. Did Lady have blood on her muzzle? Like Cat said, was Lady out of her fenced-in area? Was the cat lying on the ground near Lady? How did someone get Lady to back off from chewing on the cat's leg or attacking the cat? (I thought that was often hard to do.)

[Alty]

She needs photos or witnesses. The cat could have gotten injured in some other way and she is blaming Lady. Did Lady have blood on her muzzle? Like Cat said, was Lady out of her fenced-in area? Was the cat lying on the ground near Lady? How did someone get Lady to back off from chewing on the cat's leg or attacking the cat? (I thought that was often hard to do.)

All good points.

We've established that Bella was at work when this supposedly happened. I say supposedly because it really hasn't been proven that Lady did this.

Bella, where was Lady when you came home from work?

When did this happen, and when did the cat lady approach you about this?

Was there any indication that Lady did this? Blood on her, she was outside the fenced in area of your yard, etc. etc.

Did the cat lady see this happen, and she pulled Lady off the cat, or is she assuming? If she's not assuming, then how did she get Lady, the supposedly vicious dog, off her cat?

None of this is adding up for the cat lady. Did Lady attack the cat? Could be. Lady is a dog, and dogs chase any animal, or human, that encroaches on their territory. Doesn't matter what breed the dog is. But was it Lady?

Bella lives in the country. She's told me about coyotes in her yard, a pack of them. Happens all the time. She lives in the wild. It's just as likely, even more so, that the neighbors cat was attacked by a coyote. So, unless she has proof that Lady was the one that did this, this is a bunch of bull on the cat lady's part.

[Wondergirl]

Coyotes think cats are a tasty treat. That's what Chicago area coyotes live on, stray cats and squirrels and mice. I used to feed lots of stray cats every evening. Now there are none. The coyote population has risen; the stray cat population is very low. Hmmmm. I wonder if a coyote got to the cat and Lady is being blamed.

[mogrann]

I just got home and have been talking to Alty when out. I have made myself very active in the BSL debate and helping dogs I am in the process of typing stuff up to help out. I will post it here as well. Lets not let another Wicca or Lennox happen to Bella

[LadySam]

This is beyond unfair, honestly something doesn't add up.
A roaming cat is apt to get injured plain and simple.
What can I do? Sign a petition, write a letter, e-mail someone?
Bella, I am sorry you, your little one and Lady are having to deal with this.