Cat walking off lead

Like you,Bodybutterblusher, our cat often joins me when I take the dog out for a walk.
I reckon he's well able to look after himself though and, again like you, I don't fancy the chances of any dog that messes with him!

The law is that dogs must be under control at all times. No law applies to cats, they have the right to roam so can go wherever they like. So if your dog is chasing a cat it clearly isn't under control and you were in the wrong.

Whether they were taking the cat for a walk( completely bizarre, never seen or heard of such a thing and I've had cats for 50 years) or it was there by itself is irrelevant, you and your dog are the problem.

My cat comes for a walk with us. He’s not invited, he just comes. I can’t exactly stop him, unless I lock him indoors. Which I do have to do if planning to walk further away as he would just follow me. But we often walk from our house, up through the woods and back in a loop, or around the block with Ds on his bike and the cat just comes with us.

When Ds was tiny he would hop in the pram basket if empty sometimes for a ride home. He now joins us for a walk up to the viewing area and has a nap on the bench which we have hot drink from flask.

Our neighbours call him ‘ the dog’

My childhood cat was fearless and would follow us everywhere. We once walked a mile into town, went into the first shop and was shocked to walk out and find the cat sitting in the shop doorway waiting for us. She had a lovely day out with us!

Whenever we would visit neighbours she'd walk us down to their house and sit outside in the window keeping an eye on us.

Sounds like the cat just followed them over to the field on their family walk.

no I’m not - why are you being rude to me? It’s a public forum I was just giving a view.

my point was that if a cat owner is going to walk their cat without a lead then they need to be able to recall it in case there is a danger. I don’t walk my cat, not because I don’t think she would enjoy it, but because she has no recall so if there was a hazard that I needed to get her away from I can’t guarantee I would be able to and she may be hurt.
The same for dogs - you need to be able to recall them to be able to get them away from a hazard as much as to prevent them from being a hazard to other animals/ peoples or causing an accident.

FGS - most dogs are taught recall but most dogs also chase wild animals and cats - it is natural behaviour and normal. If you are walking your dog in a field which is secure you don't expect to meet someone walking their cat - that is not normal! Are you supposed to keep your dog on a lead in case you meeting a cat having a walk - don't be ridiculous!

Well she caught up with a leveret once but she just wanted to touch noses with it. Don't worry, I think UK wildlife in safe with her around.

Talking about pets at the pub:

https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/05/mans-pet-geese-come-with-him-to-the-pub-wearing-special-nappies-13375892/#:~:text=A%20man%20who%20adopted%20two,into%20socialising%20in%20their%20local.

Cats usually just walk alone though don't they?
It sounds as though your dog is dangerous and should be on a lead

I’m very happy with my crap dog, I can relax in the knowledge that there is zero chance of a kill!

Cat (not on lead, which is normal) jumped into a person's arms instead of up a tree - which normally happens when your dog, not on a lead chases them.

I am very confused as to what the cat owners have done here which you think is wrong? The cat did not chase your dog....

I don't know if the OP is in England but I am and I do it all the time. I do get weird comments from people though, like "you do know that's not a dog"

The best was when we had 4 cats and we'd all go out together. One didn't like going much but he had to do what the rest of the pack wanted.

The squirrels and birds just laugh at their pathetic efforts.

You need a higher performance dog in that case!

Mine has no issue catching squirrels and rabbits and I know dogs who take low flying swallows out of the air!

My old cat used to follow us to the pub, wait outside and then walk home with us. She loved the pub walk

You've now seen that you don't have full control over your dog when they see something they want to chase so next time you can put your dog on the lead. I know my dog goes mad if they see a partridge or pheasant so he goes on the lead if we are near them.

I used to have a cat that when I took the dogs for a walk she would follow us. She'd run ahead and hide behind a bush then would jump out at my dogs as we went by. She often comes walking with us. It wasn't anything I trained her to do she just did it. This same cat once locked my DS in his bedroom when I was on a cruise ship so couldn't let him out. My DS had the key in the outside of his door. The cat wanted to go in but he didn't open the door. The cat jumped at the door handle and somehow the key turned. Adult DS locked into his room. He texted us in a panic after being locked in for over 2 hours. DH had to tell him to smash the door down. He'd locked the front door as was there alone so he couldn't ring a friend to come in and unlock his door.

Their cat has just as much of a right to be "off lead" and if you can't control your dog with perfect recall, it should be on a lead at all times.

I've never in my life seen anyone walk a cat, with or without lead. They walk alone! Is this in England?

@MyPearlCrow Some dogs just can't be off lead. My girl can be reactive to some dogs (no pattern to it so cant predict when its going to happen) and if she sees a fox or a squirrel she is off. She is not safe to be off lead, it's a risk to her and other dogs so it is far better she is never off lead. For her and also for my sanity.

So it’s not the principle of wildlife at issue then, if it’s ok to chase them in your garden?

I met a cat with its owner at the top of great gabel in the lakes - it was having a great time and if it got tired it just went on top of its owners backpack and sat up there! It went to the pub afterwards too!

No need.

If a cat likes a supermarket,shop or train station they just hang out there.

Bloomin' excellent cats, Maine Coons...

We've not had that breed, but some tippy-top rescue ones that take years to warm to you and then, wham, they are as much a part of you as your arms and legs.

Are you on something?

Dogs are fully domesticated.

Cats aren't.

The law reflects this.

She is anything but a poor doggy! We have a very large and secure garden and she has the run of it and is totally safe there chasing (but never catching) squirrels. I have let her off in a remote field if there are no roads or railway lines nearby but I wouldn't dare if they were nearby. I know the limitations of her recall!

Our cat used to go to the post box with me, this was one end of our road and across another, I had to carry her across, she always followed me. On quite regular basis she would wait somewhere along the road and wait for me to come back from school and we would walk home together.

One particular evening she decided to follow my and BF all the way up the road and out onto another major road. We had to stop at the phone box and ask my dad to come and fetch her

There are also plenty of videos on FB and YouTube of cats going hiking with their owners and also going to the beach and swimming in the sea

I know of someone else who takes their cat out on a lead as they live in a flat

It's not just dogs that go for walkies. Wonder when someone will take their cat into a pub or cafe😂