Escaped dogs have just killed my neighbours cat

[clarkkentsglasses]

Bit outing but I am so shaken up and feel physically sick.

Just witnessed the most horrific thing I have ever seen.

My dog started barking really badly, 2 dogs outside barking.

Eventually after a few mins I look out the window and there is horrific screaming.

2 escaped dogs attacking my neighbours cat. They killed it :(

I am shaking. It’s the most traumatic thing I have ever seen. Police uselsss.

Nobody knows where these dogs came from.

I don’t think I’ll ever let my dog off the lead again :(

There is no doubt in my mind these dogs would've killed a child.

[lynntheyresexpeople]

@MatildaIThink oh do be quiet.

[LoveFall]

How awful for you OP. What type of dogs were they? It seems unusual really.

We had a coyote attack a neighbour's cat on our front veranda/deck during the night once. The noise was unbelievable. The porch was covered in blood the next day. But the cat lived, after some expensive vet bills.

I know how upsetting it is. I thought for sure the cat was dead.

[lynntheyresexpeople]

@MatildaIThink
A lot of people would be traumatised by seeing a cat ripped to shreds by two dogs, whilst it's owner looked on horrified.
You don't get to label what someone else finds traumatic.

[showmethegin]

@Sarahlou63

Sadly that's what dogs do. Cats do it too. Animals chase, catch and kill other animals. Even horses bite, kick and sometimes try to kill other horses.

So do people.

How reassuring. Are you always so heartless?

[lynntheyresexpeople]

@SelkieQualia you do not love the entire native bird population of Australia, more than someone loves their cherished pet. It's not remotely the same, give over.

[HalfTermHalfTerm]

I can’t imagine what a horrible thing it was for you and your son to witness/hear and I especially can’t imagine what the owners of the poor cat are going through. It is wrong to suggest that these dogs would have killed a child because they killed a cat though. The two are not remotely comparable.

I think those who are talking about cats killing wildlife are making the comparison to show that predatory animals often kill indiscriminately. Yes it if far more upsetting to us that these dogs killed a cat than when a cat kills a mouse, bird, bat etc., but the dogs wouldn’t have realised they were killing someone’s pet. That’s not how nature works unfortunately.

[LopsidedWombat]

Oh god that sounds horrendous. I witnessed a dog fight in the park once, a rottweiler off lead attacking a little terrier. Fortunately he was ok albeit injured and shaking in fear but the screams of the owner were absolutely haunting while several strangers had to kick and punch the bigger dog to get it off the little one. Can't believe people are saying about cats killing birds, that is horrible to see as well but isn't what OP witnessed!

[MatildaIThink]

@leccyandgas

You know what, I think if I had an airgun and I witnessed this I would have no hesitation in shooting the dogs. I'd be willing to take my chances with PC plod after. Or, I might try and burn the dogs with a lighted fag, they're just about still legal.

You would be far better off kicking it, or hitting the dog with the air rifle than shooting it with it, an air rifle is just not powerful enough to do much against all but the smallest breeds of dog. As for your chances with the police, arrest, trial, criminal record and possibly jail time (although less likely if you are a woman), so not worth it.

[Silverswirl]

Jesus what is wrong with some people on here?
Of course it’s different to a cat catching a bloody bird. It’s someone’s loved pet.
By thereasoning ‘is one worth more than the other’ well yes- is a bird worth the same as a human life then? My cat ate a few daddy long legs today- is that no difference to the cat eating a bird? The dogs eating the cat? The dogs attacking a child? Of course there all different. We place different levels of importance on different animals in our society and we place ourselves at the top!!
That’s awful OP really awful.
The owner should face a hefty fine at the very least.
It’s dog lovers / cat haters on here that just are so bloody insensitive. Honestly if a dog attacked a child some on here would say the dog was provoked. I dispair.

[BitterAndTwistedChoreDodger]

The cat haters on this thread will be happy to learn that my cats are indoor cats after one of mine was shot and killed with an air rifle last year.

She probably deserved it as she was a bloodthirsty killer, according to this thread.

OP, I am sorry that you and your son had to witness something so traumatic, wishing you well.

[Dearreader]

As a cat owner I cannot begin to imagine how horrific this would be. The poor cat and owner and everyone who witnessed this.

[lynntheyresexpeople]

@BitterAndTwistedChoreDodger

The cat haters on this thread will be happy to learn that my cats are indoor cats after one of mine was shot and killed with an air rifle last year.

She probably deserved it as she was a bloodthirsty killer, according to this thread.

OP, I am sorry that you and your son had to witness something so traumatic, wishing you well.

I'm so sorry. That's horrific.
Mine has to be indoor, but I'd keep her in anyway as the amount of people who are cruel to cats is shocking.

[BitterAndTwistedChoreDodger]

@lynntheyresexpeople Thank you. We had a previous cat poisoned but couldn't be sure it was a deliberate act. This time it was pretty obvious, so no more outside cats.

[FanGirlX]

My neighbour has the most friendly two Labradors I've ever met. It takes him ages to take them on a walk because they insist on stopping to say hello to all the neighbours. One day a cat got in their garden and they killed it.

It wasn't a police matter because dogs kill cats. In the same way that cats kill mice, birds etc.

[bizboz]

So many cat-haters on MN. Yes, some cats do kill birds and mice but that's hardly as traumatic as seeing your pet mauled to death. Imagine if your pet dog was savaged by an escaped puma - that would be natural hunting instinct too, but I hardly think the owners would say it was fine because it was only nature.

[clarkkentsglasses]

The police were not called because the cat got attacked.

The police were called because 2x large dogs had escaped and were happily roaming, barking, weaving in and out of traffic.

Sadly my neighbours cat was in the cross fire of these 2 large dogs.

[GrandmasCat]

I’m sorry you witnessed this OP and I very much hope the other woman holding the other dog was not the cat’s owner.

Whether it is nature or not doesn’t make it any better. I saw a magpie eating a tiny gosling alive years ago and still can’t recover even when it is nature and the gosling was nobody’s pet.

[leccyandgas]

You would be far better off kicking it, or hitting the dog with the air rifle than shooting it with it, an air rifle is just not powerful enough to do much against all but the smallest breeds of dog. As for your chances with the police, arrest, trial, criminal record and possibly jail time (although less likely if you are a woman), so not worth it.

Well, it may not be worth it for you. I think differently .

[GrandmasCat]

And an air rifle can kill many things provided is shot near enough. A stupid kid shot an air riffle towards my toddler, he missed his eye by 4 inches. Inoffensive toy… yeah right, for stupid parents.

[Wbeezer]

Well the mice killed by cats aren't anyones much loved pets are they so not really equivalent to a dog killing a pet cat? There are good reasons dogs are meant to be kept under control.

[Nc967125]

How awful to have seen. The poor owner.

Although to counter what some people are saying- cats do kill beloved pets too. A cat from our street took the head off one of my quail last year in the garden. He had a name and was very much a pet.

[MrsCatE]

That’s awful @BitterAndTwistedChoreDodger I’m so sorry . Bloody hell, there are some vile humans around.

[paperdollar]

What a horrific thing to witness. People shouldn’t have pets if they don’t care enough to prevent them causing such harm to other animals.

Disagree with anyone trying to say a cat taking a bird home isn’t traumatic. The screams of the bird as the cat runs away with them locked in their mouth and the screams from the other birds witnessing it is traumatising alright. Something I will not get over and don’t want to see or hear ever again.

[Furries]

FFS - is it possible to have at least one thread that doesn’t turn into “cats are murdering bastards”.

That must have been awful to witness - and understand your concern given the size of your own dog.

Out of control dogs are a very different matter to free roaming cats. And I say this as an owner of both dogs and cats.

[Plumtree391]

I know somebody with two small dogs who attacked and killed a cat in their back garden, eating some of her; what made it worse was that it was their owner's cat, more precisely, her son's, with whom they shared a home and garden. She was a very gentle little cat, older than the two dogs and never bothered them.

As you can imagine it was a terrible shock.

Cats generally keep away from dogs and dogs rarely get close enough to attack. However two or more dogs working together will aggressively hunt and kill. It doesn't make them 'bad', they are behaving according to their nature, just as cats will hunt rodents and birds even if well fed. Animals in the wild hunt and kill for food, it's built into their dna and domesticated animals are no different.

Op, I am so sorry you witnessed that and can imagine how distressing it was. It wasn't the dogs' fault, they shouldn't have been allowed to roam but, as your title suggests, they escaped. I hope their owner is more careful with them in future.