AIBU to think neighbours should have warned me about their dog?

[CaraMP01]

My cat has been killed by a neighbour's dog in their garden. We are a row of 11 houses and the cat roames, helping to keep the rodent population down and generally being sweet and lovely. They've had the dog for 2 months..it's a lurcher and has a high prey drive. They are infirm and fairly elderly. The dog needs massive amounts of exercise and although it has a sizeable garden ( 50ft ) I think they struggle to exercise it sufficiently. AIBU for thinking that they ought to have warned me, and I could have made an informed decision about letting her out, and getting such a dog, knowing that there are lovely neighbourhood cats around that may be seen as prey?.. i am very upset..

Did you warn your neighbours when you got your cat that you would be letting it roam into their garden?

Your poor cat, and how awful for you. However if the cat was in their garden I don’t think it is their fault. Keeping the rodent population- and garden birds isn’t necessarily a good thing either.

Well realistically you would have thought them bonkers if they warned you they had got a dog and you probably wouldn't have stopped your cat from roaming so whilst I appreciate it is sad that your cat has come to harm I don't think your neighbours are in the wrong to have not warned you or have a dog.

Oh, so sorry about your cat op 💐

If they've only had the dog for 2 months, maybe they weren't aware that it would do this? That being said, you can never really predict how any dog will react, even the most tame ones. If your cat got into someone's garden and killed their hamster or rabbit for example, it wouldn't be okay, but you wouldn't forsee it.

Sorry for the loss of your cat but they have every right to have their dog in their garden. Would they know it was your cat or did you expect them to tell all neighbours? They might have expected your cat to stay out of the garden once it knew there was a dog there. No one is at fault, what would you have done differently had you known? Made your cat an indoors cat?

I am so sorry about the loss of your lovely cat.

However, this is, unfortunately, just something that is liable to happen. Cats roam, dogs chase. My dog hates cats and will chase any that come into her garden and there is absolutely no way to stop her (especially when they try to avoid her by hiding in the undergrownth). Usually cats learn to avoid gardens with dogs in.

So it's sad, but nobody really to blame, the same as if your cat got hit by a car.

What an unemphatic response. May you learn to be a more decent person.

Wow aren’t you charming.

I'm so sorry about your cat but I'm afraid you're being unreasonable.

When we choose to let our cats roam, we have to accept that comes with risks. They were doing nothing wrong letting their own dog free roam in their own garden. One of my own cats was killed on the roads earlier this year and I know how awful it is to lose them so suddenly but ultimately he would have been miserable cooped up indoors or in my garden.

Our guinea pig was killed by a roaming cat. Sadly these things do seem to happen on occasion.

No, just fed up with cats coming into my garden. My greyhound would have killed one too.

💯

It may not have been the most empathetic response but PP does have a point. Why are the owners of the lurcher any more obliged to mention their dog than OP is obliged to mention their cat?

No such thing as "lovely neighbourhood cats". Just psychopathic killers with a high prey drive.

Have you warned your fellow cat lovers of the lurcher?

Oh I am so sorry. That’s a horrible thing to happen. But yes, that’s the risk of a roaming cat. Cars, foxes, dogs, and so on. And the best-exercised dog in the world isn’t going to pass up the opportunity to chase a cat if they have the prey drive.

Just to add, our neighbours got a pair of youngish rescue cats. They sent notes round to the rest of the nearby houses saying the cats were friendly, but to feel free to spray them with water if we didn’t want them visiting. I always felt that was a very neighbourly and reasonable thing to do! Did you do similar?

I'm so sorry your cat was killed, you must be heartbroken.

I don't think your neighbours did anything wrong by letting their dog out in their own garden, but I empathise with the sorrow of losing your pet.

Would you honestly have kept your 'roaming' cat inside if you'd known a neighbour had a dog? Your post adds lots of detail to back up yours as a lovely useful cat, they are not to blame.
The loss of a pet is devastating, but they did nothing wrong. I spend long periods in our huge garden with two dogs that are known for their high prey drives. I've never seen a cat enter our garden and I didn't warn any of my neighbours when I rehomed them several years ago.

It is not a kind post, I agree, but very pertinent to the OP's apparent double standard (and lack of empathy for the environment).

It’s not necessary to notify the neighbours when you get a pet.
There’s far greater risk of harm to any pet that is allowed to roam freely. A roaming cats desire to enter someone else’s garden/home puts it at risk. It’s ultimately your choice whether you take the risk or not.

I'm so sorry for you OP. We love our pets so much it must be very hard for you.

Oh that must have been awful, for you and I’m guessing for your neighbours to witness too? Sadly that’s the risk of letting cats roam (not to mention the harm to wild birds and their chicks at this time of year). Your neighbours couldn’t be expected to know that would happen, or that your cat would go into their garden.

Lurchers don't always need a little of exercise, but they like mad bursts of sprinting (or at least my uncle's lurcher does).

Were you completely unaware of the dog's existence? Any sight hound will chase, it's what they are bred to do. Not the dog's fault, not the owners' fault. Just a sad thing that happend.

Very very sorry about your cat OP.
I do wonder about people who have dogs they clearly cannot manage. What on earth do they think they are doing ?

Have you apologised to your neighbours for the trauma they must have endured, and the bother of tracking down the dead cat's owner and delivering the bad news?

Ws their dog injured? And, if so, will you be helping cover any costs of treatment?