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..

@CaraMP01 my condolences

My dogs would do this to any small furry that entered their territory. No cat ever does enter as they’re more savvy. I’m sorry about your cat but it doesn’t have a free right to roam.

That's the thing, it does have a free right to roam.

What it doesn't have is the guarantee of safety when it does roam.

I agree with PP that most cats are still allowed to roam. My 'Nextdoor' App is FULL of missing cats & people asking if anyone recognises this cat they've seen in their garden. I find that weird when the cats are obviously in good condition & look well fed. 🙄

Unfortunately it's put me off having a cat again, I wouldn't want to keep one inside (or just have a catio). Between the increased number of cats, the number of problems we have (in a nice area) with kids & catapults hurting/killing wildlife (& the occasional cat) & other horrible things I've read on the App. 😢

Yes, it's normal to let cats roam. But cat owners do so knowing that firstly their cats are likely to pose a risk to wildlife and smaller pets, and secondly that they could come to harm from other animals or traffic accidents. That's the risk assessment that the owner, the person responsible for the cat's wellbeing takes.

This unfotunate situation occurred because OP allowed her cat to free roam. No one else is at fault.

(I say this as the owner of 2 much loved free roaming cats.Should my decision to allow them to free roam lead them to an untimely death, that's on me.)

Sorry OP it’s horrid but they haven’t been unreasonable. Most of my dogs would have killed a cat and rally the cats stayed away or scarpered quickly. It’s instinct for many dogs and mine lived with one indoors. One outside and running is a different thing altogether. The age of the owners is irrelevant-no amount of exercise removes prey drive.

I’ve thrown all sorts at a marauding cat - they are usually faster than a dog
I’m more concerned about the 160-175 million animals and birds slaughtered by cats in UK - cats aren’t nocturnal many natives are
cats aren’t native
collars with bells - they are cheap as chips just replace if lost
indoor play may reduce prey drive
neuter and spay obviously

I have a dog which never stays from her own garden and is therefore no danger to anyone, human or animal who does not come uninvited onto our/her territory. On the other hand, there are four cats in our street who regularly deficate in my garden and I have been caught out in their mess when gardening. No cat owner has ever earned me that their cat will come onto my property invited and deficate there. I am sorry to hear about your cat op. My own dog would never do this, but l just as you have every right to own a cat which, as a feral creature, can roam where it likes, equally your neighbour has every right to keep a dog which doesn't stray of its own territory. 💐

That’s fair

Yes, I think they should have warned you. And I would be worried how they will cope with the dog when out of the garden and on walks (hopefully muzzled). A fatal dog attack tby a greyhound, closely related to lurcher is horrific. Cat today, other dogs or child later on.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8jve82glmyo

Very sad for you that you’ve lost your cat. I love all animals and am the owner of 2 dogs. Loads of cats around here but they know not to come into our garden thankfully, however if they did, and one of the dogs hurt them, I would feel awful though it would not really be my dogs fault. It’s so dangerous for cats, they are forever being run over or going missing.
As others have also said thy are hardly innocent either. I’ve taken countless birds to the wildlife hospital that have bee injured by cats in our close, and last week my neighbour caught a cat killing some fledglings that had fallen out of their nest. They also shot everywhere around here including on our gravel driveway and in all the plant pots which is pretty grim. I understand you’re upset and want someone to blame, which is normal but it’s a huge risk letting your cat roam free, especially if it’s going into other people’s gardens.

Do you also think the OP should have warned them that her cat was free-roaming and would be wandering in/out of their garden?

Rubbish. Should every car driver warn them they might be in the road ?

Greyhounds are not like serial killers that start off with something small and build up to killing a person.

And, also, how many other households in the neighbourhood have dogs, who have also failed to inform the OP? What kind of radius are we talking about here? 100 yards? 500?

I'd like to know in this respect, as a responsible dog- sitter, what exactly the cat-owning population requires of me, in order to help keep their pet safe in the many hours of the day when they don't even know where it is and what it's up to.

That’s terrible but I’m sure it never crossed their minds. Separately, I wonder where they got this dog? A charity would surely have not rehomef such a high energy dog with anyone infirm, nor a breeder. A 50ft garden is nothing.
These things happen. Also it happened on their property - it would be something different if you kept chickens or rabbits for example and the dog got into the coup or hutch and killed one.
There are about 54 reported dog on cat attacks reported annually in the Uk, usually by high prey driven dogs. Considering there are 15 million dogs and 13 million cats, this is a very very rare occurrence, even if there are ten times the incidents that are actually recorded.

I am sorry your pet was killed. But you absolutely cannot blame the neighbours whose dog was in their garden. There may be many neighbours nearby who have dogs in their gardens. There will be multiple people nearby driving their cars around the area. If you have a cat that is allowed outside you have to accept the risks of it getting run over, poisoned, attacked by a dog or another cat.

Your neighbours have to put up with cat shit in their garden which the cat owners do nothing to prevent, or remove.

Believe that is what the horn is for if you mean cats. Dogs should not be on (or by) a road without a lead, which is hopefully attached to the owner (road traffic act 1998).

It’s very sad, but your expectations of what other people do in their own garden is unreasonable. They were under no obligation to inform you.

I have had greyhounds, and currently have a lurcher. All of them have been lazy as fuck. The current one practically rolls her eyes at me when I get her lead.

Blimey, I have cats and a dog, always have
I would never have dreamt in a million years any of my dogs would kill a cat, and I would be absolutely devastated if they did

I’m really sorry about your cat but it’s not your neighbours’ fault. It wasn’t their responsibility to inform you that they would be having their dog in their own garden. And they also might have never anticipated this happening. I have a dog that tries to chase cats and probably would hurt one if given the chance. Next door have two cats and it’s never been a problem. Obviously when he’s out on walks he’s on a lead and we don’t let him anywhere near the cats. And the cats have stayed out of our garden since we got the dog. Your neighbours probably assumed your cat would do the same.

I'm also sorry to hear that you've lost your beloved pet OP. But you allowed it to roam.

I have a random cat that craps all over my garden, no idea where it's from. It climbs through my open windows, lounges on my bed and I have a serious allergy to cats. My dog got attacked by it and had claws stuck in its face.

If you choose to have a pet and let it wander, you can't complain if it gets injured or run over. You can't blame a neighbour with a dog who bumbles about it's own garden securely. You can only blame a pet owner who doesn't secure their animal. You are at fault, I'm afraid.

That is exactly how dog attacks happen. It starts off small incidents which usually get ignored and dismissed by the owners and then it happens to a random person/another dog/farm animals etc and you get he is so friendly, he has never done that before. Owners run off, never come forward and just carry on as before

Was the 2 months they've had the dog not warning enough?