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Original poster

Neighbours dog killed cat :(

268 replies

spudholes · 02/05/2015 21:02

Our next door neighbour has a staffie dog. I was talking to her over the fence and a cat came into the garden and the dog flew at it and killed it Sad. I was very upset and neighbour said it was the cats fault for coming into her garden.

I have found out that the ower of said cat is away on holiday Sad Neighbour says she's not going to tell them what happened when they get back.

Should I tell them?

OP posts:
VivienScott · 03/05/2015 08:39

Chickenpoxpanic - the difference is that cat owners do not let their cats attack. This dog owner sounds as if she did nothing to stop the attack and was blase about it which demonstarates a poor attitude from her. Also, cat owneers who keep them to attack other animals do so to control pests, not other peoples pets, an entirely different matter.

Timri · 03/05/2015 08:44

vivien please explain to me how cat owners go about stopping their cats from killing things?
Because the cat owners I know don't do anything pro-active to prevent this, more just hope the cats don't dump their kills at their feet while they're trying to cook dinner....

WaywardOn3 · 03/05/2015 08:52

My parents dogs killed a cat that they've asumed to be a stray

It attacked their cat who fled into their house. The cat that was attacking him followed and continued the attack in their kitchen which promptly caught their dogs attention while my parent were upstairs.

Would you consider their dogs dangerously out of control?!

They think it was one of the ferals from the neighbouring farm as it's not one they've seen in the area before and had no form of ID. If missing posters go up then they'll contact the owner

letscookbreakfast · 03/05/2015 08:52

Unfortunately as harsh as it is the dog was not out of control, the cat entered it's territory. I'm not saying that it deserved to be killed but to say that the dog was out of control implies that you lack a serious understanding of animals, they are not like humans.

Sparklingbrook · 03/05/2015 08:52

Thought I would have another read of this thread this morning after bowing out last night. Yep-still absolutely bonkers.

Hopefully the OP will come back at some point.....

londonrach · 03/05/2015 09:06

We lost every single one of our goldfish in my pond when i was a child to a black cat. We knew it wasnt a heron as we saw black cat on three different times rush off with goldfish in his or her month. When my df refused to restock our pond (dsis and i begged) that cat was seen sitting by it (until we chased it away as there were frogs and newts in that pond). My friend rabbit was terrierised by a local cat watching him when he was in his run until he died. He came with a sibling rabbit but that one died within a couple of months leaving this one on his own. He had a big run, with shelter he spend his days whilst his owner was at school (she played, chattted to him when she returned. Mum reported that cat sat for hours on top of run or by side. He kept going out to chase it away).

monkeyfacegrace · 03/05/2015 09:10

grateful of course I feed my dogs.

But they eat raw meat only. And full prey is the best thing for them. So they catch themselves rabbits, pheasants, rats, mice, and them I bag it up and bring it home, and they eat the lot.

Which is why I won't train the prey drive out of them.

sebsmummy1 · 03/05/2015 09:15

sparkling there is no reasoning with morons I'm afraid.

My NDN had the most beautiful white Norweigen Forest cat that had lived very happily for all the years I lived with my parents in Bedfordshire. It was a real character, used to chat to our indoor cats through the cat run. Would sometimes come in for fusses and our cats hardly raised an eyebrow at the interloper. One day it disappeared. My Mum talked to the owner over the fence one day and found out it had been killed by a dog on it's own front path. Was sitting enjoying the sunshine, a dog owner walked their dog passed the house and in a split second the dog had the cat around it's throat and broke it's neck. The dog owner kept walking, obviously the cats fault for existing.

Firstly if I owned a dog that I knew was capable of killing a cat without a second thought I would have a muzzle on the thing when I walked it. Secondly if I had a dog who would kill a cat without a second thought I would NEVER have it around babies and small children.

chickenpoxpanic · 03/05/2015 09:16

Vivien - cat owners do even less to prevent their cats killing things than this dog owner did. They're not in control of their animal at all, and not even keeping it in a garden.

It's a stupid argument to make that cats are ok killing things because they are pests. Cats and dogs don't understand what value judgements humans make on the value of animal lives - they just act according to their nature. The dog that kills a cat is no more wrong, dangerous or out of control than the cat who kills a rabbit, bird or mouse. Doesn't matter whether we categorise those animals as "pets" (valued) or "pests" (worthless).

GoodbyeToAllOfThat · 03/05/2015 09:17

Cats are at risk if they are wandering around. The dog's owner sound like a piece of work, but she's not done anything legally wrong.

Sparklingbrook · 03/05/2015 09:18

You are not wrong sebsmummy.

GoodbyeToAllOfThat · 03/05/2015 09:18

It's a stupid argument to make that cats are ok killing things because they are pests. Cats and dogs don't understand what value judgements humans make on the value of animal lives - they just act according to their nature.

I agree.

GoodbyeToAllOfThat · 03/05/2015 09:18

Firstly if I owned a dog that I knew was capable of killing a cat without a second thought I would have a muzzle on the thing when I walked it.

Sure, but this dog was in the garden, correct?

sebsmummy1 · 03/05/2015 09:19

It's very easy to build a fish pond which protects the fish from both cats and herons. If I were a responsible fish owner I would make sure the pond had high sides with a wall around each edge and if necessary some netting. That just makes sense to me. We had koi and goldfish for many years and funnily enough as it was built well we never lost a fish to cats or herons! Coincidence yes?

chickenpoxpanic · 03/05/2015 09:21

And similarly a responsible cat owner would keep their cats safe sebsmummy1?

Sparklingbrook · 03/05/2015 09:22

If I knew there was a dangerous dog and a mindless owner in the neighbourhood I would keep my cat in but fortunately there isn't.

Reginafalangie · 03/05/2015 09:25

Sorry the cat was killed.

It is no the owners fault and it doesn't mean the dog is dangerous. How do we know the owner didn't try and stop it? The OP doesn't say what the owner did when it happened.

This is not a police matter it happened in the dogs garden.

Owner is wrong for not telling the cats owner.

MythicalKings · 03/05/2015 09:27

I think the owners should be told.

I agree with those who say it's a risk cat owners run when they let their cats roam freely.

The dog was acting on instinct which is why I would never trust any dog alone with a child.

magoria · 03/05/2015 09:27

My mum had a rescue greyhound. She was stood in the garden it went oh squirrel and was through (literally) the 6ft fence panel at the bottom of the garden before she could open her mouth.

I went into my shed and a cat had clearly got in there and torn apart the baby robins in the nest.

I have seen cats play with a mouse they have caught.

The dog owner could have the decency to return the body and say sorry for what my dog did.

sebsmummy1 · 03/05/2015 09:29

Oh good, if we are quoting my post let's concentrate on the second sentence too...

Secondly if I had a dog who would kill a cat without a second thought I would NEVER have it around babies and small children

I really hope all of you who are proudly telling us all about the strong pray instinct in your Staffies and whippets are keeping them away children and babies.

If you think that allowing your dogs to kill a cat whilst continuing a conversation and justifying the actions of your dog because it was in the owner's garden is rational thought process, you have some very warped thinking!!!

Actually whilst on this point I think the law has now been changed regarding dangerous dogs causing injury on their own property. There were two cases where a young girl was attacked (and I think killed) whilst visiting a friends house and three police officers were attacked with life changing injuries whilst trying to attend a home visit and the owner would not recall their dog.

I am gleefully looking forward to enforced microchipping of all dogs and to somehow bring back some responsible dog ownership in this country.

chickenpoxpanic · 03/05/2015 09:35

Do you think cats and dogs confuse children with small furry animals?

Psipsina · 03/05/2015 09:35

I do sort of wonder how people with cats are meant to prevent their pet from straying into a garden containing a dog that will kill them given half a chance.

We live next to a Greyhound...we don't have a cat but I'm thinking of having one. Would that be a really stupid idea? There are plenty of cats that use our garden and seem not to have been killed yet.

OP I am so sorry that you witnessed that and have been put in this position. Flowers

chickenpoxpanic · 03/05/2015 09:35

Keep in on your own property Psipsina.

Psipsina · 03/05/2015 09:37

How though? How do you even begin to do that without shutting a cat indoors permanently?

monkeyfacegrace · 03/05/2015 09:38

My whippets are around my baby and children all the time.

A prey drive an human aggression are entirely different things. Not even comparable. In the slightest. It's like saying that because I cull chickens to eat I'm likely to become a cannibal.