Dogs chasing my cats…

[FrenchFancie]

I live in a small village / hamlet, maybe 50 houses tops and we know most people by sight, and good friends with some.
We have two cats, not particularly elderly or fragile, who tend to stay close to home.
For some reason lots of people own dogs, several of which are rescue dogs as one woman round the corner is big into rescuing strays and fostering and tries to get others in the hamlet to have these dogs.
Anyway, frequently (two or three times a week) different dogs get loose / are being walked off the lead and end up chasing our cats, sometimes the cats take shelter up a tree, sometimes they out run the dogs. Often enough this involves the dogs coming into our garden barking and running full tilt trying to get the cat.
When I speak to the owners it’s always ‘oh yes ha ha so funny that our dog chased your cats!’.
I bumped into one person at the shop who mused ‘oh yes it’s always your house I loose the dog at because your cats hide under your cat and he so loves to chase them!’

Ainu to think that this is unfair? My poor cats get frightened frequently, people need to keep their dogs under control!

We have a village Facebook group and I’m thinking of posting on there, as it’s not just one person but, as far as I can tell, about 3 or 4 different people who frequently walk their dogs off lead.

I’m not a dog person, but Aibu to be getting annoyed by this now?

I have a dog and a cat.
The law is quite clear about such matters. A dog needs to be kept under control in a public place. It is not permissable (completely dickish) to let it chase cats.
Your neighbours are horrible. How have you kept your temper?

Pretty hypocritical to let your cats express their "natural instincts" then complain about other animals doing the same

We have both dogs and cats and the fact is they are viewed differently by the law. Dogs are expected to be under control whereas cats are allowed to roam. You might not like it, and it might seem illogical, but that's the law.

True @thing47 but the law does not define a dog chasing a cat (or a rabbit, or a squirrel) as being "dangerously out of control". Which is not to say it's fine, just that it's a grey area. Dog chasing cat into it's own garden and harming it - dog owner at fault. Dog chasing cat in woodland and harming it - dog owner not at fault. Dog chasing cat down road and no harm to cat - is that a prosecuable offence? Not in my experience.

@thing47

Pretty hypocritical to let your cats express their "natural instincts" then complain about other animals doing the same

We have both dogs and cats and the fact is they are viewed differently by the law. Dogs are expected to be under control whereas cats are allowed to roam. You might not like it, and it might seem illogical, but that's the law.

A dog chasing a cat in a space where the dog is allowed off lead isn't deemed dangerously out of control, though.

"Dangerously out of control" typically applies to dog on human attacks, not dog-on-cat or even dog-on-dog.

Totally agree BarbarianMum, those situations are very different as you rightly say.

A cat being chased when it is out and about is a chance it takes but I would suggest that a dog which is allowed to burst through a fence and into someone's private garden is definitely out of control.

Of course the dog doesn't know that, but its owner should…