Cat walking off lead

[Usedphone]

I've got two dogs, and a cat. So our dogs are used to cats, but one is an airedale terrier, that does like to chase squirrels but really loves the cat (they were raised together from babies).

So while I was walking my dogs in the field, we encountered a family walking their cat, off lead and without any way to safely contain it.

My dog got excited and went after it like she would have with a squirrel (it's a field after all with plenty of dog walkers and squirrels).

The family got annoyed with me as the cat was very distressed (poor kitty!)

It was a very bizarre encounter but I think they should.at least have had a plan B beyond cuddles to contain their kitty cat.

If the cat just jumped straight into her owners arms I'm not sure why you think they needed anything to "contain" her. Sounds like your dog was the problem here, not the cat.

I like the way you think 😁

Forget the cat. You had an off leash dog , who likes chasing squirrels and small animals , not under your immediate control in a Nature Reserve???!!!! That is grossly unreasonable.

Titus the grey cat used to join us on the walk up the tram track to the woods, wait for us, then he walked back with us. He hid in the bushes and kept himself safe.

My apartment backs onto a canal and my cat has her own little boundaries of where she will wander to by herself on the canal path.
I go for a daily walk down the canal and sometimes she sits and meets me about five mins away from home (when I’m on my way back) and then she joins me for the last five mins of the walk and then we go inside together. This to me is totally normal because I know it’s an area she roams in comfortably by herself anyway, but anyone we pass may find it weird to see me and my black cat walking along the canal path side by side having a chat!

People walk cats? 😳

Aw, that's horrible. I'm so sorry that happened.

Thank you @EraOfTheGrey that's kind of you. It's unusual to witness it, but the vet nurse said they can tell anyway by the type of injury - a dog will pick up a cat and shake it like a toy, fracturing or rupturing body parts. (My cat did recover.)

How bizarre! We did actually once have a cat who would follow us on short walks (we stayed within a comfortable distance to our house where we knew was part of his roaming ground), but if a dog had come along we wouldn't have been annoyed with it behaving like a dog! Cats are pretty good at making themselves scarce usually

I walk my cat on a lead - but my sisters cat used to tag along with her when she walked the dog, not on a lead. TBF, he'd probably have scarpered pretty quickly if chased.
It was your dog that was out of control.
Why is it any different to any cat that roams freely

I'm so glad that your cat recovered and perhaps I'm naive to think my dogs (my dogs are same size as most cats) wouldn't hurt a cat.

I think the posters saying this sort of thing fundamentally don't understand dogs.
There's a massive difference between chasing a cat/squirrel/rabbit and actually catching and killing one. The vast majority of dogs would never kill even if they somehow managed to catch something. It's the chasing they like, it's a game.

My old Siamese was very partial to a walk with his family in fields near us. I would have been very upset if an out of control dog with no recall ran at him.

I understand dogs. I just don’t think their desire to chase overrides the rights of other animals to feel safe.

My old dog I had no problem with him chasing birds etc because a) like you say, he’d never get one and b) his recall was perfect so if he got too boisterous I could easily call him back (although I still wouldn’t have walked him off lead around livestock). But I certainly wouldn’t have let him chase cats, regardless of whether or not he would have actually caught one or what he would have done if he’d managed to — that’s just unnecessarily cruel to the cat.

My current dog doesn’t have perfect recall so she’s only off lead in the garden. Everywhere else she’s on a long line she she’s under control at all times.

It's a game only if both parties enjoy playing.
Everything else is a cruelty.

And it isn't a nature when a well fed, well groomed pet with a warm home and medical attention goes to have some fun on a "safari" chasing the actual wild animals in a nature reserve.

The dog owners often say that they mutt wouldn't kill, but how do you know? Once the dog catches, it might be still "playing" but the playing can easily kill the smaller animal. And, with the increased number of dogs around, what might had been insignificant numbers in past is growing and growing.

Dogs unfortunately can and do kill cats.
Parent’s next door neighbours had a lovely old cat who was asleep in a sunny spot in his own front garden.
An off lead dog killed him as it was walking by with it’s owner who should have had it on a lead.
It was very distressing, and entirely preventable.

Dogs also chase sheep causing them serious stress and harm , even if the sheep aren’t actually killed or injured ( which they often are when a dog or dogs get amongst a flock.

The Oriental breeds do seem very partial to a stroll with their people.
Burmese, Siamese and Bengals- have seen all these breeds walking with their humans - sometimes accompanying the family dog.

Mahoosive cat being walked in St James Park

That is crazy. I have a cat who will sometimes follow up on dog walks - but will run off and hide if we see another dog she does not know. If there is no where for her to go to, I pick her up. Its not ideal (its better if she does not come with us, but she is really good at predicting when we are going out and often pops up when we have started the walk). The really need to make a better plan for their poor kitty- she could get injured, and it will really be their fault.

My cat insists of following me everywhere. My husband has to hold it when I leave for work or he would follow me there. I have got to work before and then seen him and had to take him back home, daft cat! We sometimes go out for a walk with him. Our house backs on to the woods so we walk through there and if he sees a dog, he just shoots up the nearest tree.

Dogs unfortunately can and do kill cats.

Just to add, walking kitty got attacked just in front of our drive way by an aggressive out of control dog who had got out of its garden. It would have killed her if I had not been there to pull it off, 100%. She still has a limp 8 months later and is likely to have it for the rest of her life. She still likes to come along on a walk if she can sneak out though.

Well, you have now, surely. Your dog has a strong prey drive and was not under control.

My cats walk with us when we put our bins out on a Friday night. We walk half way round our estate (it's a Crescent) and then walk back. They aren't on leads and follow us round and back for dreamies in the driveway. We sometimes see dogs with owners and the cats tend to hide under a car as the dogs are usually on leads.

Orientals are like a dog/cat hybrid I think. They're more into people than places and want to know what you are up to all the time.

There's a Bengal in my village who likes to lie in wait for people walking to the station on a very rural footpath. He hides in the bushes and then jumps out and grabs your ankles for fun.

He's very affectionate and friendly but I worry terribly that he'll get injured or stolen - he's stunningly beautiful.

Poor girl. That must have been terrifying for you and her.
Glad she's ok {apart from limp}.