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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

My dogs killed a cat :(

216 replies

habibihabibi · 26/02/2016 15:55

I have come home to find my two small poodle cross breed dogs have just torn a small cat apart in our (walled) back garden . I feel sick , they normally take a beating from rowling Tom's whose path them cross on walks on lead.

There is no collar on the poor thing and though we have many strays in the area it looks fancy . Do I have to go door knocking round the neighbourhood ?
Am I liable for anything ?

OP posts:
ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 28/02/2016 17:21

No, but at least people could keep their own cats safe...

DaggerEyes · 28/02/2016 17:31

Stray cats really are considered vermin and as such killing them is just pest control. Cats are not inherently precious just because they are cats!?

Sparklingbrook · 28/02/2016 17:34

I am really happy I live where I do TBH, everyone is very reasonable WRT cats and dogs.

SuburbanRhonda · 28/02/2016 17:45

Cats are vermin in the eyes of the law.

Is there a link to this law?

Presumably, then, any pet cat that wanders into the garden of one of the many cat-haters in the UK could be killed, and the person killing it would be acting within the law?

PrettyBrightFireflies · 28/02/2016 17:55

According to the CPL, that is not the case, rhonda.

www.cats.org.uk/uploads/documents/cat-care-leaflets-2013/EG13_Cats_and_the_law.pdf

The Right to Roam is a common law, based on the omission of cats from legislation regarding the control of dogs and livestock.

Cats are considered "property" and so can be damaged and stolen in law. Cat owners can also be liable for damage their cats cause.

Dieu · 28/02/2016 17:59

The OP is clearly shaken up by what happened. To suggest to her that she shouldn't provide an escape route for cats is ridiculous Hmm not to mention mean spirited. Not unless she wants to scrape up dead cat again, which I can bet my life that she would not.

Sparklingbrook · 28/02/2016 18:02

OP has said there is trellis

I'm not sure I can do much more to our garden to discourage cats or aid their escape . I have trellis up two of the 12ft walls.

But from what the vet said the cat in question wouldn't have managed to climb it or defend itself.

AppleSetsSail · 28/02/2016 19:08

Cat owners have to buy dig owners trellis?

Of course not! I was suggesting that cat owners trellis their own gardens to protect them from aggressive dogs.

Hennifer · 28/02/2016 19:32

I'm really pleased to hear there's something to climb up. You know, I wonder how many other cats have wandered in and made their way out again sharpish in exactly that way - which may be why this is the first time you have found a cat killed.

OP - this wasn't your fault.

Out of interest - how does one actually cat proof a garden, to stop a cat leaving it? Wouldn't that involve cutting down all the trees?

I have to say our last cat never seemed to leave our garden, but it was a big garden.

SuburbanRhonda · 28/02/2016 19:36

Cats are considered "property" and so can be damaged and stolen in law.

That's a relief, PBF - thanks for the link.

alis, in case you're still reading, hold back, you can't kill the neighbourhood cat just yet, not matter how much you might want to Smile

3sugarsplease · 28/02/2016 20:14

In all honestly even if the OP was there, who is to say she could have even stopped them attacking the cat?

Floralnomad · 28/02/2016 20:24

hennifer , you can get fencing designed to stop them , I assume it has an inward facing slope at the top in some way to stop them going over , I would imagine it's quite expensive .

SuburbanRhonda · 28/02/2016 21:45

floral

And if they go out the front door, as my cats often do? How do you keep them enclosed then?

Hmm
Floralnomad · 28/02/2016 22:28

I assume you make sure they don't go out of the front door in the same way I ensure my dog doesn't exit the front door on his own .

Alisvolatpropiis · 28/02/2016 22:34

Erm, I have no desire to kill any cats, Suburban Confused

AJ279 · 29/02/2016 00:27

Sorry OP- it's can't have been nice. Thanks

I don't understand some of the opinions on this thread at all. If any of my neighbours came round and told me I shouldn't let MY dog in MY garden unsupervised, I'd tell them where to shove it.

I've had both, I hate people walking out in public with dogs off leads, and I hate that next doors cat roams over my fence and jumps at my window and sends my dog crazy every time I get the baby to sleep Angry I'd never tell them to control their cat.

At the same time, when I had a cat, I knew that was the risk I took allowing MY cat roam over SOMEONE ELSES property. The dog is just following its natural instinct to kill something lower down in the food chain, just like cats do with rodents.

Cows are probably pissed off we eat their family, they just can't tell us. It's life.

IloveAntbuthateDec · 29/02/2016 00:57

So.....Owners should not allow their dogs into the garden unsupervised. They should always be kept indoors. Just in case a cat decides to go into that particular garden.

Fucking Hell Humpty are you for real? That is the funniest thing I have ever read! If you don't want your cat to get chased by a neighbours dog in the dogs garden keep the cat in - or better still don't get one!

Dogs have a right to be allowed in their own garden and if a cat happens to come in and the dog manages to catch it .......Well.......The same will happen as when your cat catches a mouse, vole, bird or anything else that I smaller than it. Dogs and cats have a strong chase instinct.

Hennifer · 29/02/2016 07:15

Thanks Floral. I've looked at the fencing online and it wouldn't work for us because we have trees on the perimeter of the garden, and structures like a large shed, which everyone else's cat is always on top of so I can't see us keeping a cat in our garden at all, sadly.

It troubles me that the arguments are so polarised here, though I know my initial posts were very pro-cat. I was trying to redress the balance at that point I suppose, as everyone seemed to be very 'well, it just happens'.

It seems like the pro dog view is, keep your cat indoors so my dog can be free to use the garden - or don't get a cat.

And the pro cat view is, keep your dog indoors (or supervise it) so my cat can go where it wants to, or don't have a dog.

Both are desperately unfeasible and it's pointless to argue for either of these scenarios, because realism is a factor that needs to be involved here.

Luckily, as I said before, most cats will actively avoid an area they know to be dangerous, and that will include a dog-inhabited garden normally. Most are quick to leave when they sense danger. A kitten or an elderly or sick cat won't always be so fast/savvy.

And most dogs will probably not kill when they see a cat, anyway (I think?)

So this is thankfully a fairly unusual occurrence in its own right.

I don't think there really is an answer to solve it completely, given that people shouldn't encourage or train their dogs to kill cats, and that people have to accept a certain degree of risk with a roaming animal - not just dogs but roads too.

I wish there were 'cat zones' and 'dog zones' that people could signpost and live in by choice Smile

I think that would be far too complex though.

mollie123 · 29/02/2016 08:27

henni the pro-dog view is really - my dog should be able to enjoy running and lying around in his/her own garden. Intruders (feline or otherwise) take their chances.
ducks below the parapet Hmm

Hennifer · 29/02/2016 09:14

Whatever. The point remains that these standpoints are irreconcilable.

We have to compromise, unless we ban cats or ban dogs.

And to that end we should all try our best to prevent conflict in whatever way we can.

Sparklingbrook · 29/02/2016 09:19

So this is thankfully a fairly unusual occurrence in its own right.
I think that's a good point.

The few instances I have heard of are on MN. I have owned cats for years and volunteer for a rescue.

DaggerEyes · 29/02/2016 10:09

I absolutely don't have to compromise! What a ridiculous thing to suggest. If YOU have a problem with YOUR pet roaming, it is 100% YOUR problem to fix.

Hennifer · 29/02/2016 10:18

...and that is why the world is still in conflict.

sigh

ChrissieLatham · 29/02/2016 10:33

It sounds like if there were high brick walls then there was no chance for the car to escape as they can't climb the wall. Maybe if there was a wood panel or gate that would give future cats an escape route as it may have been trapped.

ChrissieLatham · 29/02/2016 10:33

Cat not car

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