Neighbours dogs have killed my cat. Distraught.

[MissingKittyCat]

I've name changed as this will totally out me.

On Thursday night, my darling 5 year old cat went out. she was the most timid cat, I rescued her as a kitten from an abisive household. It took her months to trust me but for the past 5 years, she has been my shadow. Scared of everything, she took huge comfort in me.

She didn't come back on Friday, I knew then that she was never coming home. I kept the faith and asked all my neighbours to keep an eye out. She had never been missing for this long. She hardly ever left the garden, if she did I knew her hiding place and she used to pop out when she heard my voice. She wasn't in the hiding spot.

Saturday morning, I started a social networking missing cat campaign. I was still half hoping she was in somebody's house (very unlikely as she was so timid) but I assed she had been hit by a car or something and just wanted to know. Tried the local vet, neighbours again. People on social networks were so helpful.

I went searching. It transpired one of our neighbours, who erected a 12ft fence lately (with spikes on top) has three dogs. Two Staffordshire bull terriers and an enormous bull mastiff. He welled up as he told me he had found my beautiful cat in his garden on Friday morning. He had taken her to the vet who were going to keep her for a few days to see if an owner enquired. She was dead. I asked if his pack of dogs had savaged her, he said not. I told him she had no chance of escape, that his fence was too high, he was visibly upset, profusely apologetic. He told me 3 times what he'd done, said he thought he was doing the right thing when he erected the fence. He took my number and said he'd get the vet to call me when they open tomorrow.

I am heartbroken. My cat was a nervous wreck, scared of her own shadow. I can't understand why she's end up in a garden with three dogs. She barely left the house, she followed me around like a lamb. I'm so upset, I feel her trauma, she must have been so frightened.

I know it's not the dogs fault but I cant help but hate them for it. I don't want to live near them anymore. My other cat (who is very old and frail) looks so lonely and keeps crying at the door for her.

It's unbelievably tragic. I'm utterly heartbroken. She wasn't just a cat, she was my friend, she was my therapy. And I miss her.

Grays RTFT re.robbery

OP I'm so sorry about your cat

As a dog & cat lover (own both) I am appalled by the attitudes of some on this thread. Cats wander everywhere unfortunately, it is not the neighbours fault that the cat went into his garden. It's his garden for HIS dogs! I have a cocker spaniel & I cross the road when there is another dog or person walking my way as he barks aggressively & I'm not taking my chances that he won't bite someone. Is a cocker spaniel considered a dangerous dog?

At least the neighbour told the OP what happened. If he was hiding something surely he would have just got rid of the cat, not took it to the vets? What exactly has he done wrong? How does he have mental health problems?

As for reporting him, please don't OP as you will be laughed at. I know your feeling awful & it's a terrible situation but honestly, keep your cat indoors or make your garden harder for them to get out in the future.

When you let a cat out you take some responsibility if anything happens to them Imo.

I think the hight of the fence is irrelevant it could have happened with an average sized one.

It is not the neighbours fualt either dogs were confined to his property and most dogs want to play or kill moving small moving objects..

Do people blame themselves when their cats drag in baby rabbits and birds. It seems to be alright since the creatures arent owned.

always RTFT.

In fact, all of you that think I'm blaming the dogs/owner READ THE FUCKING THREAD!!!

I posted for support because I'm fucking heartbroken. Not to assign blame. I do believe the cat couldn't escape the 12ft fence. She could have escaped a 6ft fence. There's nothing I can do about it now. Nobody could foresee this disaster.

ummm....a pp said if it was so innocent how come he didnt make more of an effort to find you, you said good point. speculation, blame, whatever, sorry if i chose one wrong word ffs

Grays you told us earlier the neighbour was a victim of criminal violence and now you try to do a U-turn

Just for the avoidance of doubt though, a victim of robbery in their own home realises that they need to make their place more visible, cut back hedges, dismantle fences, knock down walls, so there is nothing to hide from. Be transparent as a homeowner is the lesson homeowners learn and the police also endorse. Burglars don't like being in the open. Its not rocket science

A 12ft wall is something to hide. Even in the middle of nowhere, let alone a town or city where there society is more important.

No dog needs a 12 foot fence to contain it.

I'm so sorry :(

An armed robbery in standard semi is questionable, yes. The 12ft fence is excessive. There are rumours.

It isn't relevant to my dead cat though. It was a tragic event. The fence has been there for months, no other cats have done this.

missing I know you are upset so please calm down. Nobody is blaming you but there are some seriously deluded posters on this thread (MH problems because the guy has 3 dogs = wtf).. & you said you thought he might be lying. But why would he lie? He has no reason too & probably feels genuinely bad.

Once again & I hope you are OK because it's horrible when any pet dies. I've had 2 dogs put down in the last 4 months & I felt distraught (I still do)

Some posters commented on the neighbour keeping 3 "large" dogs.

Hang on a minute, 2 of the dogs are staffies. Since when were staffies large dogs? They are short, fairly little round dogs. Would people's attitudes be different if the OP said that the neighbour owned 3 spaniels, or 3 Labradors?

Yeah parsnip I think they have to be in by 9. They also just brought in registration for cats as well. Only $5 a year but you should hear everyone complain. Was your cat microchipped op? Maybe an idea for next time as the vet could have your details straight away.

What codswallop, planning. I have been a victim of armed robbery when I was in my own home
(Admittedly, they were armed with a knife rather than a gun, and we're local teenagers rather than pros) and at no stage did the police suggest I make my apartment more visible. In fact they suggested that I ask my neighbour to remove the scaffolding which enabled the burglars to shimmy up the back wall and into our yard. So, yes, a 12ft fence seems a perfectly legitimate response to an armed robbery to me.

Btw, being a victim of an armed robbery in my own home was far more traumatic than having my cat die. Not to minimize the pain of a cat dying,, but frankly, some f you could do with being a bit more sympathetic to the poor bloody neighbour.

whatlife maybe he should start his own thread.

I am not sure you are both correct ambientolf and magratgarlik

I am clear that having three dogs has not been any single posters issue here. We have three dogs and three cats and 16 herbivores.

Is it not about other circumstances? Such as the immediate curtilage and 'fortress' built around the house, which in my view as an animal health professional speaks volumes about the circumstances in which animals and people live together.

Why would I want to build a fortress? Why 12ft around my house? I would have to hate the world and all its passing's by to do that. Oh, unless I was hiding me of course.

Go on, answer that. Start with the world. Then start with yourselves.

Then wonder where is your starting place.

Go on, answer that. Start with the world. Then start with yourselves. Then wonder where is your starting place.

What does this have to do with the cat? What does it even mean?

Planning: Go on, answer that. Start with the world. Then start with yourselves.

Eh? Sorry, that makes no sense whatsoever?

I simply pointed out that staffies are not "large" dogs. Your post seems unnecessarily aggressive. I'm not sure why?

Are you actually on drugs, Planning?

Your comments are ridiculous, frankly, and I can't imagine they're of any help to the poor OP.

start with my world then start with my questioning......er....what?

Oooooh, just getting warmer, but not quite hot yet.

whatlifestylechoice sorry to hear you are a victim of armed robbery. So were we and still are targeted but we wont make this place a fortress. PM me if you want, will reply but not immediately. But it won't detract from what I want to post on this thread.

However wants to cut themselves off from society by erecting themselves in a high fence or leylandii hedge has something to hide.

It is the something that is not easily understood.

Oh, and also, re: your blather about 'animals looking after each other' - my greyhound x goes absolutely mental if she thinks she has a crack at catching a cat. I can guarantee she wouldn't protect a cat from a delivery van that came 'sweeping' into my yard.

I am actually sceptical that you're a vet, sorry.

I have not read the whole thread but just wanted to say I am so sorry for your loss.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Unfortunately OP that's pretty apt, it's always going to be a risk if you decide to let your cats roam rather than build a run/enclosure.

I feel sorry for your neighbour too - it's not a nice thing to have happened.

I think the OP is taking this tragic situation remarkably well. I think her neighbour is being unfair. He should make his fence 6ft like everyone else. No wonder he feels bad. Cats do get into scrapes but OPs cat didn't stand a chance.

Koala
Our dogs do look after our cats.
And I am a vet.

And I never say sorry unless I cry tears.

or they simply want to prevent themselves from being attacked again, to feel safe, for their family to feel safe. you were attacked and wont let it frighten you? jolly good. people react differently, but you know that.

if thats what happened of course, thd dude could be a drug dealing dog fighting cat eating weirdo.