Should cat owners control their animals?

Question

If a neighbours dog was constantly climbing over the fence, shitting in your garden, laying on plants, e.t.c. you would have words with the owner maybe take legal action.

What,s different with cats? People say they are wild animals and can't be controlled and in the next breath call them pets.

So are they pets or wild animals-

If they are pets then surely their owners should take responsibility for their actions.

If they are wild animals then I should be able to put down traps to put an end to dammage to my property.

Which would cat owners prefer?

Answer 1

Every animal should be kept under control especially cats and dogs. I can't stand it when dogs are off there leash, the way they just come to you and sniff and jump on you.  

Answer 2

You sound really miserable.  Cats do a vital job, as Rodent Control Patrol Officers!  Mild winters have led to record numbers of rats in the UK, which spread fatal diseases.  

    If you want to make the cat feel unwelcome, a humane way to discourage it is the use of a hose-pipe or a super-soaker.  They don't like it up 'em.

    They are pets, but the reason a cat cannot be controlled by discipline, is that they lack the faculty of dogs, which are (allegedly) more 'intelligent', in that they can be trained to do as you want.  Cats just suit themselves.

Answer 3

yerrr cats are horrible they should be ke-pt indoors, there like vermin

Answer 4

cats have a right to roam by law and most of them dint bite people like dogs do sorry cats rule i have 2 cats and 2 dogs

Answer 5

I couldnt agree with you more...i dislike cats intensely....me and my dog have declared war on them....exactly as you said, if my dog done half of what my neighbours cats do, i would be in serious trouble...my dog's big and daft and been attacked twice, with blood drawn by my neighbours cats, they sh*t everywhere, its just vile...and theres nothing we can do about it :( x

Answer 6

It's obvious cats are not wild animals.  You know this.  They have much stronger "wild instincts" than dogs do and can't be easily trained to ignore those instincts like dogs can.  As far as keeping them in a person's own yard?  Ever heard the expression "It's like herding cats"?  Not so easily done - pretty much impossible.

Cities don't have laws for keeping cats on the owner's property for a few reasons:

1) Their are sensible council members out there, who create your city's animal ordinances, that understand the behavior and nature of cats much better than you do

2) Cats are very valuable in keeping pests under control in cities as well as the country

3) There are plenty of proven, humane ways of keeping unwanted cats away from your own property that will reduce your blood pressure

so, don't blow a gasket and untwist your undies.  Be thankful you have cats in you neighborhood to control vermin.  Besides, cats are smarter than you think.  I've noticed that in my neighborhood, all the cat poo accumulates in the yards of the grouchy old cusses and the nice people's yards are kept clean.  lol.  *wink*

Next, ask "What have you tried that keeps unwanted cats off your property?" here on Yahoo Answers.

Answer 7

Yes, cat owners should be held responsible for their pet's actions.  My cats are kept indoors and do not go out and destroy other people's property.  I'm the only one who has to clean up after them, which is only fair since they are *mine* :)

I personally prefer to keep my cats inside where they are safe from predators, humans, poisons, cars and other outdoor dangers.  Really, it only takes helping to patch up one cat who has been hit by a car to decide that cats shouldn't be outdoors.  Same thing for holding one suffering cat for euthanasia after he has been poisoned by antifreeze.

In my opinion if peopled cared about their pets and their neighbours then they would keep their animals under control.  In the case of cats this means keeping them indoors or outdoors on a leash.  Indoor cats are not miserable and do not suffer.  Unless, of course, my cats are currently expressing their displeasure and suffering by napping in a patch of sunlight, playing with a cat nip toy, and sleeping on my lap (three cats).

Answer 8

how dare you-I expect you to clean up after my cat with good grace !!!

Answer 9

Since the cat belongs to your neighbor it is his pet.  His pet should not be on your property.  Have you tried having a conversation with the neighbor? If that doesn't work I would think if you trapped it humanely and then called the SPCA to retrieve it your neighbor would do a better job of keeping track of it.  

Answer 10

They'd rather you express your annoyance and ask them to pay for soft rubber spikes that you can put up along your garden fence to deter them from the garden

you sound like a miserable git by the way ;)

Answer 11

same thing could be said about peoples children.

there isn't any boundaries for cats, since they like to go out and can climb it's pretty hard to control any animal like that. unless you lock them up inside all day which will be cruel.

you should feel privileged for a cat to choose your garden as it's poo place. lol, and to squash all your plants.

Answer 12

I gave an answer to an entirely different question earlier, which largely answers your question. This is what I said:

"In UK law cats occupy a unique position. They are neither considered wild, nor considered domesticated. Therefore, there is no obligation on councils to collect abandoned cats. Nor can you be held responsible for any damage done by your cat. However, you are required to treat cats well and to look after any in your possession. It is illegal to poison cats and they may only be legally trapped in live animal traps. They have some protections afforded to domestic animals, some protections afforded to wild animals but lack some afforded to both. Most notably, you do not have to stop if you run over a cat, though arguably the recent Animal Welfare Act (2006?) may have changed that. You're obliged to treat all mammals with care under that legislation and I'd argue that means that if you think it may still be alive, you should stop and assist a cat you've run over."

So to answer your question of whether they're pets or wild animals, the answer is both or neither. If you were to put down live animal traps and then take the cats well away from your property to release them, you'd be guilty of two crimes: Animal cruelty and theft. Unless you could show that the cats were feral, you are denying someone his or her rightful property. You only have one legal option and that is to put down animal repellent in your garden. Hillier Garden Centres sell quite an effective product but macerated grapefruit peel often works.

If you're in the US or Canada, their laws tend to be similar to the UK's on this matter.