Bendigo Man Threatens To Kill Pet Cats If They Wander Into His Yard

[SpotTheDog]

I don't let my cats roam. The neighbours saw me putting up the oscillot fencing and were all 'oh don't worry, we have a cat here' - I didn't want to tell them I have six cats who would cause a massive nuisance if I let them out.

Currently I have the oscillot fencing plus inclined bird netting just below it because our fences are timber and crap (rental property) and we have the 'ugly' side so there are lots of cross-pieces for the cats to hang onto. I have a pain in my face trying to cat-proof my fences - but the solution is to only allow the cats in the yard supervised and otherwise keep them in the house.

Given my fencing has cost over $3,500, my intention is to never let my cats wander and I make an enormous effort to ensure they don't, if one of my cats were to escape in spite of my best efforts and a neighbour were to opportunistically trap and kill my cat, I think I'd probably trap and kill my neighbour.

[Skitch]

I am sick to death of the half arsed approach most Australians have to pet ownership when it comes to cats. Owning a pet is about enriching your own life while providing that animal with the best care possible in exchange for its love and companionship, is it not? How then is buying an animal and allowing it to roam completely unsupervised at the mercy of dogs, cars, cruel people, etc in any way responsible? I do not understand it at all. If cat owners loved their pets enough they would provide them with a safe way to exercise outdoors rather than just letting them come and go as they please and hoping they make it home for dinner each night. Don't even get me started on the environmental damage that cats do, not to mention property damage..

[Bear&Duke]

I have two inside cats and they are more then happy being inside. Cats really don't need to be outside; they sleep 80% of the day anyway. We always have windows open so they get fresh air, and we are lucky that our house has large floor to ceiling windows where they watch the birds playing outside but can never get to them and kill them (which amuses me no end watching them 'stalk' as they couldn't catch a fly if they tried! ).

My stupid neighbours cat killed two birds on our property only last week, so i have purchased one of these http://www.contech-inc.com/products/scarecrow/ I know I shouldn’t have to spend my hard earned money keeping neighbours cats away but I love the Willy Wag Tails that frequent our yard and I want them to stay. They also play (tease :laugh: ) Bear in the backyard and keep him amused for hours!

[RiverStar-Aura]

It's a hard issue to debate because there are the cat owners who let their cats do whatever they want and there are responsible cat owners.

Calypso (my cat) is outside (unsupervised) during the day and inside at night, however, the difference with Callie is that she only stays in our backyard and NEVER leaves our property. We got her at 4 weeks old from a stupid man and while she was little, there were terrible winds that blew down our side fence. We had Callie outside with us during this time and every time she walked past the boundary (where the fence should've been) we'd pick her up, say "no" and place her back in our yard. She's since learned, much like a dog, that she's not to go past our fence and now at 9, still has no desire to leave the backyard.

On the other hand, we have 4 to 5 neighbourhood cats who congregate around our front porch tormenting both my dogs and cat and like to use the front garden and doorstep as a toilet. It p***es me off to walk out the front door only to be greeted by the foul stench of cat pee because they've p***ed on the doormat (has since been removed) and crapped in the garden in front of the porch. If I was able to catch the feral sh*ts I'd take them all to the pound and if they keep returning, I'd continue taking them to the pound. If I could find out where they live, I'd also give their owners a what for.

They are the bane of my existence.

[mr.mister]

I cannot stand the general public's approach to keeping cats. 'Oh, cats should be allowed to be free' and 'Oh, it's cruel to keep a cat inside' and of course, 'Oh, I can't be shagged having a litter tray'. It makes my blood boil. Owned pets, regardless of whether they are a dog, a cat, a budgerigar or a bloody horse should be kept under control and not roaming. I simply cannot understand how people think it is okay for cats to roam. They are just as much a nuisance as a roaming dog. There are at least three cats in my area that constantly roam. One takes the liberty of pissing on my front door every couple of weeks, so the front of my house smells disgusting. They also like to have fun tormenting my cats through the back screen door (there is no proper door there) and causing my responsibly kept indoor cats to stress and sometimes even turn on each other.

I have had to scrape dead and dying cats off roads, some with horrific injuries like their faces half missing, all because of this 'cats should be allowed to roam' mantra. I love my cats and couldn't imagine ever letting them outside to be subjected to all these dangers. I am positive that if my younger cat, Dali, ever got out, she wouldn't even have a chance to get to the road because she'd be ripped to shreds by the local roaming cats.

I understand how this man feels, though he's unfortunately taken it to the extreme. The thing is though, there are a lot of people in society who hate cats, and a lot of people who wouldn't hesitate killing or injuring a wandering cat. I keep my cats inside, amongst countless other reasons, to keep them safe from nut jobs like this.

End rant.

Edited January 19, 2012 by mr.mister

[Souff]

Good on this guy for drawing attention to the subject, but no, he does not have the right to kill the cats.

Hope somebody is crossposting this stuff to cat owners sites.

There is no excuse for letting cats roam the neighbourhood and creating havoc, at the risk of their lives.

[Peace_Of_Mind]

Had a quick look at the link you posted on Oscillot – thanks for posting. :) Will let anyone I know about it who has cats.

Yeah cats can be annoying when wandering into backyards and I would personally do something if I had a cat and a neighbour complained, but spare a thought for those who have to put up with barking dogs i.e. my next door neighbour whose dog barks if a butterfly lands in the garden. Literally I have to put the volume of my TV high to avoid listening to his barking….and yes I and other neighbours have complained about the barking dog and she always apologise and tell him to STOP BARKING....not good enough.

Er, two different subjects, surely. If you have a complaint about barking dogs then make a complaint (I would never do so myself).

Cats shouldn't wander. Indoors or a cat palace. Not that hard to stop a cat from wandering. The guy shouldn't be threatening the cats but he does have a legitimate complaint.

Er, have complained

[Maddy]

This man is entitled to trap cats on his property, however he should take them to the pound, rather than putting up threatening notices and harming the cats.

Cats should be kept on you property and a wandering cat is no different to a wandering dogt. I hate wandering cats as I have a dog who hates them and have no desire to find a cat who has been attacked in my backyard.

Agree - in my old neighbourhood I got sick to death of neighbourhood cats roaming in my back yard stirring up (and beating up) my dog, coming through the dog door into my house, mating loudly in front of my bedroom window in the middle of the night and just causing a disturbance in general.

If you love your cat, keep it on your property away from cars, violent sickos and dogs and spare a thought for the people whose quiet enjoyment your cats are disturbing.

If you want your cat to be outside but stay in your yard perhaps you can put these up http://www.oscillot.com.au/

This.

I have dogs that could easily catch and kill a cat so I have to constantly worry about the risk of someone's cat wandering into our yard and then having to return someone's cat to them, dead (it's almost happened once, friendly little kitten who was sitting right at our back door- if I'd let Kiff out to toilet, that would've been the end of him). My dogs are safely contained, my fences are very good and I take steps to ensure my dogs don't disturb the neighbours, why should I live in constant fear of the sound of screaming cats? (Which can be hard to distinguish from fighting cats- something they like to do on our garage roof late at night, which works the dogs up and gets them barking )

With all the options now for cat containment (the oscillot system looks awesome) and heaps of places manufacturing proper cat runs, there's no excuse for wandering cats. If it were a dog, people would be up in arms about the "irresponsible" owners, this is no different.

[Kirty]

Contained cats are safe cats. I have a lot of cats, all 100% indoor/enclosure. My neighbours probably don't even know they exist. My neighbour has ONE cat who kills things in my yard, pisses on my front door, craps in my garden, fights with my cats through the window, etc.

If you can't be arsed keeping your cat safely contained, then don't be surprised when it doesn't come home.

[Guest donatella]

Because i work shift work and often come home late at night its like playing dodge the cat on the roads here on my way home. So many cats roaming the streets crossing roads, I hope to god one day one doesn't run under my wheels as I don't want to kill someone's pet!

[milly2]

Cats like to wander, but surely if you loved your cat, you would want to try and keep it from straying , for safety's sake.

I bet cat breeders have special runs for their cats so they don't wander or get harmed.

[mr.mister]

Cats like to wander, but surely if you loved your cat, you would want to try and keep it from straying , for safety's sake.

I bet cat breeders have special runs for their cats so they don't wander or get harmed.

Most breeders these days wouldn't even sell to someone who doesn't keep their cats inside.

[megan_]

Sadly mr.mister I've even seen rescues that advertise that the cat is indoors/outdoors.

The destruction of native wildlife is what gets me the most. For those that say their cat stays in their yard: how do you know (genuine question)? Do you have netting over your yard?

[Aziah]

Cats should be kept on you property and a wandering cat is no different to a wandering dogt. I hate wandering cats as I have a dog who hates them and have no desire to find a cat who has been attacked in my backyard.

I agree...

Had a quick look at the link you posted on Oscillot – thanks for posting. :) Will let anyone I know about it who has cats.

Yeah cats can be annoying when wandering into backyards and I would personally do something if I had a cat and a neighbour complained, but spare a thought for those who have to put up with barking dogs i.e. my next door neighbour whose dog barks if a butterfly lands in the garden. Literally I have to put the volume of my TV high to avoid listening to his barking….and yes I and other neighbours have complained about the barking dog and she always apologise and tell him to STOP BARKING....not good enough.

You have the power to report the barking dog in your neighbours yard, you know where it is, contained in its yard.

[whiskedaway]

I have just spoken to our council about cat laws. They cannot do anything and will not do anything about cats coming into others yards. I have permission from them to take the cat that keeps coming into our yard to the pound if I catch it. They said if I don't know who the owner is (and I don't, the cat has no collar) then there's no issues with it. But if we get a nuisance dog complaint from the dogs barking at the cat, we can't even use it as an excuse. Thank goodness our neighbours are understanding!

[Alyosha]

Good on this guy for drawing attention to the subject, but no, he does not have the right to kill the cats..

He most likely does have that right.

I can't open the original link but in Vic and NSW it is lawful to kill a cat that enters inclosed lands and threatens any other animal. You only need a cage bird, chook pen or similar on your property to be justified in killing a intruding cat.

NSW legislation: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/caa1998174/s32.html

Our neighbor across the road has an 'outdoor only' cat that harrasses my birds and ferrets every night, and damages property like potplants and garden statues out the front. It has not been trapped and or put down only because I feel sorry for it. Despite her other cat disappearing after she moved in, and my warnings that my dogs will certainly dispatch it without warning if it sets foot in my backyard she refuses to confine it at all.

I love my cat and keep him safe and sound indoors.

[mac'ella]

I have just spoken to our council about cat laws. They cannot do anything and will not do anything about cats coming into others yards. I have permission from them to take the cat that keeps coming into our yard to the pound if I catch it. They said if I don't know who the owner is (and I don't, the cat has no collar) then there's no issues with it. But if we get a nuisance dog complaint from the dogs barking at the cat, we can't even use it as an excuse. Thank goodness our neighbours are understanding!

Our neighbours once had a noise complaint about their dog which was lodged by the woman who's cat was out at night climbing on their pergola??

we also had numerous native birds frogs and lizards living in our yard and adjoining houses until the new neighbours with the 5 roaming cats moved in,not anymore,so which animals have the right to live a peaceful life????

[Mags]

I have just spoken to our council about cat laws. They cannot do anything and will not do anything about cats coming into others yards. I have permission from them to take the cat that keeps coming into our yard to the pound if I catch it. They said if I don't know who the owner is (and I don't, the cat has no collar) then there's no issues with it. But if we get a nuisance dog complaint from the dogs barking at the cat, we can't even use it as an excuse. Thank goodness our neighbours are understanding!

This is such rubbish - typical of bloody councils too lazy to do anything about wandering cats (have to say in our area or wandering dogs if they are outside council hours) but happy to take action against people containing their animals and trying to do the right thing. No wonder people want to trap wandering cats and dispose of them. Wonder if they will come and collect what you trap as why should you have to transport them in your vehicle given the possible disease risk. I sure as heck do not want to be handling or transporting a cat that I don't know that has been trapped as you risk getting badly torn up.

[persephone]

Friends of mine used to live in an outer suburb .. 2 to 5 acre blocks ... they rescued wildlife ..and had trouble with cats coming and climbing on aviaries etc . They did try traps etc .. anything with a collar got hosed down very well and released .. anything without a collar ...well, they didn't go anywhere. Sad, but there was not much else they could do.

[pebbles]

Had the same problem not long after I moved in here. Dear soul over the road went to live with her family miles away and left dozens of half wild cats behind. They decided that my bird avairy would be a good place to get at night time. My dogs are all inside at night so they weren't any help. Rang the council and the Ranger came with 4 cat traps. Great, I will take them to the pound. No says the Ranger, you catch them, you dispose of them. So I did.