I need to vent
- Thread starter MontereyLion
- Start date
Sorry this happened. We’ve never considered letting our cats out, and never even let them into the screened sunroom unattended.
For those of you in riskier areas, if you still have your furry friends you may want to change up the routine. I always fear cars more than predators even though we have coyotes visit - frequently during some stretches. Half of all drivers can’t be bothered with anything but themselves and their mission (or cell phone). When they crush an easily avoided squirrel it’s easy to hide behind the “I didn’t want to cause an accident” ********.
For those of you in riskier areas, if you still have your furry friends you may want to change up the routine. I always fear cars more than predators even though we have coyotes visit - frequently during some stretches. Half of all drivers can’t be bothered with anything but themselves and their mission (or cell phone). When they crush an easily avoided squirrel it’s easy to hide behind the “I didn’t want to cause an accident” ********.
If I had a coyote in my neighborhood killing pets, I would be.Are you usually awake and outdoors between 10:00 pm and 5:00 am to do so?
I am sorry for your loss. But his reminds me that back in the 90s or early 00s, there were people protesting the deer hunts in Valley Forge National Park. One of the suggestions was to release coyotes in the park to control the deer population instead of letting hunters do it with special licenses. Valley Forge National Park is surrounded by fairly densely populated areas. Once they ate all the deer then they would be coming into the surrounding neighborhoods and doing things like this. I have no idea where you live and feel free to rant anytime.
I do not own, or care to own, a cat. I have a golden retriever…we all have our preferences.
I obey pet laws which require control and containment of pets.
I get upset when the self-centered, irresponsible pet owners in my neighborhood let their pets (several cats)run free - keep your cat in your own yard.
I find the remains of birds and baby rabbits in my yard hunted by free-roaming cats.
Should I want to kill the cats because they kill helpless wildlife in my yard?
I obey pet laws which require control and containment of pets.
I get upset when the self-centered, irresponsible pet owners in my neighborhood let their pets (several cats)run free - keep your cat in your own yard.
I find the remains of birds and baby rabbits in my yard hunted by free-roaming cats.
Should I want to kill the cats because they kill helpless wildlife in my yard?
Here is my advice. Forget what the law says, if a wild animal presents a threat (whether it's a coyote or bobcat) to your animals then you do whatever you have to do to keep them safe and deal with the consequences of it. About a decade ago I took out my small dog (18lbs) to go to the bathroom at night around 9:00PM-10:00PM and was approached by a coyote that stood about 10 yards away from us. I picked up my dog and the coyote ran away. I would have fought the coyote to the death. I have had a bobcat in my backyard as well. We have a hawk that flies around and has sat on our fence to our patio. From what I understand hawks attack animals that are ~5lbs or smaller and my dogs are a little more than twice that size so I feel like they are safe, but I always have my head on a swivel outside because they are allowed out on the patio and in the fence in area of my yard by themselves. If it came down to my pets and a coyote/bobcat/hawk I am going to kill whatever threat there is to my family and I couldn't care less what the law says about it.
Definitely have ebbs and flows in the species mix in our area - suburban with hundreds of acres of golf courses and park district land starting within 1/2 mile. Two years ago we saw more foxes and coyotes (or their tracks and poop) on our 1/3 acre lot. Almost no bunnies. Now this year bunnies are everywhere in the area, and the fox/coyote evidence way down.
Actually now that I think about it, the number of owls we hear is way down too.
My wife and I have considered letting our cat out. She is 15 years old and still has her claws but has never been an outside cat outside of my wife finding the cat as a kitten underneath a porch. The issue is that she has stopped using her litter box. It's extremely frustrating and we have been dealing with it for almost a year now. We have moved the litter box multiple times to an area we think she likes better. We have changed the type of litter. We have added attractant as well and any measure we have taken to resolve the issue have been temporary, in that she will start to use her littler box again for a short time and then stop.
My best friend has two cats that are about 10 years old. One of them about a year ago stopped using the litter box as well so they decided on their vets advice to just let the cat outside. They ended up allowing both of their cats (brothers from the same litter) outside since one of them was allowed. They both go in and out now and it solved the issue so my wife and I have been wondering if we should do this with our cat but I am terrified of something happening to her outside.
Sir, have you ever spoken to a cat? They do not take well to being told they have boundaries. I have noticed several cats ignoring their human owner when being briefed on the perimeter and how far they are allowed to travel from the house. If you know how to make a cat listen then please share with the rest of us.
This a lazy stance that you’re counting on lazy people to let pass. In it you’re starting in the state where you already have a cat. Maybe consider that the decision to have a cat in the first place — along with everything that goes with it — as the real starting point.
I just found the idea that you can keep your cat contained to your yard as a feasible option to be funny. And insane.
Not minimizing your loss because losing a pet is heartbreaking but nature can be cruel and unforgiving and trying to eradicate the threats and dangers has been tried for as long as man had been here and usually results in disastrous and unintended consequences - it operates by its own set of laws.
So it’s the cat’s fault that the cat owner is irresponsible and feels they are entitled to let their cat sh.. in the neighbors’s yard?
Entitled cat owner. Probably the same people who feel entitled to use their cell phones/text while driving. One of those entitled phone users almost killed / permanently disabled a member of my family.
So
Be it the cat, or whatever other common courtesy laws we have for living, why is it that cat owners can not be responsible and accountable for the pet they choose to own?
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Sorry, I misread (was I lazy - haha?). My stance holds though - not a fan of pet owners saying “but it’s their nature” when defending bad pet behavior that affects others.
Talking about entitlement while threatening to kill people's pets? And then you bring up politics?
You're a piece of work, Mr. Boyscout.
Sorry for your loss but we kept our cat inside and never had any problems with coyotes or other predators. Our house cat never killed any rabbits or birds either.
This is beyond idiotic. Anyone can keep their cat indoors. Stop the BS.
I have a stray that lives on my front porch that took a long time to semi domesticate it. I love the cat even more since it was completely feral and just the insane amount of time it took for me to befriend it. If It was up to me the cat would live inside since I’m against outside cats due to all the damage they do to the ecosystem but I was vetoed smh. The funny thing is I’m allergic to cats too lol. I live in a semi wooded area the cats around here coexist with the raccoons, Foxes(90% of the time) and other animals but the coyotes always worry me. The only good thing is the coyotes only pass through the area for a few days once every other week but never stay long term. The foxes have been hit harder by the coyotes much more than the cats and were nearly completely wiped out. The area has seen deforestation which has made matters worse and have led to more issues then there used to be. We get bears but the cats seem to give them a wide berth and we have no bobcats luckily. I hope we never get fisher cats in the area cause they will wipe out the cats with extreme effectiveness.
all of the discussion about killing the coyote in this thread seems to belie a fundamental lack of understanding of coyotes and how they are part of the environment. If you see one coyote or cross paths with one there are many many more right around you that you do not see or hear. Killing one will not impact the coyote population in your neighborhood, likely will not be the one that killed your cat, unless you see it actually holding the cat. Hell killing 10 or 100 will only lead to a population rebound and you will end up with more than you started with. And the habitat in the Monterey hills is ideal coyote habitat. Oh and eliminate the coyotes and get over run with rats, mice, m chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, vermin of all shape and size.
I don't want to kill coyotes. But the population of coyotes around where we live has increased to the point that they are now hunting in our neighborhood. Until recently that was not a problem. They have no natural enemy other then maybe the car. Also, maybe mountain lions. Which are few and far between. Just me bitching.
I'm sure the neighbors will love the idea of an insurance salesmen firing bullets around their neighborhood.
I've had 5 cats since I moved to FL in 1986. They lived to 13, 12, 21, currently 19, and almost 1.
I've never let them out except on the fenced patio w/ me watching them. Though I'm a block from the beach, I'm surrounded by preserved areas. It wouldn't surprise me if there have been panther sightings here. There's certainly everything else. No gators though. Not enough fresh water.
I did have my white cat Samantha escape during a keg party a long time ago. Couldn't find her anywhere for 9 days. Turns out she jumped from the balcony to the railing to the roof (flat) and couldn't get down. Never once heard her meow. One day I came back from work and she was on the balcony (she somehow jumped back down).
She did some meowing then. About a weeks worth in a day.
If I lived in an area like you and if it was possible, I'd consider building some sort of outdoor fenced cat walk or something to let them get out w/out the danger.
I've never let them out except on the fenced patio w/ me watching them. Though I'm a block from the beach, I'm surrounded by preserved areas. It wouldn't surprise me if there have been panther sightings here. There's certainly everything else. No gators though. Not enough fresh water.
I did have my white cat Samantha escape during a keg party a long time ago. Couldn't find her anywhere for 9 days. Turns out she jumped from the balcony to the railing to the roof (flat) and couldn't get down. Never once heard her meow. One day I came back from work and she was on the balcony (she somehow jumped back down).
She did some meowing then. About a weeks worth in a day.
If I lived in an area like you and if it was possible, I'd consider building some sort of outdoor fenced cat walk or something to let them get out w/out the danger.
I don't think it's anyones fault. It was nature. I was commenting on the fact that you think it's possible to keep a cat in a yard.
I love cats but 1 and I are allergic. The only cats I get to enjoy are the hood crew. We’d have 2 or so cats and they’d be inside/outside asss kickers
Sure. I am not sure why so many people are missing my point but I'll try to explain it better.
Someone commented on keeping their cat in their yard. How? Just tell the cat to not leave the yard?
Some cats will go for that. Most won't unless trained to as a kitten. I put Percival in his harness and leash and he likes it, but really doesn't want to walk anywhere. I did take him to the beach one day. His head was on a swivel, and he wanted to fight w/ small dogs and was scared of any dog bigger than him.
A cat on a leash in the yard. Well that's certainly a sentence that now exists.
Our back yard is fenced in. The 4 year old black cat spends alot of time in the back yard. Fake hunting for squirrels, lizards, and vols. She rarely goes over our 7 foot fence and goes out front. Never in daylight. I think she thinks she's invisable at night. We have all agreed to get her inside by 10pm....and not let her outside at night. No matter how much she complains.
There are fence toppers to keep cats from going over them. Sort of like another little fence that leans in at an angle. I doubt they're foolproof, but I've seen them work on neighbor's patios in the past.
How…. How you keep Your cat in Your yard is entirely up to you.
It is YOUR responsibility as as pet owner to control and confine your pet to your yard….not let it run freely in the neighborhood.
Why do cat owners feel entitled to let their cat run around the neighborhood? This is a complete lack of common courtesy . It really doesn’t matter if containing your cat is difficult or the cat doesn’t like it….it is still the cat owner’s responsibility.
Individual accountability and responsibility, vs I’ll do whatever I want when ever I want regardless of how my actions may negatively impact others…self-serving, self-centered behavior.
Since you have no answer for cat owner's practicing common courtesy instead of entitled behavior, you try to change the subject.....
back neighbors do that with their cat and it sort of cowers on edge yard meowing pathetically. But I guess it is getting outdoors