Do You Have A Cat Problem?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/dear-cat-menace-oxford-scientists-letter-warns-village-of-drastic-action-over-birdkilling-9659123.html

Not one for you 'cat lovers' I'm afraid, but yes they can be a nuisance, so should owners of these feline creatures now be made responsible for them?

[sunny-dave]

The "So is it OK if my dog kills your cat?" question is fascinating - and not simple.

Cats kill birds - which are wild animals and belong to no-one - therefore it is 'nature red in tooth and claw' and just something we have to live with - or so the cat owners say.

But (unlike dogs) cats are also regarded in law as 'wild animals' - and the human owners can't be held responsible for the actions of their moggies.

So if a cat is a wild animal ... presumably it's OK for my dog to kill it?

But then the cat owners seem to want it both ways - abdicating responsibility for their 'wild and free' cats when it suits them, but demanding protection and/or compensation when the errant feline is on the receiving end.

Interesting ...

[Prudie]

I think the RSPB's view is probably pretty objective
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/birddeclines.aspx

[woofgang]

i am not going to make any argument about the scarcity of birds being made worse by cats. my position is simple. i dont want cats in my garden. i dont want to have to deal with dead cats. i dont want to have to deal with cats diving into the road in front of my car, or worse under my car. i have to control my dog and am responsible for its behaviour, why should a cat owner be any different?

[Prudie]

I can genuinely see your point but the fact is, and it's not a cutesy cat lover comment, that cats cannot be trained like dogs. Dogs often want to please their owner, cats will do as they like and rarely respond to discipline. I guess this is why legally they are treated differently to dogs. So it's a problem with no obvious solution.

[Prudie]

So the stupidity of the lighthouse keeper plays no part?

[woofgang]

Prudie, it is absolutely possible to cat proof a garden, or part of a garden, there are many examples on youtube. I wouldn't be able to train my dogs to stay in my garden so I have got a blooming great fence. No excuses, if you have got a cat then take responsibility for it.