Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => Pets without Feathers => Topic started by: traacyken on March 30, 2014, 21:43
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about four days ago had a cat crying etc near my bedroom window at five in the morning and seen a few squaring up to each other, i dont have cats but was worried about them as they were making a right din and i know cats can fight for england. whent out in the day and seen a ginger cat who was friendly with a cut face and mouth so asked the neighbour is she knew whos it was as she has cats. she said never seen it before but said it was enitre when she looked at him. how can people be so callus as to let there pets wander round un neutured!, i have cats peeing and pooing in my garden but if my dogs did the same i would get a mouthfull and a visit from the council. he looked well fed ish but ive kept looking for him but no sign. i detest people who do things like that but it seems the cat owners get away with all sorts. about time something is done about cats and there owners instead of blaming and picking on dog owners >:(
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(Sensible, constructive replies only please! )
There are a number of ways to deter cats from using your garden, traacyken.
A very quick google brought up this site:
http://www.cat-repellant.info/html/diy-cat-deterrents.htm
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That's a very good point there traacy, we have got wardens around our place at the moment issuing £70 on the spot fines for people who genuinely don't see the dog make a mess (and would pick it up if they did).
Something should be brought In about cats especially when they go doing their business in the kids sand pits, and everywhere else.
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about four days ago had a cat crying etc near my bedroom window at five in the morning and seen a few squaring up to each other, i dont have cats but was worried about them as they were making a right din and i know cats can fight for england. whent out in the day and seen a ginger cat who was friendly with a cut face and mouth so asked the neighbour is she knew whos it was as she has cats. she said never seen it before but said it was enitre when she looked at him. how can people be so callus as to let there pets wander round un neutured!, i have cats peeing and pooing in my garden but if my dogs did the same i would get a mouthfull and a visit from the council. he looked well fed ish but ive kept looking for him but no sign. i detest people who do things like that but it seems the cat owners get away with all sorts. about time something is done about cats and there owners instead of blaming and picking on dog owners >:(
Got to agree with you , i also posted on this forum (a long time ago) that it was about time cat owners were legally (as well as morally) responsible for the actions of their pets.
That post was deleted by a mod PDQ ! :)
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Ok - I have four cats who I love to bits and yes - cats can be a real problem for others which I do appreciate. My reply to this, whilst trying not to be biased in any way is this: we live amongst farmland and have two occasional cat visitors and I've never found where they come from. You can get certain cats who leave their owner (if they had one in the first place) to spend their lives wandering from place to place being fed by all and sundry. I agree that neutering here is the right way to go (if you can find then catch them in the first place). Territorial invasions or mating competitions can sometimes result in the awful noises you hear and also injury to the unsuccessful one, and I'm afraid there is little you can do about it as that is the way they live, but see the next bit as to legislation for roaming cats. Currently, it seems that they are regarded as "semi-wild animals," and I believe they are difficult to train accordingly because they are not pack animals with one master that will follow his or her orders - i.e. - unfortunately they are a law unto themselves. To find any animal wee and poo in your garden and/or trashed plants isn't nice at all, have experienced it with my cats, could be a health hazard and I really sympathize here with you. All I can say is that any pet owner should take as much care as they can, not just for their pet's welfare, but to try whatever they can to prevent it from causing problems to their neighbours. I'm lucky in that my nearest neighbour is about three big fields away, but if I lived in a different area, would personally do everything I could to minimise it or help in any way I could, and hope I had neighbours that would appreciate my efforts.
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we have 6 cats at the moment (we have had up to 8 at times) All are rescues, as soon as we get them they are neutered (we got one un neutered ginger tom after we lost a cat and someone replied to our lost cat poster, it wasn't the cat we had lost, but had been living rough under the person who contacted us's van, so we took him in. Now as a general rule our cats are house cats - not allowed to wander (nearby main road) and even this boy who had lived rough didn't mind this (I fact more often than not he wouldn't go outside even if offered the opportunity (he had been there done that and didn't like it much) the others go out in the garden on long leads (generally we hook 2 together by a lead, and they cant cooperate enough to get over the 6 foot fences). so our cats don't cause a problem to anyone.
Legally though the situation is that Dogs are deemed to be the owners responsibility, whereas cats are more independent and the owners are not legally obliged to clear up after them. (it boils down to the right to roam that cats are allowed whereas dogs are not. - see this extract from cats and the law -
It is a commonly-held view that cats have a ‘right to roam’ wherever
they wish. This view is largely based upon the fact that certain
duties imposed upon the owners of dogs and livestock to keep
their animals under control (Road Traffic, Highways and Dangerous
Dogs Acts) do not apply to cat owners. The law in these respects
recognises that, by their nature, cats are less likely than some other
animals to cause injury to people or damage to property.
http://www.britishcatteries.co.uk/pdf/cp-catlaws.pdf
while this seems unfair to owners of cat sized dogs, it is the way the law is at the moment.
you may ask, are our cats happy? well they seem to be, the vets seem to think they are well looked after (read spoiled rotten) and they certainly don't seem to suffer from not being allowed to roam outside (indoor cats tend to live longer as our 22 year old cat can testify to)
Grendel
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My cat only comes out in the garden with me, and even then goes back inside if she needs to use the litter tray (Not the ones with the leeks in :nowink: ) and yet she gets blamed for cat poo in next door's garden.
She doesn't bark at all hours like their dogs, though :dry:
A few bad cat (and dog!) owners make things difficult for all the responsible ones :(
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not all dogs bark all the time mine dont but some do.some dogs get shut in a house most of the day on there own. its such a shame, i know there are loads of genuine cat owners its the ones who dont give a damn that get to me. maybe a run built in the garden etc would be safe for the cats and stop them roaming and dong there buisness all over. the amount of times ive gone to put something in the bin and it reeks of cat wee is beyond a joke ! . my 2 yr old grandaughter and my 4 yr old play in the front garden as the back getts muddy so im on my guard looking for cat poo before i go out with them. i will have a look at that link aunt sally but it shouldnt be my job to do this stuff ive dogs and clean up there mess x
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I have 2 cats who generally wander on mine and my 2 neighbour's garden but as they also have cats they do not complain. I make sure there are plenty of areas for them to poo, have a litter tray inside which is what they tend to use anyway and keep them in at night to stop them hunting. I think I'm pretty considerate and responsible.
However one neighbour has 5 cats, she often spends 2 or 3 nights away each week and her garden is so overgrown that they all use mine as a toilet. I must admit I get fed up with clearing it up and although she occasionally makes the effort she never seems to find the poos. So I do have sympathy but also don't feel all cats should be house cats as it can be very stressful for them. I don't know what the answer is though.
When it comes to spaying and neutering though I don't think any cat should be out unsupervised and not neutered. It is totally irresponsible and encourages the spread of FIV and FLV.
Another neighbour has 3 dogs which bark incessantly. Another has 4 and is extremely responsible and considerate. Dogs or cats aside, it's the owners who are usually to blame.
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I can't see anything being done about it, it's also a problem cat owners seem to be oblivious too, at home the cats either use the tray or their presence keeps other cats away from the garden and they only have 1 set of mess to deal with.
I had to remove 2 piles neatly laid on the front lawn overnight before cutting it this morning, but more worrying is that I can see spray marks up the front door :( and you can certainly smell it, inside and out. At the start of the year I ordered some coleus canina as my last hope but they've not arrived yet. >:( I've even tried leaving piles of dog mess out there to ward them off.
I have about a dozen of the locally moggy population visit me daily and it's impossible to keep them off everything.
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Last night there was much howling and yowling going on outside in the olive grove at about 1am- at least our cats are inside at night. None of the neighbours cats are sterilised, they all think we are mad getting our cats and dogs done- what a waste of money!!!
Pamela
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somebody on another pet site said theyve a friend in australia who said people with cats over there are held responsible for there animals outside there own gardens, yards etc, and have to bear the cost of any damage etc they may cause. x
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(Sensible, constructive replies only please! )
There are a number of ways to deter cats from using your garden, traacyken.
A very quick google brought up this site:
http://www.cat-repellant.info/html/diy-cat-deterrents.htm
And none of them work. :( :mad:
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somebody on another pet site said theyve a friend in australia who said people with cats over there are held responsible for there animals outside there own gardens, yards etc, and have to bear the cost of any damage etc they may cause. x
And if they find cats in wildlife preserves they make hats out of 'em ! :)
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I suppose you think your very clever and funny 8doubles ::)
The RSPB use CatWatch to protect their nesting sites. They do work. I use them in my garden.
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I suppose you think your very clever and funny 8doubles ::)
The RSPB use CatWatch to protect their nesting sites. They do work. I use them in my garden.
The RSPB is not going to upset cat owners no matter how much damage the cats do !
£££££££££s in the bank 1st ! :ohmy:
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Sorry 8d, I was forgetting what an old cynic you are :nowink:
RSPB and Aunty says that they work and I don't mind upsetting anyone :lol:
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we Know :lol:
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Bless you Rog :D
... and after I reinstated all your posts for you ::)
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:lol:
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Sorry 8d, I was forgetting what an old cynic you are :nowink:
RSPB and Aunty says that they work and I don't mind upsetting anyone :lol:
I read somewhere that the sonic dooberrys do work on some animals,
One chaps collie used to pull the plug out of the socket every time he turned it on ! :lol:
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This winter I used a couple of rodent sonic things to stop mice coming in our house over winter (they come in every winter) and didn't get a single mouse in the house. I watched a mouse scampering along our fence next to our living room and when it got in line with the downstairs plug in it turned and ran away so as the rodent ones work there is no reason why a cat one shouldn't.
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The question to be answered ,
Is it right and proper that someone chosing to keep a pet cat means that it costs their neighbours money ? ::)
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My issue is not cat or dog poo, it's biodegradable ! :tongue2:
It's the idiots who walk their dog in the park, pick the poo up, but it in a plastic bag ..................... Then throw the non-biodegradable bag on the floor and walk off :ohmy:
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Another question...is it right and proper to let your cat out knowing full well this time of year it will kill and play (until dead) with most of the wildlife in its territory?
I know responsible cat owners put a bell on their collar but not around here they don't.
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some people don't like putting collars on cats as they have been known to get caught by them.
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some people don't like putting collars on cats as they have been known to get caught by them.
True, but every time I put collars on mine, they come home without them. Elasticated collars are dangerous. You should fit quick release collars.
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def dont agree with non cat owners paying for things to try and keep someone elses pet of your property. had a cat that was knocked down on my street o/h found it about 3 months ago, the owners lives three doors down but he was knocking on doors at 11pm trying to find out whos it was,poor thing was dead but warm. its v quiet here not many cars at all, so just goes to show how risky it is leaving them out, plus a little lad up the rd knocked on tonight he was only about 11 said his cat was missing would i keep my eyes open. felt really sorry for him said i would and told him to knock o the houses behind, as ive heard some cats crying etc in the gardens behind. ive also read up on cats going missing and that have been used as dog bait for there fighitn dogs. terrible, i really do think cat owners should be more aware and responsible. if my dogs were left to wander and got knocked over i would feel terrible. there not disposable pets owners def need to take more responsibility. i will now be looking out for a poor little lads cat another one missing or hurt possibly :(
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Folks, this thread is getting perilously close to the site policy which asks for contentious topics to be avoided. There are other places online for that ... please keep it light-hearted or it will be locked.
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I think these subjects need to be aired, as long as it is kept within reasonable bounds .
A sort of pressure relief valve without going to join Ihateallcatsandcatowners.com :D
On the subject of elasticated collars i found 2 flea and 1 regular hanging on the chainlink fence by a hole in my privet hedge before i put a paving stone in there.
I think tiddles did not like them and hoiked them off on purpose . :)
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I tried a quick release collar on one of my cats to stop him catching birds. It took about half an hour and lots of struggling for me to get it on. It took him 30 seconds to remove it. A neighbour bought a collar that emits a beep as her cat was a terror. It made no difference. She tried collars with bells and still the cat managed to catch birds.
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yorkie im am not being nasty or rude, i have many pets, im sorry if i offended anyone it was not meant as that. i do like cats always have i have my hens dogs fish and nutty parrot!. they are my pets fencing re done for the hens i dont want them to do there buisness or roam in anybodys garden, they are my pets, if my hen wonderd in another persons garden are they classed as wild animals free to roam i doubt it
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No worries traacyken :) . Years of experience shows how polarised these topics can become and it can get quite offensive to some people when others get on their hobby horses.
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Cats under law are free to roam, although owners can be held responsible for any damage they cause to property. It might be quite a difficult case to prove in a court though.
Some interesting information here : http://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/your-pets-and-the-law.html
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I had a Buff Orp cockerel who made local cats realise my garden was not the place to be :lol: he has gone on now bless him ,but still no cat's :D
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I had a Buff Orp cockerel who made local cats realise my garden was not the place to be :lol: he has gone on now bless him ,but still no cat's :D
Most hens will see cats off , my garden was cat free during the day when the ex- batts were out .
The resident blackbirds even managed to fledge two broods a year because of this ! :)
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me too Rog, my big girls used to terrorise our feral cat especially when they was broody.
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I tried a quick release collar on one of my cats to stop him catching birds. It took about half an hour and lots of struggling for me to get it on. It took him 30 seconds to remove it. A neighbour bought a collar that emits a beep as her cat was a terror. It made no difference. She tried collars with bells and still the cat managed to catch birds.
I think your cat caught onto the quick-release collar faster than you thought! I hate it when one of mine catches a bird but, unfortunately, that's their nature.
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It is sad when your cat takes a birds life - but as you say "that's life".
This is an interesting article.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/birddeclines.aspx
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It is sad when your cat takes a birds life - but as you say "that's life".
This is an interesting article.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/birddeclines.aspx
I bet if they pumped a few million into the scientific investigation proof that cats do seriously affect bird populations would be evident. :ohmy:
Will they ?
Me , a cynic ? ::)
Not biting the hand that feeds again! :nowink:
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Between the two cats next door I would put a wager on it that in the next 6 weeks they will bring back 30 birds, young and old.
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They are animals, doing what animals do - they don't have a conscience.
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They are animals, doing what animals do - they don't have a conscience.
But they do what they do because humans buy them as a pet !
They generally have a conscience.
Some get upset , a lot do not .
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My cats were not bought. They would both be feral if I had not taken them on and tamed them down. They actually kill far fewer animals now because of this.
Also, cats help keep the rat population down. Is that a bad thing too?
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But they do what they do because humans buy them as a pet
We don't make them catch birds :wacko: feral cats catch birds without us - so don't understand what you mean.
When they are catching mice/rats and eating them no-one bats an eyelid. It's just cos we prefer birds and so, in some way, cats have to be stopped from doing what comes naturally, which we can't.
I don't like them catching birds - but it is just natural for them, they are natural predators.
Despite the large numbers of birds killed, there is no scientific evidence that predation by cats in gardens is having any impact on bird populations UK-wide.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/birddeclines.aspx
sort of snap maxyboo!
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But they do what they do because humans buy them as a pet
We don't make them catch birds :wacko: feral cats catch birds without us - so don't understand what you mean.
When they are catching mice/rats and eating them no-one bats an eyelid. It's just cos we prefer birds and so, in some way, cats have to be stopped from doing what comes naturally, which we can't.
I don't like them catching birds - but it is just natural for them, they are natural predators.
Despite the large numbers of birds killed, there is no scientific evidence that predation by cats in gardens is having any impact on bird populations UK-wide.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/birddeclines.aspx
sort of snap maxyboo!
If you get a cat bought or rescued it will likely kill local birds, if you do not get one it will not ! :)
I have a sneaking admiration for cats as hunters, they are good at it but non selective.
I have no time for ferals as there are IMO already enough pet cats in this country.
A feral cat that relys on UK wildlife as food is bad news even if spayed or neutered.
As for the old "no scientific evidence" i seem to recall the tobacco industry sang that song for years,
but people still knew it was a killer !
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The trouble is for the next two months or so baby birds and adults feeding baby birds, are easier to catch than mice and rats.
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Cat's kill birds
Cars kill birds
Cars kill deer
Cats do not
cars kill badgers
Cats do not
cars kill foxes
cats do not
cars kill people
cats do not
There are several roads where we drive down, we count the car strikes in multiples, in the last 2 weeks we have seen over 20 dead badgers, deer and foxes, etc, I bet no one will call for a ban on keeping car's ?
Sorry, but cats are predictors, it's natural, like foxes hunting, birds of prey hunting , they too kill birds.
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I love hearing the cuckoo but I know it means a baby bird or two will be killed by the baby cuckoo :( Nature is not kind :(
Pamela
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Very true Pamela. I would prefer it if my cats did not kill. I always try and rescue anything they catch, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. But they are programmed to do it as some dogs are programmed to kill rats. I think it's a subject that some of us will never be able to agree on.
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Back in the UK we had 2 cats, one caught mice, birds etc. We were not happy with her, the other cat was totally different. One day we had a blackbird doing a mad dance in the garden, going crazy, we went to see what was wrong, our cat was asleep in the sun, the bird was just feet from him, he just ignored her. Sadly the nest got robbed, there was a stoat or something, our neighbours saw it go into the bushes. It got the tiny baby bluetits that were in the nesting box too, no way could a cat get to the nesting box, it was high up on a wooden fence, they went the same night the stoat or whatever was seen. :(
Pamela
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Cat's kill birds
Cars kill birds
Cars kill deer
Cats do not
cars kill badgers
Cats do not
cars kill foxes
cats do not
cars kill people
cats do not
There are several roads where we drive down, we count the car strikes in multiples, in the last 2 weeks we have seen over 20 dead badgers, deer and foxes, etc, I bet no one will call for a ban on keeping car's ?
Sorry, but cats are predictors, it's natural, like foxes hunting, birds of prey hunting , they too kill birds.
Domestic cats are not a product of nature, they are manmade .
Bred
Housed
Fed
Wormed
Flea'd
And medically patched up by their owners.
They also have no natural predator apon them!
They are about as natural as a small boy with an air rifle who is also a predator.
Small boys are in this country rightly prohibited by law from destroying songbirds.
Incidently there is no scientific evidence that small boys with air rifles affect overall songbird numbers . :D
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The recent *cat to human tuberculosis outbreak may also be of interest.
* (hushed up for a year)
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Domestic cats are not a product of nature, they are manmade .
Well not exactly man made ::) Domesticated by man and selectively bred, but decended from wild creatures who do hunt for a living. Those wild instincts are still there and were valued until very recently for rodent control. Indeed many farms and stables still do rely on yard cats for this job.
A cat has no control over its instincts. I would argue a small boy with an air rifle does have some measure of free will over his actions.
Cats do have downsides like messing in gardens and killing birds, but they are also great company for their owners, help de-stress people and lighten a lot of human lives. I'm not a cat owner, but I can see my friends and family who do have them, love them dearly and would be offended by some of the comments on this thread. I wouldn't like to think any forum members may be feeling similarly upset :)
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Agreed they are great company for people who may have little other companionship and certainly earn their keep on a farm .I am afraid that the upsets are on both sides of the cat owning and non cat owning fraternities .
I believe that while we are on this planet we should be able to live our life as we see fit provided that it not of detriment to others lives.
:)
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Cat's kill birds
Cars kill birds
Cars kill deer
Cats do not
cars kill badgers
Cats do not
cars kill foxes
cats do not
cars kill people
cats do not
There are several roads where we drive down, we count the car strikes in multiples, in the last 2 weeks we have seen over 20 dead badgers, deer and foxes, etc, I bet no one will call for a ban on keeping car's ?
Sorry, but cats are predictors, it's natural, like foxes hunting, birds of prey hunting , they too kill birds.
It is easy to be biassed as a cat owner, however these are the figures, I'm afraid:
"1 million mammals are killed or wounded by cars.
Our cats kill and injure 100 million wild animals."
http://www.rspca.org.uk/sciencegroup/wildlife
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i do think after reading all the comments that cats should definately be confinded to the garden or house or have runs outside or leads etc, i dont think anything will be done about them wandering and causing damage and killing animals etc tho x
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Made a seed bed up the lotty the other and sowed two rows of beetroot day and guess what.
Its become a toilet!!
Like has been said before, if my dog did that then I would be fined, so what justifies anything (or anyone for that matter) doing their business on someone else's property other than a WILD animal?
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i agree if dogs were left on the street or escaped as mine did years ago a dog warden picked her up cost me a bomb to get her back and she squeezed through a gap in the fence. yet cats can do what they want wherever they want and theres no wardens for them. if my hens kept getting in a neghbours garden and pooing etc would i get done, v confusing x
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i agree if dogs were left on the street or escaped as mine did years ago a dog warden picked her up cost me a bomb to get her back and she squeezed through a gap in the fence. yet cats can do what they want wherever they want and theres no wardens for them. if my hens kept getting in a neghbours garden and pooing etc would i get done, v confusing x
I have had to put a temporary barrier to stop my hens sticking their heads through the fence eating next doors grass because they threatened to report me, yet their cats can come and do what they like in my garden and I cant do anything about it >:(
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As this has now turned into an I hate cats thread - I'm locking it :(