Here Kitty Kitty
When it rains it pours. My husband told me tonight after the ball game that there was a message on our answering machine from the county animal warden. There are a couple of old bitties up the street who are frankly unfriendly. Apparently one of them called and complained about my kids' cats.
Now mind you, many people don't like cats and I understand that. I like dogs but I don't particularly like little yapping dogs who get the whole front of their face sopping wet before coming to wipe it on you. HOWEVER, I would never say anything cruel about your dog or complain about the gross wet smear it left over my skin or clothing. Basically, I get along.
Anyway, one of these ladies (loose term) called animal control about my kids' kitties. Our city had some trouble a while back with stray cats so they made an ordinance that cats had to be "contained" in their owners yard. This allowed them to take care of the stray cat problem. Cat owners however, have a problem. Tell me, exactly, how do you think it could in any way be possible to make a cat stay in your yard. Fences obviously don't work, putting them on a leash is asking them to be killed by other stray animals since their main defense is to flee, and few cats can be trained never to pass certain perimeters.
Now our kitties are very pretty calico's. They keep amazingly clean for having so much white on them, they are very friendly and we take very good care of them. Unfortunately I found to be very allergic to them so they were relegated to the out of doors. They are nearly always at our house, in the field next to it, or at the house across the street playing with a friend. We shut them in the garage at night for their protection and to keep them close to home. I have never seen them up the street though I realize that doesn't mean they never go there.
So this lady called and complained that OUR cats were traipsing through her yard, pooping in her flower beds, and killing the birds in her yard. Now, in the two block radius surrounding this house, there are 5 other cats, not to mention 2 regular strays that we are always chasing off. The cats have NEVER killed a bird in our yard that we have seen nor have we EVER had a dead bird in the yard. In fact, we have several turtle doves, the occasional cardinal, and more black birds than I care to have. Last I checked, the bird populace was still going strong despite the existance of cats. Pooping in flower beds. We have a litter box in our garage for the kitties. Based on the number of times we have to change it, they use it fairly often. And if they poop outside, they cover it up. You don't step in it and traipse it all around your house. How many times a day is she in that flower bed that digging up cat poop could POSSIBLY be a problem?
Let me remind you here, there are 5 other cats just in the immediate neighborhood. But see, she doesn't know these other people to complain about them. I've tried to be neighborly and speak when she's outside (and gotten the cold shoulder) so she knows who we are and that we have cats. (two by the way, one for each of the kids).
So she calls animal control who after enough complaints and fines (no great evidence required) will take the animals and put them down. What is her goal here? Does she want my 4 and 6 year old to have their pets taken away and put to sleep because SOME cat or cats poop in her flowers and cover it up? What kind of person does that to little kids? For heavens sake, we already shut them up at night and have a fenced in yard. They can't come inside so that really doesn't leave us with a lot of options now does it? And 9 times out of 10, they are right there in our yard anyway or in the field right next to us.
I'm sure her issues arise from a combination of area cats. But still, what great harm are these animals really doing her? I understand complaining about a troublesome animal but come on. Walking thru her yard? And how many birds has she really seen any cat bring down?
Now mind you, many people don't like cats and I understand that. I like dogs but I don't particularly like little yapping dogs who get the whole front of their face sopping wet before coming to wipe it on you. HOWEVER, I would never say anything cruel about your dog or complain about the gross wet smear it left over my skin or clothing. Basically, I get along.
Anyway, one of these ladies (loose term) called animal control about my kids' kitties. Our city had some trouble a while back with stray cats so they made an ordinance that cats had to be "contained" in their owners yard. This allowed them to take care of the stray cat problem. Cat owners however, have a problem. Tell me, exactly, how do you think it could in any way be possible to make a cat stay in your yard. Fences obviously don't work, putting them on a leash is asking them to be killed by other stray animals since their main defense is to flee, and few cats can be trained never to pass certain perimeters.
Now our kitties are very pretty calico's. They keep amazingly clean for having so much white on them, they are very friendly and we take very good care of them. Unfortunately I found to be very allergic to them so they were relegated to the out of doors. They are nearly always at our house, in the field next to it, or at the house across the street playing with a friend. We shut them in the garage at night for their protection and to keep them close to home. I have never seen them up the street though I realize that doesn't mean they never go there.
So this lady called and complained that OUR cats were traipsing through her yard, pooping in her flower beds, and killing the birds in her yard. Now, in the two block radius surrounding this house, there are 5 other cats, not to mention 2 regular strays that we are always chasing off. The cats have NEVER killed a bird in our yard that we have seen nor have we EVER had a dead bird in the yard. In fact, we have several turtle doves, the occasional cardinal, and more black birds than I care to have. Last I checked, the bird populace was still going strong despite the existance of cats. Pooping in flower beds. We have a litter box in our garage for the kitties. Based on the number of times we have to change it, they use it fairly often. And if they poop outside, they cover it up. You don't step in it and traipse it all around your house. How many times a day is she in that flower bed that digging up cat poop could POSSIBLY be a problem?
Let me remind you here, there are 5 other cats just in the immediate neighborhood. But see, she doesn't know these other people to complain about them. I've tried to be neighborly and speak when she's outside (and gotten the cold shoulder) so she knows who we are and that we have cats. (two by the way, one for each of the kids).
So she calls animal control who after enough complaints and fines (no great evidence required) will take the animals and put them down. What is her goal here? Does she want my 4 and 6 year old to have their pets taken away and put to sleep because SOME cat or cats poop in her flowers and cover it up? What kind of person does that to little kids? For heavens sake, we already shut them up at night and have a fenced in yard. They can't come inside so that really doesn't leave us with a lot of options now does it? And 9 times out of 10, they are right there in our yard anyway or in the field right next to us.
I'm sure her issues arise from a combination of area cats. But still, what great harm are these animals really doing her? I understand complaining about a troublesome animal but come on. Walking thru her yard? And how many birds has she really seen any cat bring down?
posted by SonSon at 1:34 AM
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