Pet Cats roaming -V- Pet Dogs roaming

WIZE · 16-02-2012 9:40pm #1

Hi All

I'm a happy owner of Westies and would never dream of letting my dogs wonder the streets .

when bringing my dogs for a walk I dislike dogs wondering over to my dogs with no sign of the owners .

Where I live there are loads of cats wondering the streets doing what they want when they want .

Do you think its acceptable and responsible as a pet owner to let your Cat or Dog wonder the streets ?

irelandspurs · 16-02-2012 9:43pm

Do you see many people taking there cat for a walk on a lead.There different animals and can be handled differently.

Ophiopogon · 16-02-2012 9:45pm

This topic had been done to death and it always ends up in circles.

are you serious · 16-02-2012 9:46pm

Where I am I have seen probably one maybe two dogs out roaming on there own, probably strays...

In the same period of time I have seen possibly 15 cats, 3 of which are owned by the next door neighbour roaming.

I, as you all know have 2 dogs Buddy and Izzy.

Buddy has cornered a cat on one occasion.. tail wagging wanting to play it was so funny...

Izzy on the other had since the day I brought her home has displayed what I can only discribe as pure hatred for cats. If when she gets a bit older happens to catch a cat god help it!! :eek:

My answer to your question is no absolutely not, it is not acceptable not for a cat or a dog...

irelandspurs · 16-02-2012 9:48pm

Animals have as much right to be on this planet as do you and i.

WIZE · 16-02-2012 9:52pm

irelandspurs wrote: »

Do you see many people taking there cat for a walk on a lead.There different animals and can be handled differently.

No I see cats dead at the side of the road every few weeks . I also see lots of dead birds and cat ****e in my Garden but I guess that's acceptable to the owners .

gud4u · 16-02-2012 9:53pm

irelandspurs wrote: »

Animals have as much right to be on this planet as do you and i.

Ah, but we don't run around peeing and pooping on pavements, jumping up on people to clean our shoes and sniffing each others butts, so I guess cats and dogs need a little more control.:D Maybe some people do.....on a saturday night...whatever you're in to.

WIZE · 16-02-2012 9:53pm

irelandspurs wrote: »

Animals have as much right to be on this planet as do you and i.

What do you mean by this in relation to this thread

Slksht · 16-02-2012 9:54pm

garkane wrote: »

If when she gets a bit older happens to catch a cat god help it!! :eek:

You mean God help your dog! If a Dog tried to fight a cat the cat will win every time. They go for the eyes with their claws... nasty!

No it is not acceptable for any pet to roam the streets imo. The "they have as much right..." argument is bull! By that logic it is perfectly acceptable for me to throw a spear at a apassing cat or dog and cook it on my fire. Seriously going to use that as an argument??

Cats are a hard one because by their nature they want to wander around. I do not like this though and would prefer they didn't but realistically, there is not such a solution.

Slksht · 16-02-2012 9:58pm

WIZE wrote: »

What do you mean by this in relation to this thread

Your original post was much better haha

gigawatt · 16-02-2012 9:58pm

by law dogs are the responsibility of the owner, cats are not.
dogs should not be allowed to wander as they have a stronger guarding instinct than a cat and would be more likely to attack a human being than a cat would. a cat will generally shy away if approached by a stranger, and if chased by a dog, it will usually try to escape, only standing its ground if cornered.
the part I dont understand is why anyone cares if there are cats wandering in their neighbourhood considering that they keep vermin levels low.
before anyone jumps to conclusions I have both cats and dogs and I adore them equally. They are different species and different rules apply to them based on their behavioral instincts.

are you serious · 16-02-2012 9:58pm

slkshtIf dogs were let out and did not require a licence (yeah i know not all have one anyway) they would roam a hell of a lot longer and further than any cat would!

pawrick · 16-02-2012 10:08pm

I definitely don't think it's responsible. My main reason is that it is likely your pet will end up injured through fighting with other cats/dogs or hit by a car and killed, by allowing them roam you are increasing the risk to your pets life.

I also don't think it's acceptable to allow pets to roam - wild animals yes but pets no. Cats are the ones which come in for most stick on this and with good reason given the attitude of some owners who expect their neighbours to accommodate someone else's pet. I think this turns a lot of people against cats.

TskTsk · 16-02-2012 10:12pm

WIZE wrote: »

Do you think its acceptable and responsible as a pet owner to let your Cat or Dog wonder the streets ?

When I was growing up, the idea of owning a dog but having to keep it locked up all day long would have been a totally alien concept. Dogs haven't changed in 20 years, but society has. Litigation and general intolerance have lead us to the point where people actually consider concepts like a 'cat license', or preventing a cat from roaming to be perfectly rational.

Personally speaking, I'd have no problem with the vast majority of dogs being allowed to wander around their locality, apart from the more aggressive breeds which I do think need to be restricted for obvious safety reasons. If it means I have to scoop up the odd dog poo from my garden or put up with them peeing on my car wheels, I'll suffer it. Dogs were part of neighbourhood life all over this country until the 90s. Nowadays, seeing a dog running around enjoying himself is reason enough to make people stop and stare (and usually give out).

As someone else has already mentioned, we aren't the only species on this planet and we need to bear that in mind.

irelandspurs · 16-02-2012 10:19pm

pawrick wrote: »

I definitely don't think it's responsible. My main reason is that it is likely your pet will end up injured through fighting with other cats/dogs or hit by a car and killed, by allowing them roam you are increasing the risk to your pets life.

I also don't think it's acceptable to allow pets to roam - wild animals yes but pets no. Cats are the ones which come in for most stick on this and with good reason given the attitude of some owners who expect their neighbours to accommodate someone else's pet. I think this turns a lot of people against cats.

would you like to be locked up 24 hours a day?

Shanao · 16-02-2012 10:25pm

irelandspurs wrote: »

would you like to be locked up 24 hours a day?

Let's see.

Option A- Locked up 24 hours a day, in a warm house, with food and toys on demand without a care in the world.

Option B- Wander outside risking death and disease. Risk of being mauled by dogs, tortured by kids, run over by cars, poisoned, attacked by other cats, getting trapped, contracting FIP, feline leukemia, or FIV.

Hmm, not exactly a tough decision is it.
And before you ask, yes, I have five cats who live completely indoors. They do get to go outside on leads and next year I will hopefully have saved up enough to build a run for them. And even though they are all indoors, they are also all microchipped just in case. How many people who allow their cats to wander actually have them microchipped?

pawrick · 16-02-2012 10:26pm

It's either a pet or a wild animal - if you want it to live as nature intended don't get one.

Shano has pointed out compromises which are very practical and offer the best option imo if you do want to properly care for your pet.

TskTsk · 16-02-2012 10:39pm

Shanao wrote: »

They do get to go outside on leads and next year I will hopefully have saved up enough to build a run for them.

Have you seen any particular runs that you like the look of, or are you getting one custom made?

Shanao · 16-02-2012 10:43pm

TskTsk wrote: »

Have you seen any particular runs that you like the look of, or are you getting one custom made?

Planning to do it myself with help from a carpenter buddy. Haven't really seen any over here in Ireland, people in the states and even in the UK seem to have a few crowds doing them, but I dont know is there anyone over here who builds them.

Cherry Blossom · 16-02-2012 10:43pm

TskTsk wrote: »

apart from the more aggressive breeds which I do think need to be restricted for obvious safety reasons.

I assume you mean terriers, hounds and huskies? - these being the only breeds that possess the full range of prey drive instincts (chase, catch and kill). This doesn't translate to aggression though and they only dangerous to their prey. Dogs that are seriously mistreated and neglected by their owners are the ones likely to be a danger to other people. It's not breed specific though it's any dog in this category, people who look after their pets properly also keep them contained so these dangerous dogs you are talking about are part of the group that are not looked after properly, part of which is allowing them to roam the country.

Both my cat and dog are safely contained, the dog is well trained to ignore the local pack of aggressive territorial nuisances (jrt, jrt, pom cross, spaniel, Japanese spitz) when out for her walk. The spitz tried to go for my niece the other day and got to taste my shoe. It's already been delivered to the pound once and been returned to it's owners twice (they live approx 3 miles away), half an hour and he was back and within 2 hours when he was delivered to the pound, I'm going to start bringing my camera from now on when I'm on walks and next stop is the guards.

My dog can't even be let out into her own garden without finding and rolling in several heaps of my neighbours cat's disgusting sticky faeces. No-one should have to put up with crap like this and it's no wonder people eventually loose the plot and take matters into their own hands.

irelandspurs wrote: »

Animals have as much right to be on this planet as do you and i.

Neither species are indigenous to this country and therefore have no business whatsoever roaming the countryside, pets are a man-made creation and therefore it is mankind's responsibility to address the problem, have a bit of cop-on and stop creating messes out of selfishness and arrogance.

TooManyDogs · 16-02-2012 11:28pm

Absolutely no pet should be allowed to wander, EVER, for any reason. It doesn't matter if they're dog, cat, horse, bird, rabbit, snake, whatever.

It's not responsible, not social and simply not justifiable.

Themadhouse · 16-02-2012 11:56pm

Shanao wrote: »

Planning to do it myself with help from a carpenter buddy. Haven't really seen any over here in Ireland, people in the states and even in the UK seem to have a few crowds doing them, but I dont know is there anyone over here who builds them.

We were getting a deck done and asked the guy if he would give us a quote on enclosing a 30ftx20ft area which incorporated the deck plus a 2 door system for access into the rest of the garden. We gave him a few ideas that we found online but i dont think he knew it was going to be as time consuming as it was.
It was expensive but we love it!:D We have apple trees and bay leaf trees in it. A herb garden, a water fountain and an overgrown bamboo area.
I think it was more awkward than anything to do. Trying to get the wire over the top was awkward and permission had to gotten to access neighbours gardens. But once we told them what it was for they were like cool, go for it.

Oh and we have 9 indoor cats, 1 dog who is also indoor as i dont agree with housing a dog outside as she is a part of our family as much as the cats are.

Slksht · 17-02-2012 12:06am

Themadhouse wrote: »

We were getting a deck done and asked the guy if he would give us a quote on enclosing a 30ftx20ft area which incorporated the deck plus a 2 door system for access into the rest of the garden. We gave him a few ideas that we found online but i dont think he knew it was going to be as time consuming as it was.
It was expensive but we love it!:D We have apple trees and bay leaf trees in it. A herb garden, a water fountain and an overgrown bamboo area.
I think it was more awkward than anything to do. Trying to get the wire over the top was awkward and permission had to gotten to access neighbours gardens. But once we told them what it was for they were like cool, go for it.

Oh and we have 9 indoor cats, 1 dog who is also indoor as i dont agree with housing a dog outside as she is a part of our family as much as the cats are.

Would you have a way of taking photos and uploading to a site to post here? That sounds very interesting and I'd love to see what it looks like

Shanao · 17-02-2012 12:11am

Themadhouse wrote: »

We were getting a deck done and asked the guy if he would give us a quote on enclosing a 30ftx20ft area which incorporated the deck plus a 2 door system for access into the rest of the garden. We gave him a few ideas that we found online but i dont think he knew it was going to be as time consuming as it was.
It was expensive but we love it!:D We have apple trees and bay leaf trees in it. A herb garden, a water fountain and an overgrown bamboo area.
I think it was more awkward than anything to do. Trying to get the wire over the top was awkward and permission had to gotten to access neighbours gardens. But once we told them what it was for they were like cool, go for it.

Oh and we have 9 indoor cats, 1 dog who is also indoor as i dont agree with housing a dog outside as she is a part of our family as much as the cats are.

Any chance you could put up pics, would love to see it. Ideally, I'd like to have something like that done up as well with plenty of small trees for them to climb and investigate

angelfire9 · 17-02-2012 12:23am

Our cat would go demented if he was kep indoors all day so we have fenced off the back garden with springy net stuff (someone here recommended a website but would have cost a fortune) hubby installed what we have now over a week at home it's the plastic wire stuff you see people putting on their walls to train plants to grow up walls (on phone but will try get pics later) basically it is shaped in a L over the top of the wall and if kitty is stupid enough to try and walk on it it springs him back into the garden ( I know that sounds terrible but he only tried it twice and learned his lesson) we built what looks like a cat tree up in the middle of the garden so that kitty can still see what's happening in the neighborhood but cannot get out
This cat tree doubled as a sun bed when the weather was decent for approximately 7 days last year and was used as a bird feeding area in the winter (our cat will not go out if it's cold)

I should add our cat has outside access 24/7 via the utility room window if he wants it but he generally only goes out 30 mins in the morning 2 hours mid day and at night it depends on the weather if it's warm ish and dry he will sit on the tree for hours just watching the world go by but a drop of rain and he is in by the fire

Themadhouse · 17-02-2012 12:35am

Taken last yr. It has grown up a bit more since then and has been somewhat tidied.:)

TooManyDogs · 17-02-2012 12:52am

That's fantastic!!! Cat heavan

Zapperzy · 17-02-2012 12:59am

That's amazing, I'd love something like that.

Themadhouse · 17-02-2012 1:05am

Cherry Blossom · 17-02-2012 1:11am

Do you actually need the overhead part at that height? :eek:

Waitsian · 17-02-2012 1:19am

That's fabulous - can I steal your idea?

Pet Cats roaming -V- Pet Dogs roaming

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