Animal Cruelty or Public Service?
I feed the birds in my back yard, and I often find cats sitting beneath the feeders. Why do cat owners believe that they should be able to let their murderous little pests roam my yard?
Personally, I wouldn't go as far as this guy, but I wouldn't vote to convict, either.
posted by Dan at 11/15/2007 07:47:00 AM
10 Comments:
Killing a cat is NOT a public service.
First of all let me say that as the owner of three cats, I DON'T agree with letting cats roam free outdoors. Cats are not native to North America. They evolved in the desert, so areas that get particularly cold are pretty hard on the cat as it is. And when you let your cat roam free, you ARE introducing a non-native predator to the area, which is of course never a good thing. Lastly, if you let your cat roam free you have to worry about sick fucks like the guy in this article. For some reason, there are alot of people out there who hate cats, all cats, just for being a cat (let's not go into how that could be an analogy for the way certain humans treat eachother).
Cat owners need to remember, the average lifespan for an outdoor-only cat is about 2-5 years whereas an indoor only cat is 15-20 years. Non-cat owners need to understand that killing/maiming/torturing someone's pet is just plain WRONG. There are numerous way to humanely trap a cat and once trapped the cat can be identified and nearly all localities have policies in place to fine/punish owners who allow their cats to become nuisances. And that is really what it comes down to. Problem cats are the results of problem owners, the cat is just being a cat.
Killing a cat is NOT a public service.
First of all let me say that as the owner of three cats, I DON'T agree with letting cats roam free outdoors. Cats are not native to North America. They evolved in the desert, so areas that get particularly cold are pretty hard on the cat as it is. And when you let your cat roam free, you ARE introducing a non-native predator to the area, which is of course never a good thing. Lastly, if you let your cat roam free you have to worry about sick fucks like the guy in this article. For some reason, there are alot of people out there who hate cats, all cats, just for being a cat (let's not go into how that could be an analogy for the way certain humans treat eachother).
Cat owners need to remember, the average lifespan for an outdoor-only cat is about 2-5 years whereas an indoor only cat is 15-20 years. Non-cat owners need to understand that killing/maiming/torturing someone's pet is just plain WRONG. There are numerous way to humanely trap a cat and once trapped the cat can be identified and nearly all localities have policies in place to fine/punish owners who allow their cats to become nuisances. And that is really what it comes down to. Problem cats are the results of problem owners, the cat is just being a cat.
There is this cat that always gets in my sister's yard. Let's just say that her dogs got "out" the other day. The cat has since disappeared. I'm not sad about it. People who can't keep their cats inside do not need, nor deserve cats or pets in general.
I don't mind neighbors' outdoor cats hunting in my yard. They kill more rodents than birds. What drives me nuts, though, is when people put bells on their cats' collars. That's just cruel.
People who can't keep their cats inside do not need, nor deserve cats or pets in general.
So the answer is to punish the animal?
almost EVERY animal is murderous
I have indoor cats. One aunt has an outdoor/indoor cat (she's always with the cat in the gazebo). The other aunt has 3 indoor cats and an outdoor cat. I asked, "Why not bring the outdoor cat inside?" She says, "She doesn't want to be inside. I leave the door open for her to come in, but she's too skittish. She came in once, looked around, had a good sniff, but then scampered outside. She prefers to hide and just see me when it's dinnertime."
There are just some cats who are happier being outdoors, even if they're someone's pet. I don't agree with it, but as the owner of three myself, I promise you that you can't make them do what you want. If my aunt would've made her outdoor cat stay inside, the cat would've cried, sprayed, tried to claw her way through the screen door, whathaveyou to get back out. It's less of a problem to let her live outside and check on her everyday. Her outdoor cat, by the way, is somewhere around 14.
If I was on the jury, he would be convicted. He hunted down the cat and killed him like a crazed mad man. He could have called animal control. I'm sure a city that size has a big animal control unit.
He's a cold blooded cat killer. I'd give him the max and a litter box for his prison toilet. So there!
How about if it kills squirrels? Would it be allowed to live then? Cause I gotta say, squirrels are evil.
I agree with Happy in Bag and Librarian! Those darn bells! Those darn squirrels (eating my fancy pumpkins on the front porch!).
I am not exactly a "cat person" but I've heard arguments on the whole indoor/outdoor thing. I think it's true that some cats really hate being indoors for their entire existence. The people I know who let their cats out, say that they recognize that there's a greater possibility of their cat getting hit by a car, or getting killed in some manner. However, they say that at least their cat will have a happy life.
That said, if I was a bird lover and enjoyed feeding birds in my yard, I would find it very annoying and frustrating to have neighborhood cats roaming around -- and not being able to do a darn thing about it.
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