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Old August 1st, 2009, 03:11 PM
willowwhispers willowwhispers is offline
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When dogs kill cats

I'm in need of advice and opinions as I don't quite know what to think of what happened to my Willow, my cat. My neighbours dog caught her last night and she died in his jaws. It is without saying that dogs and cats don't get along, especially ones from different families, but I would like to know how people feel about when dogs actually kill cats? And please be honest!

As well, it is important to note that this dog, as well as the other 2 dogs of this family, are ignored, if not neglected by their owners.

Thank you.
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Old August 1st, 2009, 03:14 PM
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I am really sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you.
Do you speak to this neighbour who owns the dogs? Have you discussed this situation yet?
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Old August 1st, 2009, 03:22 PM
BenMax BenMax is offline
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I am sorry for your loss. I have been through this once with a foster I had that killed one of my own cats (my very first cat). This was absolutely unprovoked and heartbreaking for me.

I do not accept dogs now in my home as fosters if they show any signs of prey drive. In fact, I do not accept animals that kill other animals at all.

Your neighbour should pay you for damages (at least the $$ for the cremation of your cat). I personally would not be silent about your pain and suffering not to mention the cats.

The dogs obviously are neglected. If these dogs are in your opinion neglected and/or abused - contact the authorities.

I really don't know what to tell you. It is a very disheartening situation and that is why so many people do not let their pets outside. I know that this was not intentional on your part, but this is an unfortunate outcome to so many cats that are allowed to venture off on their own. This dog was only one of many preditors out there for outdoor cats.

Again, my condolences.
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Old August 1st, 2009, 03:39 PM
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luckypenny luckypenny is offline
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First and foremost, I'm truly very sorry your cat had to die this way. My sympathies to you .

Dogs with high prey drives, or many dogs who have never been socialized to cats, will, and do, unfortunately kill cats and other small animals. Some dogs can be trained out of it while others simply can't.

One of ours will if ever given the chance. We have two others that would kill birds. The only way we can control them is by training with the "leave it" and "come" commands. However, if I'm not immediately present, I know there wouldn't be any stopping them. That being said, we've also taken other steps to prevent such occurrences. A fence has been installed and reinforcements made so that not only can our dogs not leave the yard...other small animals can not enter it either, whether over it or under the fence. We have neighbors two doors down that have a cat who's allowed to roam. She's safe from our dogs, but not safe from other dogs (or other wild animals such as raccoons) who are just tethered or allowed off-leash, nor is she safe from vehicles should she wander onto the street. Personally, I think it safest for cat owners to keep their babies indoors or, set up escape-proof enclosures where they can be supervised outdoors.

I'm so sorry for your loss.


Willow
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Old August 1st, 2009, 03:46 PM
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So sorry,what a horrible ending for your cat:sad:
Although it's too late for your kitty,if you have any more,to be on the safe side,cats should never be allowed to roam,there are more predators out there than dogs.
Keeping cat safely inside or taking them out supervised,like I do with mine,is the safest way for cats.
If you feel these dogs are being neglected,I would definitely report them.
You could ask your neighbor to cover any cost you have had,but as long as you let your cat roam in to other peoples properties,legally you can do nothing:sad:
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Old August 1st, 2009, 04:17 PM
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Willow You didn't deserve to die this way. :sad:
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Old August 1st, 2009, 05:20 PM
willowwhispers willowwhispers is offline
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thank you

thanks to all who replied. this advice certainly was good to hear. part of me does not regret letting Willow play outside as she loved it so, however, I should have brought her in sooner, as I normally do, I do not know why I didn't last night. I knew when I started letting her out that this could very well happen and now it has. two things make me the saddest, 1st - i miss her dearly as a friend and part of out family, and 2nd, I wish that this dog was loved as much as I loved Willow. why do people have pets (and 3 of them) when they do absolutely nothing with them? Maybe I should take this opportunity to speak up against this type of cruetly, and turn this very sad situation into a better one for these poor dogs....I need some courage!
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Old August 1st, 2009, 06:13 PM
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I'm sorry for your loss.

My first 2 cats were killed by a neighbors dog. It was devastating to me and it angered me they never actually apologized to me.
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Old August 2nd, 2009, 07:07 AM
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Willow,we have many,many members with courage to spare,stick around here and I am sure it will rub off on you.
Your neighbors dogs have nobody to help them,they are stuck in their bad situation,unless you are brave enough to get them some help.
You have a great cheering section right here.
Maybe something good will come out of Willows terrible death
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Old August 2nd, 2009, 11:20 AM
BenMax BenMax is offline
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I must say that the time you normally let the cat in is irrelevent. Cats that are outdoors are at greater risk of death obviously than indoor cats. They adapt very well to being inside. An option is to leash train your cat and when you are relaxing outside, take the cat with you on leash so that you are present to monitor.

As for the dogs....get the courage together and do the right thing if they are neglected and/or abused...report it. Looking the other way is what the vast majority of people do, and it will never make a difference to them by anyone just feeling badly for them. Think of you in their situation as people look at what is going on displaying nothing but pity...it's not right.
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Old August 2nd, 2009, 11:50 AM
Jim Hall Jim Hall is offline
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Can only add my condolences
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Old August 2nd, 2009, 01:18 PM
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I also just wanted to add - not sure where you're located? It's always important with any outdoor cat situation to ensure that your city bylaw *allows* them. Here in our city, all cats must be confined to an owners property. Of course I still see three or four regular housecats walking in our yard, so some people don't obey these laws, but the city makes traps available for people to catch these cats and bring them into the shelters.
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Old August 2nd, 2009, 06:47 PM
BenMax BenMax is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bailey_ View Post
I also just wanted to add - not sure where you're located? It's always important with any outdoor cat situation to ensure that your city bylaw *allows* them. Here in our city, all cats must be confined to an owners property. Of course I still see three or four regular housecats walking in our yard, so some people don't obey these laws, but the city makes traps available for people to catch these cats and bring them into the shelters.
Not sure if I agree with trapping cats that you know belong to someone. Personally, a friendly chat with the neighbour is better than risking the cat going to the shelter, not being claimed and possibly being PTS.
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Old August 2nd, 2009, 07:05 PM
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I am so sorry for your loss. I owned a Neo that had a huge prey drive and I could not let him near cats or other wildlife. The amazing thing was that if there was a small dog he would lie down and they could do anything to him. Just not other animals. I could never get him over it so I had to be aware all the time. But maybe a few phone calls may be a benefit to these dogs it is too bad they are not loved like your cat was I am sure it would make a big difference
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Old August 2nd, 2009, 10:28 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BenMax View Post
Not sure if I agree with trapping cats that you know belong to someone. Personally, a friendly chat with the neighbour is better than risking the cat going to the shelter, not being claimed and possibly being PTS.
Wasn't saying I agreed with it, nor did I say I personally would ever do it. We have two neighbor cats that are in our yard all the time (they use our garden as a bathroom but even more disturbing was their assault on our bird house. Four babies killed. We talked to them after that incident this spring.) and despite having talked to our neighbours the cats are still roaming all over the neighborhood. My family is very pet-friendly so while we aren't all YAHOO about the cat poop in our flowers, it's not the cats fault and my family understands that.

What I was saying is that in certain areas, the law makes traps available for everyone to catch them; which is why it's important to make sure that your cats are allowed to wander off your property.

And actually, to be perfectly honest, I'd rather see a cat trapped safely and brought to a shelter with the opportunity of being reunited with the owner rather than be hit by a car or mauled by a dog. If a cat is not reunited with their owner after being brought there, then the owner did not take previous precautions to properly identify their animal for it to be outdoors in the first place.
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Last edited by Bailey_; August 2nd, 2009 at 10:37 PM. Reason: spelling error...oops!! :)
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  #16  
Old August 4th, 2009, 03:06 PM
kandy kandy is offline
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I'm very sorry for your loss. RIP sweet kitty.

However, animals that are allowed to run loose are being exposed to all sorts of dangers. Whenever someone tells me that they let their animal (dog or cat) run loose "because they enjoy it', I always ask if they would let their toddler play on an interstate just because the child wanted to. When they stare at me like I've lost my mind - I remind them that our pets depend on us to keep them safe just as our children do - and that includes not allowing them to engage in behaviors that are dangerous.
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Old August 4th, 2009, 11:31 PM
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MyBirdIsEvil MyBirdIsEvil is offline
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It's simply necessary to keep your cats inside if you don't want anything to happen to them.
It didn't have to be a neighbor's dog that attacked them. What if it was a wild animal or a stray dog, then the responsibility would rest 100% with you.
The neighbor should keep their dog under supervision, but honestly, even if they were good dog owners accidents can happen, such as a dog getting off leash (just about all dogs have prey drive sometimes) and the only way to prevent your kitty from being injured or killed is to keep them in the house.
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Old August 5th, 2009, 11:28 PM
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MIA MIA is offline
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I am sorry for your loss but everyone is right, outdoor kitties may have more fun but they are also at risk. Where I live we have coyotes, raccoons, skunks, cars etc.... The only guarantee is to keep your next kitty indoors. As for the neighbors dogs if they are truly neglected please call your local SPCA and report them. Your call will be anonymous and hopefully the dogs will get some help. Dogs killing cats isn't abnormal nor does it make them mean, my dogs kill rats and rabbits given the change, it's prey drive, just like cats want to chase and kill birds, and mice. Depends on the dog, the breed etc. So they might not be bad dogs per say, they just have a high prey drive. My dogs will chase a cat outside, but can happily be inside the house with one, cats run outside and prey drive kicks in, it's normal animal instinct. Shame what happened to your cat. Hopefully something good will come of it.
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Old September 23rd, 2009, 10:26 AM
sandman1015 sandman1015 is offline
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so sry for your loss

while im sry for your loss . must point out that everyone responding is forgeting a few facts. we must all do what we can to be responcable pet owners. this includes keeping our pets from trespassing on other ppl property. i have a nieghbor who has several cats and because he lets them roam and they have not been fixed the neighboorhood if full of stray cats attracted to his . just this mournoing i caught my dog chasing one of them back over my fence. my dog being in my fenced in yard is all the supervision required. and the fact of the mater is they are putting my dog at risk of serious injury. cats are not defenceless. and can do serious damage and as your pet was on neighbors property perhaps you should go ask if there dog was injured in the fight and perhaps pay there vet bill. i know this sounds cold but there are two sides to this issue . control your pets ppl
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  #20  
Old September 24th, 2009, 09:38 AM
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Where did the dog catch the cat? In the dogs yard?? Or in the middle of the street??

Sorry to hear :sad:
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