This cat has been running loose for 2 years and has damaged my screen trying to get in at my bird. It has also killed birds comming to the feeders. I love all animals but we must be responsible. Letting it run loose spreads disease and creates more strays. I had it trapped and taken to the animal shelter. What would you do? Tell her so she can go get it? The shelter does need money. Or not say anything? The cat was never taken inside and others have said they thought it a stray and fed it when it came around. If my cat was missing I would want to know but then if my cat got out it would be by accident not neglect.
I talked to her last year and to our park manager who said she keeps her cat in. She knew I was trapping strays after her cat damaged my screen trying to get at my bird.
I will tell her if she asks but not going over to tell her. I may call the park manager because shes out calling it now. I do feel bad but she was irresponsible.
As for you people that let your cats out without a leash shame on you! Unless you have a big farm where a cat is used for its purpose then you should be responsible.
I did not steal the cat. It came in my yard and got in the cage on its own.
Incoming search terms:
- a neigborh cat is treatint my cat inside my house (1)
- is it legal to trap neighbors cat (1)
- legal to trap neighbors cat (1)
- letting my neighbors cat inside (1)
- neighbor is trying to get dog to run away (1)
- neighbor leaves cat outside when on vacation (1)
- neighbor stole my cat (1)
- should i trap my neighbors cats (1)
- sorry neighbor for running over your cat (1)
- what to do about cats destroying your property and the neighbor put in a cat door (1)
- what to do if your cat gets run over1 (1)
- is it legal in calif to trap nieghbors cat (1)
- is it against the law to trap a cat in the yard and let it die (1)
- can i take neighbors unfed outdoor cats to shelter (1)
- can i trap a cat (1)
- can i trap cats in my yard muscogee county (1)
- can i trap my neighbors cat (1)
- cats damage (1)
- I miss my cat shelter (1)
- i think someone took my cat (1)
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow. So many negative responses.
There is one inescapable truth that a lot of people seem to be ignoring: leash laws!!! I don’t know of a town that doesn’t have the law. Pet owners that allow their pets to roam free are irresponsible and LIABLE FOR THE DAMAGE THE PET DOES!!! Why is this being overlooked?
I did something very similar before I moved. The difference, though, is that the cat was being abused by their 4-year-old son (a little Jeffrey Dahmer in the making). The cat was usually in our yard or on our front porch, trying to get away from the neighbor’s future serial killer. One day, the cat came over with a HUGE swollen paw, fur missing on one side, and the tip of his ear gone. I assumed by his injuries that he MUST have been hit by a car. I brought him over to the neighbor’s house to bring it to their attention that their cat was in such bad condition. The dad (AH) looked at the cat and said, "Oh, yeah. We know about it. My son was upset that the cat spends so much time at your house, so he locked him up in the BBQ pit. He didn’t know that it was still hot, so the cat got a little burned and my son accidentally slammed the top down on his paw. I hope the cat makes it, though." I was in shock. He hoped the cat would make it?!?! Ever hear of a vet? So, I took him to the vet for treatment. The vet is also a rescue center, so I asked if they could place him. And NO, I never said a word to the neighbor. I’m sure that they must have been at least a little relieved by its absence.
Although my situation was a little different, you have the right to protect your property from an animal that is allowed to run loose. Whether or not you tell your neighbor is a prickly problem. You tried to talk to her about her cat damaging your property and she didn’t remedy the situation. If she really cared about the cat, she would have called the local pound/shelter, put out flyers, knocked on doors, etc. Unless you want a hostile and possibly retalitory neighbor, I wouldn’t say anything if I were you. However, if she asks you could suggest she look at the shelter and after the cat comes back home (assuming she would go pick it up and pay the fees), have another talk with her about the cat causing damage to your property and let her know that if it happens again, she is liable for the damage. Video tape the cat causing the damage if you can.
Good luck! Tough situation!
Edited to add:
I have 3 cats that are strictly inside cats. I just adopted my mother-in-law’s 2 cats, as she has moved to a nursing home. I would never, EVER risk any of the cats’ lives and allow them to roam free outside. It is against our city’s ordinance and it is very bad for the cat’s health. I just can’t believe how many people allow their cats to be outside. We have a screened-in porch where my cats can get fresh air and watch the birds and squirrels without all the dangers of being set loose outside.
People that do this, read this: http://www.catcaresociety.org/inorout.html
Nope, bad luck, they ought to be responsible pet owners.
Is she questioning the location of the cat? Has she asked you if you have seen it? If she is asking around about it you should probably tell her that you had it removed b/c you didn’t know it was hers or whatever. If she hasn’t missed it then I would say don’t tell her, she obviously doesn’t care much for the cat. Good luck.
If it were my cat and I was concerned, I would be out pounding on doors to see if anyone knew anything. If she hasn’t asked, I wouldn’t fret. Evidently she didn’t care enough about it to keep it inside. The cat is better off with the possibility of finding a new home.
If what you are saying is true she probably doesn’t even
know her cat is missing. If and when she does figure it out
don’t tell her anything.
i think that’s horribly selfish for you to take someone’s cat!! i would die if someone took something of mine especially my pet. this coulda been handled a lot different. tisk tisk
I would tell her cuz even though she may not care for it properly she may miss it and learn to take better care next time. And what if its a shelter that kills after 2-3 days if not adopted? She could have a chance to save its life. This will probably start a war, but it will teach her a lesson. Then if she continues to allow it to run free then do it again. but be sure its a no kill animal shelter. Tell her why you did it.
oh definitely tell your neighbor you trapped her cat, how else will you be so widely reconized as the big fiecre game hunter that you truly are,lmao
I would not tell. The owner is irresponsible and should not have the cat. I have a neighbor like that who has 20+ cats. Several of us have told her to keep cats in, and have even told her that she will soon have less cats if not taken care of-so she is slowly loosing her cats-I love animals also but I won’t put up with them digging in my flowerbeds, ripping garbage bags in my cans, one even scratched my brandnew paint job on my truck.
What you did is also better for the cat, It is not safe for it to be running loose.
next time just put a bell around the cats neck on a flea collar. Cats are only doing what comes natural.
No you should get the cat out. You had no right to take your neighbors pet to the shelter. Why didn’t you try to talk to her about the cat and it’s behavior first? You can’t just walk off with a cat. How would you like it if some one took to shooting birds with a BB gun because the birds were dirtying his car?
Cats eat birds. Birds eat bugs. Get used to it.
that was really selfish, not to mention that stealing someone elses propertty is ILLEGAL. if she finds out you could potentially be sued or fined.
you could have approached the woman yourself, with the help of neighbours and spoken to her about about the problem.
you could have called local animals enforcement agency and made complaints….. even your local government and gone through the right channels to have the problem sorted out.
you are justifying what you did by saying animal owners need to be responsible – yet what you did wasnt responsible.
instead you decided to be quite cowardly and selfish.
it was the wrong thing to do.
If i were you, id go and get the cat back, replace it in her yard and hope she never finds out it was missing.
then go talk to her about the problem like an adult. if she doesnt fix it, make an official complaint, and let her know that you did.
.
I agree with the previous answer. You should have never done that. If you had an issue with the cat, you should have either talked to the pet owner personally or sent her a letter of your grievances. It was heartless, selfish and cowardly of you to do what you did. You should be ashamed. You should go back to the animal shelter and get the cat back. If they do not find that animal a home, it can be euthanized.
You state that the animal has run loose for 2 yrs…PEOPLE HAVE OUTSIDE CATS!! Not all cats are indoor cats. I let my cats out during the evening so they can get some fresh air everyday. I would be mortified if someone did that to my cats! Again, you should be the one to pay for the cat to get out of the shelter, not the cat’s owner. It was your fault/doing that the cat was taken to the shelter so it’s your responsibility to get it out. Shame shame
I had the same problem. The males would urinate on my patio door, and when I found poop on my patio that was the final straw. I informed the neighbors I was putting out cat traps and I caught 5. Nobody said anything, nor did I. Silence is golden!!
Of course I would tell her! At least tape a note to the door, if only anonymously. I don’t think you had any right to trap it. Cats are natural hunters, and of course they will try to get a bird!
She may love the cat and be worried. Not all people feel as you do, that cats should be trapped a house.
If she wants the cat, she may go to the shelter (if it’s not already put down), and the shelter will make sure it’s fixed.
And if you were MY neighbor and trapped MY cat, I would get a pellet gun and pick off all your precious little birdies myself one by one. And become the ‘neighbor from h**l’!
Tough question. You sound like a person who genuinely cares for animals but is just fed up with the neighbor’s cat causing trouble for several years. I hate to say it, because I am a huge animal lover also, but I think you did the right thing by having it trapped and taken to the animal shelter. You are in a bit of a "no win" situation because if you tell the neighbor where her cat is, then she will probably blame you for the problem and/or the cost to retrieve her cat (if she even cared to do that). I guess what I would do if I were in your shoes is make your best judgement as to whether or not she really loves the cat and would like to have it back – if the answer to that in your mind is yes, then I would leave an anonymous (no sense starting a ‘hatfields/mccoy’ feud if you don’t have to) typewritten note on her door that her cat is at the animal shelter but she must take better care of the cat and not let it damage other people’s property – or the cat will be returned to the shelter again. If you don’t think this lady really cares all that much either way about the cat – then, unfortunately, I would leave it at the shelter and just hope the odds are with the kitty and it gets adopted. More than that, I don’t see what you can do (besides of course ignoring ‘mental midgets’ like the answer from ‘dontstandmeup’). Good luck.
You did the right thing. I wouldn’t say a thing, if she were interested in the first place this would have had to happen.
don’t feel bad if she was concerned she would have shown it by bringing the cat in. you have done well i wish most other would take time to do just as you did we would have a lot less wild cats out there this was not a pet cat if it was she would have taken better care.
all this from a man that owns to indoor cats,
cats are prowling animals, my cat goes outsied all the time, i can’t keep her in, because she is a cta it’s in her nature, you should tell them. i’m pretty sure they loved their cat and that’s not completely fair that you did that. i know you prolly were thinking i got to get rid of this cat so that it doesn’t destroy anything else, but it’s in every cat’s blood to chase things down and pounce them. just like it’s in hour blood to go to the nearest mcdonalds and get a cheeseburger. you should deffinately tell them, just because it’s the right thing to do, be the bigger person here.
You should be put in jail for what you did.
You did not like the cat doing what cats normally do so you decided to end the cats normal life-I guess it is all about what you want.
What if your neighbor lets her kids play outside and you do not like it so do you take the kids then?
I have cats that are loose around where I live altho I keep my two cats indoors at all times I have learned to live around others. I put bird feeders up very high, I do not put any bird food around bushes where a cat can hide, I do not leave other food outside to attract cats and so on.
Try to work around others, your life is not the only one that matters. Tell her to get her cat, at least do one thing for someone else in your life for once, other wise in all reality you have killed her cat and if you can live with that then I sure do not envy your life-how shallow you must be to let that happen.
I would either tell her or leave a note. She had the chance to be responsible once before and ignored it.
Well given you stole someone’s property, I wouldn’t tell them, since you seem to have gotten away with it. Just play it off as though nothing happened or you run the risk of legal actions from the cat’s owners. My opinion, is that you should have talked to the owner first and then called the animal control people in your area or the sheriff. Taking matters into your own hands is always unwise (if you get caught).
btw – they make cat repellant that you put outside. It smells like fox pee or other things they don’t like and will avoid those areas. Costs all of $3 and gets rid of your problem.