Pets & their worth to you ?

[JK]

Every single bloody night/a.m we have cats on our roof that are arking both my dog up and others in the neighbourhood - Has been awesome trying to get young kids to sleep!!

Most of them come from the couple across the road where they never get them desexed and just put them out every night to roam wherever, and they just keep breeding and breeding.

3 of them have found their way into my backyard and have made their way out in my wheelie bin, but the fact that my Dog has caught and disposed of a few hasn't acted as the deterrent I'd hoped it would.

I have no problem with any pets at all (including Cats, although personally they're not for me), provided they are properly controlled and don't become a burden on other people.

Sorry to hear of your situation Bayman, hopefully with time Little Bayman's hurt/anger will subside and you'll introduce another pet into the family.

[CK]

No question that cats should be registered, just as dogs are, and I don't think there would be many cat owners who would disagree with this. I have two cats who live entirely indoors, microchipped etc. The only time they go outside is into a large, outdoor cage, so they can roam, eat grass etc. Cat owners should keep their cats indoors at night, as their responsibility of owning one, as well as getting them desexed to avoid unwanted kittens all over the place.

That said, I find it remarkable how defensive a percentage of dog owners get about cats, when some of them own dogs that are allowed to wander free around the neighbourhood, walk onto people's properties and do their business throughout it, chase the cat that lives on that property, and then, when you go outside to shoo it away, either the dog jumps all over you and leaves muddy paw prints on you, or an owner has the temerity to have a go at you for shouting at poor Fido. It seems that, in some circles, it's more "socially acceptable" to own a dog that roams and does as it pleases, as there seems a prevailing attitude that everyone loves dogs, and a dog leaping all over you, or barrelling through your property should be welcomed.

I love cats and love dogs. That doesn't mean that a percentage of dog owners should have an attitude of "dogs are doing their instinct, lock up your cats". I also don't recall hearing of too many instances where a rampant cat has killed a small child, through being allowed to roam free - unlike a number of instances where a dog has done just that. Yes, no question at all that cats have killed wildlife - dogs kill animals and wildlife too. Ask the people in my area who had a cat sleeping peacefully in its yard, until an untethered dog hurtled onto the property, grabbed the cat, killed it and sauntered off down the street.

It's hard enough to go through the trauma of losing a pet, no matter WHAT the circumstances are, without copping it for doing so.

[Johno6]

buy little bayman a dog, then if the dog gets beaten up by a cat its not worth keeping

[mighty_tiger_79]

we are an irresponsible cat owner

we let our cat out in the mornings and let it in when it wants during the day and after about 6pm it stays indoors.

when our cat is outside it very rarely ventures too far

[Bum Crack]

We have a couple of cats. Grown up with cats and always liked them. Recent problem we had, was there was a big tom cat that used to come in through the dog and cat door during the night and would eat our cat's food in the kitchen and on it's way out, it would spray it's piss over the laundry door and it ******* stinks. set a cat trap a few weeks ago and caught it. tom cat is now in tom cat heaven and there is still a faint smell of cats piss. It's a horrid smell.

[Hondo]

we are an irresponsible cat owner

we let our cat out in the mornings and let it in when it wants during the day and after about 6pm it stays indoors.

when our cat is outside it very rarely ventures too far

They sleep most of the day anyway. He or she probably finds a warm spot somewhere and zzzz's it up all day. I read somewhere that cats sleep 16 hours per day.

It's night-time when they get really active and that is where a lot of the problems can start. After the last cat never came home as I posted, Mrs Hondo's new cat goes in the shed every night. I don't care if he sleeps in there or stares out the window. That's where he stays. We'd keep him inside but he was waking up the house at 6am demanding to be fed.

If nothing else it protects our $700 "investment" in him. He is a rag-doll cat because they have the perfect temperament for our two little boys.

[mighty_tiger_79]

we are an irresponsible cat owner

we let our cat out in the mornings and let it in when it wants during the day and after about 6pm it stays indoors.

when our cat is outside it very rarely ventures too far

They sleep most of the day anyway. He or she probably finds a warm spot somewhere and zzzz's it up all day. I read somewhere that cats sleep 16 hours per day.

It's night-time when they get really active and that is where a lot of the problems can start. After the last cat never came home as I posted, Mrs Hondo's new cat goes in the shed every night. I don't care if he sleeps in there or stares out the window. That's where he stays. We'd keep him inside but he was waking up the house at 6am demanding to be fed.

and DEMAND they do!!!

[Pottsy]

Did the cat ever go outside of your property?
When it went for a walk to the park did you have a leash on it?
Were you home when it was involved in its fight?

desexed, i can't say no but i can say he never went very far

no leash as the park (school oval) is directly opposite the house, he would just walk over with us & usually would lay in front of the stumps until we moved him away in the cricket nets

i would presume so & i would presume i was snoring at the time

Well if that's the case the pet solely died because you are an irresponsible pet owner. If Little Bayman wants to throw a brick through anyone's window it should be yours.
Cats if allowed outside without supervision are a pest and owners of cats are allowed to do that should be prosecuted and have the pet removed immediately IMHO.
The woman at no way is in any fault, you are 100% responsible for the demise of this poor creature. Please don't get another one.

Wow...I thought it was wrong to troll on here, especially by a moderator.
Seriously though that is one of the most insensitive posts I have ever read on any forum I have been on. You ought to be ashamed of yourself...
If that is your opinion, keep it to yourself rather than trying to make bayman feel worse than he does now.

x2. Insensitive is a word for it. Others might say he was being a complete ****.

[Footy Chick]

We have a couple of cats. Grown up with cats and always liked them. Recent problem we had, was there was a big tom cat that used to come in through the dog and cat door during the night and would eat our cat's food in the kitchen and on it's way out, it would spray it's piss over the laundry door and it ******* stinks. set a cat trap a few weeks ago and caught it. tom cat is now in tom cat heaven and there is still a faint smell of cats piss. It's a horrid smell.

PISS OFF!

No, seriously..buy this, it works!

http://www.ozpetshop.com.au/product_info.php/products_id/1482

[Drop Bear]

No question that cats should be registered, just as dogs are, and I don't think there would be many cat owners who would disagree with this. I have two cats who live entirely indoors, microchipped etc. The only time they go outside is into a large, outdoor cage, so they can roam, eat grass etc. Cat owners should keep their cats indoors at night, as their responsibility of owning one, as well as getting them desexed to avoid unwanted kittens all over the place.

That said, I find it remarkable how defensive a percentage of dog owners get about cats, when some of them own dogs that are allowed to wander free around the neighbourhood, walk onto people's properties and do their business throughout it, chase the cat that lives on that property, and then, when you go outside to shoo it away, either the dog jumps all over you and leaves muddy paw prints on you, or an owner has the temerity to have a go at you for shouting at poor Fido. It seems that, in some circles, it's more "socially acceptable" to own a dog that roams and does as it pleases, as there seems a prevailing attitude that everyone loves dogs, and a dog leaping all over you, or barrelling through your property should be welcomed.

I love cats and love dogs. That doesn't mean that a percentage of dog owners should have an attitude of "dogs are doing their instinct, lock up your cats". I also don't recall hearing of too many instances where a rampant cat has killed a small child, through being allowed to roam free - unlike a number of instances where a dog has done just that. Yes, no question at all that cats have killed wildlife - dogs kill animals and wildlife too. Ask the people in my area who had a cat sleeping peacefully in its yard, until an untethered dog hurtled onto the property, grabbed the cat, killed it and sauntered off down the street.

It's hard enough to go through the trauma of losing a pet, no matter WHAT the circumstances are, without copping it for doing so.

Long, but very good post.

[JK]

No question that cats should be registered, just as dogs are, and I don't think there would be many cat owners who would disagree with this. I have two cats who live entirely indoors, microchipped etc. The only time they go outside is into a large, outdoor cage, so they can roam, eat grass etc. Cat owners should keep their cats indoors at night, as their responsibility of owning one, as well as getting them desexed to avoid unwanted kittens all over the place.

That said, I find it remarkable how defensive a percentage of dog owners get about cats, when some of them own dogs that are allowed to wander free around the neighbourhood, walk onto people's properties and do their business throughout it, chase the cat that lives on that property, and then, when you go outside to shoo it away, either the dog jumps all over you and leaves muddy paw prints on you, or an owner has the temerity to have a go at you for shouting at poor Fido. It seems that, in some circles, it's more "socially acceptable" to own a dog that roams and does as it pleases, as there seems a prevailing attitude that everyone loves dogs, and a dog leaping all over you, or barrelling through your property should be welcomed.

I love cats and love dogs. That doesn't mean that a percentage of dog owners should have an attitude of "dogs are doing their instinct, lock up your cats". I also don't recall hearing of too many instances where a rampant cat has killed a small child, through being allowed to roam free - unlike a number of instances where a dog has done just that. Yes, no question at all that cats have killed wildlife - dogs kill animals and wildlife too. Ask the people in my area who had a cat sleeping peacefully in its yard, until an untethered dog hurtled onto the property, grabbed the cat, killed it and sauntered off down the street.

It's hard enough to go through the trauma of losing a pet, no matter WHAT the circumstances are, without copping it for doing so.

Long, but very good post.

I found it surprising, purely because I can't recall ever being exposed to people allowing their dogs to roam around uncontrolled.

Obviously I've heard of or experienced an escaping K9 but it's ultra rare and not a regular occurrence .. Are you guys saying that there are people that just let their dogs roam the streets unchecked these days?

If so, that is appalling .. More for the harm it could cause humans, particularly children, than other animals (although that's obviously not great either).

[CK]

Absolutely, unfortunately - certainly around my area. The series of "evidence" on my lawn attests to that. I live across the road from a reserve/walking trail where people/cyclists walk/ride and dogs are certainly seem strolling down that path without anyone with them. Primarily larger ones.

[Hondo]

On topic of stray dogs, one time I was out with my toddler pushing the pram with our newborn and we got stalked for about 10 minutes by a grey Rotty. To this day I think our eldest has a fear of dogs for that reason. I was planning how I would actually handle it if he attacked us when thankfully a kind person distracted him for us. I don't know where the dog ended up. That said, that was the only time I can recall a genuinely stray dog that caused me any safety concern. I expect it had got out by accident. It didn't have a collar.

My main issue with some dog owners is those that allow their dogs to roam the front fence snarling and barking at anyone that walks past including my two boys! I have lost count of the amount of times I have had the boys screaming in tears because some dog has stuck its nose through the fence and barked at them. The boys aren't doing anything other than walking along with me or on their bikes on the public footpath.

I know some people use them as guard dogs and keep them in the front yard for that purpose. I understand the reasoning but my response is are we living in Baghdad? ie, do we absolutely need snarling guard dogs in suburban streets. Businesses in business districts are different and I understand why they use guard dogs.

There's a whole other can of worms I've opened ...!

[JK]

It is a whole other matter Hondo as you remarked, but it's hard to know how much fear some people live in, what they're past experiences have been with home safety/invasion and how much they value what they're protecting I guess.

The main thing is that they're safely locked away though I suppose.

[Hondo]

I know. Maybe the answer for them is a front fence that the dog can't see through. So instead of terrorising little children they only go off if someone actually comes in the yard. The owner could put the standard guard dog sign up as a deterrent. That way only those that actually pose a safety threat to the home owner get the guard dog experience! A would be home invader would suss out whether the sign was true and would quickly find out when they stuck their head over the fence.

[Pseudo]

I was planning how I would actually handle it if he attacked us

Go for the eyes. Grab the dog's head on either side and drive your thumbs as far into the eyeballs as you can.

[Hondo]

I was planning how I would actually handle it if he attacked us

Go for the eyes. Grab the dog's head on either side and drive your thumbs as far into the eyeballs as you can.

I used to go out with a vet who told me that the best approach was to croach down and snarl at it as loudly and scarily as you can. Most dogs apparently back off then because they work out that you are bigger than them and not prepared to be intimidated. You become a threat to their safety and they'll take the safe option and back off.

Easier said than done I reckon!

She said it works every time and even gave me a demonstration.

[Pseudo]

I was planning how I would actually handle it if he attacked us

Go for the eyes. Grab the dog's head on either side and drive your thumbs as far into the eyeballs as you can.

I used to go out with a vet who told me that the best approach was to croach down and snarl at it as loudly and scarily as you can. Most dogs apparently back off then because they work out that you are bigger than them and not prepared to be intimidated. You become a threat to their safety and they'll take the safe option and back off.

Easier said than done I reckon!

She said it works every time and even gave me a demonstration.

I've also heard not to smile at them 'coz they interpret a show of teeth as an offensive display. By extension I would have thought that snarling would also have the same effect. Not that I'm a vet, mind.

All the same, once they feel the humours oozing from their damaged eyes, they should turn tail...

[Hondo]

I've also heard not to smile at them 'coz they interpret a show of teeth as an offensive display. By extension I would have thought that snarling would also have the same effect. Not that I'm a vet, mind.

It was a tactic to use once the dog was either about to attack your or was actually doing it, rather than something you do to pick a fight. If that makes sense.

The first step was to try to avoid the confrontation altogether by avoiding eye contact, etc. But once it was on she said to get on the front foot with the human bark tactic rather than try to run or shoo it away.

As I said, easier said than done! Balls of steel would be required!

With that Rotty my plan was to lay into its head with the boots I had on at the time as terrible as that sounds I had 2 boys under 3 with me at the time Thankfully it all ended quietly.

[Drop Bear]

On topic of stray dogs, one time I was out with my toddler pushing the pram with our newborn and we got stalked for about 10 minutes by a grey Rotty. To this day I think our eldest has a fear of dogs for that reason. I was planning how I would actually handle it if he attacked us when thankfully a kind person distracted him for us. I don't know where the dog ended up. That said, that was the only time I can recall a genuinely stray dog that caused me any safety concern. I expect it had got out by accident. It didn't have a collar.

My main issue with some dog owners is those that allow their dogs to roam the front fence snarling and barking at anyone that walks past including my two boys! I have lost count of the amount of times I have had the boys screaming in tears because some dog has stuck its nose through the fence and barked at them. The boys aren't doing anything other than walking along with me or on their bikes on the public footpath.

I know some people use them as guard dogs and keep them in the front yard for that purpose. I understand the reasoning but my response is are we living in Baghdad? ie, do we absolutely need snarling guard dogs in suburban streets. Businesses in business districts are different and I understand why they use guard dogs.

There's a whole other can of worms I've opened ...!

Have to keep their stash safe somehow