Neighbor won't put a bell on cat. Vent.

[Anonymous]

I don't mind the cat visiting, the poop and pee, whatever. I can live with that.

But I do not appreciate of having to dispose of bird corpses.

I nicely went to the neighbor's house and let her know, as fond as my kids are of her cat, he is killing birds, and would she mind putting a bell on him?

"Well, I get the collars that break if they get caught on something, and we've already gone through three....." and she won't consider a non-breakable collar. So I guess the birds will just keep getting killed.

[Anonymous]

the bells don't work. I can understand your frustration, but it is true that the bells don't work.

[Anonymous]

just use a shovel to throw the dead birds back into her garden. double points if you can chuck them through her window.

[Anonymous]

She really should not be allowing the cat outdoors. I've had many cats, and when I was younger i let them roam outdoors because they seemed happier that way, but now I can't believe I ever did that -- the poor cats! But in addition to the birds, there are harms for the cat -- fights, people throwing water on them in the dead of winter (my neighbor did this to a cat that was in her backyard once -- horribly mean but some people are like that) and of course, cars. I understand what she is saying about the collar, and why she would not do an unbreakable collar, but the "concern" with a slipaway collar vs. her lack of concern with the fact that her cat is out in the first place is weird to me. Bad pet owner....... Cats can be perfectly happy indoors with the proper attention and toys. She just might be too lazy to do what's right for her cat, or convinced that her outdoor cat could never be happy inside.

[Anonymous]

I second the PP who said to kindly return the bird corpses to her door step. I really would do this.

Lately I've been returning dog shit to the porches of my neighbors who let their dog shit anywhere it wants, off leash. When I see BaileyRileyMax crap and run off, the owners get the proceeds.

[Anonymous]

First of all, the bells won't keep cats from killing birds. Secondly, cats are predators. They kill birds, mice, rats, lizards, insect and all sorts of small fauna. They are part of the food chain. This is their job. They keep rodents under control. Do you not want this? In fact, this is not only necessary but helpful.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PP about why is the cat outside in the first place? Cats who live indoors generally live longer and healthier lives. You really don't even need to spend much money on toys because they are content with random items like bottle caps and socks (bonus of there's catnip in the socks.) I have some birds in a cage and the cats enjoy watching them from time to time (they're used to each other so it's not a constant torment thing.) Occasionally the cats will get out in the summer and they definitely do like to explore the "off limits" territory...and have caught a random assortment of critters....but the fact that the cat is out all the time is really kind of sad and depending on your jurisdiction it could be illegal.

[Anonymous]

I don't follow her logic. She's worried enough about the cat that she doesn't want it to choke or get stuck if its collar gets caught on something, but she doesn't care enough to keep her cat inside, where it is safer and less likely to be attacked by other animals or hit by a car? And doesn't she care what would happen to her cat if it lost its collar and went missing? It would never be returned to her. Selfish, selfish, selfish.

Put the dead birds back on her doorstep.

[Anonymous]

Either put the birds on her doorstep (seriously!) or call her to come collect the remains when you find them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First of all, the bells won't keep cats from killing birds. Secondly, cats are predators. They kill birds, mice, rats, lizards, insect and all sorts of small fauna. They are part of the food chain. This is their job. They keep rodents under control. Do you not want this? In fact, this is not only necessary but helpful.

Domesticated cats are pets and should be kept indoors. To do otherwise is just irresponsible.

[Anonymous]

If you live in PG County (which I know, the horror!), the leash laws apply equally to cats and dogs. Cats need to be on their own property and are legally defined as nuisances if they're not, and leaving poop in other people's yards is a violation in itself. You can file a complaint with animal control and they'll get a letter about it. You are also within your rights to catch the animal and take it to the pound; it will be returned with a warning and/or a fine.

People who let their cats outside do not care about any of the reasons why it's a bad idea (danger to the cat, spread of cat virus to other animals or humans through their poop, poop that attracts rodents to other people's yards, killing of birds) and simply do not respect the rights of other people to quiet enjoyment of their property without someone else's animal coming around and making trouble. Some respect the law when it's pointed out to them.

Anyway, my point is that if the local law is clear on this issue you don't need to bother getting into a discussion of the pros or cons of letting the cat outside, you can just tell them that they're violating the law and you are going to start enforcing it. If you want to. Personally, I haven't found any value in people who behave/respond like this such that I am willing to put up with their animals out of some idea of "neighborliness." If I wanted a cat defecating in my garden and killing wild animals, I'd get my own. And if I let my dog run off leash, poop in their yard, and kill birds in their shrubs, you can be sure I'd be hearing about it!

[Anonymous]

OP, short of losing it like the other posters, if you want to keep a neighborly relationship, maybe next time you're around a pet shop you can see if there is a bell that can be rung around her breakable collar (or buy one yourself). If you don't hate the cat and you're not interested in getting the cat hauled in by the dog catcher (which I guess you can do), I'd spring for the solution and see how the owner reacts.

I understand there are leash laws (I guess everywhere), but I don't get the feeling it's worth it to you to make too big of a fuss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First of all, the bells won't keep cats from killing birds. Secondly, cats are predators. They kill birds, mice, rats, lizards, insect and all sorts of small fauna. They are part of the food chain. This is their job. They keep rodents under control. Do you not want this? In fact, this is not only necessary but helpful.

Birds are not the same as mice and rats. Besides that, who wants dead animals dropped on their doorstep?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First of all, the bells won't keep cats from killing birds. Secondly, cats are predators. They kill birds, mice, rats, lizards, insect and all sorts of small fauna. They are part of the food chain. This is their job. They keep rodents under control. Do you not want this? In fact, this is not only necessary but helpful.

Domestic cats are not native to this area. If they were any other animal outdoors, they would be considered an invasive species. So they are not really contributing to the local environment. They may be useful to humans to handle rats and mice, but they are not a part of a balanced local animal population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Either put the birds on her doorstep (seriously!) or call her to come collect the remains when you find them.

second this OP, I had a cat who I put a bell on cause she was bringing us birds every couple of months, didn't do much for the birds, but she almost strangled herself with it, i'm glad i was home to free her.