Cats killing birds ... Nieghbours keep feeding birds!

krlyr

catkins wrote: »

How can a cat's actions be the owners responsibility? How do you stop a cat doing what is in it's nature?

How can they not be the owner's responsibility? They are not wild animals, they belong to someone, that owner is responsible for placing them into that house/garden/environment. Who else is responsible?
If you want to stop a cat killing birds, put a bell on it for example. OP has said that it's helped but it's annoying them - well, it's a trade between a jingling bell or clearing up dead birds from your garden. Alternatively, adapt the fencing, keep the cats indoors at certain times or permanently, provide a cat run for outdoor exercise, etc.
It's natural for dogs to poo. I don't let them wander into people's front gardens and poo when we're out on walks. If they poo on the pavement, I don't say "Well, there's a fox poo on the other side, it's only nature", I pick it up and bin it so it doesn't become someone else's problem when they step in it. Natural behaviour from a pet does not mean we should allow it/ignore it.

Person_one

The law's pretty clear actually, cats aren't an owner's responsibility in the same way dogs are.

They are legally allowed to roam, kill birds, !!!! where they want and leave home and never come back.

Its nothing like the responsibility of owning a dog.

krlyr

Legally, perhaps not (unfortunate IMO, though cat owners do still have a duty of care). Morally I don't see a difference. Why should the OP's neighbour be having to pick up dead birds from their garden when they don't even own a cat themselves? Especially if it's not even a case of the cat having left it there, but the owner of the cat having specifically thrown the bodies in there. I just don't see how that is justifiable at all - and I think it may even be questionable legally.

roguebrogue

In my opinion, it's not about what the law says, it's about being a courteous owner. Even if it's just putting a bell collar on your cat.

My cats are indoor cats (shock horror!) and are they miserable? No. Are they ridiculously pampered? Yes.

Yes cat's instinct is to hunt. Not to hunt BIRDS. They can hunt anything (mine particularly like dried pasta at the moment)

Person_one

Its just one of those things. That's life, sometimes you just have to put up with stuff you don't like.

The OP obviously shouldn't be throwing dead birds into their garden, frankly the OP sounds a bit odd to be honest, but there's no point getting upset that cats kill birds, or mice, or rats, or spiders.

If you choose to keep your cat indoors, fair enough, but its not compulsory, some people feel its not fair to keep cats indoors and as it stands they are within their rights not to.

roguebrogue

Person_one wrote: »

Its just one of those things. That's life, sometimes you just have to put up with stuff you don't like.

The OP obviously shouldn't be throwing dead birds into their garden, frankly the OP sounds a bit odd to be honest, but there's no point getting upset that cats kill birds, or mice, or rats, or spiders.

If you choose to keep your cat indoors, fair enough, but its not compulsory, some people feel its not fair to keep cats indoors and as it stands they are within their rights not to.

That's fair enough and i don't have a problem with that, but they should take responsibility for what their cat's get up to.

Person_one

roguebrogue wrote: »

That's fair enough and i don't have a problem with that, but they should take responsibility for what their cat's get up to.

How exactly?

Follow it around?

pineapple

krlyr wrote: »

How can they not be the owner's responsibility? They are not wild animals, they belong to someone, that owner is responsible for placing them into that house/garden/environment. Who else is responsible?

The problem is the law - which allows people to keep a semi wild creature as a pet. In fact I believe the cat is classed as 'wild'. Cat owners have it all ways. They have a 'pet' which can also roam wild and other people are told to like it or lump (literally I'm afraid) it. One of my neighbours used to have nine. Sorry but that's beyond selfish.
This may not have been such a problem years ago but given the increasing numbers, it's time the law took another look at it.

pineapple

krlyr wrote: »

How can they not be the owner's responsibility? They are not wild animals, they belong to someone, that owner is responsible for placing them into that house/garden/environment. Who else is responsible?
If you want to stop a cat killing birds, put a bell on it for example.

But they ARE classed as wild! I'm fed up of the double standards on this. Either something is truly wild - in which case you shouldn't be allowed to keep it or it's a pet - in which case you should have to maintain control.
My neighbour who has FIVE cats refuses to use collars at all. She is worried the cats will get snagged on them but she also refuses to use the quick release ones as she says she got sick of the expense of replacing them.

pineapple

krlyr wrote: »

To be fair, studies have shown that the damage caused by cats doesn't really play a very significant role in the population of birds. Even the RSPB acknowledge that the victims that fall foul to local cats would most likely succumb to natural causes of death anyway, especially as cats generally catch the weaker or sicker birds as they're easier prey.

Tell that to the local grouse etc which are common victims of cats round here being larger and heavier and slower to get away.