Neighbourhood FB page question

[Bluegoat]

So, say you had a neighbourhood FB page.  And someone writes a post about cats in her yard which have been pooping and killing rats and leaving them on the walk.  She posts a pic of one cat and says if it does not stop she'll call he SPCA.  Also that responsible cat ownership means keeping cats in.

Would you think, or be surprised, if the owners interpreted that as a threat?  Would you be surprised if some people disagreed about keeping cats indoors?

[SJ.]

I would not be surprised about either one.  Obviously the poster is threatening to call the SPCA and people tend to have VERY strong opinions on whether cats should be left to roam free in residential areas. 

Edited August 9, 2018 by SJ.

[Jean in Newcastle]

It is a threat. But since letting cats roam is legal in all places that I know of, the SPCA would laugh if contacted. So would animal control. 

As far as indoor cats go, there is evidence that indoor cats live longer healthier lives. This is why our local humane society only adopts cats to people who promise to keep them indoors. (In our neighborhood outdoor cats are referred to as “coyote bait”. )

Edited August 9, 2018 by Jean in Newcastle
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[Arcadia]

6 minutes ago, Bluegoat said:

And someone writes a post about cats in her yard which have been pooping and killing rats and leaving them on the walk.  She posts a pic of one cat and says if it does not stop she'll call he SPCA.  

 

I don’t find that odd. It’s in her yard and what is she supposed to do if the cats don’t leave? I have a cat lover friend who feeds stray cats in her neighborhood daily. She won’t find it odd if someone called SPCA over a cat in their home. Her neighbor did call her to get a cat out from their home because they know she would carry the cat away.

My DS12’s former flute teacher has cats. She has a student with cat allergies that can’t come to her house so they have to meet at a music studio and the student pays her more because of studio rental fees. 

For Calgary, Canada http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/ABS/Pages/Animal-Services/Responsible-cat-ownership.aspx

“Principle #4: Don’t allow your cat to become a threat or nuisance

The Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw states that cats must be confined to their owner’s property Further to that, Animal & Bylaw Services strongly recommends keeping cats indoors because they live longer, healthier and safer lives.”

From Ontario SPCA http://ontariospca.ca/keeping-cats-safe.html

”Municipal by-laws

If your municipality has a by-law prohibiting cats from roaming off their property, you could face repercussions if your free-roaming cat is reported to authorities.”

[vonfirmath]

There was a large debate in our neighborhood FB page about a cat that was free-roaming last summer.  Such a sweet cat. Didn't yowl or anything. But with strong suggestions to the family that owned cat that they keep the cat indoors (To avoid becoming prey).  The owners firmly said the cat was a indoors and outdoors cat and they didn't need to keep them in. The cat has now been missing for a couple of months.  No one has said I told you so but I'm sure folks have thought it since I remember that discussion and I had no leg in the fight.

[Junie]

Where I live, animal control will come out and set traps for cats.  The cats' owners are then responsible to claim their property for a fee.

 

[Chris in VA]

I might find it a threat. But so what? The cat owner should take responsibility for cleaning up the poop, just like a dog owner does, IF the lady can id the cat and KNOWS it is pooping there.

And I agree that cats live longer inside, but I don't think they HAVE to be kept inside.  They aren't like animals that ONLY live inside, like, IDK, gerbils or something...(I can't really even think of one). 

See? I'm no help at all to either side. ?

[Bluegoat]

2 hours ago, Arcadia said:

 

I don’t find that odd. It’s in her yard and what is she supposed to do if the cats don’t leave? I have a cat lover friend who feeds stray cats in her neighborhood daily. She won’t find it odd if someone called SPCA over a cat in their home. Her neighbor did call her to get a cat out from their home because they know she would carry the cat away.

My DS12’s former flute teacher has cats. She has a student with cat allergies that can’t come to her house so they have to meet at a music studio and the student pays her more because of studio rental fees. 

For Calgary, Canada http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/ABS/Pages/Animal-Services/Responsible-cat-ownership.aspx

“Principle #4: Don’t allow your cat to become a threat or nuisance

The Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw states that cats must be confined to their owner’s property Further to that, Animal & Bylaw Services strongly recommends keeping cats indoors because they live longer, healthier and safer lives.”

From Ontario SPCA http://ontariospca.ca/keeping-cats-safe.html

”Municipal by-laws

If your municipality has a by-law prohibiting cats from roaming off their property, you could face repercussions if your free-roaming cat is reported to authorities.”

 

The question though was, is it odder unexpected that people might interpret her comment as a threat.  Or feel that she is finger-pointing by making a post like that.

[ashfern]

I assume the SPCA would come out with humane traps. A threat would be saying she was going to poison or shoot the cat. We have a problem with loose dogs. The non-owners complain and the dog owners (in general not the loose dogs) say there's no problem. ?

[Arcadia]

1 minute ago, Bluegoat said:

The question though was, is it odder unexpected that people might interpret her comment as a threat.  Or feel that she is finger-pointing by making a post like that.

 

If she doesn’t know who the cats owner is, then I won’t find it finger pointing to post in the local Facebook group. 

She didn’t threaten to harm the cats. Calling the SPCA is a normal course of action if she finds cats in her backyard. One cat won’t worry me as much but finding a few cats in my patio would have me logging a call with my condo management office.

If the cats were at a neighborhood park instead, then it might be a mine your own business situation.

[Bluegoat]

It looks like there is a variety of opinion.

Some woman made this post on our neighbourhood page, and seemed frustrated and surprised that she didn't get quite the response she expected.  I thought it seemed pretty normal that if you call out someone - even if you don't know them and don't use their name - doing something you say is wrong and anti-social on a public FB page, they might not have a positive response.

The SPCA won't come out here for that normally either, as a few people told her.  A few also pointed out to her that the dead rats might be better than the live ones she'd see if the cats were all inside (this is a port town, there are plenty of rats ) - she seemed to think this was a crazy reason to have cats around.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Calling the SPCA is a threat because it can harm the cat’s freedom and possibly the person’s pocketbook. In some situations it is an appropriate threat. In my neighborhood it would not be because it is not against the law here for cats to roam. Hopefully people know what the laws are regarding pets in their neighborhood. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Regarding cats eliminating where you don’t want them too, aren’t there products you can spray?  

[Matryoshka]

We always keep our own personal cats indoors.  But around here, although there are very tough leash laws for dogs and you never see a dog off its own property unleashed, there are no such laws for cats.  We had a crazy cat lady next door who was feeding strays and they started multiplying up the wazoo.  Even then the humane society wouldn't come out.  We ended up taking in a couple of mamas who gave birth to kittens in our garage, and dh managed to find a volunteer organization that practiced spay-and-release to keep the population down, but even then we had to catch the cats ourselves, and it wasn't the SPCA and wouldn't actually take the cats.  But even all that was for actual strays, not someone's pet cat - there is no catcatcher, only a dogcatcher.  (Well, we don't have a dogcatcher either, 'cause - no stray dogs).  Animal control pretty much deals with wild animals.

Speaking of wild animals, now that the cat lady has passed, we no longer have stray cats but do have a kajillion bunny rabbits in the yard, who poop all over.  Seriously, the dog keeps snacking on them.  I don't think the SPCA will care about that, either.  One of the many reasons we don't let our cats out is that we do have coyotes and fishercats (big weasels) and foxes and bears... but somehow these bunnies just keep on multiplying like, well... bunnies...

Edited August 10, 2018 by Matryoshka

[Bluegoat]

2 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Calling the SPCA is a threat because it can harm the cat’s freedom and possibly the person’s pocketbook. In some situations it is an appropriate threat. In my neighborhood it would not be because it is not against the law here for cats to roam. Hopefully people know what the laws are regarding pets in their neighborhood. 

 

Sure, and it can even be lethal if the cat can't be redeemed because of cost.  

I don't even see it as controversial that it can be appropriate, it really depends on the situation.

But I think when trying to get a good response in a first interaction, I would try and sound as non-confrontational as possible.  It's not even a matter of what is right, I think that is just more likely to be effective.

 

[Carrie12345]

Is it a threat? I guess it's somewhere in between a threat and a fair warning. 

What are this woman's options, really? SPCA probably isn't going to care, but she can at least give it a shot. Otherwise, it basically comes down to the idea that she has to deal with poop and rodent guts.  I cannot wrap my brain around the idea that a non-cat owner should have to deal with poop and rodent guts.  

Cats on my property bother me in an emotional way, but they're not any sort of nuisance. (My property is mostly wild and covered in deer, bear, rabbit, and fox poop.) But I'd probably lose my mind, too, if I found myself having to clean up after other people's pets on a regular basis.

[HS Mom in NC]

I wouldn't be surprised at all because people disagree on every topic in the world.  A threat?  Meh.  If she's telling them what she's going to do if it continues they should be glad she told them up front. Was she not supposed to tell them she's planning on having them removed?  Someone telling you want what they will do isn't threatening just because you don't like it. Was she supposed to passively continue to clean up mess from a pet that belonged to someone else?  Where I come from you can borrow a cat trap from the city, trap the cat, take it to the pound and not tell anyone. My city had a terrible cat problem about 10 years ago. Neighbors were fed up. Most people expect not to clean up after someone else's pet.  If your indoor/outdoor cat isn't making a mess for someone else to clean up, more power to you.  Kitty can roam free.  If your pet is making messes for other people, then yes, you should hear about it directly and it's perfectly appropriate to hear just how angry people are about it. It really is a ridiculous situation. I agree that responsible ownership in a situation with a cat making messes is keeping it indoors.