Neighbors' dogs attacked our cat. Are we being too harsh?

[cheermom1]

Yes, it was like that while I was growing up, too. There were leash laws for dogs, but not very many people followed them in our neighborhood. Especially since the dogs were out playing in the yards with all the kids, (their owners.)

So, as it is out in the wild, where cats originally evolved from, it was cats fended for themselves. I've seen many a cat run up a tree, under a house, under a parked car, when chased by a dog or two and successfully escaped each time. They learned to know when a dog was after them. Dogs are incredibly noisy when they give chase. The cats always ran a good 5-10 ft ahead of the dog, and zip, up the tree. Dogs chasing cats was a normal thing. Cats in trees, looking supremely smug , was also a normal thing. Us, pulling the dogs away from the bottom of the trees and distracting them so they'd forget about the cat was also normal.

Some cats just gave the dogs a good swat on the nose & it was one less dog chasing them as the other dogs might have give chase to the cat.

I guess cats were heartier back then. When did they become snowflakes?

That being said, if my cat & I lived next door to two big, aggressive type dogs or coyotes, and knew it, I'd keep her inside, as dogs do tend to figure out how to escape - especially when they keep seeing dinner moving across a yard.




It doesn't quite work that way in this area. Dogs, even aggressive ones, seem to be give a "three strikes and your out," type situation. They often aren't euthanized on the first offense, unless it was an extreme attack against a human or child. It was on the news how two big dogs did have a couple reports filed against them already for biting or being aggressive to people. One was by the neighbor, who the dogs already bit once.

This third time, she was coming home after work, putting he keys in the door, when the owner & the pit bulls came into the hallway, from out of their apartment. The dogs saw the neighbor, broke loose from their owner, when crazy and mauled the neighbor. The owner had tried to pull the dogs off, but she didn't have the strength to pull both dogs away. Plus she got hurt too. The neighbor later died in the hospital.

Unfortunately, these types of stories make our news as the dogs often have prior reports of attacks or biting against them, and nothing was done the first couple of times. There have been quite a few on the news.





Sounds like the man was trying to steal your dog, and she knew it and defended herself. When he didn't get away with it, he changed his story to the dog catcher one.

This was my first thought too especially after he said that he should have knocked on my door instead of picking her up. Anyway she is a little chihuahua and he said he has 3 already. Makes you go hmmmmm....

But I have to agree that the op should at the very least make them pay 1/2 if not all, if she can prove the cat didn't go in their yard first. Op I hope your kitty is just fine and everything works out. Let us know what happens.

 

[goofy4tink]

A short story. when I was growing up, we had a mixed breed dog. He was a great family pet. We kept him on a run in our back yard, when he wasn't in the house with us. Well, the little boy that lived next door had a habit of teasing the dog. He would stand just outside the area the dog could reach and yell at him. Well, one day he made a mistake and moved too far into the yard. The dog was able to get at him as the little boy ran away. He grabbed onto the boys pants leg to get him to stop and play with him. Now, this kid was in our yard, the dog was on a run, with at least 10' between the area he was able to get to and the property line. You know what??? That family sreamed to the high heavens about the vicious dog we had and they insisted he be put down for 'attacking' their child. That dog was dead within a week. He was never off our property, he was never unrestrained...but still, he was put down.

We always had cats and dogs when we were kids, back in the 50's, 60's and 70's. And the cats always ran loose, outside. And yes, they got hit by cars on occasion, or into fights with other cats or wild animals. They also brought bugs into the house, they brought us nice ticks, they brought us poison ivy.
Nowadays, my cats stay inside. They don't mind at all. Modern society has really infringed on wildlife's natural habitat. We now have bears and fishercats and coyotes roaming in our backyards...that wasn't the case when I was a kid. And yes, I live in almost the exact same neighborhood I grew up in...about 1/4 of a mile from my childhood home. If we let our animals out now, unretrained, they are going to fall prey to many natural predators who have been forced into our developed areas.

Should your neighbors pay your vet bills? I would think they should pay for at least half the bill. Their dogs should have been restrained..this in and of itself would make them liable for the entire bill. If they were unleashed and off their property, well....that pretty much says it all. Those dogs were not being properly supervised, which is probably a violation in your town. I know it would be in mine.

 

[krcit]

I have never seen a fence that could keep a cat contained.

 

[MineMail]

Yes, the dogs were on our property.

Have the neighbors shown any concern for your cat since the incident?
If not, I doubt they'll feel obligated to pay the vet bill, so save yourself the aggravation and don't ask for the money unless you're willing to endure the results of a nasty confrontation. (Bad human behavior, sneaky retaliation, small claims court suits, etc.)

However, do report the dogs to Animal Control before they go roaming again.
They need retraining and better restraints to keep them in their own yard. I don't care that the dogs are pit bulls - that's really not relevant. Any larger breed of dog could do serious damage if it gets the notion. As a child, I was attacked by a neighbor's SMALL german shepard and a standard poodle. Because so many morons own pit bulls for "protection" and mistreat or don't train them properly, the entire breed ends up with a bad rep that makes the headlines after each attack.

By reporting the attack, you could prevent a "next time" scenario where the dogs go after a child instead of a cat.


I grew up with indoor/outdoor cats and multiple dogs in the neighborhood. It was never the dogs that attacked the cat - it was other cats and opossums. Keeping the cats inside keeps the house cleaner and protects the cats from all sorts of injuries. Just mho.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I have never seen a fence that could keep a cat contained.

That is because the effective ones are invisible.

There are many products on the market that effectively keep cats on your property. Sadly, too few use them with their outdoor cats.

 

[luvsJack]

It doesn't matter whether the dogs are pit bulls or poodles, they came in your yard and attacked your cat. Go to the neighbors, explain what happened and how much it cost you. You may also want to nicely suggest to them that they keep their dogs restrained in some way (do they know about the dogs growling at a neighbor?), just as in you are worried about them being sued or a person being hurt next time.

If it was me and the neighbors offered to pay only half (even though they should pay all), I would take it and let the rest go. Neighborly peace and all that.

As for cats needing to stay inside, that is a personal preference and should not be a debate. I have always had outside/inside cats and they have always been happy as little clams--and kept the mouse population down very nicely. Some cats are happy inside and do not want to venture out (have one like that now, she won't even look out the window ) and some will take the walls down trying to get out. I prefer mine to be happy.

 

[luvmy3]

I dont' really understand why the OP put the breed of dog in the post- it's irrelevant EXCEPT the breed has a tendency to make people nervous. I think if it had been another breed less of the post would mention "could have been a child" and would be more, "dogs chase cats".

I do think the neighbors should offer to pay half of the bill.

I don't think so, she mentioned that these dogs had gotten out before and showed aggressive behavior towards a human when she was on her own property. She didn't have to mention the breed, but even if she didn't I'm sure there would still be the "it could have been a child comment" due to the other info she posted.

 

[kamik86]

Since everyone seems to focus on the fence I have another question just to get opinions.

A few years ago my Dog was in his area (He had this cool little alcove that was always shaded since there were woods behind the house. He had a nice long leash but was still confined to our property.

One day another dog from down the street and my dog got in a fight. Being tied up and less mobile my dog lost and had a nice chunk of flesh taken out of his hind leg.

Would you consider the other dog owner liable? Note my house was NOT fenced in but the dog was on our property and leashed. There is and was a dog leash law.

Since everyone seems to care about the breed the other dog looked like a black lab but may have been a mix... ours was at least part Husky but I don't know what else, so both were good size dogs and around the same size.

 

[Jennasis]

Since everyone seems to focus on the fence I have another question just to get opinions.

A few years ago my Dog was in his area (He had this cool little alcove that was always shaded since there were woods behind the house. He had a nice long leash but was still confined to our property.

One day another dog from down the street and my dog got in a fight. Being tied up and less mobile my dog lost and had a nice chunk of flesh taken out of his hind leg.

Would you consider the other dog owner liable? Note my house was NOT fenced in but the dog was on our property and leashed. There is and was a dog leash law.

Since everyone seems to care about the breed the other dog looked like a black lab but may have been a mix... ours was at least part Husky but I don't know what else, so both were good size dogs and around the same size.

BAsed on the info given...HECK YEAH.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

BAsed on the info given...HECK YEAH.

Agree 100%.

 

[luvmy3]

Agree 100%.

Me three

 

[disykat]

I really don't like this whole "the cat was asking for it by being outside" thing. The cat was the victim. Whether you like cats or approve of them being outside isn't part of it. It's not okay for dogs to attack anything just because it's there. It's the owners job to keep it from doing so.

(I love dogs and am not a cat fan, but that doesn't make it okay for a dog to attack one in my book!)

 

[Scurvy]

Since everyone seems to focus on the fence I have another question just to get opinions.

A few years ago my Dog was in his area (He had this cool little alcove that was always shaded since there were woods behind the house. He had a nice long leash but was still confined to our property.

One day another dog from down the street and my dog got in a fight. Being tied up and less mobile my dog lost and had a nice chunk of flesh taken out of his hind leg.

Would you consider the other dog owner liable? Note my house was NOT fenced in but the dog was on our property and leashed. There is and was a dog leash law.

Since everyone seems to care about the breed the other dog looked like a black lab but may have been a mix... ours was at least part Husky but I don't know what else, so both were good size dogs and around the same size.

Legally, yes I think the other dog's owners should be held completely liable. They were violating the leash law and you were not. They should have paid 100% of your vet bills. Realistically, though, I think you share half the blame for what happened to your dog. Even though you were being responsible by making sure you complied with the leash law, a tied dog that isn't fenced in is basically a sitting duck. The leash protects you from violating the leash law, and it protects the people and animals who stay out of range of your dog, but it doesn't protect your dog from anything. It can't run away from the other animals (or people) who can come onto your property. A good fence protects everyone involved, even your dog. If the dog had been inside a fence and not tied up, it would have been much more difficult (if not impossible) for the roaming dog to injure your dog.

 

[Mermaid02]

BAsed on the info given...HECK YEAH.

Agreed! The dog was leashed on his own property and attacked- there is no way her dog was out of his boudaries.

As far as the original post- I didn't mean to imply the cat was asking for it- but cats are safer indoors. I don't think cats should be allowed to roam on other people's property- peeing and pooping, killing songbirds, rabbits, moles etc.

 

[kamik86]

Legally, yes I think the other dog's owners should be held completely liable. They were violating the leash law and you were not. They should have paid 100% of your vet bills. Realistically, though, I think you share half the blame for what happened to your dog. Even though you were being responsible by making sure you complied with the leash law, a tied dog that isn't fenced in is basically a sitting duck. The leash protects you from violating the leash law, and it protects the people and animals who stay out of range of your dog, but it doesn't protect your dog from anything. It can't run away from the other animals (or people) who can come onto your property. A good fence protects everyone involved, even your dog. If the dog had been inside a fence and not tied up, it would have been much more difficult (if not impossible) for the roaming dog to injure your dog.

Interesting... this is really just a hypthetical now. The dog is no longer around (it was 14 years old when it died so lived a long time). I was young when this happened and don't have a dog now (Just my kitty who only goes out on a harness and then begs to go back in after about 2 min.).

The reason I say this is interesting is if my parents had this few they wouldn't have been able to have a pet. Our yard was LARGE and involved a few hills (the house sat on one and another came off at an angle and went up to the woods and where the dog was kept. IT would have been a nightmare to fence it and he wouldn't have had the cool shaded spot in the woods.

In a way the people that say there must be a fence no matter what surprise me. I guess its better for the dog to have a home then not be able to live there because we couldn't have a fence. Espeically when they need to be 6 foot solid ones to please many here.

 

[BellvilleDad]

I would definitely ask them to pay. If your town doesn't have a leash law regarding cats then you have the legal right to let your cat roam free. It doesn't matter whether you should or not for the various reasons listed here, its still legal for you to so. Most towns have leash laws regarding dogs, and if yours does then the dog owner should have to assume all responsibilty for their dog attacking another animal outside of their property line. Good luck and I hope your kitty recovers quickly

I have a problem with the bolded part of this response. My beagle is an escape artist and loves to chase the neighborhood cats...never hurt them, just chase for the fun of it. I endured a few passionate calls from my neighbors, and put a lot of effort into containing him, finally succeeding.

My problem is, the neighbor's cats roam free, generally in MY yard. They do their business in the sandy part of my driveway (as evidenced by the little piles of sand each morning), and sleep on my porch furniture and on my vehicles. So now my kids can't go out in the yard barefooted, I have to sweep the hair of off my porch furniture before sitting on it and I have to wash the cat tracks off of our vehicles and hope the paint isn't scratched.

The neighbors were incensed when our beagle chased their cats, but have no problems with their sweet little babies doing their thing on my property. I normally try to keep the peace with my neighbors, but these cats are getting on my last nerve.

 

[Scurvy]

I really don't like this whole "the cat was asking for it by being outside" thing. The cat was the victim. Whether you like cats or approve of them being outside isn't part of it. It's not okay for dogs to attack anything just because it's there. It's the owners job to keep it from doing so.

(I love dogs and am not a cat fan, but that doesn't make it okay for a dog to attack one in my book!)

Absolutely the cat was the victim here. The cat did nothing to deserve being attacked. Even if it had left it's owner's property, it still wouldn't have done anything wrong. Animals don't think in terms of "right" or "wrong". They are just being animals. The cat was just being a cat. The dog was just being a dog. Animals don't think about property lines. They don't care whether another animal is someone's beloved pet or a wild animal.

The owners are the only ones who could have done anything wrong. The dog's owner violated the leash law and failed to control their animal. They allowed it to roam and allowed it to attack someone's pet. They were wrong. The cat's owners made a choice to allow their cat to be outside and unprotected. They may well have the legal right to do that, depending on the laws on their city. They may be fully aware of the risks and they might have weighed those against the perceived benefits and decided their cat would have a better life if allowed to be outside. But in making that choice, they put the cat into a position where this scenerio became possible.

It may not be "okay" for a cat to be attacked just because it's outside, but it happens anyway. "Right" doesn't matter in a situation like this, practically, at least. Legally it might, but the cat is still injured whether or not someone else was in the wrong by letting their dog roam. It just a part of having an outdoor cat. A cat owner has to decide whether they are willing to risk a situation like this when deciding whether to keep the cat indoors or not.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Where was your cat when the attack occurred?

If that's true, how is it not equally an example that dogs should be kept inside too? Personally, I think it's cruel to keep a cat cooped up inside all the time. They are an animal that is by nature inclined to be outdoors, just like dogs. Uh oh though...now I've started a debate. Sorry!

Dogs cannot jump over fences like cats can and can therefore be contained in a yard more easily.

My cats seem happy being cooped up in my house...or at least they haven't gone on strike recently.

Personally, if my dog got out of our fenced backyard and attacked a cat I'd pay the vet bills, no matter where the attack occurred. If a cat comes into our fenced yard, however, all bets are off. Our dog gets along well with our indoor cats, but I have no idea how she would react to a cat in our backyard.

 

[palmtreegirl]

If it was me, I'd ask them to pay 1/2 because I'd feel partially responsible since my cat was outside.

 

[cheermom1]

I have a problem with the bolded part of this response. My beagle is an escape artist and loves to chase the neighborhood cats...never hurt them, just chase for the fun of it. I endured a few passionate calls from my neighbors, and put a lot of effort into containing him, finally succeeding.

My problem is, the neighbor's cats roam free, generally in MY yard. They do their business in the sandy part of my driveway (as evidenced by the little piles of sand each morning), and sleep on my porch furniture and on my vehicles. So now my kids can't go out in the yard barefooted, I have to sweep the hair of off my porch furniture before sitting on it and I have to wash the cat tracks off of our vehicles and hope the paint isn't scratched.

The neighbors were incensed when our beagle chased their cats, but have no problems with their sweet little babies doing their thing on my property. I normally try to keep the peace with my neighbors, but these cats are getting on my last nerve.

I totally agree with you. Like I said I have 2 cats and one is outside. However the lady across the street has about 30 yes she really does as she was bragging about how many she has. They are always in MY yard and on my cars and doing things like that. I do know my cat does stay in our yard mostly and the reason i know that is b/c I am home and I watch him. I have learned his habits and what he does plus he is old and just doesn't like to leave the porch. Anyway I have caught her cats so many6 times I can't count but then she complains to me that she can't afford them.

I am very big on fairness always have and I do believe that if the dog should be leashed then so should the cat or at the very least all pet owners should be responsible for their pets. i do hope this kitty is ok and she gets what is fair.