Hi everyone, I was wondering if anybody has got some knowledge of the workings of the RSPCA in regards to pet cats. Here's the story.... We have three amazing bengal cats, they are loving, intelligent and very playful. (they have converted me to a cat lover, was previously always a dog person) Anyway, last night one of our neighbours knocks on our door and starts to tell my partner how our cats are terrorising the neighbourhood, she claims that 2 of them are regularly involved in fighting with the neighbours cats and so far the injuries sustained include 1 loss of ear, 1 nearly ripped off tail, 1 near loss of an eye and 1 cat suffering from depression lol (sorry cannot help but laugh at that). Basically, in a roundabout way she was saying either keep your cats in or someone will report you to the RSPCA. For a start, I find it hard to believe that our cats are doing this, I have watched them playing outside with the neighbours cats and have never seen them fighting. Neither has any of our cats ever come home with any injury whatsoever, which I find incredible given that they have allegedly been involved in such vicious fights. Another reason I find this hard to take is, we have lost count of the number of times we have come home to find a neighbours cat in our house, laying on our furniture or eating our cats food and our cats have not batted an eyelid. Now, as far as I'm aware I believe the RSPCA would not take any action against us or our cats, is this correct? Granted, if this was a dog doing this then I would expect the RSPCA to act because dog owners can be held responsible for their pets actions, but cats? surely not? I have tried to speak to the RSPCA today but keep getting left on hold for ages and that is peeing me off :-( Any thoughts?
If the RSPCA are impossible to speak to maybe ask your vet? They should have some knowledge. There are bound to be qualified legal folk on here but regardless of that I would think there there will have to be some proper evidence before anything seroius happens. They cant just whip your cats/dogs/crocodiles or whatever away just because your neighbour said something to your partner.
Marc, my understanding is that, legally, cats are categorised as wild animals and as such you cannot be held responsible for their behaviour. This is also why a driver can legally act against the owner of a dog that runs into the road causing an accident, but cannot do the same with a cat. The RSPCA would only be concerned with the standard of care you are providing, and would act against you if you were causing unnecessary pain or suffering to the animals through cruelty or neglect - failing to provide food, shelter and water etc. plus failing to seek veterinary attention for illness, disease or injury. What's not clear from your post is whether this neighbour actually has the cats that are being beaten up, or is just mouthing off about what she believes is a local concern. If she's not directly involved, then a FOT (f*ck off tablet) might be the appropriate medicine, followed by you making contact with the injured cats' owners to dicuss the matter in a reasonable way, explaining that your cats are not, as far as you're aware, causing the damage. If she does own the injured cats, then you're on your own mate. Word of advice though - try not to escalate things because angry people can behave very badly, especially to dumb animals. Finally, there is the possibility that your cats are actually the culprits... Feline territoriality can be complicated when many cats are living in close proximity, but is usually sorted out by a few words and slaps, and ongoing violence is unusual, though not unknown. If your cats are entire toms that might cause them to behave aggressively towards othert un-neutered toms (and hapless neutered males that get in the way), especially when un-neutered queens come into heat, and unless you plan to breed then there really is no reason not to get them done. Neutered toms are happier than un-neutered and live longer healthier lives (don't tell the wife...).
Cheers Dan. That confirms what I thought, cats being categorised as wild animals and therefore we cannot be held responsible for their behaviour. The neighbour who knocked our door does own the latest cat to be injured, the others were injured some time last year. We are going to keep our cats in from now on, like you say, angry people can behave badly so it's not worth taking the risk with them. BTW our cats are all neutered queens, which again surprises me that they are fighting so much. Oh well, we are going to cat proof the garden then that should be an end to the matter.
If you look at my avatar (a maine coon) you can surmise that I am a cat lover. Inside our houses we only think we know our cats, outside is whole different world. Good luck. Incidentally a cat which ignores another cat is showing dominance.
i fkn hate cats....somewhere near me i think some people have moved in and im plagued with them sh1tting in my garden, p1ssing in the shed, killing birds (piles of feathers and blood in the garden), loitering around the bins, throwing up.....seeing as theyre officially wild animals and the owners cant be held responsible i wonder if i can be held legally responsible if i humanly relocated them?? i wouldnt kill them, in fact, one was in my outbuilding last year and appeared to be in distress so i called the RSPCA..the women thought it had broken its back from a fall (no external injuries).... My preferred deterrent is a hose pipe, although my dearly departed Staffie was quite partial to eating them...skull and all..never had a problem with him around.
Maybe I`m reading this wrong but are you saying it is ok for your dog to kill cats but not ok for cats to kill birds? I`m with you on the crap in the garden, the bird killing etc but gloating about your pet killing other peoples pets is not nice. Is that how you meant it?
ive watched them hiding in the trees....they will stay their for hours and hours, or skulking under a bush...i used to have a mating pair of blackbirds that used to return to my garden, and next doors neighbours murdering bastard would stalk the nest (until it saw me)..i used to love hearing the male sing..Blackbirds have a lovely song, rather like a Nightingale....i noticed over a few days that i hadnt heard him doing his thing....'the fkn cat' i thought....i went out to look at their tree and the male was torn to pieces on the ground, a mass of blood and feathers with his head ripped to shreds...a cpl of the hatchlings were squeaking in the nest but others lay scattered here and there, partially eaten with their guts torn open...One was still trying to breath so i killed it...i felt like a murderer...i tell you what, that had me in tears, im not ashamed to admit it... And i know that the vile, verminous cat would have been nonchalantly toying with them, enjoying theyre pain and distress, fascinated by their vulnerability...Im a roughty toughty geezer, but i used to love that mating pair of Blackbirds...and i can only imagine the male died trying to save them...poor fkr... I dare say, the next thing that moggy was doing was cooting around its owners, turning its nose up at the tuna laid before it, whilst sat with its arsehole smearing the worktop and licking the face of its owner... In parts of Australia cats are put under curfew because of the damage they have done to native creatures..birds, possoms, koalas...when they are picked up they are humanely destroyed. The more i think about it, the more i think i'll have to get another Staff...Jack 'The bastard' used to have a few a year when they were daft enough to venture into the garden...thing is, they were dead in seconds...My other Staff Bess was quite handy too although she didnt have the kill rate of the big bruiser and didnt eat them..Jack ate everything...like i said, even the skulls... Best thing if you want to get rid of a moggy is just drive to housing estate miles away and let them out of the car..within 24hrs they'll be living the life of Riley somewhere else....
Yes. The dog was defending his turf and the family. The dog was not allowed to defacate anywhere, damage property, leave piles of vomit, skulk round the bins or kill for sport. He was a friendly, gentle dog in the house...soft as shite..until a moggy came into the house or he thought i was being threatened (gangs of lads outside the corner shop for instance). He never bit anyone or hurt anyone.. If the owners didnt allow their cats to shit anywhere then their wouldnt be a problem..because they cant control them, then they have to accept car accidents and maulings as part of the risk... At least they died quick...literally a couple of seconds...head like a pancake. 5 minutes later he's looking for a bowl of water.
A sad rant funky. Ascribing human emotion to cat behaviour is pretty pointless. It is people like you who give Staffies a bad name. Very poor show.
More utter bollocks without facts on the forum Having had cats for the best part of 20 years, and my wife many years before that, the number of birds and animals brought home by all three we have had is a handful at worst. Of those, a couple were alive. The other stuff they have brought home, couple of mice, occasional frog, have all been alive and left that way The anti cat brigade who talk of 55m birds killed a year never, never have any facts which back this up. They talk of a cat they know killing 10, then extrapolate that for every cat every year. Utter bollocks. No different to every Staffie being an aggressive child killer, because a fair few have done horrible things so they all do. So they must all be, eh.... But as an owner, whether legally responsible or not, you are responsible for how they behave and if they are terrorising cats (I've never seen cats from different households lay together btw once no longer kittens...thats fighting). Seems you are taking appropriate action
Isn't it about be a responsible pet owner? If one allowed a dog/snake/lizard/komodo dragon to wander about the shire killing with impunity wouldn't one expect to have ones animal destroyed? We (the British Public) have a very odd and outdated view on cats. IMHO. They make fine pets/companions when kept indoors with their balls removed (where appropriate).
say what you like mate. the dogs were always on the lead, and when they were playing on the park and another dog rolled up, i'd put them back on the lead...no posturing or walking round like a He Man..they were family pets..My lates brother had Downs Syndrome and they were so gentle with him...they understood that he was different and never reacted even when he was a bit heavy handed with them..in fact, he even used to climb into their box with them and they'd just lay in it with him... My take is, if the cats are stupid enough to venture into the garden when a dogs around then thats tough..if one the other hand, the dog escaped and killed the cat in next doors garden then i, as a responsible owner would probably have little option but to have the dog destroyed... Its chav idiots who strut around the place using a dog as some sort of fashion statement that give dogs a bad name pal, so get your facts straight. I wouldnt intentionally harm any other animal, much as i despise cats. But if one wanders into a dogs territory then its a different matter...rather like you breaking and entering someones house..Cats, although pretty stupid, are intelligent enough to know that theres a risk when garden creeping....they get caught up in territorial fights with other cats all the time...if theyre stupid enough to skulk through a garden when a dog i on patrol then tough luck im afraid... Blame the Egyptians..if it wasnt for them they would still be living in the mountains as wild cats...if they were furry and 'cute' no one would want to know...a shaved cat is one of the ugliest mammals on the earth.
so your brand of evidence is based on the number brought home?? to quote you Bradders, 'utter bollocks'..i wonder how many it left for dead on the ground of your neighbours houses, and i wonder how much excrement its left in someones garden for the kids to get at? Toxoplasmosis anyone?
You are right about the reponsible pet owner bit. I`m still puzzled why Funky is upset when for example the bird that is killed is in the cat`s garden but is happy his dog kills a cat in the dog`s garden. Or have I got that wrong and is he just upset about the birds in his own garden and doesnt mind what happens elsehwere?
And there lies the point funky; its ok for the media to publish based on extrapolated numbers from personal experience but not an individual with the opposite view. Awesome
