cats in broadlands...what to do?

Hi. I am a homeowner who has previously lived a quiet life with our dog. As a responsible dog owner, we have electric fenced our yard to she can have her own space and enjoy. We only let her out on weekdays mornings after 7 and on weekends after 8:30, in case she does bark, which used to be not very often.

Over the past few months, our lives have changed due to neighborhood cats roaming free and driving her CRAZY. What is the policy about letting your cat out to roam for the day? i would never let my dog do that. They go into the storm drain on our street and now the large, square (and oh so attractive) one in our back yard.

I know that her barking is wearing on our nerves, so I am sure others are fed up too. Is there a policy about cats?

 

There is a large feral cat population around Broadlands. 99% of the cats you see out and about don't belong to anyone.

 

the cat situation is largely folks letting their pets roam free. There are feral cats but the vast majority of cats roaming around are pets with collars. Cats should have the same restricions on them as dogs and should not be allowed to roam free.

 

Cats should have the same restricions on them as dogs and should not be allowed to roam free.

I agree!!

 

Our house backs to woods and I see cats outside frequently. They are almost never feral cats. They usually have collars or are clearly pets.

 

Yes, these 2 cats are out all day and have owners, except for one "homeless" cat that has been living in our neighborhood for a while. The neighbors feed it to be nice, which is nice for the cat.

I get that cats like to roam, but so would my dog I am sure. I paid some $$$ to have this fence put in and now when my dog is out she is barking like all the time which no one wants to hear.

It is rude to catch the cat and contact the owners? Is it actually in violation of anything--- is there a cat leash law?

 

Well I guess this is one issue that would support an additional Chinese restaurant in Broadlands.

 

In my ten years in Broadlands, I've seen one cat with a collar and I've seen and trapped many that turned out to be feral.

 

There is no leash law for cats. As for catching the cat, good luck with that. Most cats aren't easy to catch.

 

This topic has come up many times over the years I've lived in Broadlands, and I'm afraid it's a lost cause. You will not convince a cat owner to keep their cat safe in their house and on their property if they aren't already convinced of it. For one friend whose cat was hit by a car, the result was thousands of dollars of unwanted surgery when the vet couldn't reach them, and a poor a weird-looking three-legged crooked tailed pet that lived for several more years requiring more surgeries. Their vet had actually told them it was good for their cat to spend time roaming. Now they have a new vet, and an indoor cat.

Our neighborhood cats like to sit on our porch and watch our dog go completely nuts.