Cat killed by neighbors dogs - your course of action?

[Calliegirl]

I'm glad it went well and hopefully he can keep his dogs contained. I hope he doesn't put the dogs down, they were just doing what dogs do. It's very unfortunate it took something so drastic to happen, for him to realize that his dogs getting/running loose affected others.

 

[Chryssie]

Good to hear the meeting went well and the dogs owner took responsibility. I hope he comes to a solution to keep them contained and doesn't kill them because that makes the whole situation an even worse tragedy.

 

[mlp]

But we are truly damaged goods. I now know what people mean when they say after a tragedy such as this that they see the world in an entirely different light.

I'm so sorry. But, yes, a violent, unespected, death hits one in a unique way. I remember thinking, when CeCe, my Quaker parakeet was killed, "So this is what the phrase "the ground fell out under his feet" actually means. It really does feel like that." Again, I am so sorry.

My current cat enclosure is no thing of beauty. It's a large chain fence link dog enclosure, with many widths of 1/2" harware cloth wired together over the top, and also wired to the top of the chain link. I have brick all around the bottom - it wouldn't stop a persistent digging predator, but the cats would have more than enough time to escape indoors. Their access is by means of a cat door set into a window, which leads to a boxed in ramp, reinforced with 1/2" hardware cloth.

When we move back to St. Louis, their enclosure will be like a large screened in porch, but with 1/2" hardware cloth instead of screen, and railings on the outside of the hardware cloth, to stop any really large predator from potentially throwing himself hard enough against the hardware cloth to loosen it from its framing.

 

[Mel]

I would have shot them, but that's me.

If you do shoot anything though, unless you have prior experience, I would suggest not aiming for the head. It can be the quickest way, but it can also go quite wrong. There are a lot of things you can break there that won't necessarily be fatal for days or more even if untreated. It's much easier to hit various vital organs within the chest. Especially if you're using something like a .22, since the brain is better protected. Keep in mind also that gunsights may have a minimum range, in which case you'll be aiming slightly above where the bullet will hit, as the sight is higher on the gun. I'm thinking of adjustable sights on a rifle though, a pistol is probably designed with that in mind, but I haven't used one.

MOD POST

I'm not a big fan of deleting posts, but I have to butt in here to say that this is really not the place for describing how to kill animals. You may not be talking about eating them, but a majority of veg*ns who post here are in it for the animals. There is no distinction for most of us here between eating and killing animals. Please, I'd rather not see a post like this again here.

 

[Ansciess]

Not only did he offer financial compensation, but he said he was going to have the dogs put down... He guaranteed that his dogs would never be on our property again...

Apparently they were tunneling under the kennel repeatedly at night, perhaps not every single night - and he'd find them out the next day - put them back and fill in the hole. I assume he will be taking extra steps (IE putting the kennel on concrete or whatever, unless he does decide to put the dogs down, or relocate them. I got the impression he was going to seriously give it some thought - but I really hope he does not decide to put them down.)

His attitude towards them - I'll just kill my pets - gives me the feeling that life has been hell for those dogs and will get even worse.

I've known dogs who spent their lives in kennels. And then when the barking got too bad were debarked. It may be better to be put down than however he's going to treat them.

 

[K-II]

MOD POST

I'm not a big fan of deleting posts, but I have to butt in here to say that this is really not the place for describing how to kill animals. You may not be talking about eating them, but a majority of veg*ns who post here are in it for the animals. There is no distinction for most of us here between eating and killing animals. Please, I'd rather not see a post like this again here.

The purpose of the description was more that they die fairly quickly if killed. It didn't seem to be a terribly unrealistic situation given roaming dogs and the presence of other animals they may attack (I believe the OP mentioned a stray cat that visits the property, which was unaccounted for at the time).

I wonder if the owner has had problems like this before, from his reaction. Maybe he's worried he'll be liable for something worse in the future?

 

[Dedalus]

I'm glad it went well and hopefully he can keep his dogs contained. I hope he doesn't put the dogs down, they were just doing what dogs do. It's very unfortunate it took something so drastic to happen, for him to realize that his dogs getting/running loose affected others.

Good to hear the meeting went well and the dogs owner took responsibility. I hope he comes to a solution to keep them contained and doesn't kill them because that makes the whole situation an even worse tragedy.

I know. I told him this was not necessary - and we didn't want to extend the tragedy of our family's loss to theirs by killing the dogs. His son is about 11 years old - and I know he would be crushed. I've met his boy and he's really a very well mannered young man. So yeah - that would only compound this already gloomy situation. And to be frankly selfish - finding out the dogs were killed would make us even more sad - and we're already under the blackest of clouds.

 

[Dedalus]

His attitude towards them - I'll just kill my pets - gives me the feeling that life has been hell for those dogs and will get even worse.

I've known dogs who spent their lives in kennels. And then when the barking got too bad were debarked. It may be better to be put down than however he's going to treat them.

Well - I know he loves his dogs, cause he was telling us stories about them growing up from pups. So we could certainly ascertain that he values his animals quality of life. I think he just felt so awful about the whole situation that he needed to at least voice that he would do that if necessary. He was pretty adamant about making things right. I just hope he understands that by taking full responsibility, showing true remorse and agreeing to take measures with confinement of the animals that those things are enough. He also owns quite a bit of land. So I'm just hoping he can provide a safe - open enclosure for the dogs somewhere on his property. Yeah, it would suck to live a life in a kennel. We have plenty of those types of dog 'lovers' around here.

 

[Dedalus]

I'm so sorry. But, yes, a violent, unespected, death hits one in a unique way. I remember thinking, when CeCe, my Quaker parakeet was killed, "So this is what the phrase "the ground fell out under his feet" actually means. It really does feel like that." Again, I am so sorry.

Thank you mlp. There has not been a single event in all my years that has waylaid me as this one has. I feel so terrible that I could have let this happen. It's not fair to Mim - and to be sure - she was only killed because of the level of comfort she felt she had outside. I should never have put that chair out there and padded it with towels - cause maybe then she would have laid down somewhere safe - under the car, in the bushes, what have you. If it wasn't so hot that night she'd have been in the garage - way up on some shelving where I cleared a space for her with blankets for occasions when the weather was bad. No dog could have reached her there. I just can't close my eyes without re-living that morning over and over. Her little broken body stamped on the back of my eyelids.

My current cat enclosure is no thing of beauty. It's a large chain fence link dog enclosure, with many widths of 1/2" harware cloth wired together over the top, and also wired to the top of the chain link. I have brick all around the bottom - it wouldn't stop a persistent digging predator, but the cats would have more than enough time to escape indoors. Their access is by means of a cat door set into a window, which leads to a boxed in ramp, reinforced with 1/2" hardware cloth.

When we move back to St. Louis, their enclosure will be like a large screened in porch, but with 1/2" hardware cloth instead of screen, and railings on the outside of the hardware cloth, to stop any really large predator from potentially throwing himself hard enough against the hardware cloth to loosen it from its framing.

That sounds nice and safe though. I've got some basement windows that I could incorporate for an entrance to an enclosure outside. Is this similar to the hardware cloth you're speaking of? Hardware cloth

 

[mlp]

Yes, that's it. It's actually wire fencing - I don't know why it's called "cloth." Much safer and sturdier than chicken wire. (Chicken wire is useless - raccoons will reach their paws through, and when chickens come over to investigate, will pull their heads off.)

I keep the 1/2" hardware cloth on hand because 1/2" is the largest opening you can have before members of the weasel family can fit through.

Hardware cloth comes in various widths and lengths. It can be found in hardware stores and farm supply stores, but I buy large rolls online - better solection, and you can get much larger rolls than you can in stores, which is what you want for bigger projects - less piecing together, less waste.

I don't know whether you rent or own, but especially if you rent, you could make something that's relatively easy to move, much like a chicken tractor. It doesn't have to be right next to the house - it could be freestanding, with a tunnel from the house. If you google "cat enclosure", you can get all kinds of ideas.

I do like having mine abut the house though - I figure if a large predator tries to force his way in and the cats panic, they will automatically head for the safety of the house, while if they had to run through a tunnel, they would feel too exposed.

 

[AspireToExpire]

So sorry about Mim, she is beautiful and quite a special lady from the sound of it.

This tragedy is such a loss but there is some really great advice in this thread. I feel terribly for everyone all around...

Take it easy Dedalus and remember there is no perfect way to grieve so be patient with yourself and how you are dealing with this. I can't promise it will get easier with time as some people will, I will just say you just get more used to missing her and keeping her memory alive.

 

[Dedalus]

So sorry about Mim, she is beautiful and quite a special lady from the sound of it.

This tragedy is such a loss but there is some really great advice in this thread. I feel terribly for everyone all around...

Take it easy Dedalus and remember there is no perfect way to grieve so be patient with yourself and how you are dealing with this. I can't promise it will get easier with time as some people will, I will just say you just get more used to missing her and keeping her memory alive.

I appreciate your kindness, thank you. Here is a little about the specialness of Mim that I wrote up.

Mim came along in October 28th, 2000 – showing up on my birthday. She stole into our house and began to devour a cheese log (we weren't vegan until 2008) left out on the table from the night before. We initially tried to find her a home of her own – but the little purring machine was so incredibly well-mannered and visibly happy in our home we decided it would be a shame to give her away. This was easily one of the single greatest decisions I have ever made. The name ‘Mim’ came about because it was a name my Grandmother often called my Mother.

My best friend Tom had died in February of that year (oddly enough in another tragedy - he was killed by a train) and so I always considered Mim as part of animal therapy for dealing with the loss of him. I loved the two other crazy cats in my life with all of my heart, devoted to only them with a passion – so it really took some magic to win me over – but Mim succeeded.

We’d go on ‘walkabouts’ after my work day – where she and I would travel along a barnyard path coming to a rest inside an old shed where she’d jump into my lap. She followed along after me with no prompting whatsoever, there were no treats involved – and as individualistic as the personalities of cats are – I found this to be the highest form of an unstated declaration of love and loyalty. No cat I’ve ever had has ever followed me around step-for-step when we were both in the great outdoors where there could be a hundred different distractions at any given time. I love to read outside – and no matter what the setting; no matter where I ended up, Mim would find me and take a seat somewhere close by, be it a tree stump, a spot on the picnic table, at the foot of my chair or in my lap. Her devotion melted my heart, and all through the last 13 years she has never wavered from it. When we rode to the vet, she didn’t need to be in a cat carrier – because she trusted me enough to sit still in my lap the whole 40 minute trip each way there and back.

I don’t think I can convey in words the amount of happiness Mim infused into our lives. Her presence was an immediate stress annihilator, a constant, consistent, unbreakable thread to a place in my heart that was carved out for her and her alone. Her loss is of a magnitude of which I cannot fully comprehend at this moment. She was there for me in all of my darkest hours – providing a constant reassurance of hope and healing with her unique charm and deliberate disposition. As with so many of the cats in each of our lives - when you looked into Mim’s eyes, you could tell without a doubt, she could see into the deepest recesses of your soul and she understood.

 

[SuicideBlonde]

Tearing up. That is so sweet.

 

[led.boots]

:cries:

 

[Danielle]

 

[CrowCaw]

Dedalus, you know how much I love you - our souls are fused, and there are no words that would even begin to express how I feel - but you know this. That moment I saw your email, simply titled 'Mim,' I knew something was very wrong. It hit me like a tonne of bricks before I even clicked the message. After knowing the pains that you have endured over this past decade or so, the unjust reality of this is too much to bear. I just don't understand it at all.
But know this; Mim will never be apart from you, because she lives inside of you. For all eternity, she will be walking alongside you, as she did while on planet Earth.

I dedicate this song to you.

 

[KLS52]

 

[thefadedone]

That is an incredible and touching story Dedulus. Mim indeed sounded very special and that bond you two shared was amazing. I'm glad that Mim came into your life and that you two were able to give each other such a strong gifts of love, compassion, loyalty and joy. I hope over time the pain and emptiness in your heart heals or at least becomes somewhat more bearable.

 

[Pickle Juice]

I am so sorry Dedalus. I have not wanted to look at this thread because I knew it would be so heartbreaking. Just looking at Mim's pictures makes me want to cry.

 

[Amy SF]

Dedalus, I'm sorry you lost your beautiful cat, and in such a terrible way.