Neighbor's dog killed our cat

[Broheim]

Some breeds of dog really are more innately aggressive and dangerous than other breeds. This should be outrageously obvious to anyone.

Golden retriever as compared to pit bull? Anyone who would dare to say to me with a straight face that these two breeds are identically aggressive, well... let me just tip my hat to that man and his incredible mastery of self-deception.

And yes, this is true of human races too. Some are more innately aggressive.

Anyone who comes back with "but I knew a guy..." or "but I had a dog..." doesn't understand averages.

I remember reading an article about how golden retrievers are the breed most likely to bite their owner here in Denmark.

 

[BUTCH1]

birds kill bugs as a diet. They also only eat a few bugs as they are small animals per day.

Cats, especially wild cats, kill bugs just to kill them. Many times they eat, but a lot is just practice and fun for them. They kill far more bugs than birds do as not all birds eat bugs but all house sized cats do.

Last I checked cats can't fly, most of the one's I've seen actually killing an insect were out of boredom and again, CAT'S CAN'T FLY, their range is limited to what's on the ground or 3-4 feet above it (jumping range) birds can swoop in in a second, I had a grasshopper infestation so I mowed the lawn real short, there were 3 blue jays and 4 mockingbirds eating every grasshopper that got exposed within seconds..

 

[datalink7]

Yea, well a pit bull or rottweiler would work well as a farm dog, where it only came into contact with one family... perhaps.

Owning them in densely populated areas seems to lead to a lot of problems in a lot of cases.

An individual dog from an aggressive breed can be less aggressive, just innately... and raising it a certain way can help. But given the number who are bungling this... I just wish these breeds didn't exist.

But it really isn't so much the breed, it's that they are popular with people who don't know anything about raising a dog.

In the 70's it was Dobermans. You don't hear about Dobermans anymore. Why? It's not because the breed changed. It's because they became less popular so the people who go out and get Dobermans, for the most part, have researched the breed and have more knowledge of what they are doing.

In the 80's it was German Shepherds. Same thing. Popular breed and so a lot of people who didn't know what they were doing got them. Now you don't hear about German Shepherds biting people everywhere because, for the most part, the quality of the owners are better.

Right now, Pit Bulls are popular like the two above mentioned breeds. Hopefully their ownership will go through a similar transformation.

 

[Broheim]

But it really isn't so much the breed, it's that they are popular with people who don't know anything about raising a dog.

In the 70's it was Dobermans. You don't hear about Dobermans anymore. Why? It's not because the breed changed. It's because they became less popular so the people who go out and get Dobermans, for the most part, have researched the breed and have more knowledge of what they are doing.

In the 80's it was German Shepherds. Same thing. Popular breed and so a lot of people who didn't know what they were doing got them. Now you don't hear about German Shepherds biting people everywhere because, for the most part, the quality of the owners are better.

Right now, Pit Bulls are popular like the two above mentioned breeds. Hopefully their ownership will go through a similar transformation.

this man speaks the truth :thumbsup:

 

[Puppies04]

The problem here isn't the breed of dog. I used to think otherwise but as I got older I have realised that the reason pitbulls or whatever other "dangerous" breed get such a bad rep is because a larger percentage of their owners are dicks.

My parents keep border collies, I used to think that it would be impossible for one to bite a human until I was walking down the road one day and this old guys border collie bit my leg as I walked past it. He was a dick who walked his dogs maybe once a week and kept them in a kennel 20 hours a day.

Dogs have personalities just like humans, sometimes no matter how well trained a dog is it will still hate cats. This is down to the owner to recognize and to make sure that it cannot get into a situation where it can enter another persons property and have the sort of thing that happened to the OP occur.

Now the OP states that he knew this guys dog hated cats so there is no way the owner wouldn't have known. At that point the dog should never be allowed access to anywhere other than the owners yard without being on a leash.

Punishment for this indiscretion? The owner should be banned from keeping dogs for "x" amount of time and the dog should be rehoused with someone who can look after it responsibly.

 

[Geosurface]

It's not the breed eh? Not at all?

No doubt, it's more complicated than JUST the breed... but to pretend that's not a huge factor? Madness.

Or are you prepared to say there is no merit in laws regulating wolf-hybrids or ownership of big cats, wolves, etc?

 

[datalink7]

It's not the breed eh? Not at all?

No doubt, it's more complicated than JUST the breed... but to pretend that's not a huge factor? Madness.

Or are you prepared to say there is no merit in laws regulating wolf-hybrids or ownership of big cats, wolves, etc?

Wolves and big cats aren't domesticated. Huge difference.

Let me try to think of a metaphor.

Different breeds of dogs are like different weight levels on a bench press. Most people shouldn't get under 300lbs and expect good results.

Just like people shouldn't try to lift a set of weights out of their league and ability level, they shouldn't get a breed of dog that is out of their ability to handle. Doesn't mean that the breed is bad. The problem is in the person who doesn't know that they are doing.

 

[Perknose]

Neighbor (lives about six houses down) has a Rottweiler who gets out periodically. Sometimes, the owner will be out in front doing some yard work or something, and just lets the dog off-leash while he half-keeps an eye on him. The Rottie never gives humans a second look but it hates cats.

Today, I'm sitting at the computer (as usual), which is next to a front window facing the street. I hear something crash against the house right next to me, but had shades/blinds closed, so rather than looking out, I just went out the front door to see WTF it was. I feed stray cats out there on the porch so at first, I figured one of the cats knocked something over but then thought better of it because there just isn't anything out there large (or unstable) enough that could be knocked over and make that sort of racket. Some of our landscaping stone was strewn across the walkway and one of our small ground cover shrubs was almost completely torn out of the ground. But no cats or other animals in sight.

Then I see the neighbor hustling his way down the sidewalk and I knew right away - the Rottie was out again and went for one of the cats. We met up and walked around the side of the house (corner lot) and there he was, with our cat in its mouth pressing it against the ground. It was a stray that we took in, had it spayed and everything. She was using our doggie door to come inside when she was hungry or wanted to nap at night, but spending much of her life as a stray, she liked to spend the entire day (and even part of the night) outside.

Cat's spine was snapped, bent backwards in a very unnatural position. The guy was really apologetic, offered to take it to the vet (when it was still breathing and trying to move). I told him it wouldn't make it. Died pretty quick thereafter. He paid for the cost of spaying, he offered to compensate more but we declined.

Unfortunately, I never got a photo of her, except for the one I took of her dead in a bag. RIP pretty girl! 😡

So very, very sad all around. 🙁

 

[dmcowen674]

Sad

But is an outside cat really "your" cat?

They are doomed at any time.

 

[TwiceOver]

Sad

But is an outside cat really "your" cat?

They are doomed at any time.

As a cat lover, I kinda agree with this. But I also believe all dogs should be contained in some way. Fence, leash, house, whatever.

 

[NetGuySC]

Sad

But is an outside cat really "your" cat?

They are doomed at any time.

In most places, if you act as an animal's owner, then you legally are the owner. By feeding the cat you are acting as its owner.

 

[Zargon]

I hate people who feed feral cats. They piss all over the place, kill the birds, lizards and frogs. And make all sorts of crap noises when they are fighting and humping each other. If you adopt a cat, keep it inside. Yeah the dog should be put to sleep too.

no it shouldnt., but it should be kept on a line


both owners left their animals outside unattended

sorry for your loss OP

 

[NetGuySC]

On the bright side, I'm confident this cat used to be a nuisance to someone else in the neighborhood.

 

[Geosurface]

Wolves and big cats aren't domesticated. Huge difference.

Let me try to think of a metaphor.

Different breeds of dogs are like different weight levels on a bench press. Most people shouldn't get under 300lbs and expect good results.

Just like people shouldn't try to lift a set of weights out of their league and ability level, they shouldn't get a breed of dog that is out of their ability to handle. Doesn't mean that the breed is bad. The problem is in the person who doesn't know that they are doing.

So domestication is an on/off switch? It's not a gradated spectrum like everything else in biology?

Wouldn't you agree some domesticated animals are more domesticated than others? Some farm animals have higher levels of comfort with humans around than others... etc.

Some dog breeds are definitely more domesticated than others.

 

[datalink7]

So domestication is an on/off switch? It's not a gradated spectrum like everything else in biology?

Wouldn't you agree some domesticated animals are more domesticated than others? Some farm animals have higher levels of comfort with humans around than others... etc.

Some dog breeds are definitely more domesticated than others.

It's not an on/off switch or a spectrum. It is a modification of many things.

For instance, the prey drive.

In a wolf, the prey drive goes: watch, stalk, chase, grab, kill.

All dogs have some sort of modification of this, many times missing certain steps.

A pointer might have watch and then it's done.

A border collie would be watch, stalk, chase.

A pit bull has been bred to go watch, chase, grab. This obviously makes them more dangerous than a pointer or a border collie, but you can't equate it to that of a wolf.

There is no "more or less" domesticated. Domestication simply means modifying the behavior of an animal (or plant) so that it generates traits which are beneficial to humans. The pointer for hunting, the border collie for herding, and the pit bull for taking down bulls (holding on). They were originally bred as a catch dog (look up catch dog if you want).

By the way, this is why people thought Pit Bulls had "lockjaw", which is a myth. They don't have lockjaw. They simply bite once and then hold on, because they were bred to get to the "grab" stage and stop, not moving to the "kill" stage.

So when you get a dog, know which traits it has been domesticated for. All dogs should have the proper outlet for their prey drive. For instance, my German Shepherd, which has a similar drive as a pit bull (watch, stalk, chase, grab), I funneled at a very early age into chasing a ball. He's never once shown aggression towards humans because I knew what I was doing. He barks at loud noises but is friendly to everyone (which works out perfectly as he'd bark at anyone trying to break in, but I can have anyone over with no incident). He has an EXTREMELY high prey drive (the longest I've clocked him in at chasing the ball is 5 hours non stop, then I got tired of throwing 😛), which if it hadn't been channeled could have been a problem.

 

[Andrew111]

Whether or not a person feeds a stray cat doesn't stop that stray cat from behaving in the way you dislike...

Also, if the intention of the person feeding the stray cat is to domesticate the cat more, as it seems the OP was doing, then it takes time to change the cat from what it used to be and correct their instinctual behavior.

You idiot...the OP admitted he was feeding multiple cats.

I feed stray cats out there on the porch

And that is fucking bullshit...do you think your neighbors want cat urine and poop all over their damn yards and deal with aggressive cats that have fleas/other diseases that their kids can get exposed to when they play outside? Feral cat populations can explode when you feed the damn things. People are whining about calling animal control on the dog owner when the dog simply killed a roaming cat that was still semi-wild...animal control should be knocking on the OP's door and tell him to stop feeding the stupid stray cats and fine HIM.

EDIT: But yes...the dog owner shouldn't let the dog outside without being on a leash. But the bigger problem is feeding feral cats.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

He did the right thing by compensating you...but he should really keep that dog on a leash, especially since its a Rott and housing communities aren't very accepting of those dogs since they are known for being aggressive.

the only real way to compensate is to put his dog to sleep to be honest. Then have a mandatory punch to his temple for stupidity reasons.

 

[Andrew111]

As far as feeding stray cats, feral and stray are not the same thing. Most of the cats that have come around for food have been abandoned or dumped, not born or raised in the wild. A feral cat will not approach you and certainly will not let you pet it on the first or second night that you feed it.

But these stray cats have kittens...which become feral. And then everyone in the neighborhood has to deal with the stupid things roaming around peeing and pooping on their yards and spreading fleas to their indoor pets and causing a safety issue for kids playing outside who come in contact with their piss and shit all over.

 

[tcsenter]

But these stray cats have kittens...which become feral. And then everyone in the neighborhood has to deal with the stupid things roaming around peeing and pooping on their yards and spreading fleas to their indoor pets and causing a safety issue for kids playing outside who come in contact with their piss and shit all over.

And this is different from all the abandoned or free roaming dogs we have around here, shitting in our yard, just how exactly? I've never heard a single complaint about the cats. I'm not the only one of my nearest neighbors who puts out food for the stray cats. The guy who owns the Rottie told me he does it. Well, at least, his wife or girlfriend does it. That's how they got their current cat (which was a stray).

And also, go fuck yourself.

 

[NetGuySC]

Bet you never heard a single complaint about the rottie running loose either. Just because you've heard no complaints about the cats doesn't mean they are not a problem for someone. Hopefully the rottie will continue to solve the neighborhood stray cat problem since no one else will.

 

[UnklSnappy]

Feeding stray cats also brings other undesirable vermin into the area such as skunks and raccoons.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Do cats kill other pets?

Not all pets are equal. Bringing a dog to a friend's house in a controlled environment with both owners around is much less likely to result in the death of the friend's cat than letting a dog and cat roam wild throughout a neighborhood. Honestly, people that have outdoor cats don't even deserve the title of "pet owner".

EDIT: And to directly answer your specific question, yes.

<--- Former quail and pigeon owner.

 

[KlokWyze]

That sucks. 🙁

The owner is 100% responsible. Honestly, not really the dog's fault, but since it obviously tries to attack cats then it should be on a leash at all times outside, etc. Obvious as hell.

My sister in law lets her dog run around all the time and it doesn't get a long with lots of animals. Pretty stupid if you ask me. I don't see the point in risking it.

 

[KlokWyze]

lol.... funny this thread devolved into dog/cat bashing! some of you people are complete fucking idiots! LMAO

 

[surfsatwerk]

It's not the breed eh? Not at all?

No doubt, it's more complicated than JUST the breed... but to pretend that's not a huge factor? Madness.

Or are you prepared to say there is no merit in laws regulating wolf-hybrids or ownership of big cats, wolves, etc?

Wild animals are not domesticated. You and your comparison r dum.