Re: Man traps neighbors cats, takes to shelter

On Tue, 18 Nov 2003 11:18:42 -0800, "Not so quick"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


>
>I don't believe the original poster has cats or he wouldn't
>be using the word 'crapping'.
>
>

I beg your pardon?  I have two cats who I care for very much.  I don't
have kids, so I've got pictures of my cats up all over the wall.  My
friends and family think I'm nuts, I'm definitely a cat person.  My
cats "crap" too, what else do you call it?  Would you prefer defecate?
Is that more sanitary?  What do your cats do?  

The difference is, I am a responsible cat owner.  My cats go outside,
but they can't get out of the yard because of a fence.  In any case,
they have collars, ID tags, and they are microchipped.  For what it's
worth, I don't believe I would have acted the same as the man in this
story.  I may have, but only afte taking several steps first:

1.  I would talk to my neighbors.  If I don't get an appropriate
response,
2.  I would grab the little buggers, if possible, and take them over
and deposit them at my neighbors asking, "Did you lose this?"  If I
can't catch them, I would trap them and take them back to their home.
3.  Failing the previous two attempts, I would have no choice but to
assume that my neighbor was an irresponsible pet owner and that the
cat would be better off taken to the shelter.

Even cat people like myself can reach a boiling point.  There was a
neighbor cat who used to come over and beat the hell out of my cat,
just tore it up any chance it got.  Had to take it to the vet twice to
get wounds cleaned.  It got to the point where my cat was afraid to go
outside anymore.  I asked my neighbor to keep control of his little
terror.  He gave me the "It's a cat, what am I supposed to do?" shrug.
I might have killed the little bastard if he touched my cat again, I
was so pissed, but I didn't.  One day I cornered the thing in my
garage.  Resisting my urges, I grabbed it and tossed it in a burlap
sack.  I carried it to my neighbors house, shaking the bag a bit and
giving the cat the fright of it's life.  When I dumped that wild-eyed
thing back in it's yard, I could tell the problem was solved.  The cat
never, ever, strayed into my yard again.  Sometimes drastic measures
are called for.  At least I didn't hurt it.


Bill


*************************************************************
"Free-ranging cats in the United States have an average lifespan in
the general population of only 3 to 5 years; indoor cats have an
average lifespan of 12 years and frequently live longer than 20
years..."
(Karen L. Overall, M.A., V.M.D., Ph.D., Diplomate, American College
of Veterinary Behavior; Department of Clinical Studies School of
Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania)