Someone in the neighborhood shot one of my cats (last year). I need advice.

[Bertha Venation]

I'm afraid that this will happen again. I intend to put collars on all my cats as soon as I can afford them and the tags. But that won't guarantee that this sick asshole won't do it again.

Can you suggest any kind of neighborhood action? Should I send a mailer? Go door-to-door?

Armor my cats?

(Keeping them indoors isn't an option.)

[HopeHoops]

1. Shoot back.

:mad: :grr: :nuke:
Bastard!

[Bertha Venation]

3. If only I could.

I wonder how he'd like to have his shoulder shattered, then be put to sleep. Motherfucker. :cry:

[ThomCat]

2. Unfortunately, there really isn't any legal way

to stop a sadist like that unless you can prove he's doing it, and even then, you can only stop him if the police are willing to charge him with cruelty to animals.

Unfortunately, some police departments don't want to be bothered. I hope yours is better.

[Bertha Venation]

4. I have heard that there's a law here in Charles County, MD

that if a "stray" cat is on your property, you're within your rights to kill it. I don't know if that's true, but it's one of the reasons I'll be putting collars on my cats.

:nuke:

[vadawg]

6. dont know about charles county, but a lot of places you can pretty much shoot anything on your

property, i know you dontt want to, but your gonna have to keep cats inside to keep them safe. I also sympathize with the neighbours who have cats scraping up their yards etc, killing birds etc. So keep them indoors is the only way to keep them safe.

[Bertha Venation]

8. Yes, cats are healthier and live longer if they're kept indoors.

[malta blue]

5. Bertha - how many cats do you have these days?

I would like to send you some collars.....

[Bertha Venation]

7. aw, Malta Blue

Twelve, including Angel.

edit - just toss 'em my way. My sister and I throw each other things all the time across 2,600 miles. :)

And yes, I have finally learned to say "no."

[malta blue]

17. Please PM your address...

I will see what I can round up this weekend :pals:

[pnutbutr]

9. try this

seriously though,unless you know who did it there is not much you can do aside from alerting the HOA if you have one or putting up flyers for neighbors to be on the lookout. Of course any action you take may empower the perpetrator to do it again out of spite. Just try to keep an eye on your cats as much as possible and unfortunately maybe even limit their outside time.

[Bertha Venation]

10. That's one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time.

A nice piece of art there.

:thumbsup:

[Flaxbee]

11. wow, that's exceptionally neat... where did you find the image?

I'd like to read more about it....

[pnutbutr]

12. google imaged cat armor nt

[Flaxbee]

14. Cat AND mouse armor! These are great!

(Not meaning to hijack your thread, bertha): http://jeffdeboer.com/Galleries/CatsandMice/tabid/77/Default.aspx


Actually I think this deserves a thread of its own ....

[Bertha Venation]

24. Those are way cool!

:bounce:

[Flaxbee]

13. re collars,

I just bought a whole bunch at Big Lots for $1/each (Ivan tends to come home without his quite frequently)... they're the good release kinds. Just an fyi --

Maybe a mailer, and a door-to-door. Or take a flier door to door. You can do it simply as a way to inform other pet owners that their animals might be in jeopardy. Be careful, though, because you never know which one of your neighbors might have done it.

[flvegan]

15. Shot? BB gun, .22, what?

Since it was last year, it's likely too late to file a police report IF the cat had been on public property and not shot by a landowner.

That's one of the problems with having outdoor cats. Not much to keep them out of the sights of trigger happy idiots.

[Bertha Venation]

18. I filed a report. It can't do much good without knowing who did it

but I had to. It would've been negligent not to.

I don't know what kind of weapon. The x-ray showed a completely shattered shoulder and a little thing, a round thing, I guess. It was small but obviously powerful.

[jobycom]

16. Have you talked to the neighbor?

First, learn the laws in your area. In many areas, especially urban or suburban, discharging a gun would be a crime. Cruelty to animals would be a crime. People are supposed to call animal control for a stray, and aren't allowed to shoot them. In other areas, especially rural, that's not the case.

Second, talk to the neighbor, figure out his beef. If he's upset about damage to property, offer to pay him if your cats cause damage. If he just hates cats or likes killing, emphasize that you will call the law on him if he kills one of your pets. You never know, maybe he'll just like you and take pity on you, so be nice. An unpleasant confrontation is better than a dead kitty.

Just a couple of non-exhaustive possibilities.

[Bertha Venation]

19. I don't know who did it.

I have intended to look up the laws, see if whoever told me about the "it's-on-my-property-so-I-can-kill-it" law was right, etc. But everytime I think of it I get leaden, too sad to take action. But I think I have to to get out of this funk.

[jobycom]

20. Report it anyway, if it happens again (god forbid).

Make a fuss about it, put social pressure on whoever did it.

I didn't realize you didn't know who it was. Maybe it was just an isolated case, then. A spoiled kid, or a drunk neighbor. But learning the law would be the first step. Call the sheriff or police department, ask their advice. Tell them you had a cat shot last year, and want to know the law in case it happens again. Sometimes even places that allow you to kill a stray on your property would still have laws against animal cruelty that would apply, especially if the pets have collars.

Good luck. I don't have to tell you how much I despise anyone who would shoot a cat, barring horrible sickness to the cat, or some such thing.

[MrScorpio]

21. I don't know, but are invisible fences plausible or humane for cats?

What's the 411, anybody?

[Jamastiene]

22. Teach the cat to shoot a handgun and send him out packing heat.

Tell him to shoot first and ask questions later after the cops come scrape the cat shooter off the sidewalk. Better yet, teach the cat to go vigilante and shoot, then hide.

All wishing aside, I was wondering why keeping the cat inside isn't an option? Just curious.

I once built an outdoor playpen that was covered and large enough for me to walk and run around in with my cats. I stayed with them when they went outside. Nobody was getting near my cats without a HUGH fucking fight on their hands.

[Bertha Venation]

23. Ultimately, Jama, they are allowed out due to my inability to say "no."

We accumulated the number of cats that we have because neither of us could say "no" as cat after cat trickled in. I could give you the details around each "acquisition" - I remember every single one.

They're allowed out because they'd kill each other and drive us crazy and break everything in the house if they were not allowed out.

I love your ideas of creating a vigilante cat. I believe my Mildred would accept the assignment; Toonces was her littermate.

[Jamastiene]

25. Maybe the next best bet would be buying some

2x4's and screen mesh and building them a playpen that is attached to where you live. They get to go out without going too far away. That way it'd be easier to watch them. I'd try to do that, but then again I did do that at the old place. The 2 cats I have now don't like the outside at all. Still it's an option that might help avoid the heartbreak again. :hug: