A somewhat recent news story featured a dead cat, hung over a fence for all to see. Very sad, but one-sided. Sure, the guy who did it was wrong—very wrong—and broke the law killing his neighbor’s cat. But what about the cat, who was trespassing on that neighbor’s and others neighbors’ private property?
As readers of this column know, I’m a birder and therefore don’t like pet cats killing birds. But it doesn’t stop there. Wildlife rehab clinics care for cat-maimed native wildlife, from birds and lizards to chipmunks, to cotton-tails and jackrabbits. It’s what nature designed cats to do—kill things.
Every day I have the same problem at my home that the guy who killed the cat does. I used to have not only my neighbor’s cats killing “my” birds, but I put up with a couple of feral ones as well. I’ll tell you, I do not have sweet cuddly feelings for cats when I see them running off with wild lizards, chipmunks, cottontails and birds, or, as happened the other day, leaving my place with a half-grown jackrabbit in its jaws.
I use a big, plush live trap to capture cats on my place. Then I hose down said cat with the garden hose, shout at it while rocking the trap, then turn it loose. That works for a little while, but, cats being cats, about two weeks will go by and they’re back at my place killing wildlife. That’s what outdoor cats do. They can’t help themselves.
I know this next statement is like swimming up Niagara Falls, but really, cat owners MUST take responsibility for their cats’ actions. That’s what bothered me about the news broadcast. The cat owner (and the law) heaped fire and brimstone on the guy who killed the cat, but not one word was said about the cat killing wildlife, and the owner’s responsibility to keep it home, where it belongs.
There are (literally) thousands of house cats in Deschutes County, and most of their owners do try to control their actions. Those that keep them indoors are, in my book, courageous people and good neighbors and I am grateful to them. But others who just allow (and yes, that’s the correct term, “allow”) their cats to go wherever they want—and do whatever they want— are hard for me to love, and, in my opinion they’re breaking the law as much as the guy who killed his neighbor’s cat.
If your neighbor tells you to stuff it, or yawns in your face, obviously, you’re swimming upstream. Then I’ll loan you one of my live traps. Set it up under your bird feeder. Bait it with a small piece of fried chicken, and when you catch said cat immediately take it (alive) to the Humane Society of Central Oregon.
Years back, I went over to a man’s house in Sisters to help him capture loose bats in his home; somehow, they were getting into his living room. Ultimately, we solved his problem, but while doing so we had to keep his cats in another room as they were hell-bent-for-leather on getting those bats. When I asked the fellow about his cats going outdoors, his response was astonishing. “Oh,” he said very quickly, “I love my cats too much to let them go outdoors.”
We’ll probably never stop cat owners from allowing (and at times, encouraging) their cats to go out and kill indigenous wildlife. Even though too many cat owners are breaking wildlife protection laws by allowing their cats to kill and eat chipmunks and wild birds, the owners just want their cats to be happy.
If you’re putting up with a feral or outdoor cat killing your birds (and I use the term, “your/my” birds because, like me, you’re likely feeding them, and no doubt have a delightful water feature for them to drink from and bathe in—therefore, they’re your responsibility to care for, as the cat owner also has the responsibility to care for his or her cat) here’s what I would do: I’d have a heart-to-heart talk with your neighbor(s) about the behavior of his or her cat(s) coming over to your place killing things. Not only is it unlawful to allow cats to kill protected wildlife (just as unlawful as the guy who snared his neighbor’s cat), it’s not neighborly, either.
If your neighbor tells you to stuff it, or yawns in your face, obviously, you’re swimming upstream. Then I’ll loan you one of my live traps. Set it up under your bird feeder. Bait it with a small piece of fried chicken, and when you catch said cat immediately take it (alive) to the Humane Society of Central Oregon.
It’s not going to cost you anything to leave the cat with them (but I do suggest you leave them a donation for all the good work they do). If your neighbor asks about his or her cat, tell them where it is, where it was live-trapped and why. It’s going to cost the cat owner some money to bail it out, which might help them to keep the cat at home.
No one gets hurt, the law is satisfied, cats are no longer an ugly sight in your backyard killing “your” state and federally-protected wildlife, and owners become responsible for their cat’s actions. Easy as that. Who says you can’t swim up Niagara Falls!
This article appears in Apr 4-11, 2018.
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Awesome story! Now how do we get cat owners to understand their irresponsibility and disregard to society?
My cat is indoor / outdoor and an avid mouser. He is far too well fed and lazy to hunt birds but he does enjoy the hunt and keeps the mouse population on our property to a minimum. Question: would he be subject to your water chamber torture or is it only the cats that hunt birds? I only ask because if we are going to call ourselves naturists perhaps we should not pick and choose the species we deem to be worthy of protecting versus those deserving of control and punishment.
Thank you for this piece, if for nothing else than to know I’m not alone. There are far too many neighbors who allow their cats to run free here. Most of them don’t supervise their children, so any inkling of responsibility for destruction from their animals is unlikely. For me, it’s not just the killing of wildlife in our yard (where we do have a lovely water feature for the birds, btw). It’s also the damage to my gardens. I’m disabled and so I feel as if I have to work twice as hard to keep them up and I don’t always succeed as it is. I’ve all but given up on direct-sowing seed in my garden beds. They never make germination because there are too many cats using the garden to do their nasty business and flinging the seeds about before they even have a chance to sprout. The smell of cat poop and pee is overwhelming and I’m truly at my wit’s end about this. We expect dog owners to pick up the messes their pets make in public or on private yards while walking them. Consequently, why is it so far-fetched to expect a little courtesy and understanding from cat owners? Those of us who have to clean up after everyone else’s animals have no recourse whatsoever.
I agree that cats and dogs should be managed in urban/suburban areas. Thats why I dont live in those places. Here on my ranch, cats are supposed to catch mice. If I am feeding birds, I engineer the feeding station to reduce the possibility that my lazy cats will catch birds. That doesnt stop the hawks from eating the birds. My cats are confined during the night, as they lose their place on the food chain and become prey for owls, coyotes and larger cats. My cats are also tubby and overfed, which makes them poor mousers. Which still doesnt eliminate my serious rodent issues.
The writer’s actions towards cats are disgusting and cruel. If someone were to do this with a neighbor’s dog, this town would lose its mind. Bend loves its dogs, but dogs attack and harass wildlife as well and are often more destructive and obtrusive than outdoor cats. I cannot believe the Source would publish this garbage. I’m ashamed for the city and community that people who approve of this type of torture live here and freely broadcast their hatred.
I am considering trapping the neighbor’s cat. I have had to quit putting bird feed out for birds because it would position itself under bushes and attack as soon as the birds came to the feeders. This was especially stressful when I found it with a dead hummingbird, and then discovered additional dead hummingbirds. I chased the cat all last year. Yes, my hummingbird feeders are empty of nectar, and my finch feeders empty of thistle. My cardinal feeders are free of sunflower seeds, and the remainder of my feeders are free of wild bird feed mix. I still have flowers. Flowers attract hummingbirds, and other birds and the cat still comes and hides under plants until it catches my sweet visitors. But this year the cat has added more distress. I have a small pond among my gardens, once stocked with gold fish. My gold fish started disappearing this spring, until I was down to one, the largest one. I was blaming a raccoon. Not only did I keep the pump running day and night but also kept a spotlight on at night to deter the masked bandit I suspected. I have replaced ten gold fish three times this year, but this week I am back down to one. I came home this evening to find the neighbor’s cat, the same cat who has taken my bird feeding enjoyment away, in the pond attempting to catch my last fish, “Popsicle.” Our neighbors have suffered a terrible family crisis. The husband had a fall and as a result has severe brain damage and is confined to a wheelchair. They had been married to each other only a short time. There are three teenage children from a previous marriage, but this couple had a baby around the time of the husband’s accident. The wife is always hauling her husband, who does not remember her as his wife, to therapy and doctors. The last thing they appear to care about is a cat that can pretty well scrounge for itself and take this senior citizens joy. It does not have city required tags nor even a collar. I am not a cat hater. I am not a cat lover either. I understand other folks really care about their pets. But leaving a pet to roam and infringe on the rights of others and cause extra expense to a neighbor does not appear to be caring. BUT, it does seem like approaching the already overwhelmed woman with this problem would only bring more stress to her. Trapping the cat and taking it to Animal Control may be doing the cat a favor…perhaps a family who will keep it home and care for it. In addition, it will no longer be subject to my chasing it and I can go back to feeding and watching hungry birds, and keeping my pond.
I was just told by my police department here in Junction City, it’s illegal to have a trap on my patio.