From: abb@unislc.uucp (Anne Beck)
Subject: Problem With Neighbors' Cat
Organization: Unisys Corporation SLC
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 23:05:24 GMT

A plea for net wisdom!
Went home for lunch as usual to let out the dogs.  There was a
cat in my driveway, being pummeled by another cat.  The one cat
ran away, the other just stood there in front of my van.  I had
to get out and chase it away.  Then I realized it was new neighbors'
Bengal, just six months old.  The cat was freaked out and ran into 
my backyard.  I spent some time trying to soothe the cat, and
showed it where the fence was.  My own cats and dogs were going bananas
listening to me talk to "someone else," so I sent the cat on its
way and went inside.

My three dogs ran out to pee.  Usually they do their thing while
I say hi to the kitties, but I wanted to make sure the other
cat was gone, so I stayed with them.  Good thing.  The cat was
still in my yard, trying to figure out how to get out.  This poor
cat passed by every hole, every gate, every tree.  We're talking
panic here.  Then my Newf spotted her.  Chase time!  My three
dogs chased the cat into a corner, and then they just stood there
like, "now what?"  The cat was all bushed up and going beserk.

I called the dogs off, put them in the house, and went out -- again --
to try to calm down this cat.  This time I was determined to pick
her up and take her home.  I finally got her calm enough to pick
her up and took her to her own yard.  My neighbor was just coming
out of the house.  I told her my dogs had gone for her and that
I'd almost run over her.  She replied, very matter of factly,
"Oh, well she has to learn how to cope outdoors.  And if she got
into your yard, she should be able to get out."  Then she took
the cat and went back in the house.  No thank you, no apology, no
nothing.  I was pissed.

History:  my dogs live with cats.  They don't hurt the cats and the
cats don't hurt the dogs.  They eat, sleep, and play together.
But a strange cat is "prey."  However, they have never before
"chased" a cat because no other cat has ever been in their yard.
My own cats stay in the house.  When my neighbors were given 
their cat she told me she was going to let it out and I gave
her the standard "it's probably best to keep it inside" spiel.
(This was their first cat since growing up; she'd had a cat
as a child.)  I told her about the cat-hating weirdo down
the street, the traffic, the dogs, etc.  I never thought I'd
have to warn her about my own dogs!  I'd never seen the
cat before, so I'd concluded they'd decided to keep the
cat inside.  Anyway, this was the most hopeless, confused,
and befuddled cat I'd ever seen!  This cat is going to die,
I know it.  It makes me sick.

But wait.  There's more.  (Sorry.)  I went in to eat lunch,
and my Cocker had blood all over her head.  The cat
had ripped her eyelid and face.  I cleaned her up, called the
vet, who cautioned it could be bad because cat scratches so
often are.  We're waiting on this one.  Then my other dog
was bleeding!  Just a sliced nose, but a bad slice.  

So.  If my dog had hurt another dog, I'd feel responsible
for the vet bills, right?  So shouldn't these people have
to pay for my dog's vet bills if necessary?  Also, I'm
really afraid this could happen again, and my dogs could
very well kill this cat if I'm not there.  I do not want
my dogs to learn they can kill animals, and I certainly
don't want this cat dead.  I'm really furious.  I'm
also really concerned.

So what would all of you do?

-- 
   Anne Beck			| The difference between difficult
   abb@unislc  sun!unislc!abb   | dogs & vicious human beings is
   Unisys  SLC UT               | that difficult dogs don't rise to 
			        | prominent positions in the community.