It's your responsibility to make sure your cat is not perceived as a nuisance. Many people do not like cats and find these habits annoying. Most of these people will not voice these issues to you, but will take the law into their own hands, poisoning your cat, shooting it, or turning it into Animal Control as a stray. Good for shooting cats. Not everyone likes your dog.
Many people are very afraid of dogs.
When this situation gets out of control, neighbors can take the law into their own hands, shooting or poisoning your dog, or calling animal control, which ends up costing you money and time, or the life of your pet. The most common types of cat abuse are burning, hanging, or feeding them to dogs. Click here for the true story of Scruffy, a Kansas City, Missouri pet who was tortured to death by his family's neighbors. With these folks, the lucky cats are taken off the street and put into safe, inside-only homes. The unlucky are turned into Animal Control as strays and probably not adopted.