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It saddened her to remember the events of the morning.
She had found her gentle son sitting on the grass
holding a robin fledgling tangled in a net. Scolding,
impatient, she untangled the little bird, thankfully
unharmed. “What were you doing? Why?”
He didn’t answer at first, just cried as they
drove to kindergarten. Finally he sobbed, “
I had to save it from the (neighbors’) cats.
I was afraid they’d kill it, just like all the
others.”
I’ve been told other “neighbors’
cats” stories, too, though none as poignant
- destroying patio furniture, “marking”
on the porch, eliminating in the garden or sandbox,
infuriating indoor pets when they invade their territory,
injuring or killing birds and other wildlife treasured
by the landowner – the list goes on.
What to do? I suggest people ask their neighbors
to keep their cats off their property. Keeping them
inside the house, in an outside enclosure, or on a
leash, can do this. It’s a reasonable and fair
request, yet most people avoid the confrontation and
put up with repeated invasion. Those who do make the
difficult choice to request the cats be kept off their
property are usually met with resistance, excuses,
and even hostility. “I spoke to her about keeping
her cats inside, now she doesn’t talk to me
and the cats are still coming on my property.”
“ I told her that it’s dangerous for her
cat to be outside, that the average lifespan of a
cat allowed to roam is 3-5 years as opposed to 14-16
if kept inside. She told me to mind my own business.”
There are three good reasons to keep cats indoors
– the health and well-being of the cats, respect
for neighbors rights and feelings, and fairness to
wildlife. Difficult as it might be, if you have a
pet cat, please choose to do the best thing for your
pet and for all our neighbors both human and wild.
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