On Mon, 24 Mar 2003 09:11:06 -0000, "BAC"
wrote:


"mandy thomas" wrote in
message ...

"Larry Stoter" wrote in message
o.uk...
mandy thomas wrote:

snips ....

How do you suggest people train their cats to stay out of your garden?

Not really my problem - if an owner can't train it to remain in the
garden, then keep it indoors or in a fenced area in the garden.


To say that it's not your problem is a cop-out. The fact is, it's
impossible
to train your cat in this way.

So the issue then becomes: should it be illegal to own a cat? If it's
legal,
there's not a lot you can do about it as there is no way of training your
cat in the way you would like. If the health issues are as compelling as
you
say then it would be more productive to campaign for the banning of cats
altogether than complaining that owners aren't training their pets
properly.



It does not necessarily become a matter of making cat ownership illegal, it
might become a matter of making cat owners responsible and accountable for
the actions of their animals, the excuse 'we can't stop them' being no
defence.

That's right, I think it's clearly a case of the owners actually
facing up to the problems their pets can cause. Even restricting their
free range to once or twice per day would have remarkable effects on
wildlife damage. Certainly neutering etc should be made compulsory.