It is also illegal, in most US communities,
for ANYONE to discharge a bb gun at, or near,
an animal. Doesn't matter a bit that it's
"your" property.

Irresponsible pet owners do not justify
your own misdeeds -- legally, or morally.





Tom Jaszewski wrote in message . ..
On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 16:44:34 -0600, John DeBoo
wrote:

If pet owners were more responsible


A responsible owner would use the laws to affect change...

§ 9-2-3-2 ANIMALS RUNNING AT LARGE
It is unlawful for the owner of an animal to cause or allow the animal
to run at large in or on any public property or any other property
without the permission of the owner of the property, except as
provided in § 10-1-1-9. Any animal running at large in violation of
this subsection may be taken up and impounded by the Mayor. A citation
may be issued to the owner whether or not the animal is impounded.
('74 Code, § 6-2-6B) (Ord. 40-1987; Am. Ord. 71-1989; Am. Ord.
33-1992; Am. Ord. 41-1999) Penalty, see § 9-2-1-99

"k" wrote in message
om...

Gee, James, animals were made with certain
natural instincts. Talk to God if you
want to complain about how the cats
behavior offends you. I'm willing to
bet he/she will have all kinds of (far more
serious) things to take you to task over that offend him/her.

I wholeheartedly agree and believe James should look to God to help out with
his cat problem. But as "OrangeFluffyCat" pointed out, God is probably a tad
busy with far more serious things, so just take a leaf out of His Book when
dealing with your neighbour's cats.

God seems particularly partial to animal sacrifices in the form of burnt
offerings, however He has been known to drown animals in vast quantities
(albeit as an aside to dealing with a few pesky humans). A cattle murraign
is obviously not much use to you and can be disregarded, however I feel I
should mention it as it might assist others in this news group who seem to
have a deer problem.

I'm sure a little research in the Good Book will unearth many other God
approved ways to to allieviate your cat problem, but might I suggest you
actually drown the cats before you burn them? Although not very God-like, it
does appear more humane.

Regards

Chu

(paghat) wrote in message ...
[someone said]



Looks like I was behind the times on that post. Cats outdoors & off
leashes have already been banned state-wide in Florida (will soon be
banned state-wide in Illinois), in several entire counties, & in such
diverse cities as Gaitherburg & Rockville MD & all Prince George County ;
Houston & Arlington TX (Austin considering it); Laurel City, Montana;
Naperville, IL; Hendersonville TN; Fayetteville Arkansas; Tulsa OK; San
Jose, CA & all of Holister County; Akron OH; & many other places, with Cat
Leash Laws under consideration in every other part of the country. Laws
typically levy fines of $100, sometimes less, but can be much more,
especially for repeat violators. Second offenses commonly require full
court appearances.

Such laws are not enforced in most jurisdictions. I never had more
rogue cat problems than I did in San Jose.


The Akron cat leash law resulted in thousands of cats just trapped &
killed. Witham & Charlotte Counties in Florida had cat leash laws before
it went state-wide, as did many Florida towns & cities. When the Witham
law went into effect, there were some outcries against it, but the voices
in favor far outnumbered the voices of cat advocates. And the only reason
a great many more cats weren't trapped & killed was because the Sherrif's
Animal Control Unit did not have funding for the extra staff to answer the
sudden radical increase in complaints demanding the trapping & removal of
neighbors' wayward cats.

Leash laws kill cats in two ways.

Nope. Owners who do not contain their cats are the ones responsible
for killing them. Responsibility starts at home. I love my cats
dearly, but rogue cats are a nuisance, and it is the people who allow
their cats to interfere with other's enjoyment of their OWN property
are that to blame, if their cats are caught and destroyed as a result
of their negligence.


First because any cat that is not also
collared & liscensed will be taken to animal control and in the majority
of cases destroyed.

Not if the owner is responsible.

Second because cats on leashes frequently hang
themselves on trees and fences.

Any cat owner who tethers their cat is a complete idiot.

For this reason a good cat collar has "pop
bead" break-away feature so that when it struggles in the hanging
position, the collar comes off before it strangles to death.

"Break-away" collars can cause death or injury as well. One of the
worst degloving injuries I have ever seen was caused by a "break-away"
collar.

Then it is
trapped for wandering free, taken to animal control, and destroyed.

The real reason so many legislators want these laws is NOT because of a
sudden burgeoning of hatred for cats. It's a windfall of hidden taxes.
Every time Bush cuts taxes for the richest 2% in the country, everyone
else gets higher local fees, fines, liscenses to pick up the slack --
fees, fines, & liscenses that regulate every aspect of daily life. The
Illinois legislation will permit multiple fees be charged every one who
has a cat even if their cat never roams free. High fees that will be
raised higher year by year.

While I agree with your politics, one can rebel by simply not
registering their cats. If your cats are controlled and you take
responsibility for them, not registering them is never a problem.


The public health & well being is NOT the real
consideration of (as present example) Illinois legisation.

Cats are not currently a threat to public health. Some are, however,
vectors for toxoplasmosis which is serious only for the
immunocompromised and pregnant. (Although the primary route of
infection in humans is undercooked meat).


It is a MAJOR
revenue-enhancer for the state, as even if they don't get to fine you,
you'll be paying three separate fees or your cat is not legal. There will
be a cat REGISTRATION FEE, annual LISCENSE fee, a LITTER TAX if your cat
reproduces,

Well, people who breed *should* be deterred since cats are being
klilled for lack of homes already, by the thousands.

FINES if your cat so much as suns itself on the sidewalk in
front of where it lives. Plus the cost of cutting out its sex organs,

Once again, responsible cat ownership...

plus
the cost of legally required microchipping, because the Illinois
legislation also proposes to require microchipping of all cats. Note that
microchipping protects animals only if an owner signs up & pays for a 24
hour service for tracking lost animals;

Microchipping is inexpensive and *essential* for anyone who loves
their cat, and wants to get it back, if it were ever to be lost.

otherwise the whole purpose of
microchipping is to track down & levy fines against owners. If there is
insufficient funding to call & let an owner know its cat will be killed if
not picked up within the day, then no phone call will ever be made, but a
ticket will arrive in the mail since come what may money must be given to
the state. If Illinois does get this state-wide legislation in place,
which is by far the most draconian of cat leash laws to date, it will be
the model for all other states that need to come up with novel methods of
raising revenues -- & there aren't a lot of ways to get MULTIPLE hidden
taxes all in one swell foop, so this one's a big winner.

In favor of cat leash laws: bird advocates have claimed increasing
populations of some of the more easily captured songbirds after cat-leash
laws & mass-round-ups & cat-killings lowered the population of roaming
cats. It is estimated that in an average small city, cats kill a
quarter-million birds annually, with delicate birds more easily preyed
upon. Cats kept indoors also have longer average lifespans, no longer
susceptible to diseases from encounters with feral animals, getting run
over by cars, poisoned by irate neighbors, or mauled in cat fights or by
dogs. For these and other reasons, the Humane Society supports cat leash &
confinement laws.

As they should. Responsible pet guardianship is essential to overall
animal welfare. Domestic animals wreak havoc on natural populations
of many different species.



So my prediction that cat leashing was going a FUTURE certainty was
offered too late to be merely alarmist. My sense that such laws would
mainly occur in cities & suburbs but not rural areas was dead wrong, as it
is already a counties-wide & state-wide bans are in effect or pending. It
is estimated that in less than ten years the age of the free-roaming cat
will be over. Since cat-disdain recurs so often in this gardening group,
among people who don't want cats fertilizng their gardens, I assume there
is more support for this than I personally feel.

I love cats. I have had cats all my life. I would like nothing more
than for all cats to revert back to their wild state and live in
harmony with nature, never to be domesticated again. But what we
currently have is a state of artificial indentured servitude wherein
domestic cats are dependent upon humans for survival. People who
harbor cats as pets *must* be responsible for the actions of the
animal, just as they would if it were a child. Otherwise, they have
created a situation where the burden lies on society. And that's
where we are today.

To me it's just one more
of the million little ways every breath any of us take, man or beast, is
criminalized or otherwise regulated by the government. These laws empower
loony animal-haters to harrass even the most responsible pet owners at
risk of fines or having animals carted off & destroyed to the delight of
Mister or Missus Evilshits

Perhaps, but it also allows "normal" people to take action when other
people's animals interefere with the enjoyment of their own property.
I'm sorry, but when YOUR cat becomes MY problem, it WILL become YOUR
problem, too. I feel the same way about children, and thankfully,
laws exist to support parental responsibility, as well.


who wish they could also burn down your whole
damn house with you & your kids in it, but will settle for the legal right
to trap & destroy your cat if it sets foot in their yard,

As far as I know, very few jurisdictions allow the killing of cats by
individual citizens. They have to be turned in to proper animal
control organizations, if captured.

or report you to
the government if your cat lounges even so far from the house as the
immediate sidewalk.

Public property...

What is so hard about keeping your cats contained? Seriously? There
are fences that are cat-proof, and cats are *not* that hard to
control, if they are properly socialized and cared for. If you are
the guardian of the cat, you owe it the insurance of being safe and
well cared-for. The only way to do that is to contain it.

I'm sorry, but cats *are* a problem for many people. Just as I
wouldn't allow my dogs, cats, snakes, turtle, husband, child, or
myself, to urinate or defecate on, or otherwise destroy, your
property, I expect the same level of respect from my fellow citizens.
Some sense of decorum must be maintained.

-L.

In article ,
enlightened us with...

Leash laws kill cats in two ways. First because any cat that is not also
collared & liscensed will be taken to animal control and in the majority
of cases destroyed. Second because cats on leashes frequently hang
themselves on trees and fences. For this reason a good cat collar has "pop
bead" break-away feature so that when it struggles in the hanging
position, the collar comes off before it strangles to death. Then it is
trapped for wandering free, taken to animal control, and destroyed.


Gee, this doesn't happen to dogs. And how does a cat hang itself when
the owner has the other end of the leash in their hand? How bizarre...

Dogs should be leashed. Cats should be leashed. In fact, no pet,
regardless of species, should wander around unsupervised, be it a dog, a
horse, a cat, or a ferret.
They should be on their owner's property or under their control at all
times. It's a pet. Take care of it. Your neighbors shouldn't have to
deal with the nuisance. It's not their animal.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
Black holes were created when God divided by 0.
Not one shred of evidence supports the notion
that life is serious.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

kaeli wrote in
:

In article ,
enlightened us with...

Leash laws kill cats in two ways. First because any cat that is not
also collared & liscensed will be taken to animal control and in the
majority of cases destroyed. Second because cats on leashes
frequently hang themselves on trees and fences. For this reason a
good cat collar has "pop bead" break-away feature so that when it
struggles in the hanging position, the collar comes off before it
strangles to death. Then it is trapped for wandering free, taken to
animal control, and destroyed.


Gee, this doesn't happen to dogs. And how does a cat hang itself when
the owner has the other end of the leash in their hand? How bizarre...

Dogs should be leashed. Cats should be leashed. In fact, no pet,
regardless of species, should wander around unsupervised, be it a dog,
a horse, a cat, or a ferret.
They should be on their owner's property or under their control at all
times. It's a pet. Take care of it. Your neighbors shouldn't have to
deal with the nuisance. It's not their animal.


My cat goes outside with me, supervised, no leash since it really isn't
necessary. She goes about 50 yards in one direction, then wanders back
about 50 yards in the other direction. She is a happy cat, maybe a bit fat
because she isn't allowed to wander wherever she likes, but she won't get
hit by a car or attacked by another animal (or human).

In article ,
(-L.) wrote:

(paghat) wrote in message
...
[someone said]

Such laws are not enforced in most jurisdictions. I never had more
rogue cat problems than I did in San Jose.

Oh, they're enforced now all righty. But it really depends on how loony
the neighbors are & whether they're sufficiently cat-hating to insist to
police or animal control that no cats be permitted to lounge on the
sidewalk off their property.


Leash laws kill cats in two ways.

Nope. Owners who do not contain their cats are the ones responsible
for killing them. Responsibility starts at home. I love my cats
dearly, but rogue cats are a nuisance, and it is the people who allow
their cats to interfere with other's enjoyment of their OWN property
are that to blame, if their cats are caught and destroyed as a result
of their negligence.

As point of fact it is the collar that kills cats, & no degree of
responsibility makes it safe to collar a cat. It's why good cat collars
are break-away like pop-beads, & that's why laws should not permit a lost
cat to be summarily destroyed. The lack of collar may NOT be the owners
fault. And if you think the fence has ever been made that cats cannot
climb over, you've really been doing a very good job of not observing
cats.

Second because cats on leashes frequently hang
themselves on trees and fences.

Any cat owner who tethers their cat is a complete idiot.

But that is what the law requires. But anyway, it is the collar itself
that can get caught on branches & hang a cat. Since no fence holds a cat,
containment laws means it can never be let outside at all unless tethered.
Both a non-break-away collar OR a tether can kill a cat, but without one
or the other, a cat can "escape" to no further than the next yard, & be at
complete risk of being destroyed, and/or the owner fined because the cat
behaves as a normal cat.

For this reason a good cat collar has "pop
bead" break-away feature so that when it struggles in the hanging
position, the collar comes off before it strangles to death.

"Break-away" collars can cause death or injury as well. One of the
worst degloving injuries I have ever seen was caused by a "break-away"
collar.

An argument that furthers the idea that the greater "responsibility" is to
not collar cats at all.

Then it is
trapped for wandering free, taken to animal control, and destroyed.

The real reason so many legislators want these laws is NOT because of a
sudden burgeoning of hatred for cats. It's a windfall of hidden taxes.
Every time Bush cuts taxes for the richest 2% in the country, everyone
else gets higher local fees, fines, liscenses to pick up the slack --
fees, fines, & liscenses that regulate every aspect of daily life. The
Illinois legislation will permit multiple fees be charged every one who
has a cat even if their cat never roams free. High fees that will be
raised higher year by year.

While I agree with your politics, one can rebel by simply not
registering their cats. If your cats are controlled and you take
responsibility for them, not registering them is never a problem.

The public health & well being is NOT the real
consideration of (as present example) Illinois legisation.

Cats are not currently a threat to public health. Some are, however,
vectors for toxoplasmosis which is serious only for the
immunocompromised and pregnant. (Although the primary route of
infection in humans is undercooked meat).

Zoonotic diseases from cats number around 100. While immunocompromised
individuals (individuals with HIV or anyone receiving chemotherapy or
allergy-prone or asthmatic) are at far greater risk of outright death by
kitty, but death is the slightest component of a frightening public health
picture. I dunno that I should correct your misinformation as I like cats
& don't want to further arm the legions who apparently think the only good
cat is a caged cat. MANY bacteriums (but few viruses) spread readily to
humans from cats, especially cats manifesting overt symptoms of illness
such as diarrhea. The so-called "Cat scratch fever" is EXTREMELY common &
probably no child reaches teenage years without at least one of the
infections associated with cat scratches, though it is never specifically
diagnosed but generically treated. One study found that in shelters, 40%
of cats carry the Rochalimaea bacteria that is the key cause catscratch
fever. Aggressive antibiotic treatment is always effective in healthy
young adults at least, but the very young & the elderly may need extended
hospitalization. The incidence of cat scratch fever nationwide is
extremely high. Other diseases spread to humans by cats include
Brucellosis, Capnocytophaga canimorsus septicemia, Cowpox, taple worm
(most do not transfer between species, but Dipylidium caninum can transfer
between dogs, cats, & people), Leptospirosis which if untreated can lead
to meningitis, liver dysfunction, death; gonorrhea-like Neisseria;
Yersinia pestis from cat fleas. Typhus-like Rickettsia felis passes to
humans from cat fleas. Salmonella.

Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter enteritis can be considered
together. C. jejuni is similar to Salmonella but twice as bad & easily
mistaken for appendicitis. It is a growing health problem throughout the
world & cases in some regions exceed those for Salmonella. It is usuallyu
gotten from bad food, but also spreads between infected parties, from
human to human, or pet to human. It spreads very easily from catbox to
human; cats fed raw meats will be most likely to spread it. The disease
manifests as C. enteritis when it infects the small intestin & is one of
the chief diseases generically known as "traveller's diarrhea" inducing
the phrase "don't drink the water." But you'd also have to not eat the
eggs, cheese, milk, or poultry -- nor ever handle a kitty that ate any of
those things.

Feline pneumonitis has been proven contagious to humans in rare cases. In
tropical regions an insidious disease called "creeping eruption" is spread
by cats, & many other diseases not often seen in England or America,
though cases occur from cat-contact while vacationing in more southerly
nations. Pasteurella multocida is potentially a bad one & fairly common;
think the kitty's mouth is cleaner than your own so it's okay to kiss each
others' mouths? Over 70% of normal healthy cats have pasteurella in their
mouths. It easily spreads from cat saliva to human bloodstream which can
be achieved from your having chapped lips or from getting bitten by a cat.
It is likely spread direct to lungs from sneezing cats as well. Fever
following a cat bite requires immediate & aggressive medical attention.

And so on. That's not even a tenth of the possibilities. Some are rare,
some are extremely common, some are severe & life-threatening, many pass
quickly enough even without a trip to the doctor. Virtually everyone who
has ever had pets has had at least one or two zoonotic diseases in their
lifetime whether they know it or not. In the main it's no more frightening
than having had the mumps when a kid & no reason to kill or restrict all
cats. But for the many people in this world who are already cat-haters,
it's just one more reason it's a "good" thing that cat-leash laws are
spreading like wildfire so that a cat's normal three or four property
territory will soon be illegal in most places.

plus
the cost of legally required microchipping, because the Illinois
legislation also proposes to require microchipping of all cats. Note that
microchipping protects animals only if an owner signs up & pays for a 24
hour service for tracking lost animals;

Microchipping is inexpensive and *essential* for anyone who loves
their cat, and wants to get it back, if it were ever to be lost.

Cats rarely become "lost" & microchipping is not essential. A normal cat
ranges over three to five properties & always knows its way home. The ONLY
reason the Illinois legislation will require microchipping is so the owner
of the cat rounded up for going next door can be fined. Cat leash laws do
not make it a requirement that the cat be cared for properly until
returned to its owner. Raising revenue is the real purpose, & the safety
of the public or of the animals is extremely secondary. Which is why
funding for shelters gets cut even as the law demands more animals be
rounded up.

The issue of killing birds has some credibility. The issue of roaming cats
being injured by dogs, cars, or each other, has some credibility. But the
idea that microchipping is necessary because cats easily become lost is
absurd, & it is not the reason microchipping is being legislated. It is
being legislated SOLELY so that the owner of the captured & possibly
destroyed cat can be fined for revenue purposes.

I'm sorry, but cats *are* a problem for many people. Just as I
wouldn't allow my dogs, cats, snakes, turtle, husband, child, or
myself, to urinate or defecate on, or otherwise destroy, your
property, I expect the same level of respect from my fellow citizens.
Some sense of decorum must be maintained.

ANd there's the real problem. Very little wildlife is permitted to survive
around humans because humans hate wildlife. All wildlife is re-defined as
"vermin" and rooted out of the environment, everything paved over. People
have already killed most of the wildlife, now an increasing percentage of
people & places are seeing what can be done to get rid of domestic animals
too. The day will come when "there are songbirds pooping in my garden!"
will allow the bird protection act to be overturned & all birds will go
the way of passenger pigeons, except for any that can be microchipped &
caged & benefit the government through increasing numbers of increasingly
expensive taxes, liscenses, & fees.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

"kaeli" wrote in message
...
In article ,
enlightened us with...

Leash laws kill cats in two ways. First because any cat that is
not also
collared & liscensed will be taken to animal control and in the
majority
of cases destroyed. Second because cats on leashes frequently hang
themselves on trees and fences. For this reason a good cat collar
has "pop
bead" break-away feature so that when it struggles in the hanging
position, the collar comes off before it strangles to death. Then
it is
trapped for wandering free, taken to animal control, and
destroyed.


Gee, this doesn't happen to dogs. And how does a cat hang itself
when
the owner has the other end of the leash in their hand? How
bizarre...

Are you really that stupid?

When you let your dog into the back yard to dump, there is (should be)
a fence to keep them in. This doesn't work with cats, so all you can
do (according to the cat haters) is leash them to a tree/post so they
don't get out of the yard.

Cats are OUTDOOR animals. If you want an indoor animal, get a fish.

Dogs should be leashed. Cats should be leashed. In fact, no pet,
regardless of species, should wander around unsupervised, be it a
dog, a
horse, a cat, or a ferret.
They should be on their owner's property or under their control at
all
times. It's a pet. Take care of it. Your neighbors shouldn't have to
deal with the nuisance. It's not their animal.

I assume you roam the neighbourhoods making sure that the wildlife is
the only thing on the streets? Foxes and skunks aren't a problem at
all. It's just the pets, eh?

Second because cats on leashes frequently hang
themselves on trees and fences.

Any cat owner who tethers their cat is a complete idiot.

Any anyone who keeps a cat indoors 100% of the time is a sadist.

"Some One" wrote in news:2xSVa.562595$3C2.14498178
@news3.calgary.shaw.ca:

Second because cats on leashes frequently hang
themselves on trees and fences.

Any cat owner who tethers their cat is a complete idiot.

Any anyone who keeps a cat indoors 100% of the time is a sadist.


Well you shouldn't keep the cat outside all the time either!
Do you at least have a cat door?

"paghat" a écrit dans le message de news:
...

I'm sorry, but cats *are* a problem for many people. Just as I
wouldn't allow my dogs, cats, snakes, turtle, husband, child, or
myself, to urinate or defecate on, or otherwise destroy, your
property, I expect the same level of respect from my fellow citizens.
Some sense of decorum must be maintained.

ANd there's the real problem. Very little wildlife is permitted to survive
around humans because humans hate wildlife. All wildlife is re-defined as
"vermin" and rooted out of the environment, everything paved over. People
have already killed most of the wildlife, now an increasing percentage of
people & places are seeing what can be done to get rid of domestic animals
too. The day will come when "there are songbirds pooping in my garden!"
will allow the bird protection act to be overturned & all birds will go
the way of passenger pigeons, except for any that can be microchipped &
caged & benefit the government through increasing numbers of increasingly
expensive taxes, liscenses, & fees.

-paghat the ratgirl


Very well summed up. Humans just hate to share "their"(?) space.

Elaine

(paghat) wrote in message ...
In article ,
(-L.) wrote:

(paghat) wrote in message
...
[someone said]

Such laws are not enforced in most jurisdictions. I never had more
rogue cat problems than I did in San Jose.

Oh, they're enforced now all righty.

Not in San Jose, as of last March. I lived there three years and
never had any law enforcement agent do anything about the 10 or 12
rogue cats in our neighborhood.

But it really depends on how loony
the neighbors are & whether they're sufficiently cat-hating to insist to
police or animal control that no cats be permitted to lounge on the
sidewalk off their property.


Leash laws kill cats in two ways.

Nope. Owners who do not contain their cats are the ones responsible
for killing them. Responsibility starts at home. I love my cats
dearly, but rogue cats are a nuisance, and it is the people who allow
their cats to interfere with other's enjoyment of their OWN property
are that to blame, if their cats are caught and destroyed as a result
of their negligence.

As point of fact it is the collar that kills cats, & no degree of
responsibility makes it safe to collar a cat.

I agree that a cat should not ever be collar4ed, break-away or not.

It's why good cat collars
are break-away like pop-beads,

My point was, break-away collars injure and kill cats as well.

& that's why laws should not permit a lost
cat to be summarily destroyed.

If the cat is microchipped, this sin't an issue.

The lack of collar may NOT be the owners
fault. And if you think the fence has ever been made that cats cannot
climb over, you've really been doing a very good job of not observing
cats.

http://www.catfencein.com/

It does a damn good job of keeping my cats in the yard, and other cats
out. I have cats and when they go outside, I go with them. They are
not allowed to go outside my fenced property. I expect my neighbors
to do the same.



Second because cats on leashes frequently hang
themselves on trees and fences.

Any cat owner who tethers their cat is a complete idiot.

But that is what the law requires.

The law does not require tethering a cat and leaving it unattended.

besides, leashing and tethering are separate acts. I walked my cats
on leashes prior to living in Oregon because I didn't have suitable
places to allow them to roam - they jumped the fence, and since we
didn't own the home, I couldn't install the barriers.

But anyway, it is the collar itself
that can get caught on branches & hang a cat. Since no fence holds a cat,

A fence will hold a cat, especially if the owner is present to make
sure the cat doesn't foil the barrier.


containment laws means it can never be let outside at all unless tethered.

That's ridiculous. The issue is you want to allow cats outside
*unattended*. Ok. I have given you a system that works for me (and
other people I know) - a 6 ft. cedar fence with a CAT BARRIER. I
still don't trust my cats outside unattended because I fear they will
escape although they have not to date. You have to accept
responsibility for your pet. Allowing it to roam is not responsible,
and YES society has the right to make you responsible for the actions
of your companion animals.


Both a non-break-away collar OR a tether can kill a cat, but without one
or the other, a cat can "escape" to no further than the next yard, & be at
complete risk of being destroyed, and/or the owner fined because the cat
behaves as a normal cat.

For this reason a good cat collar has "pop
bead" break-away feature so that when it struggles in the hanging
position, the collar comes off before it strangles to death.

"Break-away" collars can cause death or injury as well. One of the
worst degloving injuries I have ever seen was caused by a "break-away"
collar.

An argument that furthers the idea that the greater "responsibility" is to
not collar cats at all.

Like I said, I don't believe in collaring cats.



Then it is
trapped for wandering free, taken to animal control, and destroyed.

The real reason so many legislators want these laws is NOT because of a
sudden burgeoning of hatred for cats. It's a windfall of hidden taxes.
Every time Bush cuts taxes for the richest 2% in the country, everyone
else gets higher local fees, fines, liscenses to pick up the slack --
fees, fines, & liscenses that regulate every aspect of daily life. The
Illinois legislation will permit multiple fees be charged every one who
has a cat even if their cat never roams free. High fees that will be
raised higher year by year.

While I agree with your politics, one can rebel by simply not
registering their cats. If your cats are controlled and you take
responsibility for them, not registering them is never a problem.

The public health & well being is NOT the real
consideration of (as present example) Illinois legisation.

Cats are not currently a threat to public health. Some are, however,
vectors for toxoplasmosis which is serious only for the
immunocompromised and pregnant. (Although the primary route of
infection in humans is undercooked meat).

Zoonotic diseases from cats number around 100.

Yes, but how many of those are a threat to public health? The only
disease that is considered worthy of warning by the CDC is
toxoplasmosis.


While immunocompromised
individuals (individuals with HIV or anyone receiving chemotherapy or
allergy-prone or asthmatic) are at far greater risk of outright death by
kitty, but death is the slightest component of a frightening public health
picture. I dunno that I should correct your misinformation as I like cats
& don't want to further arm the legions who apparently think the only good
cat is a caged cat. MANY bacteriums (but few viruses) spread readily to
humans from cats, especially cats manifesting overt symptoms of illness
such as diarrhea. The so-called "Cat scratch fever" is EXTREMELY common &
probably no child reaches teenage years without at least one of the
infections associated with cat scratches, though it is never specifically
diagnosed but generically treated. One study found that in shelters, 40%
of cats carry the Rochalimaea bacteria that is the key cause catscratch
fever.

If it (or other zoonotic diseases) was a threat to public health,
there would be an aggressive campaign to eradicate the disease in cats
and humans, or at least, warnings would be disseminated as they are
for toxo. Those programs simply do not exist because the threat from
the disease is small.

snip

And so on. That's not even a tenth of the possibilities. Some are rare,
some are extremely common, some are severe & life-threatening,

Which are "severe and life threatening" AND pose a threat to public
health in the US?


many pass
quickly enough even without a trip to the doctor. Virtually everyone who
has ever had pets has had at least one or two zoonotic diseases in their
lifetime whether they know it or not. In the main it's no more frightening
than having had the mumps when a kid & no reason to kill or restrict all
cats. But for the many people in this world who are already cat-haters,

People who let their cats roam do way more to fuel the fires of the
cat-haters of the world than any perceived threat to public health.


it's just one more reason it's a "good" thing that cat-leash laws are
spreading like wildfire so that a cat's normal three or four property
territory will soon be illegal in most places.

Good, as it should be.


plus
the cost of legally required microchipping, because the Illinois
legislation also proposes to require microchipping of all cats. Note that
microchipping protects animals only if an owner signs up & pays for a 24
hour service for tracking lost animals;

Microchipping is inexpensive and *essential* for anyone who loves
their cat, and wants to get it back, if it were ever to be lost.

Cats rarely become "lost"

You haven't worked in rescue much, have you?

& microchipping is not essential. A normal cat
ranges over three to five properties & always knows its way home. The ONLY
reason the Illinois legislation will require microchipping is so the owner
of the cat rounded up for going next door can be fined.

good. Identifying the "owners" of problem cats takes the blame off of
use who abide by the law.

Cat leash laws do
not make it a requirement that the cat be cared for properly until
returned to its owner.

If a cat is turned into the proper authority, they have an obligation
to keep the cat under standard conditions until it is claimed,
rehomed, or destroyed.

Raising revenue is the real purpose, & the safety
of the public or of the animals is extremely secondary.

Seems to me that people who let their cats roam wantonly are the ones
who are unconcerned for the safety of their animals...

Which is why
funding for shelters gets cut even as the law demands more animals be
rounded up.

The issue of killing birds has some credibility. The issue of roaming cats
being injured by dogs, cars, or each other, has some credibility.

Or humans

But the
idea that microchipping is necessary because cats easily become lost is
absurd,

I didn't say they "easily become lost". I said if they were to become
lost. A microchip is the only safe way to identify a cat - not
collars with tags, which you yourself admit is undesirable for good
reason.

I worked for a feline specialty veterinarian and cannot tell you how
many times people "found a new stray" in their neighborhood, and
brought it in to us for care. Our policy was to scan it for microchip,
and if one was found, the registry was contacted and the cat reunited
with the original owner. Microchipping works. I'm damn glad my cats
are microchipped. If you let your cat roam and have irate neighbors,
they might just pick up your friendly kitty and drop him off in
another neighborhood, or another town. The only way you are going to
get your cat back is if it is microchipped.


& it is not the reason microchipping is being legislated. It is
being legislated SOLELY so that the owner of the captured & possibly
destroyed cat can be fined for revenue purposes.

Sorry, but having worked in the rescue arena for over 15 years, I can
tell you that not all animal control people are heartless witches.
Most want nothing more than to help reunite animals with their owners.
Nobody likes to euthanize an animal.


I'm sorry, but cats *are* a problem for many people. Just as I
wouldn't allow my dogs, cats, snakes, turtle, husband, child, or
myself, to urinate or defecate on, or otherwise destroy, your
property, I expect the same level of respect from my fellow citizens.
Some sense of decorum must be maintained.

ANd there's the real problem. Very little wildlife is permitted to survive
around humans because humans hate wildlife.

Cats aren't wildlife.

All wildlife is re-defined as
"vermin" and rooted out of the environment, everything paved over.

Not where I live.

People
have already killed most of the wildlife, now an increasing percentage of
people & places are seeing what can be done to get rid of domestic animals
too.

Domestic animals are not a problem if they are well cared-for by their
responsible "owners". You cannot *pretend* to take responsibility for
the life of another living creature, and then shirk all of that
responsibility.


The day will come when "there are songbirds pooping in my garden!"
will allow the bird protection act to be overturned & all birds will go
the way of passenger pigeons, except for any that can be microchipped &
caged & benefit the government through increasing numbers of increasingly
expensive taxes, liscenses, & fees.

Oh, please. Now you are being melodramatic.

Cats and dogs are not wild animals. You cannot expect them to be
given the same protection under the law. They are part of an
artificial system which HUMANS created, and HUMANS have to be
responsible for them.

-L.

"Some One" wrote in message .ca...
Second because cats on leashes frequently hang
themselves on trees and fences.

Any cat owner who tethers their cat is a complete idiot.

Any anyone who keeps a cat indoors 100% of the time is a sadist.

That's debatable. Some cats don't like going outdoors, some do. I
believe if you can allow your cats outdoors responsibly, and it is
safe to do so, then they should be allowed to go outdoors.

-L.

http://www.richsalter.btinternet.co.uk/

The solution to all cat problems (remember - it's a joke.....)

(Bill Spohn) wrote in message ...
http://www.richsalter.btinternet.co.uk/

The solution to all cat problems (remember - it's a joke.....)


Change it to babies and it would be funny...

-L.

"-L." wrote in message
...
(Bill Spohn) wrote in message
...
http://www.richsalter.btinternet.co.uk/

The solution to all cat problems (remember - it's a joke.....)


Change it to babies and it would be funny...

-L.

You're sick!

G