Originally posted by Twisterdog
Not necessarily. If my neighbor choose to let his cats roam free, and his cats come onto my property and cause problems for me ... then my neighbor is NOT entitled to make that choice, and it ceases to be on an individual basis. If his cats stay 100% on his property ... fine. But cats rarely do that. I choose not to own a cat, because I am allergic to them, and because I have dogs that think cats are snacks with fur. It is rude ... not to mention illegal here ... for my neighbors to let their cats wander onto my property, shedding on my lawn furniture, making me sneeze, pooping in my flower beds (what if I were pregnant?), using my trees as scratching posts and my cars as sidewalks. Not to mention how very, very unpleasant it is for me when I have to go rake up the pieces (literally) of a cat that was stupid enough to jump into my dog's yard. If I wanted to put up with all this, I'd get a cat of my own. I shouldn't have to put up with it from my neighbor's cats. My neighbors aren't exposed to my dogs.
While I agree that cats who are allowed to roam make for pests, and it's very inconsiderate of the owners to not keep them in their own yards, I think your description of a "stupid cat" is a bit out of line. That mental image is not very pleasant and you could have said it in a nicer way. It's tragic when someone loses a pet - REGARDLESS of the situation. Yes, if a cat jumped into your yard, and it was sadly killed, it would be one of those situations that could have been prevented with a bit more vigilance and care on the cat owners part.. but do you really have to describe it so crudely?