Advice needed, and very desperate

I hate to come back like this. Some people may remember me here, so I'll start by saying hello to everyone.

Here is my situation. I moved in with my boyfriend and his sister, and there are 4 resident cats. All of them are indoor/outdoor much against what I wish, but they are little devils and manage to get out and they RUN. To make a long story very short, one of the cats was killed about a month ago, very early in the morning, by a pack (3 to be exact) dogs. The commotion had made me wake up, and I managed to get the dogs away as they were more scared of me then I them. Jack was rushed to the emergency vet, but due to spinal injuries and paralysis, he was put to sleep.

Noone has seen the dogs since... until today. There is a lady that lives behind us and the same 3 dogs attacked, brutally mauled, and killed her cat.

When Jack was attacked, I called animal control and they really couldn't do anything. They were contacted again today, and we get the same story. The dogs not being on the property prevents them from doing anything, and they say they could send someone out, but chances are they won't find the dogs.

I do not blame the dogs. I realize they may or may not have owners, and regardless, they are only doing what they do. Really guys, I'm at a loss. I do not know if there is anything in my power I can do except keep the cats inside, but it's impossible and anyone with indoor/outdoor cats know this.

Does anyone have any advice or words of encouragement? I would appreciate anything at this point as I am just beside myself about what to do. Thank you to everyone in advance

I would be incredibly heart sick, and ready to shoot the dogs that are free roaming and killing my cats. I adore my cats and I am not a dog person.

However, the dogs need attention. The situation is more dangerous than you think.

Let's review a few things:

First off, no responsible owner allows their dogs out free roaming for exactly this reason - that they will kill what they chase.

Second, do not make light of them attacking the cat because they "ran" off and were frightened by you ... if they attack a cat as a pack, they can also turn feral on a child or on YOU if they are sufficiently afraid or inflamed by pack mentality/leader dog.

This is indeed serious business.

Were they found on my property - I would have no hestiation to shoot at them. More to scare them away from the property than to harm them you understand.

However, there are others who WOULD shoot them to maim and kill and for this reason, you need to try to rescue them.

More than likely they are either abandoned or have sub par owners. Either way, getting the dogs corraled and to a rescue group might be
the best thing for all concerned.

Certainly best for the dogs. Make inquiries and try to find out where these dogs go. Are they hiding out on abandoned properties nearby? Are they going "home" and escaping their fenced yard? Do they have an owner or are they sort of loosely cared for??

You might need to locate and trap these dogs from a sub standard owners yard... (just like one does with feral cats) with the help of a rescue group.

Meantime, keep your animals contained in an enclosure... or on a porch where the dogs cannot get to...If this is possible of course. If it isn't then please keep them inside for a bit...

You can try using things dogs find offensive to their noses - pepper for example liberally sprinkled round the boundries of your home/yard. The cats won't like it much, but the dogs will REALLy hate it. One whiff and they will steer clear...

Other than to give you these pieces of advice, I'm flat out of suggestions.

Are the dogs well fed and at least somewhat groomed? If so, they have an owner. Scour the neighborhood to see if you can find who owns the dogs.

I lived in the country and everyone (except us) let their dogs run free. Our neighbors dogs used to come hunting at our house and killed some of our ferals. I had a long talk with our neighbor. Our compromise was that he fixed the fence between our properties to make it harder for his dogs to come into our property. We had no ordinances so there wasn't much I could do except to move (which I eventually did).

If you find the owners, you can contact animal control again and ask for action against them. Find out the ordinances in your area about free roaming dogs to use against them if you have to. Most places inside a city limit will have dog ordinances.

Originally Posted by opilot

Were they found on my property - I would have no hestiation to shoot at them. More to scare them away from the property than to harm them you understand.

However, there are others who WOULD shoot them to maim and kill and for this reason, you need to try to rescue them.

Click to expand...

... but this is why I don't own a firearm... in a situation like that, I'd use one.

Roaming packs of dogs have no place in our cities and towns. Trap them, rescue them, get them to a shelter, or get someone else to do it, but it's got to be done. Otherwise, you or someone you love could be next.

Originally Posted by alikatt

I hate to come back like this. Some people may remember me here, so I'll start by saying hello to everyone.

Here is my situation. I moved in with my boyfriend and his sister, and there are 4 resident cats. All of them are indoor/outdoor much against what I wish, but they are little devils and manage to get out and they RUN. To make a long story very short, one of the cats was killed about a month ago, very early in the morning, by a pack (3 to be exact) dogs. The commotion had made me wake up, and I managed to get the dogs away as they were more scared of me then I them. Jack was rushed to the emergency vet, but due to spinal injuries and paralysis, he was put to sleep.

Noone has seen the dogs since... until today. There is a lady that lives behind us and the same 3 dogs attacked, brutally mauled, and killed her cat.

When Jack was attacked, I called animal control and they really couldn't do anything. They were contacted again today, and we get the same story. The dogs not being on the property prevents them from doing anything, and they say they could send someone out, but chances are they won't find the dogs.

I do not blame the dogs. I realize they may or may not have owners, and regardless, they are only doing what they do. Really guys, I'm at a loss. I do not know if there is anything in my power I can do except keep the cats inside, but it's impossible and anyone with indoor/outdoor cats know this.

Does anyone have any advice or words of encouragement? I would appreciate anything at this point as I am just beside myself about what to do. Thank you to everyone in advance

Click to expand...

I don't understand why animal control can't do anything?? These are vicious animals and a danger to the public! THEY should be doing something to find them and take care of them! But if they are too lazy - or understaffed - and you are rightfully worried - then I guess you will have to take matters into your own hands. Good luck!

And frankly - if I had pack dogs roaming this neighborhood and if they killed one of MY animals I would be a major pest to AC - calling them... then the township super... then the county exec ... then the TV stations .... to ensure something was done. Documenting the responses along the way. I would not be above shaming them into doing something.

So sorry about your Jack. There are excellent suggestions offered.

Will the animal control let you file a report at the least. That way if the dogs are found and have an owner or not, they will have complaints to take action.

The suggestion to keep the other cats inside or in an enclosure is the only way to keep them from meeting the same end as Jack. The dogs know where there are cats. Prey to them.

For a quick less expensive enclosure you can try a dog run with a top that is made for it. Then keep the cats in at night.

I'm a bit overwhelmed. Thank you to everyone for all the advice. Let me try to address everything.

What is hindering me a lot is the sparesness we see the dogs. I saw them today again. They all look alike, medium size, and scruffy. They are dirty and do not look well-fed. They had returned to the scene of the crime from yesterday, but I have been VERY diligent in keeping the cats inside.

We are apart of a neighborhood association and I was thinking of approaching the top guy and asking if I could make flyers to hand out, informing everyone what is going on. My concern is if a child is out playing, and scares the dogs enough, they could. The household is talking about shooting them on-site, and I don't want that.

A report was filed when Jack was killed, and I do not know what happened yesterday. Our neighbor was the one who initially called animal control after the attack, but I do not know if the owner did anything. I will ask the neighbor what animal control said to him next time I see him.

I have reason to believe these dogs are the same family, meaning related to each other as they all look alike but in different ways. I know they have been spotted at the park they just built which is about a mile away from where I am.

Thank you to each one of you that has offered advice. I will take everything you have said and see if I can come up with anything. I feel like I have a little more hope, where before, I felt lost. Thank you again from the very bottom of my heart. I will not let these cats die in vain.

I have three cats all from outside. Two of them were indoor outdoor
cats until I said one day no more. One was an outdoor cat that RAN
herself inside my apt and never wanted to leave so she is not a problem.

I totally understand how hard it is to keep a cat or especially more than
one cat inside when a door is opened.

If you had told me years ago when I first brought them inside that it
was possible I would not have believed you.

But thats exactly what someone told me and as it turns out ...they were right.

It is possible.

I live in 1 1/2 rooms and so that makes it pretty difficult to keep a
cat inside that doesn't want to stay inside but in the end it worked.

Every time I was near the door I chased them away and if necessary
I yelled at them to get away from the door. If I had to get loud to
convince them to get away from the door on any particular day, then
I got loud. Eventually they got the message and if they even come near
the door I shoo them away and they leave.

Now, if you are lucky enough to live in more than 1 1/2 rooms you got
space on your side and can use that to your advantage.

Plenty of people have told me that they make their cats live in their
bedroom or spare room for weeks and sometime months until they get
the idea that they are not going outside any more and that has worked
like a charm.

You can lock them up in whatever room you choose with all their needs
like water, food, bed, toys and create a way for them to look out the
windows all day long and then at night when you are ready to go to
bed when you are sure no one will be opening up the door you can
let them out of that room. BUT only if you are sure the next morning
you are going to gather them up and put them back into the room.
IF you can't do that then just don't let them out of that room, not even
at night.

After a few weeks you can test try letting them out of the room.
IF they even go near the door, whether the door is being opened or
not shoo them away. Every time... you shoo them away and see if
they listen.

If not, then put them back in the room.

This isn't done to be mean and you have to make sure you go into
their room everyday to visit with them and to make sure they are
okay and to make sure they have plenty of food and water etc.

The reason I can say this isn't being mean to them is because lots of
people live in small spaces with their pets like me and they are all fine.

My apt is the size of most peoples bedrooms. So if me and three cats
can live in something the size of a bedroom then your cats will and can
be fine locked in a room the size of a bedroom.

They can be trained not to run for the door and not to ask to be let out.

I didn't believe it. I remember how hard it was until that lady told me
what I am telling you now.

I owe it to her good advice to pass that on.

Good luck !

Sending major prayers & vibes that those dogs are brought under control, one way or another
My brother used to be more of a dog-person than a cat person, until the dogs who had killed his ferals ATTACKED his elderly neighbor lady across the street, because she was carrying her little dog in her arms, checking the mail at the end of a short driveway. Her dog died of its injuries from the attack. A cop told him that a person couldn't shoot a gun in the city limits, but that air guns were allowed. The dogs were too good at avoiding the AC officers, but eventually the neighbors went out & got air rifles & took care of the problem that way. Sad for the elderly neighbor lady, though, her arm & shoulder sustained permanent damage not to mention the heartache of losing her beloved pet If only those dogs could have been stopped before then

Another idea for you. If animal control won't help, find another rescue group in your area. If you don't know of any, go into petfinder.com and enter in your zipcode to do a search for available dogs. The rescue groups that work in your area will have their dogs listed.

Contact each one in turn and tell them that there is a pack of feral dogs running loose in the neighborhood and that there are people ready to shoot them to get them under control because they have already killed cats and there is a fear that they could hurt children.

They will respond if you lay out the facts for them.

I love dogs as much as I do cats and its not the dogs fault that they were abandoned to this situation. A good rescue group understands this and will do what they can to save the dogs.

Having just discovered that a cat I'd once thought "missing" ended up killed by wild dogs, a part of me wants to say just shoot them and put them out of their misery and you out of your worry. But dogs can't help but revert to their instincts when left to fend for themselves.

I would see about contacting humane groups in your area. Sometimes they have humane traps that can catch the dogs and then they'll decide what to do with them from there. Has the neighborhood association group said anything about controlling the problem? They might not say much if a cat is lost but if it is a child or a senior citizen, it's a different story.

In either case, lots of and thank you for protecting the cats and keeping them out of harm's way!