Can my neighbor kill my cats?

[fluffysimba]

The only real choices you have are to set up surveillance on him. That doesn't sound very realistic either. Your neighbor can do whatever he wishes to your cats and unless he has claimed to kill them by writing it down or being recorded, he can deny it and many police will just ignore it. Most LE don't give a crap about the animals unless it's a cow. If you move the cats to your G-ma's they will be very confused and some WILL run off! They would have to be inside for a time to understand it's THEIR new home.

I hope you can endeavor to get this creep for being so malicious to animals.

 

[catloverin_ks]

Originally Posted by Helga06

Hi, I have a question about laws relating to cats in Texas.

I have a neighbor who has been complaining about our cats going into his yard and pooping. He has a cage set up and has been catching our cats, and then calling the animal shelter, who is putting the animals to sleep. As soon as we found out about this, we contacted the animal shelter and we were told that if our cats had collars showing that they were vaccinated, that they would not pick up our cats. We proceeded to go to the vet and vaccinate our cats and buy them collars and tags.

This morning, our neighbor told us that if the animal shelter wouldn't pick up the cats when he called them, that he was just going to take this into his own cats and KILL any cat that entered his property.

My question is, can he do that? I mean, of course, he can kill a cat, but is it legal? Can this man do whatever he wants to my pet cats if they enter his property? I mean these cats have been raised outside and roam all throughout the neighborhood freely. I can stop them from entering his property. There are 8 cats, most of them are adults, two are small kittens who also roam around freely.

Oh my!! My mom had this problem with her neighbor! He would trap HER cats and then take them to the country

We found one that looked like it had been shot. She also had one(of hers) laying dead in her driveway.

He admitted to some ppl that he did this because they came in HIS yard and pooped and he didnt like it, and also because there was "too many cats".....he decided it was HIS right to kill them

My mom went to the cops over this, and basically they told her he had every right because A) he wasnt shooting them with a gun and B) they were on his property!!

I swear I just dont get it..........

 

[nellers]

The best move, as others are saying, is to preempt him---let the authorities know now of the threat, then let him know you did. I am not from Texas, but my friend is and she is positive you cannot legally shoot cats as your neighbor would like.

I'm sending your babies good thoughts and best wishes from Pennsylvania that they stay safe and far away from evil man's yard!! Is there any way you can try and deter them away from there?

 

[catsarebetter]

First off, best wishes and best of luck on defeating this man and keeping your kitties safe.

Now, having said that, if this ... person... is determined to kill your cat, he can do it any number of ways and it would be impossible for you to prove it. Your cats may just simply go missing and while you'll know that he's at the core of it.. you won't have any idea what happened to it, or where it ended up. If he wants to continue to trap them.. there's absolutely no reason he can't take the collars off of the kitties, and then say, well, it didn't have a collar.

You're going to have to find a solution to your cats being outside. If they continue to go onto his property, whether it's legal or not, he will find a way to get revenge. Until you can figure that out, I'd follow everyone's advice, and start off by calling the local authorities..as well as your local shelters. Find out *exactly* what the laws are. Pre-empt him. Make sure that you contact animal control as well. And I hate to say this, but he may have a right not to have animals that aren't his on his property. I don't think that gives him a right to shoot them, or harm them in any way, but he may actually have part of the law on his side.

 

[gracy50]

I don't know why this situation has to happen. We hear it all the time...

Flame suit on...

Look. These are your pets, right? If you can't house and care for them properly, be it for lack of time, space, or money, you should not have so many cats!

Cats belong indoors - period. I hate it when people say "but they like it outside", and "they need to go out" or "they cry till I let them out". Bunk. That's your fault, not the cats, and not the neighbors. Who is responsible for the cats? You are. Either take care of them properly, or don't have them.

Ponder this. If I had 20 dogs because I love dogs, but my house was too little or I was unable to really be responsible for them, or I just wanted the dogs to be able to do whatever they wanted to do, and I let them wander all over the place, would that be OK? No, it wouldn't for obvious reasons. So then why do people think just because they are cats, it is OK for them to go wherever, pooping, killing birds, getting sick, getting lost or run-over, having fights or whatever? It isn't right. Maintain and control them like a responsible pet-owner, or relinquish that duty - its that simple. Cats aren't toys and they aren't a part-time responsibility that many seem to believe.

I'm not defending your neighbor here, but have you put yourself in his shoes? Are you being a good neighbor by respecting his property-rights and trying everything to resolve the issue? Who started this whole mess? Who is not being responsible for their "property" and the consequences that property faces when it is out of your control? YOU are responsible for your cat at all times- -period.

Just because they are cats, does not mean its OK to let them do whatever they want. You have to exist with other people in a society, and respect of one's property goes a long way in that regard.

 

 

[stinky's mom]

Depending where you live, Yes your neighbor can legally kill your cats and this was suggested to us by the Police department.

Our Neighbor has tons of cats alot more than 8. They all look sick and I doubt any of them have had medical attention. My cat is indoors. Anyhow the Neighbors cats, tear into our trash, scratch the cars and When we remodeled the kitchen they were coming indoors. After they started coming indoors our Cat got sick so we got the police involved. They told us Cats don't have the same rights as dogs and to just shoot them when they are on our property. We told him we weren't doing that, It wasn't the cats fault anyhow as I think they were just hungry and have a neglectful owner. They then suggested allowing our Rottweilers to take care of the problem. Again not going to happen and the Rotts love cats as long as the said cats leaves their's alone....so we just put up with it.

 

[indoor2]

Our family has a cat, and as others have suggested here, we keep it indoors at all times. This is partly for the cat's benefit, and partly to be neighborly.

If I had dogs that were always in the yard of some of you that are so in favor of free range cats, I bet you'd have a fit. If they were always digging, pooping, peeing, scratching up cars, etc in your yard, I bet you'd REALLY be mad.

If I had cows in your yard, the same would be true. If I had pet snakes, even non-venomous ones, and they were in your yard, I bet you'd be mad.

So why is it that people think it's okay to let their cats have the run of the neighborhood?

 

[squeege1]

In Texas, whether he can do this or not, depends primarily only on if he resides in the city limits or not.

If he does, then contact your city government for information.

If he does not, then you really need to keep your cats inside.

He can capture your cat, feed it for 3 days, at which point it becomes his property, and he can pretty much do what he wants at that point.

Or, he can simply shoot the cat as long as it is on his property and does not fire toward the road. About the only thing you could do here is call for a noise disturbance.

He cannot inhumanly kill the cat. Like poison, or wounding it. So if he shoots it, and it crawls home, you can do something to him, likely animal cruelty.

Now regardless of criminal law, you can always take him to civil court.

Best bet, if you care about the animals, stop playing pet roulette.

 

[helga06]

Update:

Our cats are finally safe, and all it took was about $400 and a weeks worth of hard labor.

What ended up happening is that we (my brother and I) decided to build them a "safe house" in our backyard. It turned out to be quite an interesting project.

The safehouse looks like the first pic here; this is the design we used:
http://www.just4cats.com/Images/graphic/covernew.jpg

Now it's all finished and for the past two weeks, all of my cats have been in there. Most of them hate it. They cry a lot and they try to claw out. I guess its because they are so used to being outside. To remedy this, I take them out for a few hours a day, but I am outside, watching them closely. I also bring 1-2 cats inside my room each day, alternating between them. So far, so good. There is really only one male cat who absolutely HATES the enclosure. The rest of the cats seems alright as long as they can go out as least for a few minutes a day.

The only really difficult part about this is cleaning after them! I go inside with the shovel at least 3 times a day! lol. We're also looking for tree trunks to put in there so the cats don't get so bored.

As for my neighbor, he came to my house and told us that if he caught one of our cats again, he'd set them free since he has seen that we have made the effort to keep them out of his yard. But don't think of him as a good man yet, he still killed two of my cats and I can barely stand to look at him without having murderous thoughts.

Helga

PS: We covered our safehouse with a plastic tarp; we knew it wasn't going to be the best type of roof but it was the quickest thing to do and I was really worried about my cats getting too much sun exposure. Anyways, the funniest thing happened 2 days ago. It was raining A LOT and the tarp go full of water and then it ripped! It was like an explosion and all the water that had been gathering on the tarp fell on my cats and on my brother, who was trying to quickly take each cat and bring him inside our home. A few cats were saved just in time, but about 3 got completely soaked with water and ran like crazy out of the safehouse! Poor little ones. They got quite a shower that day.

 

[jennyr]

Well done you and your brother! I am glad all your cats are going to be safe, even if they cannot be at liberty any more. ANd as far as the neighbour is concerned, at least he is making an effort to be reasonable now.

 

[helga06]

Thanks Jenny.

 

[catluvrrr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helga06 Hi, I have a question about laws relating to cats in Texas. I have a neighbor who has been complaining about our cats going into his yard and pooping. He has a cage set up and has been catching our cats, and then calling the animal shelter, who is putting the animals to sleep. As soon as we found out about this, we contacted the animal shelter and we were told that if our cats had collars showing that they were vaccinated, that they would not pick up our cats. We proceeded to go to the vet and vaccinate our cats and buy them collars and tags. This morning, our neighbor told us that if the animal shelter wouldn't pick up the cats when he called them, that he was just going to take this into his own cats and KILL any cat that entered his property. My question is, can he do that? I mean, of course, he can kill a cat, but is it legal? Can this man do whatever he wants to my pet cats if they enter his property? I mean these cats have been raised outside and roam all throughout the neighborhood freely. I can stop them from entering his property. There are 8 cats, most of them are adults, two are small kittens who also roam around freely.

Hi Helga,

I know just how you feel about your neighbour killing your pets, because my twisted neighbour killed one of mine. He told me what he had done, and threatened to kill the rest of them. I realised that he was a psycho, a bully, and hated animals. I was so scared for their lives, that I had to get rid of them. He would have killed them all, I know it.

I'm totally gutted; at least they are alive, but I can't describe the pain of missing them. Caring for my pets, and being close to them brought an indescribable joy to my life, and now it feels so empty.

How did you get past the pain and utter hatred towards your neighbour? I can hardly concentrate and I keep balling my eyes out. I feel so lost.

 

 

[catsarebetter]

I agree with you in that it is the fault of people not getting their pet spayed or neutered that is the major cause of strays and unwanted pets .. all the homeless animals, etc. I mean, I'm sure there are exceptions to that rule, but.. I'd agree to say that's the major cause.

I went back and read Helga's posts, and I didn't see anywhere that she said these cats were originally strays. She did say that they were born and raised outside, but.. she never said that they were strays that I saw. It is possible that I missed it. You may know her personally, and know what the situation is better than anyone on here, but if you do, then unfortunately we're not privy to that information, so we can't make an opinion based on anything except what she posts.

I agree that it's a little over the top on some of the posts, but it is true that when you let your cats outside, you do face a lot more risks. Angry neighbors are one of them... death by dog, fox, wild animal, disease, car, stupid evil humans that torture cats.. these are all things that can happen to a cat if they're let outside. Personally, I won't let mine outside, but I will also not attempt to tell someone else how they should or should not manage a pet, or at least I try not to... Helga, while she obviously loves her cats, is in a situation that makes it all around difficult but she does have culpability to the neighbor. They're not his. I definitely am not defending the neighbor here, but.. you know, if a neighbor takes exception to something you're doing, you have a responsibility to attempt to fix it. Thankfully, Helga found what I think is probably the very best solution she could come up with, and the kitties are now as safe as possible.

I do think, while I understand your anger, that your post was just as over the top as any one else's here, and that perhaps (unless of course you know her personally) you may have made an assumption that the cats are strays. I have to say, if you have an animal, and for instance, let's say it's a dog, and you take your dog out on a walk and you don't put it on a leash.. if it bites someone or gets hit by a car because it sees .. oh, let's say a kid with a ball and the ball drops and rolls and the dog runs after it.. .. um.. it is, indeed, the fault of the pet owner, because especially for the safety of the pet, that dog should have been on a leash.

 

[2dogmom]

Originally Posted by Helga06

The only really difficult part about this is cleaning after them! I go inside with the shovel at least 3 times a day! lol. We're also looking for tree trunks to put in there so the cats don't get so bored.

As for my neighbor, he came to my house and told us that if he caught one of our cats again, he'd set them free since he has seen that we have made the effort to keep them out of his yard. But don't think of him as a good man yet, he still killed two of my cats and I can barely stand to look at him without having murderous thoughts.

Helga I am happy for you that you found a solution, it looks like you are taking responsibility for your cats. You might want to cut that neighbor a little slack. At least he was calling AC and having them PTS humanely.

When I read that you are now dealing with the mess they leave and have to shovel it 3 times a day, I am wondering if this neighbor was dealing with the mess your cats left all this time. Had he said anything to you before?

Where I live there is no question that if an animal is being a nuisance on your property you are within your rights to get out your shotgun. I am not aware of any place inthe US where anyone has a legal right to let their pets do whatever they please wherever they please. I realize I am in the minority here, but like a previous poster said, I certainly would not expect to get away with opening the door, letting my dogs out to do whatever wherever and not have the neighbors get big time angry.

I think you should try to let bygones be bygones, JMO.

 

[catsarebetter]

I think Helga's done the right (and best) thing by putting up her enclosure. Actually, I think it's a brilliant solution, and I applaud her. Short of being able to keep them in the house..which she obviously can't do at this time, it's a really good solution.

 

[cococat]

Originally Posted by gracy50

Flame suit on...

These are your pets, right? If you can't house and care for them properly, be it for lack of time, space, or money, you should not have so many cats!

Cats belong indoors - period.
Ponder this. If I had 20 dogs because I love dogs, but my house was too little or I was unable to really be responsible for them, or I just wanted the dogs to be able to do whatever they wanted to do, and I let them wander all over the place, would that be OK? No, it wouldn't for obvious reasons. So then why do people think just because they are cats, it is OK for them to go wherever, pooping, killing birds, getting sick, getting lost or run-over, having fights or whatever? It isn't right. Maintain and control them like a responsible pet-owner, or relinquish that duty - its that simple. Cats aren't toys and they aren't a part-time responsibility that many seem to believe.

I'm not defending your neighbor here, but have you put yourself in his shoes? Are you being a good neighbor by respecting his property-rights and trying everything to resolve the issue? Who started this whole mess? Who is not being responsible for their "property" and the consequences that property faces when it is out of your control? YOU are responsible for your cat at all times- -period.

Just because they are cats, does not mean its OK to let them do whatever they want. You have to exist with other people in a society, and respect of one's property goes a long way in that regard.
.

Only support here. No flames. Well written post. It is not okay when people's pet animals poo/kill things/destroy things on other's property, and cat poo can put toxins in the soil of people's garden's. It is not okay to kill, that is wrong and very unfair. I am glad you can build a fence for your kitties, an outdoor enclosure. That is really neat! I am glad there is a happy ending!!!! That is refreshing to hear. Yay

 

[cococat]

Originally Posted by Helga06

Update:

Our cats are finally safe, and all it took was about $400 and a weeks worth of hard labor.

What ended up happening is that we (my brother and I) decided to build them a "safe house" in our backyard. It turned out to be quite an interesting project.

The safehouse looks like the first pic here; this is the design we used:
http://www.just4cats.com/Images/graphic/covernew.jpg

Now it's all finished and for the past two weeks, all of my cats have been in there. Most of them hate it. They cry a lot and they try to claw out. I guess its because they are so used to being outside. To remedy this, I take them out for a few hours a day, but I am outside, watching them closely. I also bring 1-2 cats inside my room each day, alternating between them. So far, so good. There is really only one male cat who absolutely HATES the enclosure. The rest of the cats seems alright as long as they can go out as least for a few minutes a day.

The only really difficult part about this is cleaning after them! I go inside with the shovel at least 3 times a day! lol. We're also looking for tree trunks to put in there so the cats don't get so bored.

As for my neighbor, he came to my house and told us that if he caught one of our cats again, he'd set them free since he has seen that we have made the effort to keep them out of his yard. But don't think of him as a good man yet, he still killed two of my cats and I can barely stand to look at him without having murderous thoughts.

Helga

PS: We covered our safehouse with a plastic tarp; we knew it wasn't going to be the best type of roof but it was the quickest thing to do and I was really worried about my cats getting too much sun exposure. Anyways, the funniest thing happened 2 days ago. It was raining A LOT and the tarp go full of water and then it ripped! It was like an explosion and all the water that had been gathering on the tarp fell on my cats and on my brother, who was trying to quickly take each cat and bring him inside our home. A few cats were saved just in time, but about 3 got completely soaked with water and ran like crazy out of the safehouse! Poor little ones. They got quite a shower that day.

That looks awesome!!! Way to go!

 

[tekgrl]

Originally Posted by gracy50

Ponder this. If I had 20 dogs because I love dogs, but my house was too little or I was unable to really be responsible for them, or I just wanted the dogs to be able to do whatever they wanted to do, and I let them wander all over the place, would that be OK? No, it wouldn't for obvious reasons. So then why do people think just because they are cats, it is OK for them to go wherever, pooping, killing birds, getting sick, getting lost or run-over, having fights or whatever? It isn't right. Maintain and control them like a responsible pet-owner, or relinquish that duty - its that simple. Cats aren't toys and they aren't a part-time responsibility that many seem to believe.

I'm obviously late to this thread but I completely agree. I feel this goes for human children as well...and especially for pets.

Very glad you got you were able to find a suitable situation to protect your kitties, Helga

 

[mom_2_3]

~Well I hate to admit it but everyone who has spoken so far is right in what they say. Although cats are big, mean and vicious, attacking people etc there is no difference in having your cats run the neighborhood than allowing your 160 lb Rottie etc?? My neighborhood is RAN by stray cats. There are bengals, siamese, and more running lose because owners think their cats NEED some outside time during the day. What they dont understand is they are still producing babies, there are alot of strays in the neighborhood with respitory problems etc and they are tearing out garbage etc. The people on one side of me dump a HUGE pan of cat food out every morning. This attracts cats to their house. The house on the other side of me puts Amonia on their garbage bags and puts out poison to kill and keep the cats out of their yard.

I have had over 15 strays in my back yard at one time just sitting on my back deck watching my cats through the sliding windows. Its wild and I hate that these cats arent in good homes. There is a HUGE pregnant female, very wild, runny eyes and nose that keeps coming on my deck but I have been unable to catch her. She is sick and pregnant and I hate that I cannot catch and help her. Its sad because so many cats in my neighborhood probably wont live much longer because of the extreme measures my other neighbors are taking to keep them out of their garbage etc.

Yes my cats look out the windows/doors like they would LOVE to go outside. Making decisions is what good parents do...even for their 4 legged children. You wouldnt allow your 2 yr old to play in traffic, play with poisions or run around outside alone so why would you allow your cat or dog to do so?? Its dangerous for them and its up to US to keep them safe.

PS I DO take my cats outs...on a LONG leash and with a cat harness on. They are NEVER outside without me and never take them out of my fenced back yard. They do like going and I do this at least every other day but they are NEVER free or left alone.

 

[catsarebetter]

I think Helga's situation is that she lives with her parents and is unable to keep them inside at all times. I believe that if she had her own place, she would be keeping them in, but I think her current solution is probably the best thing she could do and now they all get some inside time and they're safe.

I feel so bad for stray kitties.