Some years ago, living out in the countryside, we had a neutered male cat who was outdoors about all the time except when sleeping or eating. He constantly had to be de-fleaed, have ear mites removed, de-wormed, etc, so we decided to see if we could make him an indoor cat, at 12 years of age.
He swore at us, grumbled, yelled and otherwise expressed his displeasure. Surprisingly, never having needed a litterbox, he started using it from day one.
He grudgingly accepted his captivity, for more than a year. Then one day I answered the door and was talking to a neighbor when the cat shot out like, well, a shot. We never saw him again. So, it can be done but you have to be eternally vigilant that it does not escape.
Out here in the AZ desert cats don’t last very long, so our last two guys were indoor cats from the beginning, and they are happy as pigs in mud. So, it’s better to start when they are kittens, but the conversion can be done with the the one caveat. YMMV.
I don’t know the leash laws where you are but here dogs and cats are required to be on a leash. Since the dog was on a leash and under control and your cat was not, you would be responsible for any damage done by your cat. Yes, you should pay and be thankful you only have to pay the deductible.
I agree with keeping the cat inside. Yes it will be difficult when he’s used to being outside but it’s going to be safer for him, the neighborhood and your homeowner’s insurance. If you do own your home, consider adding a nice reinforced screen room for him so he can be kind of outdoors but without all the danger to everyone. If that’s too costly there are little cat runs you can buy that attach to a window and allow the cat to go outside into a small enclosed area.
By the way, I have a pit bull mix. She loves the cats and wants to play with them, some of them will actually play with her but a couple of them dislike her intensely and one of them has actually chased her back to her kennel several times, it’s a spayed female cat. The dog is scared of her and will back down from her every time.
Cats have to be held on leashes in some areas? I live in New York and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cat on leash. A bunny yes, but never a cat.
I consulted a few lawyers and they told me that I wouldn’t be liable for any damages caused by my cat. Now they were answering off the top of their head and could be wrong, but they all told me that it is normal for cats to defend themselves against threatening dogs.
Any legal dopers out there that can weigh in on this issue?
I found an article on cat leash laws here. Quoted in the article is a lovely piece of writing in which then-Governor Adlai Stevenson vetoed a statewide cat leash law in 1949. (For the full version and context of Stevenson’s message, see here or here.)
I’m surprised a pit bull could be held back after getting so worked up.
That’s an amazingly ballsy cat you got there, by the way. He should have been torn apart, so just think of the 150 bucks as what you would have spent on the cost of buying/neutering/registering a new cat.
By your own account, the cat went up and attacked a dog (twice) that was minding its own business. The dog wasn’t even on your property. Why don’t you have any sense of personal responsibility?
I meant threatening as the cat saw him. I don’t think he would attack someone unless he perceived them as a threat. What I was trying to say was that it is normal for cats to attack dogs they are scared of. Maybe Tom had a few bad encounters with dogs, who knows?
Morally I know I should pay the bill, and I will. I’m just curious about the law here. Lets not confuse the two.
Tom attacked the dog, but he did not do any damage.
A family member asked to see the vet bill and he admit that he might have only took the dog for a check up, but then asked for $75 because he is a “nice guy”. On top of that he kept repeating that we are lucky he is a nice guy and that he did not let his dog kill our cat.
He is supposed to come back with proof later.
Thank god I wasn’t home when he stopped by. I would have went nuts if he kept threatening Tom. If Tom attacks the owner next time, he gets some extra catnip.
Even though the guy is a liar - your cat still attacked his dog, unprovoked. What if your cat had cornered a chihuahua in its owner’s yard? Or a larger dog and the aforementioned “child tries to intervene and gets mauled” event happens? If I were a dog owner in this situation, I would seriously consider reporting your cat as being vicious to other animals.
Your cat is still, as far as we can tell, prone to unprovoked violence against dogs much larger than himself. What else does he attack when you’re not watching?