killer pack in my neighborhood

[RV's mom]

Some months ago we trapped a family of feral kitties and took them to be spayed/neutered. There were the adult mom and dad, and 3 kittens. We brought them home and released them to the back yard where they cohabitate well with RV. One of the kitties disappeared fairly quickly. This morning on my way home from work I found the adult male, dead in the street by my house. Obviously mauled to death. We wrapped him in an old towel and double bagged him for the trip to the dump. I don't have the cash to have him cremated, and don't have the strength to dig a hole deep enough through the caleache 'soil' we have here in arizona. I am just sick about this. For the most part, the cats stay within a yard either side of the house, don't seem to wander far. We feed them, and provide water. This is why I don't have outdoor kitties anymore - my 3 non-feral are totally indoor cats. If these weren't wild they would be indoors too. Some years ago I walked out to get the paper and found my one outdoor cat dead from the pack. eviserated. Sometimes I want to just get a chair up on the roof with my .22 and take out any dog that roams the street. Killer dogs don't deserve life.

I am heart sick and I have to work tonight. guess I'll go get ready. Hope everyone has a safe and happy halloween.

teri

 

[Yvonne G]

Oh man! That really sucks.

There are a couple of coyotes that come down my street every morning. Don't know where they're going, but thank goodness, they never detour off the street. I haven't lost an outdoor cat to dogs or coyotes yet, knock on wood.

Can you rent a big trap and trap them one at a time? (the dogs)

 

[RV's mom]

what would I do with them? People have been dropping off unwanted dogs in the neighborhood since the economic downturn. which dog is responsible? we were looking for mama cat after taking care of daddy and saw 3 strays one street over. 2 little ones and a cattle dog type. not torn up, and I know the male kitty would have done some damage. I feel for the strays, would feed them except I lost a cat because the strays would come around and eat her food. I never see the big dogs responsible.

 

[Yvonne G]

You can't take them to the SPCA? Dog pound? If they're hunting in a pack and killing pets, its perfectly fine to put your sympathy for them on the shelf and take them to be euthanized.

 

[PeanutbuttER]

Maybe this reflects my rural upbringing, but I'd shoot them. If a feral animal is coming onto my property and killing, then I'd take care of it myself. Heck, even if its not feral, if someone lets their animal come onto my property and repeatedly maul/kill my animals I'd take it out. I haven't had good experiences with animal control. For instance, recently my mom reported the neighbors rottweiler and she came home to find animal control had our golden retriever (tamest dog ever) all tied up and muzzled in the front yard.

This may not be an option for you depending on where you live.

True story just to give you an idea of where I grew up, I had a neighbor who kept a shotgun in his kitchen because he was having a problem with magpies. Every morning he would would wake his family up to the sound of a shotgun going off as he was eating his breakfast.

 

[terryo]

Being a city gal, I can't even imagine these things. There are no dogs or cats ever roaming our streets. I feel so bad when I hear things like this. I can't imagine putting my dog or cat outside to fend for himself, and taking off.

 

[Laura]

You can put up special fencing to keep even the out door cats in your yard. www.safecatfence.com or something like that.. have you considered getting a camera trap? or a video camera to record your front yard? Lots of people do that.. video on yahoo right now going viral of a coyote jmping a back fence and two house cats defending themsleves. Coyotes are very guilty for this.. ive even scanned coyote bellies for microchips.... my partner found one once.. someones cat... coyotes killed my neighbors little dog,,, I called the trapper to come shoot a few to take the numbers down.. i try to live peacefully with wildlife.. i do hat i can to keep them away,, but when they start killing dogs... you have to act.
I also know of small dogs or puppies that have been carried off by Hawks. Right in front of the owners.....right out of a back yard.... i hope you figure out what is the cause and take care of it and not something it isnt.. sorry about your kitties.. at least you gave them a chance.

 

[DeanS]

Being a city gal, I can't even imagine these things. There are no dogs or cats ever roaming our streets. I feel so bad when I hear things like this. I can't imagine putting my dog or cat outside to fend for himself, and taking off.

Terry...you've never seen a raccoon or a coyote emerge from Central Park? It's teeming with them...and I don't mean the ones at the zoo

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I have raccoons and the neighbors dog fights with them almost nightly. I live in a semi rural area and I sure would love for someone to come sit on my roof and get the dog that's crapping on my lawn. I am a true Californian who wants a vivid green lawn. Even one handed I mow my lawn myself and yesterday there were 5... count'em FIVE piles of dog crap on my beautiful green lawn. There's a hedge between the street and my lawn, so I figure someone is letting their dog out at night to do it's duty and they are too lazy to take it out and pick up it's mess cuz it's raining now. It makes me so mad.

Teri, I am so sorry about your kitty. That's a pretty sad story...

 

[RV's mom]

Thank you maggie and everyone for your comments. I can only hope that the remaining 3 stay close to home and away from the street, or other yards where there are dogs . . .

I never see these guys, or hear them, even when I'm in the garage throwing pottery. granted I have the radio going, but you'd figure dogs traveling in the 'hood would be greeted with other dogs barking at them. I've never seen coyotes in the neighborhood, altho we're close to south mountain and I know they've been seen up in scottsdale and other areas. If a coyote got him, I'd wager there wouldn't have been anything left - he would have made a handsome meal. Crappy dogs.

 

[Isa]

That is so sad

 

[terryo]

Being a city gal, I can't even imagine these things. There are no dogs or cats ever roaming our streets. I feel so bad when I hear things like this. I can't imagine putting my dog or cat outside to fend for himself, and taking off.

Terry...you've never seen a raccoon or a coyote emerge from Central Park? It's teeming with them...and I don't mean the ones at the zoo

No one I know ever saw any, but I've heard of them being there. The laws are very strict here about dogs without leashes on. You never see a dog or cat roaming the streets here. I live in a residential area in the suburbs. You get a fine if you don't pick up your dogs poop and if you leave your cat out, you can expect trouble from your neighbors. There are lots of deer here in the woods now. People say that they are swimming over from Jersey. No wild cats or dogs though. That's very sad about the cats.

 

[harris]

When I lived in South America we were in the house at dusk, without fail. That's when the packs of dogs would come out and "patrol" the neighborhood. They would annihilate anything they came across.

These days I live next door to a park, so I have abandoned cats EVERYWHERE on my property because I feed the birds.

 

[RV's mom]

We have a population of feral kitties. The kindest thing is to trap,spay/neuter and release. No more baby kitties and the mouse population (lizards and birds too, sadly) are dinner. We do feed them to try to keep the birdies safe - I think we collect ferals because we feed the birds.

g'day!
teri

 

[Candy]

I am so sorry this happened to the cat that you tried to help. Nature sucks sometimes.

 

[moswen]

i'm sorry for your loss, i hate killing anything, even spiders, but dog packs are ruthless, and that cat was your pet, feral or not. i don't know that i wouldn't be sitting next to you on your rooftop if that happened to me, but that must be my rural upbringing too! my mom used to keep a pellet shotgun in our coat closet because our neighbor's lab would come harass our pet pig...