The summer cats disturbs me...I suppose much has to do with culture. Afterall, I don't eat monkeys or dogs and some love the stuff.

As for birds getting eaten..things like that or chickens killed by a pack of dogs...responsibility is that of the owners. Around here, we have "control and leash laws" meaning an animal is under control on the owners property or if off the property is under direct control of the owner.

Dogs, cats and guinea hens roaming free are not under control and the owners face minimal but at least some penalty when the animal "messes up" by our standards. Now for feral animals, wild dogs, etc...the law cannot address the owner and the animal suffers in very much shortened life span, getting taken out by other animals, vehicles, disease or humans. And cat do eat birds.

Our cats very rarely but once in a while catch some critter, as is their nature to do. Still, this is on my property with no free roaming the neighborhood.

The feral population is frankly the creation by people who do not sterilize or prevent "wild in the city mating"...letting the critter run free and at risk of dangers and risk of breeding over and over again.

Most of it still is the social issue, not the pets...rather the folks who want to have pets and not handle that with responsibility. IMHO. : ) Sorry, I have stopped preaching. Just that every cat we have was once in someone else's hands and they didn't handle it well in most cases. The entry showing the animal in a shelter cage(look for that one, not mine) is one example.

So much for this..going on out of here for now. Tom. Thanks. sweet Sheila. Our messages must have crossed in time.

Message edited on: 03/15/2005 19:35