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By Sue Staton
Guest Columnist
A few years ago I wrote about cats. I was not referring to the Kentucky Wildcats ball teams when I wrote the article. I wrote about what a problem people have with their neighbors’ cats.
They can love their neighbors to pieces but have a problem with their cats. I remember soon after I wrote that article that I had several people tell me they were so glad I wrote it. I have decided to write another article about the cat invasion problem in people’s neighborhoods. That is what it is. It is an invasion of people’s property. Cats have a roaming instinct naturally.
In my opinion, there should be a cat law the same as a dog law. Dogs are not allowed to roam all around the neighborhood without a leash or someone with them. It is my opinion cats should not be allowed to, either.
There is nothing more disgusting than to walk out into your backyard and step in cat poop. It is also a disgusting thing to be pulling weeds out of your flower beds only to realize a cat has been in there. Another problem is the smell of cat urine around your shrubs. It is almost embarrassing to invite someone into your house with that odor at the door. I am not sure who penned this quote but I read it somewhere. “In a cat’s eye, all things belong to a cat.” Most cats have an owner and are not alley cats out Tom catting around.
I remember one night being afraid to get out of my car thinking some weird animal was in my back yard. I called my husband who was watching television inside the house to come see what kind of animal was in the yard. When he came out the door the largest cat I think I have ever seen jumped over the fence. He laughed, but I found no humor in it. I became a “scaredy-cat” that night. He has not found the humor in cats at times either and has not been happy with them the same as me.
Unfortunately, that is not the only cat that inhabits my back yard, front yard, and side yard nightly. There about four cats that come visiting. I have learned from several others I am not alone, and they do not know how to handle their cat situation with their neighbors.
People are letting their cats out and letting them wander aimlessly in their neighbors’ yards.
While we are worrying about our neighbors, it does not seem as though our neighbors are worrying about us. They know full well where their cats are going at night, and because their cat is their beloved pet, it is OK to them.
If you own a cat or animal of any kind, it is your responsibility to take care of that pet yourself. If your neighbor wanted an animal they would have their own. I cannot think of anyone I know who wants someone else’s animal on their property doing anything, especially not using the bathroom in their yard.
Living in a subdivision is no place to let a cat roam the neighborhood. One would think common sense would work, but so far it hasn’t. I have yet to hear anyone calling, “Here, kitty, kitty!”
A lady named Nan Porter wrote, “If a cat could talk, they wouldn’t. I have a feeling they would be in a lot of trouble if they did.”
I guess one could load the cats up out of their yard and take them to an animal shelter for it to be their problem and not ours. I, for one, do not want to get scratched and have another problem to deal with. It is a temptation, though.
I am not a great cat lover because of how much they shed, and the fact that I am very allergic to them. My oldest daughter loves cats, but she keeps hers in her basement and it does not roam the neighborhood. If you live on a farm where they can roam it is great, but please think of your neighbors if you live in town or in a subdivision.
In closing, I just want to say, “Please keep your cat out of my yard!”