accidentally leave a bucket of bleach water out by the trash...ooops

" We're genuinely concerned that the missing cat may be injured or dead because of something we didn't witness that the boy or dog may have done; that's why I (we) really appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks again"



It's also quite possible that the missing cat

1. Got hit by a car on the road
2. Got into a fight with another cat/racoon, possum, skunk, etc
3. Wandered into someone else's house who doesn't realize that
the stray cat already has a home


As far as cats baiting dogs....we have the invisible fence and my neighbor's cat knows exactly where the boundary is. Heck, even the squirrels know it

re: cats baiting dogs....I've known two cats (identically marked Siamese) who would gang up on a neighbors dog. One go down 3 yards and get the dog to chase her home. The other one would hide in the hedge and ambush the dog (jumped on his head biting and scratching for all he was worth) when they ran by. This game was almost a daily occurence...for MONTHS. Until the dog's owners finally put up a fence around their backyard. The cats would still go down there and annoy him, but he could no longer give chase.

It works both ways at our house, the dog will bait the cats and chase them, then the cats will gang up and chase her, for them it is a game with no intent to hurt each other. When I was growing up we had this huge male tomcat that was the neighborhood bully, he was not afraid of cats or dogs and chase a many off, but he stayed beat up all the time. I guess that came with the territory.

Do any of you have sand boxes that your kids play in? What do you think stray cats do to sand boxes???

I hate to say it, but that will get you nowhere. The "agency responsible for enforcing the law" won't be bothered by something this small. MOML was bitten by a dog last year, and the "atuhorities" didn't even quarantine the non-vaccinated, non-licnesed dog. And we do have a leash law.

I think talking directly to the kid is a better option. That, and a can of pepper spray.

Oh, Nan, you need to move down south. I got bit by a dog when running (after the owner said don't worry, he don't bite). I went to the hospital for stitches and shots, they called the police for me, dog was put down. and the people had to pay my hospital visit...

cats baiting dogs: my boyfriends cat (it's actually his daughters) came to stay with me during the ice storm. She was about 8 months old then. My rat terrier (a timid scaredy cat) is a house dog. He had his new reindeer chew toy laying in the middle of the living room floor and was tossing it around playing with it while I was watching tv. The cat was in a chair watching the dog. The dog got tired and came and laid on the couch with me. The cat waited a minute and then got up and slowly walked towards the reindeer...maintaining eye contact with the dog the whole way and when she got up close to it she just put one front paw on it like she was saying "mine".

Of course, the second she touched it the dog jumped off the couch and chased her down the hall. As soon as they were out of sight the dog yelped and came running back down the hall to me with the cat chasing after him.

I wish I had caught it on video.

I don't have pets, so can someone tell me why I am picking up doggy doo doo out of my yard? Sometimes the adults are just as irresponsible as the kids are. IMO if your cats are in your yard, the dog that is not yours, has no right to come into your yard and chase your cats. It does not matter if your cats are on leashes or not, they are in YOUR yard. It sounds like both the kid and the dog need some manners! (and the step dad too!)

I can tell you why...because a dog pooed there. If you know whose dog it is, have the conversation with them. If not, nothing you can do

In Florida, we have a canal where a number of boats dock. One family always walked their dogs on the grass in front of the boat docks and left the poop. I found out that several boat owners scooped the poop in a bag, and left it on the door step of the dogs' owner. I guess after several bags, they got the message. Either they are picking it up or they aren't walking the dogs there anymore.

i thought you were going to tell us that they chained their dog up and an alligator ate it...

It has been known to happen to those ankle biters, er, smaller dogs!

There's a reason we Southerners call small dogs either "gator bait" or "punting dogs" (they're football shaped for a reason!).

Interesting update - we learned yesterday from another neighbor that the teenager set, or helped set, a small fire in the woods behind our house, shortly before we noticed that one of our cats had disappeared.

That cat, and another cat that had been visiting, have not been seen since.

Since we confronted the teenager and his stepfather, neither has been close to our house, with or without the dog.