On Wed, 13 Apr 2016 00:05:26 +0100, "Mr Macaw" wrote:
snip
Cats don't dribble saliva everywhere they go,
Nor did any of our dogs.
Most dogs do.
Not the dogs I've mixed with. The breeds that do dribble are often
heavily crossbred (and not my idea of a 'good dog' either).
and tend to have clean paws.
As did our dogs?
Really? You take them for a walk and they come back home with magically clean paws?
They come back in with paws as clean as our feet or a cats paws for
the same surfaces (and often wash them if not clean in any case).
The good thing of course is I've never had a dog do anything like that
(or crap in other peoples gardens) so never had the need for that long
walk.
The only reason they don't crap in other people's gardens is that you take the for a walk and tell them where to do it.
Quite, just as it should be in polite society don't you think?
Why are the needs of a human greater than that of a cat?
Because that is the order of such things. That's why the human owner
would have action taken against them if they allowed their pet to make
antisocial levels of noise, or fouling or anything that affected other
humans.
It's not the type of animal that matters, it's the instruction.
Possibly, however I bet there are far fewer 'well trained' cats than
dogs out there, especially when it comes to when they do when 'under
control'.
Cats **** in flower beds and fertilise them,
I don't have a flower bed. I had a veg patch and do have gravel round
my outbuildings and that's often covered in other peoples pets faeces.
dogs **** on pavements so you stand in it.
Not if they are trained not to (or you clean up after them). If any of
the owners(?) of the cats that use my garden as a toilet knocked on my
door asking to clean their 'pet's' mess up I'd gladly let them.
I've never stood in cat ****.
You have been very very lucky then. I don't do it so often (in my own
back garden, even though I don't own a cat) since I fitted the passive
IR water blaster. ;-)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/PestBye-Repe.../dp/B004YCUT4W
I wonder if there could be a 'cat tax' and these sorts of things could
be paid for out of that?
A 'pet' cat is like having a loose pet hawk and it's only yours just
because / whilst you feed it now and again (when it's not feeding
itself (or just murdering for the fun of it) off the local wildlife).
Not if you teach it to leave birds alone. They can be taught as easily as dogs.
Really? I don't disbelieve what you say but I can't say I've ever seen
it in practice? In fact I can't say I've ever seen a cat reliably (if
ever) respond to any command, unless it involved food.
There you go then, you reward it with food, or more food, or nicer food, when it behaves. And do the opposite when it misbehaves. Yelling at or kicking the cat would also be effective.
Quite. Not having(?) one in the first place would be more so. ;-)
'Tiddles, come here ... ' (cat saunters off in the opposite
direction).
How easy is it to train them to be 'guide cats for the blind', or
'drug / money / cancer sniffer cats'
Sniffing for drugs I do not consider to be useful.
Of course not (see the bit on lobotomies). weg
or 'helper cats around the home'?
https://youtu.be/puYANVYxPys
Sorry, I must have missed the bit where they fetch the mail, turn on
the light or pick up the dropped keys (or warn of a fire, or the phone
ringing ...). ;-)
[1] It's as if you have to have a lobotomy when you take on a cat that
then allows you to consider their wanton vandalism and violent ways
'cute'.
'Awww look, Tiddles just knocked a full cup of tea over my brand new
Apple laptop ... what is he like ...'
They are usually quite careful.
Still more often found 'up on stuff' than most dogs ...
If a dog was up on stuff, it would knock everything over every time.
Correct, and why most 'aren't allowed' to do that, should they ever
want / try to in the first place.
I can't remember ever asking for advice re how to stop any of my dogs
getting up on my stereo. ;-)
I didn't ask for advice, I gave a simple method to stop it.
True. Still, the sentiment still applies. You were telling us what
steps you had to do to prevent your (own) cat from doing things that
most dogs don't.
Just like the neighbours who put spikes or grease on the tops of their
fences, nets over their ponds or make sure they put bird feeders well
away from where cats would get good access to them. WTF should *they*
have to go though all that bother to protect their property from other
peoples pets?
I really hope they push to now get all cats chipped and their DNA
recorded. That way, when I find (yet more) cat cr*p in my back garden
I can get it tested, the owner found and fined. Maybe that might make
them think twice about letting *their* pet cr*p on *other peoples*
property?
You are a reasonable guy and have trained your cat to only use your
garden as a toilet so you would be up for that yes? ;-)
Anyway, I understand why you would (try to) defend your position so
can we leave it at 'Horses for courses'. ;-)
Cheers, T i m