A Moral Dilema

[bj taylor]

i would tell them. i would say "a cat got in our dog run & the dogs killed it." i don't know if it's yours or not.
that way they don't find out the hard way & have hard feelings. they know right up front that the cat made a fatal mistake. it happens. they can't blame you and they can't blame the dogs.

 

[zazouse]

A cat that killed a chicken is even worse but I understand what you are saying. If they had stayed out of the dog run there is no way that my dogs could have gotten them. It almost seems like suicide to me. We did bury them. I don't know. I'm having a hard time feeling badly about this. I'm mostly afraid of upsetting our relationship with the neighbors.

Then there is your answer, keep it to yourself, nothing good can come of it except mabe the neighbor will keep the cats inside which i dought is gonna happen cause an outdoor cat likes it that way most of the time
My neighbor up the road has tons of cats they dissapere all the time, bobs, and yotes would be my first suspect.
The only cats i have ever lost here are onces that were not fixed, happens every single time so i make sure i get them fixed at an early age.

 

[speckledhen]

When cats run loose and disappear, the owner rarely knows what happened- another cat, dog, coyote, fox, raccoon, car, whatever. That is the chance they took by letting that cat run amok.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I've lost several beautiful pullets to a feral cat...who knew. Occasionally around town, when I go in, I see posters saying-have you seen my cat? And i think tsk tsk, why bother...maybe your conscious is bothering you because you haven't lost anything yet, and there is a leash law on cats--destructive little beasties...keep em indoors folks.

 

[ButchGood]

I wouldn't say a word. If he asks about the cats, tell him you saw it getting dangerously close to the dog run a few days ago. My dogs don't like cats that bother the chickens. So you might want to keep it from straying over here. I'd hate to see something happen to it. That's all Id say.

 

[cadams]

When cats run loose and disappear, the owner rarely knows what happened- another cat, dog, coyote, fox, raccoon, car, whatever. That is the chance they took by letting that cat run amok.

x2

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Ok, here is my opinion. Don't tell them!! As far as I am concerned your dogs are in their respectable place. You have taken
the responsible steps to contain your animals and keep them from being a nuisance to your neighbors.

If the neighbors cat jumps the fence and gets into your yard where you have taken deliberate measures to contain
your animals then I would have to say it is the fault of the neighbor to let their animals to be outside roaming.

Anytime you let your animals roam you take the chance that "something" could get them. I would say that your neighbors
are not doing the prudent thing by letting their cats roam in your fenced in yard.

I would not feel guilty. I know that it is easier said than done but you are doing the right thing by containing your animals.
Your dog is just doing his job.

Hope this help.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

No no no, don't 'say' anything, shrug your shoulders and look around, then ask if you have a picture...then say...well, I really couldn't say if I've seen this cat... looks familiar...that's not untrue is it?

 

[GrandmaChickie]

I think it really depends on your relationship with the neighbor. This exact thing happened to us. My neighbor loved, loved, LOVED his cat, and we were the ones who gave it to him!!! (Someone dumped it at my parent's farm, and THEY certainly didn't want it.) Thing is, we have a great relationship with this guy, and so we went and got him and brought him over to get his dead cat. He felt bad, we felt worse, but he didn't blame us, and he didn't blame the penned up dogs. However, if you think your neighbor isn't going to handle this well, if this might cause trouble, well, the other posters are right--outside cats die all the time in amazingly diverse ways.

 

[DelcoChix]

Although it looks like I am in the minority I'm afraid I'd advise a neighborly conversation...one of those honesty/best policy people I guess. If you are pretty certain the second 'victim' belonged to your neighbor you would probably put their mind at ease knowing their cat won't be coming home. You did nothing wrong and had your dog contained--their cat entered the dogs domain. If your neighbor is really attached to their cats they will adjust the way they let them wander..like keep them as indoor pets. Or maybe they won't, and this way they understand the perils of free range felines.
You have no reason to avoid the topic, or hide--that appears like you are guilty of something. For all they know, their kitty is lying hurt in a ditch somewhere...I like my neighbors, like you do, and want to keep on good terms with them...but if they don't have enough common sense to understand you are bothered by this whole thing that wasn't even your fault then I suppose that is their burden to bear, not yours. You did nothing wrong, had your dogs contained, and although it's an awful thing to happen, there's not much you can do to prevent it, short of standing watch 24/7 to keep intruders out...isn't that what your dogs are for? By letting them know what happened you are giving them the opportunity to make sure it doesn't happen again. The burden is on them to prevent future deaths of their pets.

Best of luck whatever you do...tough spot to be in.

PS: I am a cat and dog lover, have 2 dogs, three indoor/outdoor cats--and I understand the many issues with the loose cats (poop in gardens, songbird killers) I also know that they help in rodent management on my little farm....can't hunt much if they are in the house. They are all neutered, get rabies shots, and have food in the garage, and seem to live a long life. If they went to the neighbors and were killed by their dog I would be horribly sad, but would in no way blame my neighbor....that is their yard.