I agree completely. Animals should be kept on the owner's property, or else the owner should face consequences (a fine, the animal taken away, etc.) I don't understand why absolutely all other animals - dogs, chickens, cows, etc. - need to be contained in some way on the owner's property, but cats get a free pass. There's nothing special about cats that should make them exempt. They are not entitled to complete freedom. I love cats, don't get me wrong, and I have one, but she stays in the house. We find cat poop and pee in our children's sand box regularly, and then I have to throw all the sand out and wash the sandbox, and even then it's hard to get the smell out! It's disgusting. The box has a lid, but kids are kids - sometimes they'll forget to close it. Managing somebody else's cat's feces shouldn't be my responsibility. I have seriously considered trapping cats that come into our yard and taking them to the local shelter. Now that I see I'm not the only one, maybe I'll actually do it.
And yeah I haven’t been super thrilled about cleaning out my tomato beds this summer. Probably a good thing I didn’t have time to plant lettuce, carrots, and such this year. 
And do what? You have a right to sh!t-free tomatoes more than that cat has a right to wander. He's very cute, I'm sure the pound can find him new owners very quickly. The pound can help you out and tell the owners that if they don't keep him in and he keeps ending up in their care, they'll give him to more responsible owners. Pounds and shelters are usually great supporters of keeping cats indoors, as a preventative against what brings cats to them in the first place - people leaving them out to wander where they reproduce uncontrollably and/or cause trouble. When we adopted our cat from the local shelter, they gave us an enthusiastic lecture on why we should keep her indoors, and we did. The local pound/shelter is your ally.On the other hand people have very strong opinions about letting their cats wander, might just cause them to double down.
Amen Sista, or brotha! I am so glad that where I am the owners keep them in or the coyotes eat them.
Anyway there was a debate on NextDoor (I know, I know) recently about this topic, I thought it’d be fun for you guys to see some of the mindsets around here lol. Though there are dissenting voices! And you guys are pushing me to take the friendly kitty to the Humane Society. He’s currently napping on back porch while I cook dinner.
Wow... well... I'm sure Idaho is lovely, but I don't think I could live there. The friendly kitty deserves a more responsible owner. Look, he has even positioned himself right next to the carrier - you won't have to do muchJeeze, I’m jealous of the culture around cats where you guys are! In suburban Idaho, some people still haven’t got the memo that they shouldn’t let their dogs roam. When I moved into my neighborhood last year I found a very lovely GSD on my way to work. Walked him back home and the owner said they just open the front door every morning to let him roam the neighborhood. His house was maybe a block from a busy road…. A lot of people have an idea around here that if an animals dies wandering then you just get a new one or that it is cruel not to let them roam.
So, super fun morning and my coworkers are having to deal with a busy day without me there.
