May 10, 2005

• While the dog owner does sound reckless and irresponsible, I would very much like to know how the heck they arrived at $30k for the cat.
• We have pet insurance for our cat. It's great peace-of-mind. We don't want to have to make "the decision" if she ever needs $1000 surgery.
• $45k for a cat??? What is this world coming to? Not to be insensitive, but there are so many strays out there that need a home. Did you guys hear about the story where a woman made a clone of her cat from saved DNA? I think it was about $45k or so.
• Nal, why do you say that the owner was "reckless and irresponsible"? I didn't see that from that article. It said the dog was being watched by someone and it broke through a fence.. Before we get too snarky one way or the other on this, we have WAY too little information. We have no clue as to what type of dog this was, what the guy's history of taking care of the dog was, how the dog was trained, etc, etc.. and...why was the cat outside to begin with? just saying....
• Here's a little more info. Not much to add, but we do know that the attacking beast was a chow chow
• SMT...thanks for the links... although that chow chow image is the first hit on google...way too easy! and.. I have to take back the comment above..according to the second article "What makes it worse, Roemer says neighbors and animal control had warned the dog owner many times about his dogs running loose." of course, this is the cat owner saying this.... who knows.. moral of the story..keep the cats in the house where they can't eat the birds and the dogs can't eat the cats...otherwise just turn on the Lion King, listen to "circle of life" and watch the carnage!
• i forgot to mention that i blogged about your topic on my blog b/c it was interesting. i inserted the html for the trackback, not sure if it works, my first time to try it.
• Welcome to MoFi sMhyla! Monkey No. 3434
• Question to outdoor cat owners, those of you whose cats are always outside: What's the point? I'm genuinely curious. My wife and I were discussing this last night, as our neighbors on either side of our house have a grand total of eight cats that are always outside, and I just don't see the point. You get no companionship or anything from them, but you feed and water them and (I assume) occasionally corral them for a visit to the vet. Otherwise, they're out doing their own thing. In a certain sense, it's just a neighborhood cat that you've chosen to feed. Not like an indoor cat or dog, which you can pet and play with and take naps with and share beer with.
• That pciture of little Yofi's face is breaking my heart, man. I'd be out for blood if a dog attacked one of my cats, for sure, but whether or not I'd sue the owner depends on whether there was any evidence to suggest that he tranied the dog to be a killer. I've personally known people to do things like that. Poor kitty.
• I don't have any pets now, but growing up we had a cat that was outdoors 99% of the time. She was good at keeping the rodent population in-check. I spent a lot of time playing with her outdoors; she would follow me everywhere, even across town. As a kid, I always viewed her as a guardian angel of sorts. Don't think that answers your question middleclasstool. If I didn't live in a giant sprawling metropolis, I'd probably have a trove of rescued cats living outside my home...
• Yeah, I'd say whether you let your cats outside depends on where you live. I have friends who live out the country who have always let their cats outside. One of my favorites of all time, a little tortiseshell named Chopstick, has to be at least 18 now. I could never let my cats outside in my neighborhood, though. I've picked up 3 dead cats from the street in front of my house in the last 2 years.
• Chow Chow's are a notoriously vicious breed. I'm not at all surprised one killed a cat (despite the cute puppy photo).
• Thanks, sugarmilktea. I didn't know that I got a monkey#. Thanks for signing my little black book on my Xanga, I'll keep an eye out for the next MoFi in LA. I'm still kind of a blogger virgin, so I am not sure about all these conferences. There's a BlogHer one next month in Santa Clara, CA too- anyone heard of it? By the way, I corrected my blog to give you credit for the original post. Lastly, I found the link talking about the Texas woman who paid $50k for a clone of her lost kitty.
• Even at the crassest level, the dog destroyed someone's cherished possession that's quite literally irreplaceable (cloning will give you its twin, not it). In that crass way, not very different from the dog destroying the old lady's love letters that her then-beau-later-husband sent her from the front in WW2, or anything else of very high sentimental value. A hefty damage award seems appropriate, especially when the owner has been obviously lax in his responsibilities to control the animal.
• Correction: I meant to thank the_bone for signing my little black book, oops.
• What's the point? I'm genuinely curious. Letting the cat out, Why? Like others have said it really depends on where you live. I have two cats. My black male, Zero, is 7 years old and spent the first 2 years in the country. We now live in a small town on main street. He is very independent and a good rodent killer. He refuses a litter box, and meows at the door to go out side to do his business. No changing that about him, it is the way he is. He uses the doggie door to the backyard to go in and out when no one is home. Yet Zero is a very cuddly kitty, and he spends about 75% of his time indoors with me and my hubsand. My other cat, Brat, is two years old and will not go outside, unless you carry her out. She doesn't like it outside. She uses the litter box and is content to be indoors. I call her my city cat. and she is not so cuddly as Zero. She ignores most everyone about 80% of the time. :) If I lived in the city neither cat would go outside. Well, on second thought, I would have to give Zero to my daughter. He would make a poor city cat.
• Oh, heck, SMhyla, lay back, have a banana, relax and enjoy it. There went your bloggerinity.
• Nal, why do you say that the owner was "reckless and irresponsible"? I did not write that the owner was reckless and irresponsible, but that it sounded like they were. A non-definitive conclusion. Based on the quotes from the article: The lawyer...alleged that Mr Gray's dog had repeatedly escaped in the past and was a known danger...Mr Gray, who has served three weeks in jail and three months under house arrest for animal control violations and my own experience with reckless dog owners, it sounded like he fit the profile to a 't'. The is, of course, always the possibility that the cat owner is a hysteric, and the animal control have it out for him...but that seems like the less likely conclusion given the reporting.
• Chows are often vicious - there are a couple in my neighborhood who are downright scary. As far as the cats indoors/outdoors debate goes, I also have two cats who come & go and yes, it's based on where you live. I live on a quiet street, have a huge fenced yard and a doggie door, so all my animals go in & out as they please. One cat hardly ever comes in, one is half & half. They both come in every morning for breakfast, cuddles and morning naps - and they keep the garden free of voles, which I deeply appreciate.