Wandering Dogs Killing Wandering Cats

Wandering dogs are killing wandering cats. It is all our fault. How do we feel about causing this pain and distress?

Cat attacked by feral dog

Wild dogs UK killing cats

It does not matter on which side of the Atlantic you live, feral dogs or wandering domesticate dogs, are a danger to outdoor cats, including, of course, feral cats. But how big a problem is it?

We hear a lot about feral cats and the “health hazard” they represent to us but I don’t recall seeing much about feral dogs and the ongoing raw danger they represent to people and their outdoor cat companions.

The problem of roaming feral dogs, or domesticated but out-of-control dogs, killing cats and being a danger to people appears to occur with similar regularity in the UK and USA based on press reports but that is misleading. The law in the UK curbs irresponsible dog ownership.

There was a recent case in Cleveland, USA. It is not known if the dogs are truly feral or wandering pets.

In attacks that occurred in Cleveland, Ohio, a pack of three or four dogs were the culprits. They roamed and killed – we are told 15 cats so far. They killed cats without an apparent motivation to eat but simply to kill. One of the cats was living in a shelter and was dragged from it and killed. The dogs appear to be well fed and outdoor domestic dogs. They were a variety of breeds: Doberman and Labrador for example.

Pet dogs killing cats

Killer pet dog

In a similar story across the pond, also from October 2014, a pack of three “wild dogs” have been roaming around the town of Strood in Kent, UK. One resident said the dogs looked like hyenas. She was referring to the coloring and markings. They are much smaller than a hyena. They are probably more like the African wild dog. These dogs appear to be genuinely feral and I wonder if they are African wild dogs.

You only need to watch the first 30 seconds on this video to see the dogs but the attack on a cat takes place towards the end I believe:

The same gang of canine killers had killed earlier. The first attack was on a black cat named Coco, a much loved companion. In all, seven cats have been killed on this housing estate.

“Coco was a one in a million cat who we’ll miss so much. They (the dogs) may well go for a child if they are hungry enough – they pose a big threat.” (Amanda Tye, 32, Coco’s owner).

On both occasions the authorities did not find the dogs to capture them. This is probably one of the problems: how to track the dogs down, capture and if necessary euthanise. Then there is the wider issue of stopping these events happening through improving dog ownership.

The problem as I see it a double whammy: irresponsible cat and dog ownership. All cats should be kept in until the problem is resolved.

24 thoughts on “Wandering Dogs Killing Wandering Cats”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. The message is don’t kill cats.

    I was so mad; but, I could never harm an animal and kept reminding myself that hunt and kill is their nature. They really are darling little S.O.B.’s but killers nonetheless. It wasn’t his fault at all. His people kept opening the door and letting him run loose.

    Worse things could have happened to him besides being rehomed. He could have become road kill here (just wondering if the statute of limitations has expired for dognapping. I believe so).

    He has found a very welcoming and loving home where he can run freely and chase all the squirrels he wants. But, HA!Ha! he can’t climb trees.

    I have only seen a couple of free roaming (possibly feral) dogs here in my entire lifetime. That pretty much never happens.

  3. Dogs can be a nuisance barking constantly here but thankfully it’s rare to see one loose outside their own garden. But what I can’t understand is why people don’t take them for walks nowadays, there’s at least 3 in our street who never, or very rarely, get taken out.

  4. What really troubles me are loose dogs. If a cat is loose it might attack another cat. But .. a dog will attack another dog, a cat .. possibly a person.
    It angers me that people abandon pets and just toss them away like trash or leave them to fend for themselves or the horrid things they do to animals (It’s sickening). Man is the worse when it comes to how he treats others .. far worse than any other species (likely combined) in what he destroys or allows to happen through greed, negligence, apathy, lack of caring, indifference, compassion, etc. It may seem harsh .. but it doesn’t make it not true. If people could care about other things … maybe there would be less crime, hatred, and abuse that happens all too frequently. Makes me ashamed to be a part of the human race.

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