Creature discomfort
I like dogs and most other animals, but I don’t like cats. Nevertheless, my neighbors make sure that I don’t lack for cat company. I live in the city, and about 10 cats constantly patrol my neighborhood on the hunt for anything they can kill, not because they are hungry, but simply because they can. Your article [“Pet tricks,” Green Living, December 21] fails to note that your cat and all others that are allowed to run free kill not only on their owners’ property but also on their neighbors’ property. My neighbors, like you, seem to feel no responsibility to keep their cats indoors, which is the only way to control them. In my opinion, local government should require cat owners to keep their cats on their own property.
The main reason I don’t like cats is outlined above. My second top ten reason involves cat poop. I don’t know how many times I have found cat poop in my flower beds, especially when freshly mulched. It is decidedly not pleasant to reach to break up a clod and discover that it is cat crap. Be a good neighbor—keep your cats indoors and urge other cat owners to do the same.
Roger Adams
Charlottesville