Martin cat lovers howl over leash law

You can't walk a cat on a leash.

Cats CAN be leashed. I did it to one I found until it's owner could come and get it.

Feral (AKA outside) cats are wild animals and NOT an endangered species. You should be allowed to kill ANY cat that is on your property.

I am so sick of the d@mn3d cat lovers telling ME what I can't do.

Cats stink and cause damage to people's property.

Cats are considered wild animals, just like Lions, Tigers, etc.
Would you want a lion or tiger running free in your yard?
Cats and other feline predators are in the same family and there is no distinction between them other than what people perceive and apparent size. If a domestic or feral cat were the size of a lion or tiger, you can safely bet the cat would be trying to eat YOU and your kids. Cats will kill anything about their size or smaller.

Perhaps cat lovers should be liable for damages caused by any cat (i.e. lets start with a $10,000 tax per cat lover per year and go up from there to immediately pay for any losses or damages incurred). Like scratching the paint on your brand new truck or destroying my enjoyment of my premises with feces and urine smell, etc.
Why should I have to suffer a loss that I incurred because of irresponsible cat lovers?

People, if you want your cats, then by all means have them, but INSIDE YOUR OWN HOUSE, not on my truck or outside stinking up the neighborhood.

And if you have to take them somewhere, then put them in a box or on a leash, just don't 'let the cat out'.

Deal with your problem cats yourself and just keep your mouth shut about it.Just make sure you get rid of the bodys. You all are giving cat owners to much credit, they are blinded and will never see the problem and are immune to the smell.

Susan Thurman wrote:

THE STUDIES
Several studies over the past 50 years have brought important information to light on the true extent of the problem. A University of Wisconsin team, using a radio-collared tracking system, determined that in one year in Wisconsin alone, 20 to 150 million songbirds are killed by rural cats. The study found up to 114 cats per square mile, or 6 cats per square acre, in some areas, which far outnumbers by many times the combined populations of native predators of comparable size, including fox, coyote, ferret, opossum and raccoon.
Another Arizona suburban neighborhood study found that each cat studied committed over 80 kills per year; of these 62% were small mammals, 26% birds, and 11% reptiles. This coincides closely with extensive cat kill studies in Europe, North America, Australia, Africa and at least 22 islands: In general, 60% to 70% of all prey items are small mammals, 20-30% are birds, and approximately 10% reptiles and insects.

"...20 to 150 million" songbirds, eh? I'm an engineer, and if one of the guys who worked for me brought me data with a window that wide, I would know that he either (a) had no idea what he was doing, or (b) was making a guess, hoping that the broad tolerance would help him not be wrong.

The 62% small mammals number needs some explanation also. These "small mammals" are creatures like mice, voles, moles, shrews, rats, and gophers, any and all of which are huge pest problems everywhere they are found. They cause hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of damage every year, and they are in no danger of disappearing. For the record, Mickey is not a real mouse; real mice are NOT cute and cuddly -- they eat your food and then potty in what's left.

Most of the birds on the "kill" list above are not rare or even desirable critters. Sparrows, starlings, and crows top the list. They aren't going extinct any time soon, either.

We see entirely too many statistics like these -- numbers that some "scientist" with an agenda pulled out of his @$$ in order to make some kind of point. Worse yet, we have idiot citizens who vote for even dumber legislators who pass onerous laws based upon these obviously bogus numbers.

If the birds are such a worry, why not leash them? It's no less natural than leashing cats.

America, what has become of thee? God help us.

Seems pellet guns were always a great educational tool for anything that kills the wild birds at my feeder, in my yard.......

There is no reason your cat can not be kept inside if you are unable to contain it outside. I agree leashes are not for all cats. I am also an animal lover, but draw the line when it comes to irresponsible people letting their animals run loose and damage other people's property. Do you know what the replacement cost of a convertible top is? Try at least $2000.00, you go to the nieghbor whose cat is doing it and they just say "oh fluffy does not like to stay inside" and do nothing to reimburse damage. Why should I have to pay for your animals damage? Take responsibility or you don't deserve to care for a pet. This opinion does not even take into consideration the risks for the cat roaming freely.