Urgent - dangerous dogs - please read
 

TOTVers,

This morning a pair of large dogs, possibly boxers (one brown/white, one white) mauled and killed a cat in our neighborhood in Bonita. The cat was tethered outside behind his house.

Community Watch is looking for the dogs and the police have been notified.

Please keep all small pets indoors and be on the lookout for the dogs. If you see them, please call 911.

Thank you!

Kate

Please, keep us updated, katezbox. That is scary and very tragic. There are many, many children in TV because of the holiday. My heart goes out the cat's parents.

Invisable fences
 

This is one of the reasons I urge people to reconsider invisible fences. While they keep you pet in, they do not keep other animals out.

I am so sorry to hear this, and I hope they ensure that the dogs no longer roam free. But, I have to say that I feel the owners hold most of the responsibility. Tethering a cat outside in florida is beyond insane. There are countless natural predators all around, never mind loose dogs. Very sad lesson to learn the hard way.

Re Dangerous Dogs
 

So sorry for anyones loss of a pet... But I agree with you Quirky3..Why is a cat tethered and why are dogs allowed to roam freely.. Neither sound like wise things to do because Things Can and Do Happen.
Owning 2 dogs and contemplating a move to TV's.. I do not want my dogs running freely nor do I want to encounter someone else's freely roaming pet..Not knowing the dogs involved I suspect they are not vicious dogs but encountering something that can not flee the area is something beyond temptation for most dogs. My wife and I lean towards the CYV because we want safety for our dogs and not having to expose them to others for chance of an unknown intruder such as this..I hope that loose dogs in any of the Villages is not a big issue to worry about. Again my sympathies to all involved with this tragic and preventable loss.

Thanks Kate for the head's up. In the three years I've lived here I've never encountered a stray dog. I'm so sorry for the cat's owner. People who move here are not aware of the dangers an unaccompanied pet can face such as coyotes, birds of prey, alligators and the most dangerous of all, sick people who kidnap animals for various reasons to gruesome to mention.

What a sad story! I feel so badly for the cat owners never suspecting anything like this to happen. There needs to be a clampdown on dog owners allowing their dogs to be unleashed, even in their own yards. I found out that this not allowable either even if you have an invisible fence. I was told that these fences are not approved by The Villages. If a person is reported for having their dog off leash, it could escalate to Animal Control seizing the animal. This came from a Community Standards meeting or whatever it's called. Community Standard # is 751-3912.

I been here for 10+ years and have seen two dogs running free. In both cases the owners were in hot pursuit. So roaming dogs are not a problem in TV. As to stopping owners letting their dogs run loose in their yards, good luck...........

You said it just the way I would, Duffysmom.

Never have seen a stray dog, never would let my cats outside. Wonder if they were pitbulls? Even Nonie who loves all living creatures says to be aware of the danger they can pose.

There are a few dog owners who have let their dogs to roam. They generally do it very early in Ihave been confronted by a pack of dogs twice in my life in two different states. It is not a pleasant experience

Oh dear, this is a horrible, horrible story. Poor Kitty. Please supervise your pets when they're outside. There are coyotes and feral animals in TV. As to letting dogs run free, that is irresponsible.

c'mon....there are not coyotes running wild throughout the villages! thats a little dramatic statement to make.

I'm with you on that one, Gracie. Our 2 cats have NEVER been outside. One of them runs the other way when the front door is opened. And the sight of a UPS truck - WOW - you wanna see him run !

Wrong, I saw one with my own eyes in the Village of Bridgeport at Lake Miona.

P.S. I passed an alligator IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET in Bridgeport at Lake Sumter, riding on my trike. I don't know which of us was more startled.

I didn't say "there are coyotes running WILD THROUGHOUT TV"!! Please don't misquote me.

But yes, there have been coyotes seen in TV. Usually near Preserve areas. I doubt any have been seen in densely populated areas. I've seen feral cats living on the golf courses. It is dangerous to tie a small pet outside.

coyotes
 

I don't know why coyotes wouldn't be in TV. They seem to be everywhere in the last couple of years. They are commonplace in our neighborhood of late.

Returning from the airport late at night I saw two coyotes at the corner of Colony Plaza and Morse Blvd.

Kate,
My heartfelt condolences to your neighbors on the loss of their beloved pet. Thanks for the heads up.

In Chicago??

Coyotes
 

Yep.... Two doors down from our house and down the block. Never saw them until the last couple of years.

Other people have reported them hovering around their dogs when they have taken them out.

http://triblocal.com/glen-ellyn/comm...-with-coyotes/

Dangerous dogs? In this instance, of course. But I think they did what is typically natural for dogs to do (attack a cat), especially with two of them together. If they find the dogs' owner, he/she should be severely fined and suffer the heaviest consequences Florida law allows for letting the dogs run wild. I wouldn't want to see the dogs be put down for this attack. It's the owners fault, not the dogs. Of course it's possible the dogs are wild and don't have an owner. In that case, I think they perhaps should be put down if caught since I'm not certain they could be rehabilitated.

I find the cat owner at most fault. How stupid is he/she for tethering a cat alone outside in such an environment? With all the possibilities (gators, snakes, red ants, fleas, feral cats, hawks, dogs, etc) in Florida, STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPID! I am so angered over the thoughts of this poor animal suffering. I don't care if your cat used to roam free in your old neghborhood. You were STUPID! I wish someone would tether you in your back yard for a few hours.

I expect to be verbally attacked by many for this post. So be it. :boxing2:

Relax Mick, Stupid is very strong, breath son. I'm sure Mom and Dad of the kit that was killed are suffering plenty. Really, they probably put puss out everyday and it was good. It made me sick too. I would like to meet you and talk about feelings for other humans. If you want to box. Bring the gloves and some Southern manners.

Sadly, my neighbor had the kitty tethered outside while walking her dog and another doggy she was pet sitting. As many have said, roaming dogs are rare in TV, and the kitty had places to hide from raptors, but not dogs. Please think twice before you blame the victim.

Blame the Victim?
 

The ultimate victim here is the cat. Owners must shoulder responsibility for their actions and hopefully learn from them - Both the owners of the dogs and the owners of the cat. It angers me when people fully blame the dogs and consider the cat's owners the victims. They created their own tragic situation. They can always get another pet, but poor kitty's 9 lives are over forever. Shame on them, and pity on them.

I came across a coyote two days ago when I went for my night walk. Also, there is a very active hawk in Bonita area. He has made several dive bombs at the doves in our back yard.

I saw a coyote too, as did two of my neighbors on Havana Trail in Hadley.

We have merged the two threads into one under the General Villages discussion where it more appropriately belongs since it is a general villages warning and not a specific pet care issue.

We really discourage duplicate threads as it becomes difficult to follow the chain of replies and makes future searches less accurate.

I have also removed or edited posts that reference multiple threads.

Thanks for your understanding.

Coyotes
 

I saw one running across one of the Lopez golf courses about two months ago. He crossed BV right in front of me. A couple days later I asked my vet. she said that the other vet in the office exercises in Calumet and has also seen them. Someplace on the net, a photographer posted pics of coyotes in Lake county.
I also read that they are a problem for farmers around Tampa.
Yup,they are here.

I remember reading on this board about coyotes a couple of years ago and then did some research. I would say that is one of the reasons we bought a CYV with it's privacy fenced yard, because I'm not too keen on taking a dog outside in the darkness late at night. It's also one of the reasons I continue to read this board.

All of us agree putting a cat outside tethered up is the wrong thing to do. Dangerous dogs? No, they were just doing what is nature to a group of dogs.

Of course, the dogs should not have been running loose.

Enough neglicence on both sides here.

Keep the dogs inside and walk them on a leash. Keep your cats inside ALL THE TIME.

As for coyotes, they are not going to attack you. Chances are you will never see one but it will most likely be at dawn or dusk if you do. If your little dog or cat is tethered outside, that is an easy snack.

If I may ask a question. Would a cat be safe in a court yard? That is one reason we are really liking the CYVs.

I would have to guess and say a cat would NOT be safe in the courtyard of the villa. I have owned cats who could jump very high and they will find their way out if given a chance.

If they did escape the courtyard, chances are you would never see them again. For all sakes, keep the kitties inside the house.

The problem with that is there is about a 4" gap under the gate to your backyard, I would think most cats could slip under that.

Yep, noticed that when we were looking. Had a plan for that.

Screened in Lanai
 

Cats would love a screened in lanai - the best of both worlds. Interesting and safe. Eagles and hawks could easily snatch up a cat from an open back yard.

Our two cats love our lanai. Love it, love it, LOVE it. They believe with all of their furry hearts that the porch furniture was placed there just for their naps. and the geckos for their entertainment, and the birds to watch and to listen to....just for them. Both of them.:wave:

Cats can jump!
 

I was at a friend's home recently.....and as I sat there, I saw one of their kute katz jump from the floor.....to the counter....and THEN from the counter to the VERY high top of the cabinets. I couldn't believe my eyes! I bet this cat could easily jump over a fence in a villa......no problem!

Oh yes.......cats can jump!

Coyotes have been sighted in Central Park NYC. They are smart and cunning as well as skilled hunters;
they can survive in most enviornments eating vermin.

_________________
We bought a courtyard villa so that we could let our cat go outside at night. We leave the lanai door slightly ajar so he can let himself back into the lanai when he wants to. I feel that he is very safe and he has never attempted to "jump the wall". They're too high for him. :-)

These dogs also growled at another neighbor - a two legged one. Sorry, but dogs do not "automatically" attack cats. Or, if you have proof that they do, please provide references.

Also, why would you say coyotes won't harm people, but will harm animals? What about children?

Why do so many on this forum have to blame someone? Why can't you feel sympathy for a pet lover who left her kitty in her yard with a villa wall in the rear and neighbors close by - nowhere near a main road?

PTurner leads by example....