Inddor/Outdoor??

[alexgirl73]

This article appeared in my local paper last night, and has caused quite a furore! What are your opinions?

Cat petition bid splits opinion

A Telford father has divided public opinion after calling for cats fouling his garden to be kept on a lead - with dozens of comments flooding the Shropshire Star website.

Steve Lloyd is set to launch a petition on the Prime Minister’s website and says he is “encouraged” by support for the campaign, which calls for the owners of cats caught fouling private property to be fined up to £1,000.

Nearly 50 visitors to the Shropshire Star’s website have already posted a response to the original story, which was published on Saturday. Mr Lloyd, of Churchway, Stirchley, said he is so frustrated at finding cat droppings in his garden he wants to see moggies walked on a leash.

The father-of-one, 40, now wants people who support his petition to add their names to it when it goes live on the Downing Street website next week.

He said he and his wife Sylke are worried about possible health and safety risks associated with having cat droppings in their garden, which could be picked up by their eight-year-old son, Aaron.

“I am heartened and encouraged by some of the more positive responses,” said Mr Lloyd. “I was not expecting that level of support.

“This is good news, but it does not mean anything unless people sign the petition to get it noticed by the Government.”

But Nikki Cunningham, for the Telford branch of Cats Protection, has criticised the petition, saying it is impractical and could never be enforced.

She said: “I will not be signing the petition - you could never police it properly for one thing. There are so many stray cats and feral cats in Telford and nobody can stop them coming in their gardens.

“Cats are free spirits; they like to roam and they should be able to do that.”

Miss Cunningham said she does have some sympathy for Mr Lloyd’s position and suggested several alternative ways of deterring the cats.

“He could grow spiky plants up the sides of his gardens, or buy a metal black cat from a DIY store or garden centre,” she said. “They have shiny glass eyes that reflect in the dark and act as a deterrent.

“Cats also do not like citrus, so he could try putting some lemon or lime peel down to keep them away.”

Despite this, Mrs Lloyd has found some support from Shropshire Star readers.

Reader Alex Hughes praised his “great idea” and Annie Bufton said it is “fantastic”.

But some users have rallied against Mr Lloyd’s call, John Smith branding it a “ridiculous petition”, while Aderyn described the proposed sanctions as “catastrophic”.

JohnF TCW said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 12:22 pm What next, a petition to petition the petition about cats? Come on, raise a petition that really could make a difference. If a Petition signed by 2 milion people about road pricing will not get any result from the government, you do not stand ‘a cat in hells chance’
of getting a result, get real.

Harold St. John Peasbody said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 12:30 pm Cats are the scourge of all neighbourhoods. It’s time for civil disobedience! This is a call to arms! Let’s rid our fair county of the feline menace!

Abi said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 12:33 pm Thank the lord that the Cat Protection league have been invited to comment on this. As an avid cat lover (with a clean cat who does her business in her own backyard - i must add)I was disheartened to read some of the more cruel comments and was surprised that no-one had thought about the stray and ferral cats in local neighbourhoods.
There are many different ways of stopping cats using your garden as a toilet and Im pleased that the Cats Protection League have dismissed the idea as impractical.


Ian Payne said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 2:34 pm Cats were here long before humans Harold - and yes I am a cat owner and lover !!!!

mike said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 2:57 pm this guy really needs to get a life.
He is “worried about possible health and safety risks associated with having cat droppings in their garden”
perhaps he should be more worried about the crime in stirchley instead of the cat poo

MW said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 2:59 pm This is unreal!!!!! what will we be doing next raising a petition agains Foxes and Badgers!!!! Get a life rings a bell! Must be sad sitting watching cats fouling! This could make people think they have the ‘go ahead’ to hurt Cats! If it bothers you that much move house!



dyan fellows said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 4:27 pm what’s this a call to arms against cats! I’m not a cat lover - even though we own one (my daughter’s)- so my comments are as objective as they get. Who is the bigger nuisance man or cat? Do we fear going out at night because some cat will mug/rape/kill us? Do they drive dangerously on the roads? Cause wars with many atrocities? Are they wiping out other species? causing global warming? effecting the ozone layer? And killing all in the name of religion? pleeeease can we get real and deal with better issues

deedee said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 4:29 pm Cats are the scourge of all neighbourhoods. It’s time for civil disobedience! This is a call to arms! Let’s rid our fair county of the feline menace!

Erm….no lets not, lets worry about the real issues in the world. Maybe focus your energy on positive issues, and helping the community rather than instigate animal cruelty. No MP would take this seriously.

carol cook said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 4:40 pm I totally agree with Steve Lloyd, we have lost valuable Koi from OUR garden, stolen by cats, the net’s to protect them torn by the felines
Both my husband & myself have had our car windscreens & paintwork scratched by cats as well have having them using our garden as a toilet & a mesaage for Peter- it seems you don’t know that much about cats if you think most cats will bury waste,….they don’t

Cat Lover said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 4:57 pm THIS IS A PATHETIC IDEA MAYBE IF STEVE LLOYD CLEANED UP HIS TIP OF A GARDEN THE CATS MAY NOT MISTAKE IT FOR A TOILET!!! ANYTHING TO GET INTO THE PAPERS AS USUAL. IM GLAD HE HAS TIME TO SIT AND POST THIS PETITION AND TRY TO WASTE GOVENMENT TIME WHEN THERE ARE FAR MORE IMPORTANT THINGS GOING ON IN THE WORLD THAN CATS FOULING ON MR LLOYDS GARDEN!!! I CANT IMAGINE EVERY ONE WALKING THEIR CATS ON A LEASH AND TYING THEM UP OUT SIDE THE NEWSAGENTS LIKE A DOG! HAHA
HAPPY POOPER SCOOPERING.


caron walker said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 6:08 pm the sarah payne petition was well worth signing . i would us yours next time i want the toilet. child abusers,murderers, thieves, vandals, drunks are all walking around and you are bothered about cats get a life. cats are more cleaner than some people in this world. do you also realize the problems this could have on your son? when children at his school who have cats may not talk to him anymore and start to tease him.

Anon said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 6:47 pm Should their 8 year old son know he should not pick up cat droppings!!

Fiona Stevenson said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 7:16 pm I can’t believe the publicity this e-petition has received.

I have set up two to help cancer patients and neither Beacon Radio or yourselves have helped promote those.

They are
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Cancer-Travel/
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Cancer-Penalty/

Please help get support for people suffering and not able to move on with their lives as they are unable to obtain mortgages without paying a huge excess for life insurance which most people take for granted. This means they are not able to obtain mortgages.

Most of us work too so should be able to do this as a normal right to life.

Thank you for reading this.

Fee

jim said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 7:48 pm I found a sweet wrapper in my garden the other day, maybe we need a pettition to keep kids on leads to!?
.

I wish all of you anti cat people would get a life and campaigne about things that make a difference such homelesness and hunger to name but a few and dare I say it help reduce crimes within our county!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


sharon said: Jun 20th, 2007 at 10:51 pm my cat says that mr Lloyd is the “sad, nothing better to do man living up the road from us. He should moan about the important issues in life” I can only think that Mr Lloyd has had his prise radishes pooed on.
Mrs Lloyd and tigger


Shelley said: Jun 21st, 2007 at 9:35 am This is ridiculous, you cannot legally ‘own’ a cat. If a driver hits and kills a feline, he is not bound by law to report it,as he would be if it were a dog.Nor does one need a license to own a cat.
By the same token, cat owners cannot be responsible for what their cats do with their freedom, and they are not in legal ownership of the cat, how can you possibly press charges?
What a waste of time.


Whilst I understand that it must be frustrating for My Lloyd, how on earth exactky does he propose that this be enforced? Are we all supposed to lock our cats in (bearing in mind they are roamers by nature) and only carry them outside to let them go to the toilet? Does this mean as Jim says that I too can demand all of the children on my road are kept on a leash as they feel its perfectly fine to use my front garden as a rubbish tip?

[charliebubs]

OMG - I think it's a crazy idea and I agree with some of the comments made.............this man needs to get a life!!!!!!!!

If he feels that strongly about it he could cat-proof his garden to keep them out!!!

Many people live happily with cats and children and litter tray under one roof.

[alexgirl73]

madness isn't it!!

[Moli]

Cannot believe it!!!!I am sure by law cats are what is called free roamers, which means they can go where they like, may be wrong..

[Elaine]

Sometimes I despair of the human race, really I do

[Amber]

What will they think of next ridiculous!

[Mags]

There are some people who delight in having a moan about anything.....and he comes top of the list!

[dandysmom]

It boggles the mind! That man needs to get a life....

[Emm]

this kind of thing makes me want to bang my head on a brick wall!

My next door neighbours who have concrete throughout their garden have told me numerous times that my cats are not even allowed to walk through their garden I have told them that I sat ALL my cats down and explained to them that they are not allowed to walk through that particular garden

If you have a garden its going to attract animals - if you don't like that then don't have a garden!!!!!!! My mum and dad have a great garden they are brilliant gardeners and have had cats all their lives and it has never affected their garden. They also have squirrels, badgers, hedgehogs, foxes birds - all visiting all welcome - isn't that what gardens are all about.

If you don't like wildlife then don't have a garden - simple

[mable1718]

madness i agree