cat

[fuyan]

My neighbors are complaining that I let my cat run free. I can understand that in certain circumstances. For example, the combination of running cats and sleeping newborns in yards. Since this is not the case anymore, I really have some difficulties to understand these people. I do not like dogs, but I do not really mind seeing dogs everyday or even dogs barking at me sometimes. I can hardly imagine this kind of compliants in my own country. Could somebody send a pointer on the regulation on cats in Finland?

[Pursuivant]

hunting law says a wild cat can be shot as vermin

[fuyan]

My neighbors know that it's a pet, so this article cannot be applied.

[Pursuivant]

as long as its not in your yard it can be applied... by trapping and the animal control takes it...

and then theres of course cars and foxes and owls and hawks and such.

[sammy]

IIRC the law does not specifically state that you'd need to keep your cat on a leash, but still you are a) responsible for it's well-being (as you have taken it as a pet)* and b) responsible for any possible damage it does if you let it roam free. In practice this mean that you should not let it roam around, unless it's on your own private yard/land and you are 'watching it' all the time.

Regardless what the rules and the norms in this issue may be in your home country, I'd advise you to not let your cat go out unattended. For the reasons above, plus also because you can't decide over the 'rights' of your neighbours merely because you happen to like cats and they (probably) do not. If your neighbours do not want your cat to roam around on their property, why shouldn't you simply respect that?

Pursuivant, I don't think it's lawful to harm a cat that's someone's pet. If I remember correctly what you said is only true IF the animal is truly "gone wild" (ie has no owner). Although... it can of course be hard to tell...

*) regardless of the fact that cats are resourceful animals, you are -in the eyes of the law- abandoning it if you let it run free unattended. There's a related police answer here (only in Finnish though)

[Mölkky-Fan]

Cats are allowed outside, but not in certain places such as childrens play areas etc. (which is reasonable because sand pits must appear to be litter trays from heaven)

Do not think yourself on your own, we have the same problem, and some others on this forum have mentioned this... we had an old lady complaining (even more when I pointed out that her dog did a cr@p on our garden and she did not pick it up)... so we now keep our cats inside most of the time. As she wrote a letter to us where she said that all our neighbours were complaining about the cats (unsigned, but I asked her later if she sent it) I even did a small anonymous survey of our neighbours, and ALL said that they liked out cats and had no problem with them... but it just takes one complainer to cause grief!

I contacted Vantaa council and they confirmed that cats are OK to be out as long as they can be kept clear of schools, play areas etc. I also suggested that wooden lids on the sand pits would be a good idea, which did not go down very well

I think Finland has some strange attitudes towards certain animals, maybe some will remember the idiotic idea of Vantaa to ban feeding birds over the winter to prevent bird flu! Protect the birds from bird flu by starving them to death

[fuyan]

I think to let the cat roam free occassionally is better for their well-being than locking them inside all the time. As in my case, I do not see real dangers to the cat himself when he roams free.

The cat might cause damages like ruining my neighbors flowers. If that is the case, sure I can compensate and rethink whether the money should be used in a better way for the cat, like more expensive cat food. This is just like I have to compensate when I drive a car and cause some damage to other people. I already mentioned when one of my neighbors had a newborn grand child, I always kept the cat inside or had him on a leash. But it's another story that people do not want to see cats simply because they do not like cats.

Cats are smart but not smart enough to understand that they must keep away from certain areas like play grounds I wonder why people are so untolerate to cats. Do dog lovers themselves like marks and smells of dog pisses on snow in winter?

[sammy]

Yes, you're right Mölkky-Fan... there always seems to be at least one person in the neighbourhood that has a black belt in complaining But then again, I still think that letting your pet go free is sort of rude towards those neighbours that genuinely do not like strange cats to roam around on their property/yard, I can't see why this should too become an issue of "what the law says"... I mean, some people may complain just for the sake of it, which is silly, but some people may sincerely mean it. And unfortunately it's not for you or me to decide whether our neighbour genuinely dislikes cats, or is just being an idiot. Even cat-owners (or whatever pet it is, dog, alligator, boa constrictor, possum, llama, cow, stingray, moose, banana fly) need to compromise, they can't expect that only their neighbours should do so because "My Pet is The Most Wonderful Thing Ever". After all, at the end of the day the neighbourhood 'belongs' to the people, not to their pets.

[fuyan]

I still think that letting your pet go free is sort of rude towards those neighbours that genuinely do not like strange cats to roam around on their property/yard

Well, I think it's also rude to me that idiots forces me to see their faces now and then. May I ask them to do something about their faces?

[Rosamunda]

One other reason why many Finns do not like cats is because they terrorise the local bird population. Finns are avid bird watchers and nearly every Finn I know with a garden or even a balcony puts out seeds for the birds in the winter. Cats frighten the birds away. Most Finns would rather have birds in their gardens than cats; a lot of people get a great deal of pleasure from simply watching the birds feed close by.

And BTW, in our area, the council periodically sets traps for the supikoira.... a cat could easily get caught in one of those traps, so be careful if you are letting yours roam free.

[sammy]

I still think that letting your pet go free is sort of rude towards those neighbours that genuinely do not like strange cats to roam around on their property/yard

Well, I think it's also rude to me that idiots forces me to see their faces now and then. May I ask them to do something about their faces?

I honestly think you can, if they do not wear a leash and repeatedly come onto your yard and start stalking birds, after taking a dump in your flowerbed Hmm. I don't think you really understood...

[fuyan]

One other reason why many Finns do not like cats is because they terrorise the local bird population. Finns are avid bird watchers and nearly every Finn I know with a garden or even a balcony puts out seeds for the birds in the winter. Cats frighten the birds away. Most Finns would rather have birds in their gardens than cats; a lot of people get a great deal of pleasure from simply watching the birds feed close by.

This is really a question of tolerance. Suppose I hate birds, do I have rights to ask such bird-loving-neighbors stop doing that?

[sammy]

This is really a question of tolerance.

It is not the same thing, remember we are talking about pets. Not about truly independent wild animals... squirrels, birds, hedgehogs... sorry but they have a green card in these "neighbour's opinion" issues.

Mind you, for example in our house it is forbidden to feed birds on the balconies. I'm not sure why this is so, but it isn't that hard to feed birds elsewhere...

[fuyan]

This is really a question of tolerance.

It is not the same thing, remember we are talking about pets. Not about truly independent wild animals... squirrels, birds, hedgehogs... sorry but they have a green card in these "neighbour's opinion" issues.

Do you relaly think there are really difference? Suppose I am alergic to birds, and I suffer when birds are in 10 meters to me, perhaps I have to spend money to visit doctors, but my bird loving neighbors still keep alluring birds near my home to make me suffer, do I have rights to ask them to stop doing that? I think I have. But I don't, if simply because I do not like birds.

[Iseult]

Do you relaly think there are really difference? Suppose I am alergic to birds, and I suffer when birds are in 10 meters to me, perhaps I have to spend money to visit doctors, but my bird loving neighbors still keep alluring birds near my home to make me suffer, do I have rights to ask them to stop doing that? I think I have. But I don't, if simply because I do not like birds.

You're fighting a losing battle here mate. Your point above could have some relevance if it were a case of you being allergic to birds and a neighbour periodically allowing his/her pet bird to fly into your yard/house. Wild birds are no-one's responsibility. Pet cats are. Hey, if you hate birds so much, you can always shoot them...

I'm a cat owner myself and I would never let her roam free, not in a million years. Not even at mökki where traffic etc. are nonexistent. She likes to take walks on a leash sometimes, but there are just too many dangers out there for a cat to be on its own.