I am a self professed dog lover and cat hater. Having got that out of the way let me explain.

We shall ignore the fact that I am allergic to most cats as a by-the-by.

We shall ignore the fact that cats are inherently far more vicious than dogs; that they will claw, bite and attack without reason or warning; that they will destroy your furniture, curtains and clothing (especially male cats) by clawing and urinating.

No my main 'thing' is the fact that what appears to be a vast majority of cats are allowed to roam around their neighbourhood at will using the entire area as their own personal toilet and litter tray.

Admittedly about 40 years ago there were considerable numbers of latch-key dogs. These were quite clearly booted into the street when the owners went to work and allowed to wander around in loose formed packs until they knew their respective owners arrived back when they would all wander off home again.

This seems to be a thing of the past. For what reason I know not as I don't believe that the dog-catcher has anything to do with it.

However cats have always been allowed to roam freely and no one ever seems to give a damn about the mess they cause and the accidents likewise caused by their innate stupidity and attempts to cross the road through teeming traffic.

Dogs are (theoretically) required to wear collars with ID (and most seem to) and, if the government has their way they will all need to be micro-chipped.

I have no problem with this but if it's ok for dogs and their owners to be held responsible for accidents and other damage, then why not cat owners and their charges?

But no.

The majority of cat owners I have ever met seem to believe that their little Tiddles is the most sweetum-deetum little humpling-dumpling in the whole pussycat world. How could we nasty-wasty people think their little precious would do anything wrong? <<Pause to tickle the relevant cat under the furry chin>> Well they do!

I for one (along with most of those in my street) are sick to death of the cats who decide to use our gardens as their dirt box, sharpen their claws on our garden fences and furniture and pee over our property such that it stinks to high heaven.

There are three cats specifically who do that here. One large black clearly over fed beast, a fluffly furry thing with a face that looks like it's been sat on and a multicolour moggy who wanders around like he owns the place.

NONE of these are owned by anyone in the street.

ALL of these defecate and urinate wherever they please.

NONE of them are wearing any kind of identification collar.

Although I will add that I'd rather approach a dog and check it for ID than a cat since every time a cat even claws me I develop a major infection!

I have just paid good money in having some concrete laid in my rear yard. This is laid in an area which the cats normally avoid because it's my dog's area.

My dogs did not need to be blocked from going there while the concrete was still wet because they're sensible animals.

Not so the local cats.

In less than 2 hours the whole area had become pockmarked with cat paw prints. So now it needs to be skimmed over afresh!

I really get increasingly miffed with the constant whining about dogs and dog owners.

Yes some dogs are more dangerous than others. ALL dogs are, after all wild animals that we choose to try to humanise to differing degrees. Some accept it some don't and some are just nasty. I know because I've had one of the last type.

But even my nasty little s*d never wilfully destroyed other people's property or used their gardens as his toilet.

No one would accept it if he had. I'd have been in the doggy-kak as quick as wink.

But cat's can do just what they please and so can their owners.

It's time this inequality between dogs and cats was addressed legally such that cats are required to wear ID so that compensation can be sought from a cat owner in the same way as it can from a dog owner.

It's a nice day and I'm going out to enjoy it - after I've removed the cat pooh I've just noticed in one of my flower beds!