HAWK, drops guinea pig in someone's yard

[chinchillasunde]

We have hawks/owls etc here. Even for out little dogs (4lbs is the smallest) we have to be very careful.
Lids, do , solve that problem.
Of course here, another problem would be venomous snakes. Mainly rattlesnakes, but also copperheads (coral snakes and cottonmouths nearby also).
Regarding cats outside.
Cavies originally were outside running free. Doesn't mean this is safe at all anymore.
Same for cats.
Regardless of those who think cats should be free, this is not safe. If you truly want your cat(s) to live , keep them inside. For cats that have been outside already, this can be hard. But just know that continuing to leave them out is risking their lives everyday.
Urban or rural, cats outside die much sooner. Automobiles run over them, people shoot them or kill them in other ways (poison, bow and arrow, the list goes on), predatory animals kill them, venomous snakes, disease, toxins (anti freeze, eating poisoned rodents-to name a few) .
Unless you have an outside enclosure for your cats (which still leave disease and snakes a possibility), you , in putting them out, are gambling every day with all of these factors.

[fashion victim]

Ugh children are so cruel. You should NOT harm an animal just because it's obeying its instincts. Remembers cats automatically hunt small animals, it's not their fault- they're MADE that way. What the kitty did was wrong but it doesn't justify you being cruel to ANY animal.

[punky3983]

After reading through all these posts, I decided I needed to weigh in. I'm very glad to hear that the pig dropped by the hawk is in good hands and has a wonderful life to look forward to! I do agree that pigs should have time outside, but it ALWAYS needs to be supervised. I keep mine in a pen under a tree so predators flying above are less likely to even spot them. Not only that, but the tree protects them from direct sunlight.
As far as the indoor/outdoor cat issue, I'm of the mind that cats should be kept indoors. I realize that cats are natural predators, but so are a lot of other animals that people keep as domesticated pets. Regardless of the type of pet, I think the owner needs to be held responsible for the behavior of the animal. We have a major cat problem in my neighborhood. Too many people have let their cats roam outdoors. The cats tore apart my garden all summer long and I awoke to find bird feathers all over the yard twice. I've had to clean cat poo from the yard every week. Not only that, but having cats outdoors leaves the cat at risk for injury and disease. If your cat roams outdoors, how do you know what he has gotten himself into/been bitten by during the day?
I also think outdoor cats are a risk for children. A cat that is domesticated, but roams outdoors can be a serious risk to children. These cats tend to be friendly and will let kids approach and pet them, but may snap at any time when a child who doesn't really know how to handle a cat tries to do something it doesn't like. I say this because this happened to a child in my neighborhood. I know that cats contain a lot of bacteria in thier mouths and even one serious bite if not treated properly can lead to serious damage and possibly amputation. I just think that cat owners need to be responsible for the actions of their pets. Letting your animal roam free to damage other people's property or possibly harm other people is not being a responsible owner. Cats do need to be stimulated and kept active, but I don't think allowing them to roam free is the right way to do that.
Don't get me wrong, I think cats are great animals and I would NEVER condone shooting one under any circumstances. That is completely wrong. It is illegal for people to allow their dogs to roam free unleashed or unfenced, and although cats are much smaller, they can be just as dangerous. Keeping a cat indoors keeps the cat safe and keeps others safe as well.