Well I've never owned a dog and it's eight years since we stopped keeping a cat. The law regards cats differently to dogs because of their solitary, independent and wanderlust nature, and the fact that they don't physically threaten people. They have the right to roam, unlike dogs. Argue that point all you like but that's the way it is. Generally, cats don't defaecate in the street so there's no clearing-up cost or a need for catshit bins. If a cat that isn't yours fouls your garden, the owner is liable under nuisance laws, but you'd have a fair bit of proving to do. The same applies to dogshit in the street: very few prosecutions are made. There could be cost implications for the NHS, true, but infectious cat material isn't anywhere near as all-over-the-place as that coming from dogs. The nuisance in your garden bed is just that, a nuisance, but there's little or no cost involved. You have every right in law to go after the bastard whose cat did it, but good luck with that. As for picking up the dogshit, you are still leaving behind a potentially infected piece of ground which is now far harder to see. There are plenty of grey areas here but at least I don't have a dog (or cat) in the fight. So good to get off boring old Halloween now that All Saints' Day is here and get back to something light 'n' easy... ;-)