Crime is never much of a concern for most of us, at least until it directly affects our lives.

That’s particularly true for crimes that some folks see as not directly harming anyone — petty thefts and vandalism come to mind.

Those are annoying, even frustrating crimes but in most instances, no real, lasting harm is done.

When we begin thinking of crimes that harm living beings, however, most of us begin to get irate.

Make the victim of those crimes a relatively defenseless creature and the level of anger quickly ramps up exponentially.

In recent weeks, nearly two-dozen cats have been killed. The culprits, presumably, are dogs running loose on the streets of Natchez.

For the people who are hearing about these attacks from arm’s length, the issue isn’t a serious one.

However, for the pet owners whose beloved animals have been mauled, the matter is of utmost importance. Losing one’s pet is an emotional experience.

The cat killings have been going on far too long with far too few answers.

Someone must know whose dogs are responsible, and we urge those people to come forward and contact the police. Clearly, violations of the city’s leash law ordinance are occurring.

We know if this matter gains more attention — from the police and the citizenry — the problem can be stopped.