in your example no government was needed. if govt was involved they may hgave stuck aroubd to fine you for unsafe conditions.
common sense and stewardship is what your neighbor did. unfortunately govt doesn’t always operate that way. but obvious abuse/neglect cases are what this court case was about. hoarders for one. breeders keeping sh1tty conditions. yards fullof dead and dying animals. these are seen by humane officers all the time.
Neighbors have the freedom to be, well, neighborly.
LEOs are in a different class.
Neighbors don’t act in an “official capacity” so need no warrants or “permission” to come over and save your cat out of a tree.
Cops are legally [supposedly] bound by constitutional shackles.