neighbours dont want our cats in their garden

Tropez

I have to admit, I don't particularly care for the cat that comes into my garden from time to time and if I knew who owned it I might explain my concerns to them.

In my case, it isn't the small amount of damage that it has caused (and it has) but more that I am actually concerned what Millie (one of my dogs) might do if she catches it. Being a whippet she has a natural chase-instinct and I have seen her shoot off after the cat before. I like to believe she is just playing as she's never shown any form of aggression to another creature or person but I am worried that maybe one day she'll catch the cat and hurt it in some way, even if she doesn't mean to and personally I don't want that on my conscience.

Furthermore, I have an allergy to cats, although thankfully as I have got older the symptoms of this allergy have died down a lot. When I was a kid being in the same room as a cat caused my breathing difficulties but nowadays the symptoms are irritating more than threatening and it does appear to depend somewhat on breed.

ivylinn

pimento wrote: »

In all my many years of cat ownership, I've never seen one scratch a car...

OP, buy your neighbour a water pistol. Your cats will soon cotton on and give her a wide berth.

I know someone who has had the bonnet and roof of their car quite badly scratched because of their neighbours cats climbing all over it,

I think the main thing people get annoyed about (aside from the poo) is that when a cat causes damage to your property you end up paying out to put it right.

wornoutmumoftwo

I have one cat who doesn't really go further than our garden now as he's an old man (17 - bless him), but when we moved in the woman next door complained about the cats (had 2 back then).

I spoke with her and she told me all her complaints (she has a perfect garden). My little darling was scratching up her fence quite badly, but fortunately not doing his business, so a little netting over the fence solved that one. My advice would be to speak to her, in a friendly manner, find out exactly what your cherubs have done to her garden (if anything) and then try and find a way to meet her half way (cat dererrents), but at the end of the day, I'm sure you won't be the only cat owner in the area.

I built a pond in mine and now have every cat in the area come in to watch the birds having a bath (which annoys me and I love cats).

Regarding my neighbour, she is a moaner. Has a perfect garden, and hates anything that might spoil it.

sharkie

LittleTinker wrote: »

What a nasty, cruel thing to do!!
.....

Why would someone cause severe pain and kill a cat in such a way just because they are fed up with them doing what comes naturally!!????

Cruel!

i did not say kill. electricity has and is used for behavioral training on many animals including dogs, cows horses, and humans

in some countries the indiginous population really prize cats n they taste like chickei am sure you would feel different if a dog was making a mess on your doorstep

heretolearn_2

I think you have to be a bit more sympathetic towards your neighbour, but she also has to accept that cats do roam.

You can't know that they aren't pooping in her garden - I doubt very much any cat out and about thinks 'ooh I need a poo, better go home'. This is really annoying. I love cats, and have several nice local ones who visit our garden and I like to say hello to them, but I get really annoyed at having to pick poo out of the flowerbed they all like to use as a loo, and that area generally smells a bit whiffy. If it annoys me and I like them, it must drive non-cat-lovers nuts.

Could you ask her what is bothering her? Is it poo? Could you offer to go and clean up once a week? If it is scratching/damage, then perhaps there is a solution. And I'd definitely buy her a water gun and let her know it's ok to use it.

Mrs_pbradley936

I have got one of these:
http://www.bestpestcontrol.co.uk/cat--dog-repellers-10-c.asp?gclid=CLzc3cyroKQCFYKY2AodsmkH4Q

they keep cats away by making a noise they dislike. I cannot hear it but some people say they can.

Sooz00

juliethemuse wrote: »

oh hum just forget it , glad i didnt post in the benefits section 'help i have 5 cats and i cannot afford them can i claim anyrhing?'
seriously proc whoever you are,go do one, i aint coming back
*flounces off in temper*:p

I feel quite sorry for Julie – think she was genuinely asking for a bit of advice… what happened?

Proc wrote: »

I'm going to go against what most people are saying here. Yes, they're cats, yes they're hard to train, and no it's not illegal having them wander into other people's property. But, they are a bloody nuisance to people who don't like them. 5 cats is ridiculous. Maybe you should have considered the implications that your 2 cats had on neighbours when you got those? To then get another 3 is stupidity.

People should take responsibility for their pets so that it doesn't impact on other people. If that means not getting pets in the first place then so be it. I'm fed up of people that get pets, then moan about completely foreseeable problems when they've got them.

Idiots.

This seems a bit hostile. Perhaps you’re just trying to wind people up…

It’s unfair to say Julie shouldn’t have her other 3 cats in case they go next door and annoy her neighbour. There are probably things her neighbour has or does that may well annoy Julie.

Yes, some people don’t like cats and find them a nuisance. It would be good if everyone took responsibility for their pets, but that’s another debate and perhaps shouldn’t be restricted to just being responsible for pets. At the end of the day cats may wander, dogs bark, children scream and shout, people rev cars ridiculously, people do work on their houses at strange times of the day/night . I’m sure they all annoy their neighbours – that’s life.

Has tolerance gone out of the window?

juliethemuse wrote: »

oh hum just forget it …. i aint coming back

Julie – if you are still around and you do want to let your cats out, you can get ‘cat net’ which if you are or know someone into DIY, might be able to be secured to the tops of your garden boundaries, depending on what you have between the houses. I'm sure that could be secured in a way that can be taken down if/when you move. Hope that helps.

clairibel

My mum had a soft top once and it was covered in cat hair and scratches and it was brand new.

We have a dog so no cats in our garden, even though one lives next door, we've only just moved in but it got a nasty shock when we did...our dog goes mad when she see's it and sometimes i let her out when its sat on our fence.....i'm so evil i know....but i'm sure if i let my dog cr*p in everyones garden my door knocker would be red hot.

Sorry I think along the lines...have a pet be responsible for it.

Booley

Of course pet owners are responsible for their pets but the world of cats is a wee bit different to that of dogs. Laws were made in regard to the controlling of dogs but they weren't with cats. Ever wondered why ?

I feel it might have something to do with the fact that cats are fundamentaly solitary creatures. They wouldn't get the same benefit a dog does by walking on a lead as they're not social creatures when it comes to meeting one of their own. A dog will greet another dog even if its never seen it before, a cat will not.

So the alternative then is to keep the cat indoors or make a run in the garden for it. Like a rabbit or a guinea pig, after all it doesn't have a basic instinct to roam or be free, like for example a lion ? I'm sure there must be some very happy lions at the zoos across the world. Afterall why would they want to be free when they can look at cage wires all day.

Perhaps nappies for cats would be an idea. That is, after they've been shaved and de-clawed and vetted by all the neighbours.

System

So if people aren't prepared to control their cats properly and prevent them going into other people's gardens can they then be considered as feral and dealt with accordingly?