My cat got into next doors house....

mummyoftwomonkeys

did she leave her cats while she went away? stick a note back saying sorry my cat left a bit of hair on your sofa but just be greatful it was a cat that got in and not someone robbing the place

BargainGalore

You cant be at fault cats are curious creatures and have a habit of wondering off, exploring and being disloyal. That said the lady clearly is at fault I wouldn't leave my windows open at all if I went out to shops maybe on night vent. Your home insurance could well be void.

Badger_Lady

My neighbours got a new kitten early this year, and as soon as he was allowed out he started wobbling up my garden path to follow my old cat around. It was desperately cute - he had a little mini-me!

Of course, as the kitten grew, it was less cute because his instinct was to challenge my boy and try to take over his territory. So he'd find clever ways to sneak into the house, to eat Tufter's food, to scratch at my furniture and most of all to attack the cat!

Never once did I dream of tackling this with the owners - cats are their own species and play by their own rules. Instead, I oiled my cat flap to ensure that it always shuts properly (Tufter has a magnet), kept the kitchen window closed... and whenever I caught the little tike in the house I'd give him a good old-fashioned scare! Be it shouting, rushing at him or even grasping him by the scruff of the neck and carrying him to the back door.

Sadly their cat disappeared a few months later... it genuinely wasn't me though :eek:

In your case OP, I wouldn't do anything differently. If she raises it with you again face-to-face perhaps you can make some of these suggestions, but until then maybe all she wanted was to rant a little bit in a note..?

mazy_m

Just read the first post.... she should have shut the window especially if she was away that's crazy!!

Don't pay her any money as she might come back asking for more....I'm on the other side of this....we have one catand a cat who lives kind of around the house and in some outbuildings....she came with the renting of the property lol... she's the landlords cat..she's at uni away but comes and stays upstairs.....and her dad is always around to feed the cat etc...

We also have another cat who we call "Little Sh*t he used to be cute and we previously named him Houdini (he escaped when we first found him and tried to take him to the vets!!) we took him in for a week or so as a kitten until the owners (who thought they'd lost him) came back from holiday and saw him playing in our garden..

Anyway he used to pee up the curtains etc so we'd chuck him out if he went near to the curtains anytime he came in....he seems to have stopped that!!

Anyway getting back to the story so we have one cat however the food bowl always has food in it and when we're in the window or back door (sometimes both) are always open so these 3 cats can come in and have some food and chill on the rug, sofa etc anytime they want...

I would never dream of asking the neighbours for money for the curtains, food etc as I choose to have my windows open so if a cat comes in i've allowed it if it's a cat flap and she doesn't want other cats getting into her house she'll have to upgrade to one of those ones that only let your cat in!!

Maz

candygirl

She sounds like a dotty old bag, but personally I would punish your cat by taking away it's x box for at least a week:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
It reminds me of when my dogs escaped and ran on to the next door school field.The school secretary rang m,e and said there was a no dogs sign at the entrance, and I told her they hadn't learned to read yet:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

YorkiePud_3

Personally, I would be very very careful here .... IF your cat has decided her sofa is rather comfy and decides to saunter in should she leave a window open or a door (which, if she is a bit of an antagonist, she may do on purpose), then you don't want to put her back up so that she does anything to hurt your cat or trap him in her house just out of spite.

If it were me, I would actually write a little letter and copy it out, shoving it through the letterboxes of all your neighbours, including this one .. something along the lines of, "It's been brought to our attention that one of our cats has wandered into a neighbour's house just recently and, obviously, as not everyone is a cat lover, we want to let people know that if he seems to be coming calling on you and you don't wish him to, then please come get us and we'll bring him home. Obviously, cat's will be cats but the last thing we want is to upset our neighbours so please let us know if he is, in any way, a nuisance."

By doing this, you are 1. showing all the other neighbours that you're decent folk who do care, 2. are responsible cat owners and 3. respect them, their homes etc ... so it totally negates anything at all that your problem neighbour might have told them about you ... in this way, they can see for themselves that you're not the neighbours from hell that she might have made you out to be!

Be prepared for a few comments incase your cat has pooped in their gardens, in which case say, "Yes, I totally understand that, I have it myself with other cats coming into mine so if you do see mine messing in yours, then please let me know and I'll come clean up for you."

I think that once people know you care what your cat may or may not be doing and that you are willing to sort anything out, then they'll realise it may just be this neighbour who's just decided to pick you out to fill her time.

By the way, I absolutely wouldn't tell her she wants to think herself lucky a cat was all she had in her house whilst she was away .... that could be classed as threatening and she might even twist it in the re-telling to make it sound like she is worried that you might break in ... !!

cavework

We had a neighbour complain that the apple tree they planted outside their house on council property was being deliberately scratched by my Cat.
No one elses cat ... just mine
I have assured her that my Cat now wears woolly mittens every time she leaves the house and has had a very stern lecture from me about respecting other peoples apple trees
OP .. don't get upset , leave her to it or suggest CCTV and perhaps an identity parade if it happens again?
xx

Fridaycat

I'm just wondering what type of person leaves a plate of chicken out on the worktop when they've gone on holiday for a week? :eek::rotfl:

OP - you sound very considerate neighbours and just need to keep humouring her (but without giving her money )

Aspiring_Writer

First of all OP, Congratulations on having a cat called Dr Gonzo, I like it!

Secondly, I would let Dr Gonzo loose more often!

Cats will be cats won't they?

Definitely do not start giving the old bag money, sounds like a cantankerous old biddy to me!

Myrtle77

Don't give it another moments thought kataklysm. I must admit, I get thoroughly sick and tired of how intolerant people have become of both other people and animals. Just tell her to wind her neck in if she mentions it again.

I had a cat, when growing up, who once sneaked into next door's kitchen and stole a whole trout off the kitchen side. He knew it was our cat, because he followed the grease mark out the window, across the patio and into our house.

His reaction? He laughed. Because it was funny. Seems to me that people just lack a sense of humour and proportion these days.