To tell her to get lost?

That's a good point though - is the mad neighbour going to ban the OP from getting a dog, should she want one?!

Could it be that some over zealous cat rescue worker has been telling them that they must remove certain plants from their garden and she’s taken it a step too far.

Our local Cat’s Protection insists on catios, no kids, indoor only etc. It is bonkers. Not sure how they ever rehome a cat- perhaps the point is not to 🤷🏻‍♀️

I have three cats and two rhodawhatsits.

They go nowhere near them. I am positioned in a rural country position so they probably find the fields more exciting.

I would never ask a neighbour to remove plants. Ridiculous.

Sound like your neighbour has gone quite mad OP!
I have a big garden and our dogs and cats have never come to grief despite apparently 80% of it being poisonous…I think animals have more sense than people!

Rescues usually advise people to keep new cats indoors for at least six weeks anyway, so apart from her request being absolutely absurd, her cats should not be at risk if she follows that advice.

Ha ha tell her cat poo can be poisonous to pregnant women and as you may be expanding your family you’ll be taking her cat to be rehomed if you find it in your garden

I really am shocked by the entitlement and stupidity of the neighbour, and there is no way I would be agreeing to remove any of my plants to accommodate her, let alone anything as precious as the OP has described. I've had cats all my life, who have lived happily with gardens full of rhododendrons, azaleas, delphiniums, and lilies. I also often have lilies in a big vase indoors. Cats aren't stupid and I've yet to catch one munching on a tasty azalea. Surely the neighbour realises how far most outdoor cats roam? She can't police every garden in a quarter mile radius.

Unfortunately there are a lot of plants that dangerous to cats (& dogs but you don’t tend to get them roaming in neighbours gardens), & it sounds like you have a lot of dangerous plants to cats in your garden.

Contrary to what I said in my earlier post about not changing my garden, if you do have lilies in pots I would move those so cats could not get them, as a cat can die almost immediately if they do get the pollen on them, and they lick it off. There are different levels of toxicity, & unfortunately lilies are highly toxic.

Oooo I’d be asking the other neighbour what she asked or told them.

I love cats & have one myself, but I would not dream of telling someone they had to remove plants from their garden. Cats are clever, & will normally keep away from dangerous plants etc. unfortunately you do sometimes get a cat who likes to eat every plant like item that they come into contact with aka my cat. Luckily we had already decided that she was going to be an indoor cat, & we advised rescue centres that we wanted a cat that would be happy indoors.

Your neighbour is responsible for her own cats, it’s not your problem.

I really should have read on to see that she had been around and highlighted to you the plants she wanted removed.
She has some neck!!!

Have you been around to check with the other neighbours how they got on with her?

If she is asking multiple neighbours to make adjustments in their gardens for her cats, I'd even consider writing a note back to her signed off "Residents of X neighbourhood" saying that you expect HER to make sure her garden is cat proof and not to let her cat out to roam. Also clarify that should her cat become unwell from being in someone else's garden, no one except her will be paying for vet bills. Their cat, their responsibility.

My cat used to sleep under the lavender bush. He lived until he was 18 so it didn't do him any harm. He was most upset when we got rid of it as he had to find another spot to snooze in!

Outdoor cats rarely eat toxic plants. They have more interesting things to do.

It’s the ones kept inside that are more likely to nibble on plants for the sake of something to do.

The woman is crazy!

I'm a cat lover but my god this is cheeky. If the cat is stupid enough to eat it, it's evolution. I say this as an owner of an indoor cat that eats stupid things.

From many years experience owning cats it’s the indoor plants/flowers that are an issue although I wouldn’t have lilies outside due to the issues others have mentioned. If you’re feeling kind maybe suggest she gets some cat proof fencing or a catio to save her worrying.

I don't have cats. I have lots of plants in my garden that, according to this thread, are deadly to them. We used to have golden retrievers and the cats stayed well away. They've gone now so we get lots of visits from the neighbours cats ( mainly to use our raised beds as a litter tray) but no cat has died in my garden and they have been coming in for years so they clearly don't go home and die either. I wouldn't change anything in my garden to suit anyone else

What a cheek!
Plus obviously the plants do not need to be removed even if they were in they own garden.

Spot on!

I've got 3 cats, there are loads of neighbour cats too who all come and crap in my veggie beds. I have a load of a load of lilies in pots, none of the cats go near them, the only thing I've ever seen them eat is grass

Wow the cheeky cow. I have a cat and I would never ever demand this.

Maybe get a cheap camera pointing at the garden just in case she tries to dig them up herself!

I'd make a tiny adjustment to this suggestion, by saying "and will be at no risk from any plants in any of your neighbours gardens that are not good for them."

If you wanted to add something, this might be acceptable "My garden is for my enjoyment Whether or not you or any other neighbour decides to get a pet cat does not determine what plants and vegetation I grow in my garden. Please ensure your new cat is kept indoors for its own safety".

Hope you get this resolved.

I'm very pleased for you that you were so fortunate.

We would all be finding dead cats in our gardens all the time of this were a real problem. Indoor plants, ok, because cats are confined with them. Or if it's dogs, because they will eat a toxic plant or a rotten hedgehog or a toilet block any day of the week because they're morons. But cats, nope.

I think you should plant a bed of nepeta (cat mint). Her stoned cat will be a permanent fixture lounging on your lawn (under the rhododendron)

I have had lots of cats and they lived to ripe old age (except a 7 year old that died from cancer) and never worried about poisonous plants. We had Peace Lillies in our first house. Was never a problem. We've always lived near wild places where they would disappear off and goodness knows what they came across. Maybe someone will come on here and prove me wrong, but cats are pretty switched on about not eating dodgy plants.