To suspect my neighbour killed my cat

You probably won't have been as distressed as the OP. They weren't your pets and they weren't killed deliberately and knowingly by a human being.

He told you he's killed a cat before (I know he said unintentionally but...who knows)
Does he live with anyone? Do you know much else about him?
Huge links between those who're cruel to/those who kill animals & perpetrators of violent crimes against other humans.
I would definitely speak to the police, he may have been convicted of similar in the past.
Not saying he killed your cat but it seems extremely possible.
I'm really sorry for your loss

To the point, and very necessary.

No nastiness, unless asking people to think about the effect of their choice of pet affects their neighbourhood is nasty.

And not unnecessary, since some posters don't take this into account.

I have been as distressed as the OP at times over the nasty deaths inflicted by cats on animals and birds in my garden

Whilst I’m very sorry for your loss and it’s incredibly cruel to kill an animal, no matter how frustrating they might be (I couldn’t kill a mouse, or a bug for example) there IS a grain of truth in this post.

Many people lose cats to cars; poisoning; diseases like FIP etc and they are devastated when this happens. It is well known that outdoor cats are much more likely to be killed by the age of 4 years than cats kept indoors.

To protect her cat, op could cat proof her garden and keep the animal much much safer.

If the dead cat was killed by the neighbour, I hate to think of the suffering it would have gone through. Now op knows that this is a possibility, cat proofing the garden could be a wise idea going forward. Some brackets and netting at an angle into the garden should work.

A long time ago, one of our neighbours used to let their rabbit roam free in the garden. One day, a different neighbour found it under their dining table, where one of their cats was gnawing on its head, poor thing. An awful end for the bunny, but quite clearly a bad idea in the first instance. Cat neighbour had to lie to the rabbit family who came around door to door looking for their pet. No way she could hand it back over.

So whilst I don’t blame op for her cats sad end, she could use the advice posting to prevent it happening again.

What was he doing to get them out of his garden which caused them such distress? I think at that point I’d have made them house cats and reported him for animal cruelty depending on his actions.

My neighbours dislike cats but fully accept mine as the menace she is and do get some laughs from her crazy antics.

I agree about the catio tbh. Whatever the rights and wrongs if you let your cat roam where you know they are actively not welcome you take some risk. My dog hates cats- he is secured in my back yard but if a cat came in it would need to run faster than him! I get that cats roam but he was very clear on his position, however disgusting it is

From what you say, it's a definite possibility.

My childhood cat was killed by a disgruntled neighbour. He was breeding koi and my cat had eaten one of them ☹️ sad all round but the neighbour had no right to kill him.

Try to keep the other cat inside. Best for everyone and everything, including the cat. Just have it as a house cat.

He probably did do it but impossible to prove. I'm sorry this happened.

Human beings kill a lot more things for fun - we are the cruelest creatures on this planet

People kill foxes, they use dogs for ratting. They do this for fun too.

You need to keep your cats safe. They should not be leaving your property and roaming around the neighbourhood. Your neighbour and traffic etc pose on going hazards to your animals. Get an outside cat run for outside time or cat proof your yard.
Regardless of whether your neighbour harmed your cats they should be able to be safe .

I would never go as far as killing a cat

Am I the only one wondering how far this poster would go? @Rhaidimiddim would you care to explain?

Really?

They kill birds, they kill rodents they kill other small animals mostly for fun.

What did you think the cat was doing on her neighbours bird table?

Bird watching?

Ask him

I would report to the police.

Say I don’t know if this is true. But I have a niggling suspicion I can’t budge. And then leave it up to them.

You never know. You might not be the first, you might not be the last.

What environmental damage are you referring to?

Nasty and unnecessary.

This is absolutely horrible, I'm so sorry. I think he definitely did it and I would be asking other neighbours if they have any doorbell camera footage that might show anything (just ask about the supposed 'accident' so you don't seem completely mad). Some of my neighbours are manically anti-cat which makes me glad ours are indoor. I think really this is your only solution for the future I'm afraid.

People will tell you that indoor cats have a terrible life etc, but mine are spoiled rotten and have a large run on the back of our house that they can access any time. Keeps them safe and stops them annoying the neighbours.

Sadly OP I doubt you'll be able to find out for sure if it was your neighbour. I'd be worried for your other cat though 😳 can you build an enclosed catio in your garden?

I'm sorry OP, but from the sound of it I do think it's possible he could've done, especially given what you've said about him. To tell you he hates cats when you've only just moved in seems extreme.

I have a cat now, but years ago I hated them coming into my garden and pooing and used to chase them out, but I would never harm one, so I do understand people don't like cats coming into their gardens.

Trying to find ring doorbell footage is a good idea and if something is found you could you go to the Police?

@Mani2024 You need to know you've done everything to find out to be able to move on. Put a note through their door if you don't think you can discuss it