To tell the neighbours the cat isn’t my problem

The cat will eventually mainly avoid your garden. The only time to be more vigilant is if you’ve been away and the cat has become more complacent. I have sighthounds and local cats do still occasionally come into the garden, my garden is secure but plenty of cat escape routes.

As long as the dog NEVER leaves the garden without a lead, YANBU. And I say this as a cat owner with a strong preference for cats!

Theres always the risk the cats and dogs will gang up together - one of our cats has befriended the neighbours dog! He eats his foods, sleeps on his bed and our neighbours say he acts like he owns the place 😂

When I got my lurcher I made sure my small garden was secure but did worry about the neighbours’ cat. The neighbours sensibly said I’d done all I could and the cat would soon learn to avoid it.

The dog shot out when I opened the back door and the cat escaped over the fence. Since then she sits on the roof of my shed in the sun and jumps down into her own garden if the dog comes out.

I would be very distressed if anything happened to the cat but would be astonished to be held responsible in my own garden.

@Miniminxymoo

they are nuts.

tell them you will charge them 100£ a day for their cats use if your garden.

OP make sure you’ve got indemnity/liability insurance for your dog. All dog owners should have this.

There is possibly for fine & prison sentence if your dog is deemed out of control (on public or private land) but it only applies where there’s humans or service dogs involved.

cat in your garden would be a civil matter and you neighbour could claim for vets bills/damages (which would be covered under liability insurance).

https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/61877/what-happens-if-my-dog-kills-a-cat-in-my-garden-uk

Your neighbours however should consider cst proofing so their cat can’t escape .

I actively use my dogs to scare cats out of my garden. Their habit of burying poo in flower beds is disgusting. YADNU!

Oh I agree. It’s not her problem at all.

There’s only one solution:OP must buy a dozen more dogs and they can work in shift to keep her garden cat free.

Next doors three cats never come into my garden because they are afraid of my little girl cat who sounds like an air raid siren going off when they dare to come anywhere near 😂

The cat is antagonising your dog and trying to assert authority over what he/she sees as her territory cats are fuckers for this (I have always had cats)

if the cat was scared it wouldn’t be in your garden

until the cat is scared (unlikely to happen) the terf war shall continue

the neighbours are being ridiculous if they are that concerned they need to either cat proof their garden or keep the cat in

How ridiculous, they need to keep their cat in their garden, not expect you to be cat surveillance!
Suggest they invest in cat proofing for their garden. They sound as entitled (to your land) as their cat!

Cat owner and lover here. It's your dogs garden. Cats are VERY intelligent animals. It'll very quickly learn your garden is no longer its territory.

Plus the chance of a proper lab (as in, purebred, rather than a crossbreed) mauling a cat are small. Added to the fact that actually, cats are more than a good match for a dog, if it came to a fight, which it probably won't.

I have a greyhound who chases cats. The neighbours cats come in our garden if he is inside and I actively use him to chase them out (knowing the time he takes to wake up, get his lazy bum off the couch etc, will give the cat time to get away).

Frankly (I like cats but) I don't like their cats pooping in our garden as it's a health risk for the kids plus the dog likes to eat it (YUCK). I would be mentioning the danger of their cats poop to your neighbour by the way.

My neighbours are nice though and there's never been any fuss. They know their cat is brazen. I also yell at their yappy dog sometimes and they don't mind 😄😄

Just an aside but I make sure to worm my dog very regularly for fear of parasites passing from the cat poop.

Neighbours are CF.
Tell them you are sick of their cat damaging your property and shitting everywhere and to keep it out of YOUR garden.

First response nails it as usual.

I would make it very clear to your neighbours, in writing, that you can not be responsible for the safety of their cat in your garden. Point out that the garden is secure so there is no risk of the dog escaping, and suggest that they take any measures needed to keep their cat away.

I've a cat and those cat owners are being completely unreasonable. Surely their cat is bright enough to avoid the garden now it knows there's a canine about. I take it they don't complain to the other dog-owning neighbours? Their cat will adapt.

Dogs make.mess in the garden to.....unless you toilet trained your dog?

Just tell the neighbours to jeep cat out the garden and there w9nt be an issue.

I mean, legally that’s true in the UK. Cats do have the right to roam.

That doesn’t mean it’s the OPs’ problem though!

It's very aggressive of them to threaten you with vet bills, sounds like it's getting quite nasty. Nothing has actually happened to their cat and this is a very common neighbourhood scenario with pets, so they need to calm down.

Tell them that you will do a cat check before letting the dog out, and if you see the cat there you will try to shoo it away first. That is reasonable.

But ultimately, it's your garden, and their cat is not your responsibility - especially if your dog isn't aggressive and has no history of harming other animals. Most dogs will chase cats, it doesn't mean they are going to maul them or actually do anything even if they catch them (which they usually don't!)

Cats learn quickly and it will soon stop coming in the garden if it has been chased away. They are overreacting. But there is a compromise, which is you shooing the cat away if you see it. I wouldn't go any further than that and certainly wouldn't agree to keep the dog in.