AIBU to be annoyed neighbour put spikes on the fence?

There's a thread on Gardening about just this thing:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/gardening/5323245-im-sick-of-selfish-neighbours-and-their-cats

It has some very good suggestions as to how to deter cats from your garden (I may have contributed a suggestion)

You’ve done nothing wrong OP, ignore the ableists on this thread who just want a pile on (and seemingly don’t understand a thing about Autism, especially @Zanzara- Calling a person who has stated they are Autistic “unobservant” is plain ableism and you should be ashamed of yourself.

OP, your neighbour sounds like a coward. I’m going through something similar to you, only I don’t have a cat and my neighbour suddenly turned and started a campaign of anger towards us without bothering to share why (we’re very quiet, very rarely have visitors and look after our home so 🤷🏻‍♀️) and like your neighbour, totally ignores any attempt from me to communicate and ask why. It’s crazy but she’s a coward, as is your neighbour. Whatever you or your cat have done wrong, sulking and ghosting like a teenager is nothing short of cowardly and achieves nothing!

I think your approach is very reasonable.

I hope you can resolve matters with your NDN.

Just cat proof it, and pop a note through saying 'I hadn't realised the cat coming onto your property was an issue, I have now cat-proofed so he can't.'

Then forget about it.

It might be bugger all to do with you in reality, maybe she's lost her marbles and the spikes are to stop the drone pigeons landing and spying on her. She hasn't communicated with you, her behaviour has changed quite dramatically toward you, this could well be entirely a 'her' problem and not a 'you' problem at all.

Cats are a real nuisance round here. I hate finding cat poo in my flower beds, especially when it gets on my hands or gardening tools.

If cats are not trained to use a litter tray then obviously they are crapping elsewhere. The owner should be aware of this and offer as much help to neighbours as possible including frequent garden cleans.

When we had one very regular offender, crapping in the same place every day I picked it up with a trowel and left it on the owner's doorstep each evening. So they decided to keep it indoors rather than deal with the poo. Why they thought it was ok to just let it out and crap anywhere was totally beyond me. Such self centred ignorance.

This argument holds no weight, unless we live in a world where unsuspecting cat owners have a cat forcibly billeted with them and have no say in the matter.

People are perfectly entitled to have a pet and have quiet enjoyment of it, as long as they are not causing a nuisance to their neighbours and it wouldn't be dangerous if it got out. I'd stand up for anybody on that point. Live and let live.

What they are not entitled to do is to decide the entire neighbourhood gets to have a pet and "enjoy" the benefits of that animal, ie ipso facto cat faeces, mess, work and smell on their property. You do not get to do that to your neighbours, and it's entitled and selfish to think that you do.

" I haven't seen it" or "I didn't know" simply doesn't wash. If it's not producing copious amounts on your property as the owner, where exactly do you think it's happening? Do you imagine it's strolling nonchalantly for exercise a la Colditz, and shaking tiny little inoffensive balls of shite down its trouser legs?

If you have a cat, and you don't live remote from others, you are very probably introducing a problem to your neighbours.

I don't like cats, they scare me actually because when I was wee my Gran had a big bully of a cat who used to love digging his claws in! Even so, I can't understand why some people get so annoyed about them. Our community FB page is full of angry posts about cats shitting in gardens. If someone's cat shits in my garden, I just pooper scoop it. Your neighbour is an old rascal for putting spikes on the fence. If it's a shared fence, I'd remove them - maybe then she'll approach you and actually tell you what her problem is.

So I’m a cat lover and have 2 cats myself (they don’t leave my garden) however, my neighbours cat comes in our garden, shits in the flower beds, the veg patch and kills the birds (I’ve had to stop feeding them). So I totally understand how she feels, even as a cat lover and owner!!

It's called empathy and situational awareness. You shouldn't have to be bluntly informed that your family is creating a nuisance and making someone else's life miserable.

If it’s your fence she can’t attach things to it.

I wouldn’t keep my cat indoors, but I’d ask her if the car poops in her garden and I’d ask if she would like me to go and clean it up for her.

Cats are allowed to roam and there is nothing anyone can do about it. (I don’t have a cat by the way).

To stop speaking to you and not making eye contact after previously being friendly is pretty childish. She could have had a quiet word with you about the cat if the cat is a problem for her. She was probably worried about your reaction but it’s still ridiculous behaviour on her part🤷🏻‍♀️

I think if it's her own fence she is allowed to do this but I do find it rather sad. Cats are in my view free spirits and whilst they aren't wild creatures they are animals - it think its sad as spikes seem such an aggressive measure. Perhaps she could have tried other methods in the garden to keep cats away.

Of course I understand your point but dogs shouldn’t be out without supervision, cats can be & no cat owner can train a cat to stop toileting outside. I suppose it all affects us differently but I just know that as someone who doesn’t own a cat & has them in my garden occasionally (I suspect they they are there during the night more frequently) I wouldn’t het angry with the owner I just accept that outdoor cats will toilet in my garden sometimes but I do understand the frustration of those it happens to regularly

Might be worth digging out your deeds as if its in your land/fence I would be removing the spikes and threaten to report her for vandalism.

If it's hers let her crack on go into 'avoid the strange lady' mode from now on.

I am a cat person, I have a cat and love them to bits. However, I completely understand that not everyone likes cats and even less people like them crapping in the garden. The fence is in-between both properties, and is presumably her boundary fence? If she's putting spikes on top of her fence, then she's perfectly entitled to do so, and has no obligation to tell you beforehand. If she's putting spikes into the top of your boundary fence, then that's entirely different. You stated that she's not spoken to you for 3 years, actively avoids you and looks at the floor if you say hello. Did you getting the cat, coincide with her stopping talking to you? Or had she stopped talking to you before you got the cat?

can I see some validated research about your "cats need to roam" assertion please?

You’re getting a hard time, unfairly I think.
There’s a reason a person can’t be held legally responsible for the actions of their cats, and that’s because you cannot control a cat. There is really not very much you can do, or need to do. The neighbour has chosen passive aggression, all you can do is continue to be friendly.

So whose fence is it? If it's yours you could take the spikes off.

Ah, but there is no law to say you must train a dog not to chase cats. You see my point, I hope.

The OP’s cat is free to roam. The neighbour is free to buy an ‘untrained’ dog.

Well now you know. You can cat proof the garden now.

My cats answer when I call them and give high fives, they know Dam well when they are up to something I don’t like and hear me getting up they scarper from said issue 🤷🏻‍♀️ cats are smarter than dogs. They just trained humans instead 😅

so why did you say it was your fence?

Are fences between properties not classed as boundary fences? Every day’s a school day!