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Original poster

My neighbour is threatening to kill my cat :(

43 replies

Fallen89 · 01/11/2015 09:01

I have a neighbour with a very exspensive looking motorbike, which he obviously takes a lot of pride in, unfortunately my cat sits underneath his bike when it's raining (the cat has access to come and go from the house but chooses to sit underneath the bike than come inside)
My neighbour had a word with me about it saying that if the cat scratches it, then he'll have no choice but to come to me about it. Yesterday he came up to me saying the cat had been climbing up it as there were pawprints and mud on it. I explained that I could sympathise and I could understand why he was concerned, but there's not a lot I could do as he's a cat and I can't keep him from going underneath it. He then said if he does scratch it I'll no longer have a cat because he'll stab it :(
I'm really concerned. I've been keeping my cat locked inside, but this can't go on forever. He's very much an outdoors cat and it's not fair to keep him inside.
I don't know what to do, if I let him out I'm putting him at risk.
I've even been thinking about getting him a new owner, but both myself and my daughter adore him and it would be heartbreaking to see him go, I just don't feel like I have much choice :(

OP posts:
ImperialBlether · 01/11/2015 11:11

Isn't there something he can put on the ground to stop the cat going there?

bodenbiscuit · 01/11/2015 11:16

Don't let your cat outside. I know someone who had her two lovely cats poisoned by a nasty neighbour and they died an horrible, painful death. He had also previously threatened to harm the cats.

And absolutely tell the police.

bodenbiscuit · 01/11/2015 11:18

The woman I knew whose cats had been poisoned also gave her neighbour a water pistol to stop the cats going into his garden but he still poisoned them.

Anyone who would threaten to harm an animal probably has something wrong with them tbh. So reasoning would not help.

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Cats
mrsmilktray · 01/11/2015 11:21

Cats don't get muddy. Pawprints and mud? Rubbish.

DaggerEyes · 01/11/2015 11:23

Buy him a cover. This shows some actual willing on your part to help, rather than 'sympathise' but do nothing. At least then he can't get angry that you're doing nothing.

And motorbikes have padded leather seats, which a cat scrabbling at if it jumped awkwardly would damage very easily. I do think if I tried to reason with someone who showed no effort to help fix a problem of their making, I'd get angry. Maybe not cat murder angry.....

NameChange30 · 01/11/2015 11:26

Buy him a cover?!

  1. He's already got one
  2. It's his bike
  3. He THREATENED TO HURT HER CAT - why the hell should she respond to this by doing him a favour?!
Shockers · 01/11/2015 11:46

What about a cover for the seat?

DaggerEyes · 01/11/2015 12:55

Well, I guess she has to accept that if cat owners want to make a stand about cats and their 'right to roam' then she might end up with a dead cat in this case. I'd go down the route of making actual and visable efforts to stop the problems my cat is causing.

Sparklingbrook · 01/11/2015 12:56

Here we go.....

coffeeisnectar · 01/11/2015 13:05

Our cat loves motorbikes and used to snooze on the seat of dps old bike and will jump straight up onto the seat of dds friends moped and she's allergic to cats. He's never damaged anything including car bonnets which are also a favourite place although he leaves footprints.

Your neighbour is a dick. Call 101 and explain the threats to someone. If he secured the cover it wouldn't be an issue.

mrsmilktray · 01/11/2015 13:56

He should be more worried about bird shit than a cat sleeping under his bike. Idiot.

bodenbiscuit · 01/11/2015 14:57

But this is about the neighbour and his dislike of cats generally and a desire to harm them. It is NOT about the bike (just an excuse) any attempt to help won't make the situation safer for the cat IMO. No normal person ever threatens another like that.

Original poster
Fallen89 · 01/11/2015 17:14

Thank you for all your responses
I'm still a bit unsure on what to do, I really don't want to get on the wrong side of him.
Ugh, I'm sick with worry!

OP posts:
NameChange30 · 01/11/2015 17:48

"I really don't want to get on the wrong side of him."
You can't make someone like you or get on with you, especially not someone as unreasonable and unpleasant as him. The only thing you can do is stand up for yourself. As long as you do it calmly and assertively, there's not much he can do. He won't like it, of course, but tough shit.

You have every right to feel safe and not to feel intimidated. That means not living in terror of your pets being attacked!

I fail to understand why you wouldn't log it with the police. You can do it without him being found out. But if he did find out it would be not bad thing. If he makes that kind of threat again he could do with a visit from a community police officer reminding him of the law. He can't attack someone's cat just because it climbed on his motorbike! A motorbike that he's failed to secure by keeping it in a locked garage or at the very least under a protective cover.

What's the worst that could happen? Do you think he could become verbally abusive or physically violent towards you? Damage your property? Again, those things are against the law and if he does them you can call the police.

NameChange30 · 01/11/2015 17:49

Correction:
"You can do it without him being found out."
should have said:
"You can do it without him finding out."

laflaca · 01/11/2015 18:21

Has he threatened or bullied you in the past? You mentioned earlier about feeling vulnerable and being sick with worry. If this were me, I would definitely have a chat with the community police officer, for their support and reassurance.

Tillytoes14 · 03/11/2015 17:12

Sounds like a real coward. The cat over the road used to sit on the roof of my car, didn't bother me in the slightest. Sounds like he's just looking for trouble, if he's that bothered he needs a cover for his motorbike. I hope a bird poos's on his head and all over his motorbike. I would try and keep your cat in for the meantime though and log a call to the police, he sounds like a very unpleasant man.

ARV1981 · 07/11/2015 13:11

We had a problem with cats using our old garden as a toilet.

We got round it by spraying anti-cat spray. My husband bought it from the local hardware store... something like this: www.amazon.co.uk/Bayer-Garden-80232195-Ready--Pult/dp/B00CBUU0P2/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1446901712&sr=8-10&keywords=Cat+repellent

Maybe buy your neighbour some so he can spray the bike?

Shows you're trying to help with the problem and I imagine is a lot cheaper than buying a new cover!

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