Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Original poster

to think that people shouldn't really have cats?

159 replies

gerontius · 14/07/2010 23:08

Now, just to make this clear, I am not a cat-hater. I'm rather fond of them.

However, given that they crap in other people's gardens, is it not a massively anti-social to have one?

Although if you have the kind which uses its litter tray exclusively fair enough.

OP posts:

Marjee · 16/07/2010 18:09

LemonMelon have you tried putting orange peel down? Cats hate the smell so it should deter them

LemonMelon · 16/07/2010 18:14

Tried: orange peel,lemon peel, chasing them out the garden myself, had a sensor thing that would squirt water when activated by movement..you name it I've tried it.

I know my post seems rather harsh but when you have a 3year old and a 1 year old who can't go in their own garden without them ending up covered in shit...well I am at the end of my tether tbh.Nothing has worked. I even shout out about "bastard cats shitting in the garden" in the hope the owners will hear..but nope..today in the front garden is a freshly laid piece of shit. Had enough of it.

SanctiMoanyArse · 16/07/2010 18:27

Lemon you'd poison a cat?

Wow.

I can't get my ehad around that but just thank my stars we are not friends.

midori1999 · 16/07/2010 18:36

I have to admit, I do hope that's a (bad) joke about the poisoning. I can understand the frustration of not even being able to let your children play outside on your own property though.

Whether it was a joke or not though, there are people who would poison cats and my friend had one of her cats deliberately shot with an airgun once. Appalling, but yet another reason to keep them contained.

SanctiMoanyArse · 16/07/2010 18:42

We had a cat burned with chemicals we think by builders

Lemon you say you shout things like bastard cats- have you actually commented to the owners? loads don't realise its an issue; surely that's better than poison?

PuppyMonkey · 16/07/2010 18:46

Your kids can't go out without being covered in shit??? Not... exagerrating a bit are you? If you poison them, you'll quite rightly be prosecuted. All the neighb ours will know it was you if you shout about bastard cats won't they?Maybe you could have a polite word with your neighbours instead?

Or like I said earlier, get your own cat who probably won't shit in you gatrden and who will stop other cats going in yours.

midori1999 · 16/07/2010 18:53

"Or like I said earlier, get your own cat who probably won't shit in you gatrden and who will stop other cats going in yours"

Maybe she doesn't want a cat either because she just doesn't want one or because she just isn't selfish enough to own an animal and deem it acceptable for it to shit in other people's gardens?

Do you really think getting a cat themselves is a sensible solution to the problem?

Can you honestly say you wouldn't be annoyed if your child went outside in your own garden and got covered in dog shit from someone else's dog even once?

LemonMelon · 16/07/2010 19:05

Like I said, my house is surrounded by people who own cats. They seem to come from the houses behind my house, I do not know the actual houses they(there is more than one cat coming to use my garden as a litter tray) come from or I would be round there along with their cats shit and giving it to them. I have had a word (politely) with my next door neighbours and none of them own a cat so its not coming from them.

I AM serious about poisoning them tbh. I have had enough. Yesterday while putting the rubbish out into the outside bins, I was out there less than 20 seconds, my 3 year old followed me out and ran onto the grass,stepped in cat shit and it is me having to wipe it off her shoes while trying to not be sick from the smell of it. Why is it my children can't play in OUR garden without stepping in or crawling in shit?

Why should I have to get my own cat and pay for vaccinations,food etc? Yet more expenses I have to pay out to be able to access my own garden without stepping in shit or putting up with the smell of it? I do not want a "pet" or I would already have one. Like I said, I have tried many different ways of keeping them out of my garden and none have worked.

If you want to own an untameable animal thats your choice, but buy it a bloody cat tray instead and let it shit in your own house and not my garden.

PuppyMonkey · 16/07/2010 19:24

But if you use poison it won't solve the prob, you'll kill a few cats and perhaps get in trouble with police and then other cats will appear on the scene. And then you'll be even more cross.

LemonMelon · 16/07/2010 19:33

I think when it came down to it, I couldnt actually willingly kill an animal.

I havn't bought any poison or put anything in the garden that is harmful to them but it does cross my mind to tbh. I am just sick of it, every single day there is shit in my garden. Atleast once a week one of my kids ends up with shit on them, their shoes or their clothes.

greenbananas · 16/07/2010 20:29

My cat was stray and starving when she turned up in my back garden 3 years ago. Am I being unreasonable to feed her?

LemonMelon - I think it is reasonable to throw things at cats when they poo in your garden; also to hiss at them, clap your hands and shoot at them with large water pistols. However, the poison is a really, really bad idea!!

LemonMelon · 16/07/2010 20:40

I have tried all of those. As soon as I see one I am out there hissing/shouting at it while running at it and they run off...then come back and shit

darkandstormy · 16/07/2010 22:41

LEMON Come on you could not do that, please don't, remember that they are not doing it out of malice or anything, it is quite simply natural to them.At the end of the day cat shit on shoes ain't gonna kill anyone.Have kids wear outdoor shoes,and change inside,

edam · 16/07/2010 23:12

lemon - I understand you are frustrated but you can't seriously be thinking about poison? That would be a criminal act. Extremely cruel and a very serious risk to children as well as animals.

The cats are merely behaving like cats. You are a human being with the capacity for reason.

edam · 16/07/2010 23:14

(Btw, my MIL has considerable success with tin foil around trees and plants that she doesn't want the neighbourhood cats to get at. Might be worth a try? Think they are spooked by the reflections. Urban myth suggests lion dung might scare 'em off - apparently safari parks and zoos well it.)

SanctiMoanyArse · 17/07/2010 11:15

lemon I so wish I knew where you were as I would be calling police and RSPC on you right now.

SanctiMoanyArse · 17/07/2010 11:17

Apparently this is good

Another thing I have seen done is the use of catnip: if you have a green sapce plant a bit there and it makes cats head that way, ort a friend bunged seeds over her neighbours fence (cat owner) and it helped cats stay put

CapitalText · 17/07/2010 11:18

YANBU. An animal that can't stay in its own garden is not suitable as a pet.

SanctiMoanyArse · 17/07/2010 11:20

Why is it that someone got a post of my deletd for pointing out a comment as bitchy the otehr day (it was) yet somome0one can actually advocate poisoning peoples cats on here?

Wow.

lovechoc · 17/07/2010 11:22

I am sick fed up of cats crapping in my garden. It's disgusting, and they should be using a litter tray, not fouling in neighbours garden where it's a hazard for young children.

BosomsByTheSea · 17/07/2010 11:24

Having cats that shit in other people's gardens (and unless they are indoor cats, that's all urban cats and most suburban cats) IS selfish. Why should we have to take special measures to deter them so our kids can play in their OWN gardens safely?

I'm with the OP.

lovechoc · 17/07/2010 11:26

DH threw a t-bag at a cat who came into our garden yesterday - hissing at the window did nothing

I am trying not to be a cat hater but it's very difficult when they come into your garden (I'm assuming they all do it at night when no one is around) and crap in corners of it, or even sometimes in the grass. At least with dogs they don't jump over people's fences to deliberately crap in your garden - they just mess wherever they happen to be with their owner and it gets picked up (or that's the general idea).

SanctiMoanyArse · 17/07/2010 11:26

I don't know where Lemon lives but I have sent therad to RSPCA cruelty people, who might be able to use legislation to make MN tell them.

MN have tracked down people in the past, eg the suidice lady.

Sorry but poisoning animals without even talking to th RSPACA or the owners properly id horrific

MrsC2010 · 17/07/2010 11:27

She has already said she isn't being serious. She is just frustrated, as I am. As a dog owner all I hear is complaints about dog shit everywhere etc (we pick up after ours etc) when this whole thread is saying how acceptable it is for cats shit where they please.

As I speak my very hard working husband is very sadly trying to resurrect a whole raised bed load of veggies that our next door neighbour's cat has yet again destroyed. And yes, we have tried planting whatever it is that they hate, using chicken wire between rows to discourage digging, half-full water bottles to scare it etc etc...to no avail. It is a brave cat as well, we have two dogs who'd love to 'play' with it. And don't get me started on the shit. Fancy coming round to dig our beds? You never know what you'll find, it is an excrement lucky dip. Our dogs are trained to go in a set spot in the garden which is cleared regularly, am really looking forward to our little one playing dodge the cat shit in the garden. We love it when the neightbour proudly proclaims that he cat never shits in the garden...yes love because it does it in ours. We have commented on it to her, her response is 'cats will be cats'. Am half tempted to allow the bigger of our dogs to leap the wall into her garden to mimic the cat's activities and see how she likes it. But no, if a dog did it that wouldn't be acceptable and she'd be justified in having a moan wouldn't she?

lovechoc · 17/07/2010 11:43

I don't believe Melon was being serious either - I think like myself she is just venting her frustrationa at these creatures who keep pooing in her garden and are causing a nuisance for her on a daily basis with two small DC.

I've said under my breath 'I'll kill them next time' but ofcourse I wouldn't do that - but it doesn't stop me from getting really upset and angry about cats and their ways of fouling in my garden.

"You never know what you'll find, it is an excrement lucky dip."

SO true, MrsC2010

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Swipe left for the next trending thread