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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

I'm siding with the neighbours and going against DH (Cats)

209 replies

CoveredInPaint · 02/05/2011 16:12

three years ago dh secretely agreed to let dsd have a cat. He knew I didn't like them but god forbid his dd get told no so she bought this kitten, hid it in her room for 3 days and when I eventually found out about it (heard it scratching the door and thought we had mice!) I told DH she had to get rid. I was made out to be the wicked step mother, was told I couldn't possibly make her get rid of her new pet as she would be heart broken etc etc and in the end I just gave up but it caused me a hell of a lot of upset as I REALLY did not want a cat in the house and it upset me the way my feeling just pushed aside as usual.
So anyway we've had the cat 3 years and it annoys me so much. It has wrecked the living carpet scratching at it, clawed a brand new sofa on the day I bought it. Has shit in the house on a number of occassions, has scratched doors, dug up my flowers, killed birds/frogs/mice in the garden. One time it was "playing" with a baby robin in the garden and DSD was stood there saying "yeah! good girl! you're so clever!" ffs the baby bird must have been in agony.

So anyway 2 weeks ago the cat came home with paint all over its feet. Somewhat confused but just assumed it had been somewhere it shouldn't have been (again). A couple of days later it came home with a note stuck to its collar in cellotape saying "I would appreciate it if you could keep an eye on your cat as it has recently ruined paint work, dug up my wifes flowers (which she spend hours planting) and entered our house where my 3 month old daughter was sleeping. Thank You. Your neighbour".

I showed the note to DH and he said the neighbour was a "stupid twat" and what could he be expected to do about the cat. I was infuriated because IMO you don't just buy a pet and then say "fuck everyone else". We argued over it. I said I agreed with the neighbour and he said "you would, you would agree with anyone over me". Hmm

This morning 2 different neighbours came to the door (obv decided to team up on it) and had a go at me about children finding cat shit in the gardens and a child's tend being clawed and ruined (our cat was actually seen doing it apparantly and in return had water chucked all over it). They said our cat was basically being a pain in the arse and if we didn't do something about it they would report us to the landlord.

I told them I agreed 100% with them, apologised and said I would be re-homing the cat asap.

Just text DH and he's gone off on one saying I'm out of order and the cat will be left alone "or else".

AIBU to insist on the cat rehoming?

OP posts:
razzlebathbone · 02/05/2011 22:51

So hurters are mentally damaged but not neccesarily haters. Unless it's hating all; that's not allowed.

Phew! Cos I can't stand seahorses and I was wondering if I should be wetting the bed and starting fires to accomplish the holy triptych.

bubblecoral · 02/05/2011 22:51

So basically people shouldn't have cats should they Nick?

Not unless they are prepared to accept that they have to keep them in, or take a risk that they may be poisioned, knocked over by a car, or any of the other possible thing that could happen to a domesticated animal left to roam a neighbourhood.

edam · 02/05/2011 22:52

because she poisoned a cat, bubble. Do you really not get that? Are you not aware it's against the law?

People who think it's OK to leave poison lying around - no, it isn't, and you can be prosecuted for it.

NickRobinsonsloveslave · 02/05/2011 22:52

Lokk. I am not trying to kill anyones bloody cat, OK?
I have steptoes yard with the mice one side, I have a neighbour with a cat the other side. I also have 3DCs who want to play in their own garden. My DD has screamed in horror at the mice running round. What do you suggest I do, apart from keeping my DCs inside?

NulliusInVerba · 02/05/2011 22:54

Well by that reasoning maybe we should all stay inside, dont send our children to school and lock the doors, else we just have to accept someone may want to stab us / run us over / hurt our children.

Obviously Hmm

Mspontipine · 02/05/2011 22:54

Showing consideration for others, it's called "being a good neighbour" Nick.

bubblecoral · 02/05/2011 22:55

What makes you so sure that she deliberatly killed the cat?

Perhaps she should have told the cat owner, but I do believe that cat owners take a risk with the pet they choose to have, and that is no one else responsibility except their own.

Surely if you could be prosecuted for using mouse poison in your own garden it wouldn't be so freely available? The same goes for ant powder etc.

theyoungvisiter · 02/05/2011 22:57

"What do you suggest I do, apart from keeping my DCs inside?"

Um - get a cat?

Assuming you don't go for that, hows about, warn you neighbour that you have left potentially fatal poisons lying around?

And I'm sorry - but your DD screamed at the sight of a mouse? Big wow. It's the big outdoors. There are animals. Guess what - they live there. Some of them even wander around. What do YOU plan to do? Poison any member of the natural world that ventures into your backgarden? Confused

ThatVikRinA22 · 02/05/2011 22:57

i hear you nick

wink wink.

so you can leave poison down and as long as you say its for the mice the rest is collateral damage and of course its not your fault at all....

do mice like a nice beef steak laced with rat poison? i bet dogs do....oops. did i say that out loud?

i know exactly what you meant nick. exactly. i fucking hate other peoples kids too...

NickRobinsonsloveslave · 02/05/2011 22:57

I'm sorry, but what makes you think I din't let the neighbours know that I was putting mouse bait down?

Nothing.

You just automatically 'assumed' it, didn't you?

Mspontipine · 02/05/2011 22:58

It's like putting glass down on the patch of grass where you know all the children like to cartwheel. Well. If they shouldn't be there....

theyoungvisiter · 02/05/2011 22:59

And by the way - if you use mouse poison outside it should be in BAIT BOXES.

That's what they are for.

There is absolutely NO justification for having loose poison knocking about.

razzlebathbone · 02/05/2011 23:00

Nick why don't you see if you can go on benefits for being mentally damaged and then get rehoused.

Mspontipine · 02/05/2011 23:01

Hmm I am not responsible for other folks pets, if they come on my property, that is their problem.

nijinsky · 02/05/2011 23:01

Nick "My DD has screamed in horror at the mice running round. What do you suggest I do, apart from keeping my DCs inside?"

I really would encourage all the neighbourhood cats around that I could then. I'd far rather the occasional bit of cat poo in the garden than mice poo and sharing my house with an ever expanding family of them. Cats are known to catch mice. Deterring a free supply of potential mouse killers would appear to be somewhat counter-productive.

That said, I don't have a cat myself, and wherever I have lived, have made a big fuss of the neighbourhood cats. I have never ever had even one bit of poo in a garden.

Failing that, rat traps inside your house. More effective at getting clean kills than mouse traps. Get them from B&Q.

edam · 02/05/2011 23:02

Nick, if you have a genuine problem with mice that you believe are coming from your neighbour's, call the council. They will do pest control properly, without causing harm to wildlife or pets.

LostInSockLand · 02/05/2011 23:03

Thankyou NIV! Didn't see that one coming...ah well, tis the nature of mumsnet Smile

theyoungvisiter · 02/05/2011 23:04

Well did you warn the neighbours? People have repeatedly raised the issue, and all you've said is "not my problem".

Anyway using loose poison is still highly irresponsible. Why didn't you use bait boxes?

bubblecoral · 02/05/2011 23:05

I don't think there is any justification in having a pet, dog or cat, that is allowed to intrude upon and shit on other peoples property.

But I guess that just makes me a sociopathic animal hater, and every cat owner a peace loving hippy eligable for a nobel prize. Hmm

BoneyBackJefferson · 02/05/2011 23:06

I don't hate cats but I hate the attitude of SOME of the owners.

An Ex neighbours cat destroyed 2 roofs on my soft top car, caused sagging and streching of the materials on one then was responsible for tiny rips along the roof of the second roof. As a solution I got rid of the car due to "Its what cats do", I then found claw scratches on the new roof where the cat had slide off due to the polish/wax.

Yes, I do know whose cat it was, she used to find it very funny and would refer to my car as the cat's bed and complained when I got rid of the car.

The same cat used to shit in my garden, I stopped it by getting a membrane put down and larger gravel.

Again the neighbour complained and suggested that I should make one area of the garden "cat friendly".

on no occasion did she ever offer to repair damage.

And yes I did ask.

Mspontipine · 02/05/2011 23:07

Did you warn the neighbours abot the poison then Nick?

NickRobinsonsloveslave · 02/05/2011 23:09

Yes I did inform the neighbours and yes, of course it was in bat boxes.

Why do you think the neighbour accused me of poisoning his cat in the first place? Because he knew I had put them down in the first place.

bubblecoral · 02/05/2011 23:09

What difference would it have made even if the cat owner was warned about the poison?

After all, it's apparantly impossible to keep a cat indoors and on your own property.

northerngirl41 · 02/05/2011 23:10

TBH I don't think you are being unreasonable - and I'm a cat owner and love animals. But your DH/DSD are not being reasonable letting the cat ruin other people's hard work, and they have chosen to bring the poor cat into a situation where it hasn't been trained properly and isn't in an environment where it can roam freely without annoying people. It's not really the cat's fault. It's just doing what cats do when left to their own devices.

And I'm now going to be flamed:
I suggest taking the cat to a rehoming shelter and NOT telling anyone what you've done - after all if the cat is allowed out it could very well have been stolen/run over etc and they will never know the difference. The only danger with this tactic is that they'll rush out and get another cat.

DH/DSD are not really responsible owners, and therefore they shouldn't have a pet if they aren't prepared to look after it properly. At the very least, they should be going round to the neighbours and putting the damage right.

NulliusInVerba · 02/05/2011 23:11

Boney she complained when you got rid of the car ???

Was she taking the piss? I love my cats but I would be very apologetic if one damaged someone's car.

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