My neighbour has asked me to pick up my cat's poo from their garden. Literally she wants to be able to call on me to come and pick it up on an as and when basis.

[pingu2209]

I have 2 cats. They have only just started going outside, about 1 month so far. I still have a litter tray at home and they do use it but they are also beginning to 'go' outside too.

My view is that cats should not be locked in doors. I had to keep them indoors for the first 6th months because I was told by the shelter that they needed their injections, be neutered and micro chipped before they could venture outside and all that wasn't done till they were 6 months old.

I keep my cats up to date with their injections and worm/flee ointment - well they are only 7 months old at the moment, but I fully intend to keep them up to date.

There are other cats in the area. The house behind mine has 2 big cats and we are in a rural area with foxes. Also, my neighbours have a dog. Nice dog, sometimes it barks but it isn't really a problem if I'm honest. I like dogs as much as cats, I'm not anti dogs or anything.

Am I legally obliged to pick up my cats poo?

I've spoken to my mother and she has told me that I should pick up my cat's poo if the neighbour asks. The thing is, I may have to go round there each day or two to do it.

Actually meerkat, dogs can jump (mine is a jrt so jumps pretty well) they also dig. I'm sure he would love to run into my neighbours garden to shit. But he doesn't because not only have we trained him, but he also has a run. If he poos when we are out I clean it up. I wouldn't expect anyone else to do it. So yes, that makes me responsible pet owner and its not a crap comparison at all.

Pingu I have to say again that I think your attitude is absolutely appalling! Have you no common decency?? Do you really feel that much better about yourself than everyone else? People with attitudes like yours should live by themselves on little islands away from other people. Can't you see how absolutely RUDE your attitude is???

I am soooooo glad I am NOT your neighbour. To openly state you got cats so you wouldn't have to clean up their shit and then stand behind the law is terrible! You'll be lucky if the least your neighbour does is throw it back. You need to open your eyes and learn how to live among people.

Could I just ask why it is that nobody has cat enclosures? I have one attached to my house and the cats love it. They can come and go as they please, but within the confines of their enclosure. Google cat enclosures images - there are some lovely ones and you can get quite creative with them. We have shelves, climbing frames, huge logs, water features, etc.

The cats love it and they dont bother the neighbours at all. I also have peace of mind that they wont run in the road, get eaten by a dog and things. My cats never try and get our or even show any interest outside the enclosure.

Just wondering why more people dont do them?

Because it's cruel. Cats didn't evolve to live in cages. It might suit humans and it might be a way of keeping them safe from traffic, but it's not right IMO.

strawberryjelly Well she does have a litter tray and they also have a toilet in their own garden so the only person whose word the OP has that her cats are crapping in the neighbours garden, is well, the neighbour, who incidently is not very nice by the sounds of it and looks down her long nose at the OP.

And why do they need to go out anyway??????? That's got to be a joke!

lissielou So your dog can jump clean over a 6/7ft fence can it? You can train a cat to a certain extent but you can't train in to behave like a dog! You are being ridiculous!

You could say that about any pet edam

Cuppacake I agree with edam, it's unnatural.

I dont think dogs were either tbh but we live in a society with people around us. I know for sure that monkeys, reptiles, etc are not supposed to be caged either and yet they are. Perhaps ask a bird if he would prefer free flight or a fish how he feels. You want to keep a pet, surely you know that once upon a time - none were caged?

I can also assure you that you will not often see more cared for, happy cats than mine so its most certainly not doing them emotional harm. I have 6 of them and they are no more cruely treated than a dog or caged bird.

Oh sorry just to add about the litter trays. I have 9 in the enclosure and they are cleaned daily BUT they still go in the pot plants as well. A can will use whatever takes its fancy so even if they are litter box trained, they will go in a garden.

Cuppacake Yes there are people around us, society bla bla bla, but that doesn't mean that animals should lose who they are, are our freedoms so important that animals should have none? You cage a whole species of animals and eventually they will lose all their natural instincts. I don't agree with caging any animals unless it's neccessary to try to bread them to ensure the survival of the species.

I have 6 of them and they are no more cruely treated than a dog or caged bird.

I actually think it is extremely cruel to cage a bird!

OP,Only read your post so far.I really do think you should pick up your cats poo from your neighbours garden.Ihave 2 dogs I pick up their poo the neighbours cats poo in our garden[and spray]...it is vile and makes me that it is deemed acceptable.Imagine the outrage if my dogs pooed in their garden.I loathe picking up cat crap and may now suggest they clean it up!
Also having 2 family members who are allergic to cats I do not appreciate them trying to come in through windows.

You should go round daily to do it...or twice a day as I assume you would in your own garden so your children don't roll in it.

You should obviously breed them, not bread them. That would be cruel and not very tasty!

Cuppacake Without sounding mean, your cat enclosure sounds like one you might see on the telly, "mad lady keeps 9 cats confined in cage!"

Do you have pets Meerkat? I do agree with the bread them :) Not very tasty Im sure!

I've had cats on and off my whole life yes.

Sorry got to go, will be back later to carry on arguing. OOooh love a good debate!

Meerkat, He can jump a 5ft fence, and dig under a 6/7 ft one. But that's beside the point I'm not saying train it to behave like a dog, I'm saying behave like a responsible human being. What exactly is your issue with clearing up mess made by your pet? If you know where the mess is, why shouldn't you? Why do some cat owners feel that they are so special that they neednt act responsibly? And leave the clearing up to others?

LOL not at all! How many people keep cats in small apartments or flats? Its no different. I know they are safe and the dobermans next door cant eat them! I have lovely Ragdolls and am not a crazy cat lady...............or maybe I am :)

Aaah ok so confining dogs is ok?

My cat enclosure is moulded on this one. I did my research and this was the one I thought would best suite us. I have less brick and more grass and obviously is not identical but very, very similar. My cats are very spoilt happy cats. They do however, spend most of their time spread over our office desks or my bed but they love it out there when its warm.

www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-enclosures-2.htm

cats are pointless.

can I ask why any of you cat lovers have them?
IMO they have no loyalty- they love anyone who offers then a tin of food.

As for slinging poo at each other- errrrr...not really.

A carefully placed trowel of poo over the neighbour's fence was simply giving her back her cat's shit.

OP I think you should pick up after your cats. The chances are she's either caught your cats in the act or she's put two and two together because the problem has only started since your cats started to go outside. She shouldn't have to put up with this just because she's a bit of a snooty cow and you don't like her.

In the past I've seen a neighbours cat digging and pooing in our flower beds, and yes they do try to bury it a bit but it's not all that effective, a bit of soil scraping that doesn't do much to cover it. If you are a gardener it can still be annoying to find buried or half buried poo because you are constantly weeding and planting and turning the soil etc.

At a different home we had three flowerpots on our open porch and our neighbours cat started to use those pots and the doormat as a toilet. It was summer and the smell was awful, we had to get rid of the doormat and keep scrubing the porch. We knew it was her cat because we came home and found him there spraying the doormat.

Both times I mentioned it to the neighbours involved and both times I was answered with "how do you know it was our cat?" and then when I told them I had seem them they said "well that's what cats do." Neither of them apologised or offered to clean up or anything.

You say you got cats because you didn't want to clean up after your pets but your neighbours shouldn't have to clean up after them either. It might not be a legal responsibility but you have a moral one. You might not believe it's your cat (or only your cat) that's shitting in her garden but you know it's doing it somewhere other than it's litter tray so you know that someone other than you is having to deal with your animals poo. At least if you helped to clear her garden a bit you would be redressing the balance a bit.

And I think the only reason it's not a legal responsibility is because it is too hard to enforce, not because cat poo is less annoying, less disgusting or less dirty than dog poo. Cats jump and climb where dogs don't. So it's easier to keep a dog in it's own garden.

I have internet friends in America who tell me their entire town has a law in which cats must be either kept indoors or allowed outside only in pens or on leads. I find that a bit strange, I can't imagine how people here would react if one of the requirements for keeping a cat was turning your garden into a giant cat pen surrounded by chicken wire. But they find it odd we are prepared to turn cats loose to "endanger themselves on the roads" or cause a nuisence to other people. Their town agreed this law partly to protect cats from harm but also to stop problems between neighbours because of issues like yours with your neighbour.

Cat shit IS disgusting and should be picked up wherever your kitties decide to poop.

Cats are no more pointless than any other pet. I've never understood how anyone could keep a bird caged for example but we all have different tastes.
Mine would leave us for a tin of tuna, I understand that but for now it works.