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.

OP you said this:
My neighbours request is not normal. It is indicative of how she is.

Of the respondents on this thread who think I should go round the neighbours, do you really think this is common place? I still think it is very strange.

You know who your neighbour is?

SHE IS THE SILENT MAJORITY.
yes, she is what many of us would like to be and say to cat owners everywhere.

Come round and clear this stinking pile up.

I applaud her and she deserves a medal from all the none cat owners of the country who are heartily sick of having flowers, seeds, vegetables etc ruined by cats digging, and having to waste our money buying deterents to deal with other people's selfish behaviour.

Well, I'd like it if I was never disturbed by dogs barking. But I accept that unless I live on a large country estate that will never happen. It's part and parcel of living in close proximity to other people (and their pets).

LTS that's rubbish TBH.

I am not a dog owner but my brother is. He does not allow his dog to bark- she is reprimanded or clamed if she barks for "attention" etc.

If dogs are barking for a long time then something is worng and their owners are being neglectful, or have not trained them properly.

if you have dogs barking at unsocial times you can report this- it is illegal.

In any case, you cannot really say that animals shitting in your garden is as accpetable/unaccpetable as the noise they make.

Cuppacake I don't particularly agree with keeping cats confined to flats either! Not sure where the dog thing came from but dogs get taken for walks and can run around their own garden. Is that really what your enclosure looks like?!

lissielou The point is that you were comparing keeping a dog in your garden and keeping a cat in your garden. There is NO comparison. Most people have fences of 6ft which you've said yourself your dog can't jump over. Cat's can get over anything!

strawberryjelly 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. - Oh so that's why we have pets/friends/children! For what they . . . give . . . us . . . back! What a bizaar viewpoint. Better have them all killed then. Infact better kill all the gooldfish while we're at it, and in fact all wild animals!

Saggyoldclothcatpuss You should always keep a sandpit covered! It's just common sense!

fortyplus: lissielou - courtesy and respect for humans doesn't extend to having to fret about what a cat is up to - at least not on my planet. If my neighbour's cat craps in my garden i don't get all paranoid about it. I had horses for years so dealt with more poo than most. I think you sound rather precious tbh

could you be more patronising? is it really precious to be fed up of putting my hand in cat shit when gardening? or have having to go out there with a doggy bag and scoop to clear up the cat shit at the bottom of my sons slide? or of smelling it everytime I go out into my garden? I have a dog, Im not bothered about shit, but I do resent having to clean up someone elses pets'

pingu, it may not be normal, but I still think your neighbour is not being unreasonable, I wish I'd done it rather than silently seething and whether something is normal or not is irrelevant, as is the law on the matter. it all comes down to whether you want to be a responsible pet owner.

edam:And riders never jump off, armed with a shovel and a bin bag and clean it up. Nor would I expect them too, that would be mad. Just as mad as the 'cat owners should clean my garden' brigade.

the difference is that horses dont come into someone elses garden specifically to crap! and why is so mad to expect cat owners to clean up after their pet (within reason obv) seriously? I dont get why some people are happy to let others clean up after their pet.

takethisone: It should be commonplace for the owner of an animal to be responsible for cleaning up after it in public and in other people's gardens and there shouldn't have to be a law to make that happen, people should just have the moral decency to do it.

It's not like anyone has told you to scour the neighbourhood looking for your own cats shit, but this particular neighbour has approached you saying she has a problem with your pets shitting in her garden and has asked you to solve that problem. And since she has, it shouldn't take a law for you to act upon her request.

exactly, couldnt agree more.

and also with strawberryjelly.

longtalljosie, its hardly comparable!

These are cats we are talking about, not elephants or horses. It's not like cats cause a daily shit tsunami. And all sorts of animals shit in our gardens all the time FFS. In the 'outside' animals will shit on stuff. It's life. Humans evolved and coped with animal shit. You big bunch of jessies. -

That's funny! I think a lot of people want to have a beautiful garden, a lovely piece of nature, thats . . . erm . . . sterile!

Is it really such a big deal to cope with a bit of poo in your garden? You lot need to get a life! Clear it up yourselves even if a neighbour's cat has done it. My neighbour's cat craps in my garden and I wouldn't dream of upsetting her by making a fuss about it. Cats are free-roaming creatures - you cannot and should not keep them confined - it's cruel. -

Totally agree!

meerkat, and dogs can dig under, but that wasnt the point I was making. I was saying that I take responsiblity for my pet a) by keeping him in my garden and b) by cleaning up after him.

if I saw him crapping in my neighbours garden (and he has got out a couple of times, especially when we had just moved) I would be mortified and clean it up without even being asked. I wouldnt say "oh get over it, its what animals do"

and no, I dont want a sterile garden, just one that is safe for my son to play in and that I can dig in without getting cat shit all over my hand. why is so hard to understand? not everyone revels in animal dung!

Exactly lissie. I choose not to have pets so don't expect to have to clean up after other people's

Collaborate Put a lid on your sandpit for gods sake. COMMON SENSE! Also a cat is a wild animal as well, just one that is lodging with humans.

lissielou What is with all these people that don't wear gardening gloves! Eeek! Even if there were no cats in the world you'd still be getting other animal poos all over your hands! Disgusting! YOU CAN NOT KEEP A CAT CONFINED TO A GARDEN! They will ALWAYS find a way over, ALWAYS!

Sirzy I don't keep birds/foxes/hedgehogs/squirrels/insects etc but expect to come across their poo in my garden as that is nature.

What is with all the people wanting nature free gardens! Whoever said the word precious has got it spot on. People want their gardens to be like the insides of their homes and that is never going to happen as you can't stop animals from entering your garden. Maybe those people should build themselves an enclosure so that they never have to encounter these things! Oh boo hoo

lissielou What is with all these people that don't wear gardening gloves! Eeek! Even if there were no cats in the world you'd still be getting other animal poos all over your hands! Disgusting! YOU CAN NOT KEEP A CAT CONFINED TO A GARDEN! They will ALWAYS find a way over, ALWAYS!

I do use gloves, but I still dont want to put my hand in cat crap. and I know that cats will find a way out, if you read my earlier posts I accept that and accept that you cant pick up all the crap. however, if your cat goes next door to shit, and you know this happens why shouldnt you clean it up? Im not saying cat owners should roam around the town after their cat with a pooper scoop, but the op has been approached by the woman next door and asked to clean up mess left by her cat. why shouldnt she?

Oh the irony. I was woken this morning with the news that my cat had done a shit on the upstairs carpet. I have truly embraced the shit dudes

DD2 remarked that it looked exactly like a turkey twizzler.

So if you have a cat, why is it such a problem to get it to use a litter tray?

alistron the shit is like, totally taking over your life.

Yeuch at turkey twizzler

What is with all the people wanting nature free gardens! Whoever said the word precious has got it spot on. People want their gardens to be like the insides of their homes and that is never going to happen as you can't stop animals from entering your garden. Maybe those people should build themselves an enclosure so that they never have to encounter these things! Oh boo hoo

of for fucks sake! noone is saying that they want their garden nature free, but people choose to have cats, you choose to own them. you pay the vets bills, feed them, let them sit on your lap and enjoy their company. if someone has a pet mouse they clean up after them, ditto a pet bird. a hedgehog shitting in my flower beds is different to a cat shitting in my flowerbed. cat shit is bad for the garden for a start. I just want people to take responsibility for their pets

My cat was a stray HoB , he was about 7 when we got him and his shitting habits were embedded. We've tried him with a litter tray but he refuses to use one. He thinks that he's above that sort of thing.

I guess if you have a cat from a kitten it's easy to train em to use a litter tray.

so you all would like this scenario would you?

You are just sat outside eating a meal with some visitors when someone hops over your fence, starts digging about in your borders or veg patch filling a bag with shit, waves at you and shouts " just on shit patrol, enjoy your meal" and hops back over the fence.

And as for the 'cats are pointless' comments. I find dogs that are actually smaller than cats and serve no purpose other than to be carried around when they have fully working legs abit pointless too, but each to their own.

yes I am grumpy this morning.

vnmum, there are compromises that can be made, surely?!

pingu perhaps you could move nextdoor to alistron?

Alistron - I can see that would be more difficult with an older cat. But plenty of people have cats from kittens and seem to think that cleaning out litter trays is beneath THEM. After all why go to the expense and trouble of buying cat litter when their kitty can shit in other people's gardens for nothing, and those garden owners even provide a free clearing up service. Marvellous.

lissie compromises on what? The timing of shit patrol? unfortunately if people are requesting cat owners to go around cleaning up all their shit, then the cat owner cannot fit in with everyones schedule. It would just become a designated job to be done at a time the owner can do it inbetween other jobs, work, childcare etc.

lissielou I suggested earlier that OP pays someone else to clear up the poo. That way the neighbour is happy but she doesn't get the chance to demean (which she seems determined to do) the OP or be constantly knocking on her door about random poos. Don't know if she liked that idea though.

vnmum That paints a strange picture! It's just not practical is it! It's fair enough all these people saying that you have to clear up after your cat but in practice you can't actually do that!

'cats are pointless' That's got to be the most stupid comment I've ever heard!

houseofbamboo, yep and some (such as the op) actually get a cat, purely so they dont have to clean up after them. lovely.