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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think my neighbour is trying to poison my cat?

100 replies

zelda1982 · 20/07/2011 12:44

We have lived here 10 years, my neighbour was already here. He lives alone (in his mid 50's i think) Now up until this year i've never noticed him having a problem with my cat who goes in his garden (which is basically overgrown grass and a few weedy trees at the bottom). A few weeks ago i caught him squirting my cat with a water pistol...this i'm totally not bothered about. But the past few weeks he has been putting a bowl of water on his steps, but surely if he wants to discourage the cat coming in he shouldn't do this? I dont think its for the birds (its just a pyrex mixing bowl) as if it was it'd be better off in the middle of the garden.
Let me state that my cat does not use his garden as a toilet as she does this in our garden

OP posts:
hiddenhome · 20/07/2011 13:10

I bet he's been on the internet trawling for stuff about how to get rid of cats Angry and come across that info about antifreeze.

Pootles2010 · 20/07/2011 13:10

Surely I'm not the only one who thinks hopping over fences and sampling water is a bit mad when you've not even spoken to the guy?

NotADudeExactly · 20/07/2011 13:10

As far as I can see you really have no indication for this man not liking your cat with the exception of maybe the water pistol. (however, I have alsonsprayed neighbours' cats before and I love cats. Just not going after birds in my garden.)

Trying to poison a cat with a bowl of water would be about the most ineffective baiting technique that I can think of. Cats drink outbox toilets and puddles FFS, so getting them to drink out of your particular poisoned bowl is probably pretty hopeless. There are a hundred possible reasons for this man putting water out ( wild animals maybe).

Sorry, I think you're being slightly paranoid here!

hiddenhome · 20/07/2011 13:11

A person who gives water to hedgehogs would generally be either an older mum or an old lady Grin Women are sentimental about hedgehogs, but not blokes unless they're a naturalist or something Hmm

GreenEyesandHam · 20/07/2011 13:12

No Pootles you're not alone Wink

BadTasteFlump · 20/07/2011 13:12

well no I cant actually as am a scaredy-flump. And I couldn't anyway because the hedges round our garden are all really high. Am just thinking that if you do live somewhere where there are low fences, then everyone can see you can't they?

Ok so I am definitely a scaredy-flump Sad

Maybe you could ring the rspca and see if they have any advice?

hiddenhome · 20/07/2011 13:13

The bloke doesn't know anything about cats obviously. He's just trying a different tactic from the waterpistol Hmm He won't know that cats prefer to drink from puddles.

I have to go to work now. Good luck.

hiddenhome · 20/07/2011 13:14

and I'm not mad, I just know what people are like when it comes to cats, esp. middle aged blokes Hmm

BadTasteFlump · 20/07/2011 13:14

And no pootles I'm with you too. But I would still be a bit worried.

GreenEyesandHam · 20/07/2011 13:15

So men think about sex every six seconds, are good at reading maps, and don't like hedgehogs Grin

NotADudeExactly · 20/07/2011 13:17

... And poison random cats, greeneyes!

It's a fact because I read it on the Internet!

Empusa · 20/07/2011 13:20

"so getting them to drink out of your particular poisoned bowl is probably pretty hopeless"

I do remember reading the anti-freeze has a sweet taste (poss smell too?) which makes it appealing to animals.

But yes, speak to him first.

NotADudeExactly · 20/07/2011 13:27

Sorry to be So blunt but to jump from a neighbour putting a bowl of water in his garden to a whole bunch of people agreeing that said man is an evil would be cat killer just strikes me as slightly (okay, majorly) OTT.

Tons of people spray cats with water, apart from that the is zero evidence of this man not being completely infatuated with the OP's cat. TBH if my next doors came over askingbif I were trying to off their pets or even caught sneaking in my garden sampling the water in whichever receptacle I may have paced there I'd think they're batshit.

NotADudeExactly · 20/07/2011 13:28

iPhone to blame for spelling!

MrSpoc · 20/07/2011 13:31

Cat's have an uncanny way of sniffing out Anti-Freeze. Sticking a bowl of Anti-Freeze out will draw all the local cats to it.

A few years ago in Bridgewater, Somerset there were loads of cats dying in a small area, on testing they had all been poisoned with Anti-Freeze. They never did find the person responsible.

For everyone saying its mad then i agree but then i would speak to him and would of spoken to him a few times over the ten years I would of lived alongside him but you don?t go from scaring it with water pistols to then giving it water. Something is up.

Morloth · 20/07/2011 13:32

I think if you get caught trespassing saying 'He put a bowl of water on his steps' is not really going to fly.

Is putting a bowl of water on your steps not allowed now?

Crazy, the lot of you.

Morloth · 20/07/2011 13:34

I know this might sound, just right out there crazy.

But maybe he has put the water out for something other than the OP's cat, I mean I know the OP's cat is the centre of her universe but just perhaps he doesn't give a fuck about it?

VivaLeBeaver · 20/07/2011 13:36

He's probably put the bowl of water there to fill his water pistol from. His pistol could be one of those that you need to submerge the end in water and suck the water up. So he sees the cat, quickly fills pistol and squirts.

Ephiny · 20/07/2011 13:41

I would guess the water is for birds, that would also explain why he wants to keep your cat away?

I wouldn't completely discount the other possibility, because sadly such things have happened, people do awful thing :(

Probably the best thing is to talk to him - not accuse him of poisoning, but say you've noticed the water-pistol thing and ask if your cat's being making a nuisance of herself in someway?

ellmum · 20/07/2011 13:44

A bloke near us was doing what you suspect your neighbour of doing. I think it was 4 cats that were poisoned. Anti freeze is really appealing to cats, which is surprising I think with it being sweet. I would hate for anyone else's cat to die the way my neighbours' cats did - it was awful and distressing for everyone. Would you be able to keep your cat in for a while?

AurraSing · 20/07/2011 13:45

VivaLeBeaver, that's just a ridiculous conclusion to jump to.

AnneWiddecomesArse · 20/07/2011 14:00

Just bloody ask him.
"I've noticed you have a water bowl and am intrigued, do you have foxes or badgers by any chance ?"
Most cat owners know that most cats will not drink fresh water from a clean bowl.
They drink dirty water from a indent puddle in a dustbin lid, any bog, puddle, flower pot tray.

catgirl1976 · 20/07/2011 14:08

Sounds very odd. Like others have said, get that water, get it tested and keep the cat in until you know

VivaLeBeaver · 20/07/2011 14:12

What, a more ridiculous conclusion then maybe its full of antifreeze? Grin

StrandedBear · 20/07/2011 14:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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