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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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 18:49

'Either you are all mad or my view of human nature is wildly optimistic.'

Your view of human nature is wildly optimistic

Haven't you seen the thread about the bloke who threw some homeless man's pet rabbit into the river in Dublin?

People are shite towards animals.

Pootles2010 · 20/07/2011 19:05

Of course people are rotten to animals, but to hop into someone's garden because they left bowl of water is nuts.

hiddenhome · 20/07/2011 19:13

Okay, then she can ask him if he is experiencing some unwanted behaviour from her cat and see what he says. My neighbour's garden is easy to get into and I used to go in all the time to give water to their hens when they'd gone off for the weekend and neglected them.

Perhaps I'm just cheeky, but what the heck. He's not going to know anyway if he's gone out. I'm not saying she should break into his house you know

Pootles2010 · 20/07/2011 19:17

That should have been the first thing to do anyway! I'm amazed you think it's ok to go in strangers garden.

pozzled · 20/07/2011 19:26

"People are shite towards animals."

So shite that the most likely explanation for a bowl of water in a garden is cat poisoning?

NotADudeExactly · 20/07/2011 20:46

I am thinking that people are shite towards other people!

I understand that people love their pets - so do I! But to assume that a human placing a bowl in their garden means that they are a cat poisoner and for some people then to advocate trespassing and having the contents of said bowl forensically tested on no rational grounds whatsoever!?!

If this were a police investigation there would be absolutely no way a search warrant would be granted on the basis of this 'evidence'.

aquashiv · 20/07/2011 20:55

I would talk to him whether you want to or not. "I see you have a bowl of water out (silence as you look for signs of nervous twitchy behaviour and no eye contact). Is that for Twinkle hope not as you will never get rid of her then" Big smile. It could all be innocent and is just a lonely person looking for company.

ShellyBoobs · 20/07/2011 21:36

Easiest way to check for anti-freeze is to test the specific gravity of the liquid. Tools for testing that are very cheap; go to somewhere like Halfords and you'll get one for next to nothing.

I'd bet that he's trying to use the water to scare the cats away though. As someone else said, it's not too far-fetched considering that bottles of water supposedly scare cats away.

LadyFlumpalot · 20/07/2011 22:08

at "nefarious designs on your pussy"

BadTasteFlump · 21/07/2011 10:27

This thread has gone nuts! You can't have MNers volunteering to break into other people's gardens for each other! .

If somebody managed to get over the hedge into our garden and I saw them I would be calling 999. I would try to work out if it was one of the neighbours after - not before. And am just imagining the conversation with the police with a MNer saying 'honestly Gov, I just wanted to check the water in the bowl in his garden; MN told me to do it!'

Icelollycraving · 21/07/2011 10:48

This is one of the more bizarre threads that I've read on mn.
Yabu to have a neighbour for 10 years that you can't speak to. Just ask him for goodness sake,say you had seen him spray the cat & ask him what the problem was. I very much doubt he is a cat poisoning weirdo,more likely he likes the birds & wildlife that the garden attracts.
Madness.

Pootles2010 · 21/07/2011 16:32

Has your neighbour assassinated your pussy yet OP?

Muckyhighchair · 21/07/2011 16:52

Well after seeing one neighbours putting out 2 dozen rat traps in her garden on top of the shed, on flower beds. I asked have we got a rat problem around here (just moved in) she no, its for the cats.
This lady had lots of house pets, dogs, rabbits, brids and fish. But she did not like cats, so maned them.

Cue me rining the rspca.

How could anyone be so curel.

I keep my cats as house cats after someone kicked and stamped on my in/out cat.

DizzyKipper · 21/07/2011 17:38

Don't mind me folks, just bookmarking my spot

BadTasteFlump · 21/07/2011 20:56

Disappointed how quiet this thread has gone - where's OP?

Have you scaled any fences yet?

DizzyKipper · 22/07/2011 08:22

Same here badtaste, I want to find out what happened

Original poster

zelda1982 · 05/08/2011 18:40

Hi, no i havent scaled any fences. I have noticed the bowl is gone though so am wondering if the guys a mn'er? lol

However my poor pussy has been diagnosed with a mammory tumor again and the vets not too keen on operating on her again so may have to pts (which is devastating for me as I lost my mam in May) However i will be vigilant when i start letting my kitten out once she is spayed ;)

OP posts:

bailey2011 · 30/03/2017 15:37

Please be very careful. I have recently had 3 of my cats poisoned - 1 had to be put to sleep and the other 2 died at home suddenly - I suspect my neighbour but the police say without any proof nothing can be done - we are totally heart broken and now are afraid to let my other cat out at all

Mumzypopz · 30/03/2017 16:36

Anti freeze is usually blue in colour isn't it? Is it blue in the bowl?

RedGrapeCornSnake · 30/03/2017 17:12

THIS IS A 6 yr OLD ZOMBIE THREAD

Janey50 · 30/03/2017 17:27

hiddenhome apparently cats like the sweet taste of antifreeze. I find that rather odd tbh as apparently cats have no sweet flavour detecting taste buds. But my cat always tries to lick my fingers if I've just eaten a cream cake so I suppose there must be some truth in it!

ThePiglet59 · 30/03/2017 17:42

My God. The legend of the mad cat ladies is true!
Excuse the typos, but I'm posting from under the bed, as I think that I saw a hedgehog outside.

IWillOnlyEatBeans · 30/03/2017 17:48

My neighbour advised me to poison a local cat by leaving a dish of diluted anti-freeze out for it to drink!! I clicked on this thread to see if it was the same person! She's a woman though.

She was deadly serious about me doing it - she often sees me cleaning cat poo off our lawn. I hate cats but don't wish to harm them.

I told her in no uncertain terms how awful the idea was and she hasn't spoken to me since!

kali110 · 30/03/2017 17:59

That's fucking vile iwill sounds like you're best off not speaking to her!
There are some truly evil people around

Aridane · 30/03/2017 18:34

OMG - a zombie thread. And just as I was getting totally hooked!

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