to think there are too many cats in the city and people should THINK before getting one?

[phlossie]

Disclaimer: 1. I like cats 2. I would never really do a cat any harm (but I can fantasise...)

I live in a city suburb in a terraced house on a street lined on either side with terraced houses, and our row of terraces backs onto another similar row - and it's like this for miles. When we moved in, we have gravel in our garden, which we (well dh) laboured to remove and replace with soil and then turf. Why? Because the gravel was a cat litter tray.

Problem is, the cats now shit on our grass. In plain sight. Unburied. I can't let the children go outside without clearing it up first, and I can't put our guinea pigs on the grass. I'm pregnant, so less keen on cat poo than ever (actually made me puke the other week). It makes me really angry!

Now dog poo on the pavement is disguisting, but that's down to the owners. And all other animals live within their owner's houses and gardens, but cats wander - and they like pooing in other people's gardens.

We've tried the usual deterrants - my DH even went through a phase of peeing in the garden himself! But I find myself wanting to shoot them with a pellet gun, or put down broken glass (I wouldn't, don't call the RSPCA).

I effing hate them. They ruin our garden. And I think people who get a cat when every other fecker in the street has one are thoughtless. I've even heard cat owners say 'ha, well they don't poo in our garden - they go next door!' Bastards!

Unreasonable, me? No.

BTW - if you have any good ideas about how to deter them, please tell me.

This is so clearly a problem for so many people, I feel ashamed to have cats.

I have been so selfish, letting them leave our garden and not controlling them.

Thanks to the OP and the many before her raising the enourmous problem of animals defecating I have seen the error of my ways.

My cats and I have sat down together and I have read this and other threads to them. They are sorry and ashamed. We have drawn up a charter together (well I have to write it - they don't have thumbs) and they have agreed not to leave our garden and to use one of our indoor loos, flush wipe and wash their paws.

They are going to speak to all their feline friends and try to roll out this new code of behaviour. They are not sure about the birds, foxes, badgers, squirrels, rats, mice and other wild animals that live in Britain as traditionally they have been opposed to defecating indoors - being as they are wild animals, but they have agreed to begin cross-species negotiations so that no animal does anything as unnatural or distubring as produce waste product in its own environment again. The selfish fuckers.

I'll let you know how it goes OP.

valiumredhead - in the wild they do. Domestic house cats tend not to get raised very well by their parents and basically just shit on the surface and wander off. I used to have a cat who would forget he was doing one and wander around with a poo hanging half out.

He was a bit disturbed though.

My new cat does cover up his poo, unfortunately he mistakes plant pots for litter trays and has shat all over my tomatoes which I lovingly washed and then packed up for my most disliked neighbour

Catgirl, that kind of sarky response is not doing the reputation of cat owners any favours, it just reinforces my perception that most of you don't give a toss.

It is a problem for a lot of people, it makes me really bloody miserable having to scrape up putrid turds while suffering from hideous morning sickness.

Oh I dunno, it made me larf Wurg

What exactly do people think cat owners can do? Cat nappies. Corks perhaps?

Boggles

Well yes Wurg - what exactly do you think cat owners should do?

maybe we could take the idea of cat nappies (cappies?) on dragons den chocolate?

oh - x-posted - we have been beaten to it!!! wow................

Actually instead of being sarcastic you could pretend to give a fuck.

It is horrible. It is not a wild animal it is your cat, and just because you don't legally have to give a fuck, it doesn't mean you can't ensure your cat(s) have a litter tray or somewhere in your garden to use. Then make sure they do use it.

Ha ha ha ha jaggy - I'll try that - I will put a litter tray in my garden and tell them to use that and not go any where else.

Are you actually serious? Then make sure they do use it That's hysterical

Raises hand at one of those who doesn't give a toss... and who never will until the day comes when the most destructive, verminous, selfish and cruel creature on the planet takes its head out of its own arse and starts addressing its own contribution to dirt, shit, disease and damage.

Why the fuck not catgirl? I f some people can do it why should you just let your shit anywhere and laugh???

yours

Oh aye dogs, totally relevant to cat shit on lawns...

Jaggy - I guess animal behaviour is not your strong point.........you cannot TRAIN a cat to ONLY use a litter tray in your garden and stop it going anywhere else FFS

Sorry you fail to comprehend, jaggy, though I think you'll find that the fault is with you, not with my remark.

so do you just not bother having a litter tray? (i though most people had them inside anyway).

Oh I understand your comment, I just don't think it's relevant to whether cat owners should just laugh at their pets leving a mess in people's gardens.

no - people have litter trays indoors for INDOOR CATS. Outdoor cats do not generally have litter trays because they are very unlikely to use them when they are outdoors. They will not be 3 roads down and think - oh i need a crap i will run back home and use my tray.

catgirl, I'd give up if I were you matey. As you doubtless know the hysterical cat-haters and their cronies have this argument here on a regular basis.

I've owned cats for 40 years. My DC were brought up with them from birth. It's amazing any of us have survived.

My cat has a litter tray but prefers the outside.

Love to know how to make sure a cat uses his own garden? really long leash untill you see them poo and then let them off it?

My neighbours dogs weed on our grass so much it died but I dont go around moaning.

There may be some confusion. I said a litter tray or somewhere in your own garden. Not a litter tray in the garden.

I will......dogs - am just a bit that people seem to think you can tell a cat where it should go.......mine are pretty smart but not really that smart

Yes it is serious, and yes I agree it's not nice to find shit (of any kind) in your garden. But unless you really are going to ban the keeping of outdoor cats anywhere but in the midst of the countryside then I'm afraid there isn't much to be done.

I really think that there are a great deal more antisocial things that town or city dwellers do to make the lives of their neighbours less pleasant than simply owning cats with no sense of social responsibility. Now.... shall I get started on multiple car households in areas with no off street parking and limited on-street parking? Or noisy feckers who start building work at 7am. Or who party till 4am. Or litter droppers. Or dog owners. Or people who listen to their car stereo at top volume with the windows open. Or perhaps even worse, with the windows shut so all you can here is ssshh boom sssshh sshhh boom. Or people who don't control their kids. Taggers. Piss heads who puke in the streets on a saturday night. The point is that people have to run along together if they choose to live in a town. You can't pick and choose the things that you get irritated about. Well you can, but you can't expect anyone to take you that seriously.

I think your attitude is the problem here. I am certainly not a cat hater - maybe a cat poo hater!

If you were even slightly apologetic or tried/cared about the problem it causes your neighbours, I'd find it easier to take tbh.