Catgate

[SirSugar]

This rumbles on and on, so far have done the following;

asked nicely
got cross
written letters
telephoned
offered to get them a cat (they don't want one)
kept cat indoors, except for 15 mins in morning

but they are STILL feeding mine who is greedy and if I'm not on the ball during his 15 min morning run will be let into their house and not let out until I telephone to ask them to let him out.

Apparently, they used to keep a cat and for sentimental reasons they keep his bowls and 'put a little food down' which my cat nibbles on YET they have done everything they reasonably can NOT to feed my cat

[now absolutely fucking furious emoticon]

Dye the cat a different colour or paint it with patterns (Pimp my cat). Perhaps they wont recognise it so wont let it in?

www.google.co.uk/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=639&q=painted+cat&gbv=2&oq=painted+cat&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_l=img.3..0l10.2267.6566.0.8160.11.10.0.1.1.0.116.961.7j3.10.0...0.0.R02SJhgiovQ

Sorry...above link wont work but google, images, painted cats.

I know you said you'd prefer not to use a cat run, but it does sound like the only option. You know they're not going to change, so you know that by letting the cat out in his usual routine is going to result in him being overfed, locked in and become unwell. Kinder on him and kinder on your blood pressure to bow to the inevitable and put some kind of net roof on the garden.

GO STRAIGHT BACK TO THE POLICE.

Go back now, because it's so soon after they came out and spoke to them, the police will realise that this is really not normal.

The police told them it could be taken further if they continued to imprison your cat - you must get them back onto them.

And I would be contacting social services.

One of my friends lost one of her cats to a batty neighbour. Neighbour kept feeding cat, cat decided it would rather live with lonely old woman than in house with other cat and children. My friend is upset but neighbour is particularly obnoxious so all we can do is plan how to win her (the cat not the neighbour) back.

None of my three would move, although one used to like to visit a neighbour where we used to stay the neighbour came over to make sure it was ok to let him in (she has cats too) and we became friends.

When I was little one of our neighbour's cats left home when she became pregnant. Just up and left, never returned, again choosing to stay with old woman rather than kids.

fecking hell...I agree with whoever said get the police back...

They just cannot be allowed to get away with this weird behaviour!

Would you believe it, these fucking people carry on regardless - STILL.

Last night I was calling the cat over several hours, and I saw them throw him out of their house at 11.30. I rang immediately and said this has to stop, the crazy old bat shouted 'shut up' and slammed the phone down.

I go through periods where I have to just ignore it but then it really gets to me again and so it goes on.

I fucking hate them, why, why, why would you continue to feed someone elses cat when they have REPEATEDLY asked you not to, even the police have paid them a visit.

sorely tempted to spray paint their front door with message - DO NOT FEED THE CAT. Let them call police and have it out.

I was wondering what had happened. I'm at a loss as to what to suggest though - you've done most everything, I think.

Send the cat off with some friends or relatives for a fortnight. When they come round asking where he is, tell them that the cat has died because of all the crap food they have fed him. Slam the door in their face.

When the cat comes back, just don't say anything, and then when they approach you about the miraculously alive cat, look at them all confused and insist it's dead.

Hopefully they will get so freaked out by the "ghost" cat that they will never allow it in again!

Could you build a cat run in the garden? We did this when we had the persians.

They sound deranged tbh and I do feel very sorry for the situation you're in here.

Maybe they will get ill and need to go into a home. Not a nice thing to say but they dont sound right.

I see other peoples cats but I dont kidnap them.

It is a form of harrassment really isnt it?

I am so with you on this, I have just given up tbh, my nneighbour has my cats, when we challenge her she brings them nack a couple of times at tnight and then we dont see them again for months, I hate it, makes me so angry. I love my cats and she has stolen them and I dont even know what to do.

Blimey. This has been going on for ages. I would be as furious as you SirS.

Apologies I've only skimmed the thread. Will the police follow this up? Surely this is anti social behaviour on their part and the police should be dealing with it accordingly. Could your vet strengthen the case officially regarding overfeeding? Maybe a letter.

Our cats are adored. If anyone was enticing them away persistantly I'd not hesitate to wheel over my three distressed children and demand an explanation. Let them see the upset their 'kindness' is causing and justify to them.

I can't understand why people do this. Our cat went missing for two weeks this year.

I put posters up everywhere and my 3 year old daughter and me went out every evening calling for him.

She in particular was absolutely devastated and I had to tell her that I thought he must have been hit by a car and that he wasn't coming back.

Then one Sunday I received a phone call from a man who tipped me off that his next door neighbour had a cat matching the description on the posters in her garden.

I went round and it WAS our cat. She'd taken him for her two children, renamed him and obviously ignored all of the posters that I'd put up (one of them being right outside her house!) She even had the audacity to ask if she could come and visit him!

I just read whole thread, poor you! ALl I can suggest is that you call the police every single time. It sounds like anti social behaviour and harassment, if they keep on breaching an ASBO they could get fined or go to prison.

I am amazed! This doesn't appear to be that uncommon reading other similar stories here. Good grief how could anyone be so calculating? To go to so much effort and cause so much upset when there are thousands of homeless cats who really do need a home. Why not get one of those?

I think it's fair to say that they're unhinged BeatTheClock. I think it's miraculous that the OP has taken neither to drink nor a weapon!

Flu seasons coming up.....

omg i have just read the whole thread and am amazed! who do they think they are. i have no suggestions but i am incredulous that people would behave like this.

fwiw there are two cats that go in a little side house that is attached to our house, well its a little room we have tumble dryer etc in that we can only access by going into our garden. anyway i do not put foid down but as i know the cats go in there i just leave a window open so they can get out whenever, i think they like the warmth from the tumbledryer but if their owner said they didnt want them in there i would make sure they couldnt get in.

sirsugar Why not keep the cat in, but call them 4 or five times a day asking where it is. You have enough of a paper trail to justify these calls, so wont be harrassing them (as it will be the actions of a reasonable person, ie..you looking for cat they have history if keeping). Then you can call at any time you feel will disturb them the most. And maybe let cat out on sundays (did you say they go out on sundays???)

Hell, maybe buy an autodialler with a pre-set message on it. Set it to call them every half and hour.

Right, I'm considering a variety of tactics.

The first thing I'm going to do is compose one last letter; I have photocopied some information about the law regarding cats where it states that the cat is property of the owner and it is considered theft if you take a cat. Also causing injury to someones elses cat is unlawful.

I am then going to embark upon a civil claim against them, warn them of this and my intention to call on them, by telephone then in person EVERY time I cannot get my cat in.

At this time of year my cat will only go out for five minutes, then comes back, if they let it in It will stay there until it needs loo or they chuck it out. Often I will let it out and it goes straight to their house and meaows at their door to be let in.

In the summer I noticed something had changed and the cat didn't go there so much - I found out that the woman had her sons cat for several weeks so wasn't letting mine in; however I did catch her one morning throwing bits of chicken out for mine.

I am so fed up with their outrageous disregard, I'm going to make myself a right fucking nuisance.I already have a significant paper trail and community police report, and I will make one further call to the PCSO as I begin this campaign to stop these fucking idiots.

I did try keeping cat in, it pulled its fur.
I refuse to build a cat run, I wouldn't have a problem if these people stopped
I do not wish to rehome cat

I will try to post piccy of cat on my profile

Amazon do electric cat fences.

Be careful you don't get accused of harassment by going round and file a civil case for damages due to distress when cat missing etc. Judges aren't pleasant people to be in front of and you neighbours sound mad enough to try and take one on.

Wow. Just wow.

What utter bat shit crazy horrible neighbours. Why don't they just get their own cat????

You have my sympathies OP.

Some of our family friends ha their cat stolen by old crazy neighbours. Oil fiends had to move away for work and the old couple kept the cat inside and wouldn't give it back!!

Oh my god.

OP, you have my deepest respect for not attacking them. I couldn't cope with the blatant disreguard of you, and the idiocy from these people. I would have put the fear of god into them by now.

I'd put a video camera up that shows them letting it in, and them subsequently letting it out.

This really needs to stop, its not fair at all