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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To upstairs tenants and their cats, if I use anti-intruder paint?

28 replies

laughingeyes2013 · 28/01/2014 10:05

I have a downstairs flat.

The tenant upstairs (in the only other flat in the building) thinks its funny to climb up onto my back garden 6ft gate, onto my porch roof, and up into to his bedroom window (usually when he's drunk or stoned and thinks its funny).

I have had to repair damage to the gate/fence post twice and now it's happened a third time. The gate won't close and is leaning down into my back garden, which is a problem with access to bins and compromises security at the back of the property.

I knocked on the door to ask (again) that the boy's Mum that she ensures he stops, and I asked them to pay for the damage, or at least half of it. She implied she had no knowledge and that her dear son wouldn't do such a thing, despite two separate witnesses seeing him in the act. Unfortunately one of those witnesses is the person living in my flat and he doesn't want to cause a disturbance so I doubt he would be happy for me to quote him.

I can't afford CCTV so thought I would file a police report for damages to my property and write to his landlord requesting he makes him stop. I also will try to buy intruder paint for the gate and my roof.

However, they own cats and leave the upstairs windows open so the cats can climb up onto the same fence and roof that the teenage son does. If I use intruder paint it will create havoc in their rented property and I don't know if it would cause the cat health problems. I'm sure it wouldn't taste/feel very nice to have paint on its fur that can't be easily washed off!

So ...am I being unreasonable to apply this stuff if I warn them that I am going to do it?

OP posts:
MrsBucketxx · 28/01/2014 10:09

Touch one id be tempted to pur railings or something else to stop him,and not the pant, the stuff does not come off and the cats could lick it and poison themselves.

Pity its illegal to put glass ir barbed wire up, he would stop then.

PurpleRayne · 28/01/2014 10:12

A friend's neighbour did this. Friend had ruined carpets and vet bill (cat's will attempt to lick off the paint from their fur). Relationship with neighbour never recovered.

On balance, I'd say look for another solution if possible.

Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 28/01/2014 10:20

I can't put railings up any higher than the roof he is climbing on, as there is nothing to fix it to. He could just step over a strip of plastic spikes unfortunately.

Any other suggestions? I don't want to harm animals but I also can't afford to keep replanting his damage to my property. If I put the intruder paint on it would force their hand to get rid of the cats I guess, because presumably they wouldn't want their cats exposed to the paint and so would keep the windows shut?

OP posts:
chocladoodle · 28/01/2014 10:27

1 Speak to him about it and not his mum.
2 Take photos if need be if you are witnessing him doing it.
3 Report all incidents to his landlord.
4 Or report to police that you have an intruder in your back garden climbing over your fence and onto your property. If the mum is denying it is her son doing this then it must be a stranger/potential criminal.

Dont inadvertently poison their cats.

I take it you own your property, if not complain to your landlord about increased security required at the rear of your property

jasmine3663 · 28/01/2014 10:32

Try fixing a piece of trellis on top of the gate - but use the type which is relatively fragile so that it breaks when he puts his weight on it.

When he cuts himself on the broken trellis trying to climb up he might think again. Also the trellis is cheap and easy to replace.

Should be able to take the cat's weight without problems

Found this idea at a RHS garden festival - it was one of a number of ideas used in the police demonstration garden

Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 28/01/2014 10:36

I am not living there myself even though I own it, and the guy who is there doesn't want to cause trouble, so is happy to tell me what's happening but won't take photos or call the police like I would.

I had erected a small bit of extra fencing on the top of the gate but that snapped off and he climbed up as though it wasn't there!

I haven't reported him to the landlord yet but think I have no option. Also getting police involved might spook him enough to want to protect his drug habit!

I would have preferred to talk to him directly but he was apparently out, even though his bedroom light was on when I called round last night. I can't camp outside their front door and stalk him!

This is just a nightmare.

OP posts:
PrimalLass · 28/01/2014 10:41

Have you tried contacting their landlord?

Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 28/01/2014 10:42

No that's my next step I guess.

OP posts:
BionicEmu · 28/01/2014 10:44

I sympathise, it's a crappy situation. Just wanted to add that a couple of years ago our garage got burgled. The burglars climbed over a bit of wall at the bottom of our garden, backing onto an adjacent street.

The policeman who came to take details, have a look around etc advised us that "you can do whatever you like to your own boundary as long as there's a warning. Putting broken glass on a wall - illegal; putting broken glass on a wall & screwing a sign to the wall saying "warning: danger of broken glass" = perfectly acceptable."

Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 28/01/2014 10:55

Ahhhh - so I could use broken glass! Mind you that is still dangerous for the cats, what could be used to deter a human that is safe for cats?

OP posts:
PumpkinsMummy · 28/01/2014 10:59

Would it be an option to go to speak to the mother again? Explain that you are still experiencing problems with intruders accessing and damaging your property, and that you have been advised to use anti vandal paint at the points of entry. You could then say that you are worried about the effect this will have on her cats, so you are advising her so that she can keep the windows closed and ensure they don't come into contact with it. If you can't afford the repairs, and she refuses to acknowledge her son is at fault then there is not alot else you can do. I have cats and am a huge animal lover so would never advocate harming an animal, but as long as you tell her what you are doing and when then she will have to be responsible for keeping them out of harms way or accepting her son is doing it! You might not need to actually paint it on, the threat might be enough.

heartichoke · 28/01/2014 11:05

My neighbour did this - she put anti-climb paint all over the top of her back wall and shed (at approx shoulder height) to deter burglars after her shed was broken into.

My cat trailed it all through the house, over rugs and duvet covers, and we had to take him to the vet, as he was covered in it and I didn't know if it was toxic. (Incidentally, it wasn't toxic and wouldn't have caused the cat any harm to lick it off apparently, but he did get a rather special bath!).

It was really annoying - and after a month or two, the neighbourhood cats had distributed all the anti-climb paint to the soft furnishings in their homes, and it didn't even do the job any more!

Could you put up a light trellis instead over the fence/gate etc? If it was too light to bear weight, that would be rather off-putting...

MomsStiffler · 28/01/2014 11:05

Barbed wire? You could mount it on the top of little metal posts. It'd stop him but not the cats....

heartichoke · 28/01/2014 11:07

Oooh - and another idea - is there any way that you could grow a thorny climber there - like a rambling rose?...

RandyRudolf · 28/01/2014 11:14

Buy one of these and rig it up with some string or clear plastic thread so that when he's scrambling up he will trigger it off. I think a cat would be cautious and would see the string and daintily step across it!

PumpkinsMummy · 28/01/2014 11:22

haha imagine sneaking in drunk and thinking you were being all clever and subtle and that going off! Even better if you could rig up a big light so it would be like a prison break!!

What about billing the landlord for the damage instead? Would he be covered by his insurance maybe?

RandyRudolf · 28/01/2014 11:24

I would definitely write to the LL, it's anti social behaviour with damage. The LL has a responsibility to sort this out.

mummymeister · 28/01/2014 11:28

carpet grip on the inside of the gate at the top so when he puts his hands on the top to climb up he will grip the gripper instead. the cat wont be harmed. if not, you have to talk to him directly. tell him you know he is doing it and then tell him and his mum that you are going to get the anti vandal paint. give them fair warning. his mum is the one the flat will be let to. it is her responsibility to make sure he acts responsibly as well.

sashh · 28/01/2014 11:33

Pity its illegal to put glass ir barbed wire up, he would stop then

That's what one of my neighbour's said. The next day I was woken up by her husband putting barbed wire around the inside of the fence. The cats' walk on top so it doesn't effect them.

Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 28/01/2014 11:33

That made me laugh.

Thanks for that, I needed to see the funny side!

Am getting some good alternative ideas, one theme that seems to keep coming back is to discuss with LL, so I will do that.

I will discuss the paint but not actually do it, and as for the rape alarm, sadly it won't winter outdoors but it really made me chuckle as I 'heard' it going off in the middle of the night and him thinking he was tripping on his whacky baccy! Wink

OP posts:
hollyhunter · 28/01/2014 11:36

what you need is a Bite alarm, available online from fishing shops for about a £5 deffo not more than £10. then run a line along the fence and hang the bite alarm onto it. then when he steps on the fence, and knocks the line, it will scream quite loudly ( its designed for carp fishermen to wake them while they are sleeping)

Your little chappy... in his altererd state of consiousness, from the booze and/or drugs, will shit himself!

You can move the alarm to strategic places just to mess with his mind.
and if you want to be really evil...... some fishing line is completely transparent so he wont be able to see it.....

Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 28/01/2014 11:39

Am just LOVING this thread! You people are making my day!!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 28/01/2014 11:40

Would the fishing line scream if the wind disturbed it?

OP posts:
sparechange · 28/01/2014 11:45

CCTV doesn't have to be expensive.

You can buy a stand-alone camera which records onto a memory card for under £20

the first hit on google was this ebay seller, but I'm sure there are loads of others out there. This one gives you 14 days of 24/7 recording before the memory card is full, then you wipe it and start again
eBay link

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