How very dare she!

[PourquoiTuGachesTaVie]

Just heard my neighbour scream at her daughter not to stroke my cat "because it's probably full of fleas!!!"

The cheek of it! I feel offended on behalf of my cat. But also wondering if this is an indication of how my neighbour views me.

Daft cow. Tell the daughter that of course your cat doesn't have fleas and isn't her mummy funny! See if that gets back. People are becoming unhinged about pets.

Could you not shout back "please don't stroke my cat, you're probably full of nits!" ?

Ah mango I love it! I might have to settle for only saying that to the cat though.

Mango!!!

People are becoming unhinged about pets.

Couldn't agree more! I always thought Britain was a nation of animal lovers. The Mumsnet demographic seem very off!

People are very unhinged about pets.

Take that as you will.

I have a cat and a dog, but I am always a little afraid of pets I don't know who I think might be disease ridden. Can't see much harm in teaching children to be wary.

@ Mango.

And cats know whom to target don't they everlong?

Does she know it is your cat?

She sounds like a fellow cat hater. I wouldn't take it personally and your cat doesn't give a shit.

I don't mind if she's a cat hater but I think I need to have a word with the cat about keeping up appearances.

Wiggling on her back in front of neighbours houses while covered in dust and slightly grass stained (god knows how but she's white so they show up) is clearly giving the wrong impression.

Pets are very unhinged about people.

Why they put up with us, I'll never know.

While it is good to teach kids not to pet strange animals, I don't think shouting a pet is full of fleas in ear shot to the neighbor is appropriate. Unless she doesn't know it's your cat.

To be fair, my dog got fleas once, and it was a nightmare. We had to leave the house for 12 hours for a couple days for the flea bombs to work.

My ex-neighbour once came up to me to strike up an nonchalant conversation about fleas then told me to get mine done. Only mine had been, are combed every other night and was given the all clear from the vets. That would be her poor tabby suffering and infecting other cats in the neighbourhood, as according to her, a flea collar alone does the trick for an infestation :(

Well cats do get fleas. Even the regularly treated ones from clean homes. I speak as a cat owner. This wouldn offend me at all. She doesnt know your cat doesnt have fleas, it's reasonable to suspect it may have fleas and not want them brought to her house. Dont think she has a cheek at all really.

But saying, clearly quite loudly, that the cat is 'probably full of fleas' is just bloody rude. And very unneighbourly.

Well cats do get fleas.
She probably hates cats as others have said.
Nothing to get worked up about.
Maybe it's crapping in her garden and she wants to rant as a result.
I Hate clearing up cat shit from other peoples precious little kitties!