Should owners clean up after cats?

[Sillysausage2]

I'm a responsible dog owner and clean up after my dog. Unfortunately I think the scent of my dog attracts cats to my front garden, I watched 2 come and shit in my garden this afternoon! LO plays in the front garden and apparently cat shit is very dangerous, AIBU to be a bit pissed off with this?

Sunna my cat is Siamese and litter trained....he's far too nervous to poo outdoors but if I had a moggy and litter trained him but he went outside all night and was happy to go wherever......how on earth am I to police where he poos!? Should cat owners put nappies on their cats?

As someone said upthread build it a run like they have to in some Australian states.

At one time it was seen as ok to let dogs shit anywhere, now it's socially unacceptable. I think we are moving towards making random cat shit unacceptable as well, I hope so.

Truthfully I expect you're right, most cat owners don't really care where their cat shits or spend much time thinking about it. I also think most garden owners, whilst undoubtedly thinking it's a pain, care that much. In a previous home my neighbour's cats used to shit on my garden path every single day. It was not pleasant but I would remove it without complaint and it never occurred to me to feel any malice towards either my neighbour or the cat.

I just kind of figured that unfortunately cat shit is just one of the many hazards that can come with owning/renting a house with a garden along with various other types of shit (eg: bird, fox) and all the other little annoyances that come from living nearby to other people (smoke from bonfires, noise, litter, dogs barking etc) that make spending time in your own garden less enjoyable.

That's not to say I wouldn't feel guilty if my cat (who is provided with two litterbox trays but rarely uses either) is shitting in the gardens of my neighbours, if it was causing them upset I would be very apologetic and would happily clean it up, but the possibility she is shitting somewhere inconvenient not something I spend any time worrying about. Unfortunately even if I was concerned I don't really see what I could do about it.

At one time it was seen as ok to let dogs shit anywhere, now it's socially unacceptable.

Unfortunately where I live the dog owners still seem to think their dogs can anywhere including on public footpaths and pavements. When dog shit is picked up it then mainly seems to be hung on trees in little plastic bag. It might be unacceptable in theory but in practice I don't think all dog owners have got that memo.

From personal experience cat owners are the only pet owners that believe that they have a right to dictate what you do with your own garden

Can honestly say I really do not believe you, and you have fabricated this story for "comedic" effect! I have been a cat owner for 37 years and have never heard such a nonsensical sweeping statement of a pet owner.

Of the two cats I have at the moment, one will only go in the litter tray, one will only go outside. Other cats visit our garden. Even when I haven't had cats, neighbouring cars have used our garden as a lavvy. Other wildlife also - foxes, hedgehogs. It is quite easy to clear away. (Foxes poo is particularly smelly, ick. But easily disposed of) Gardens are gardens, animals are animals. Hey-ho.

We have two dogs and we trained them to run outside like maniacs whenever someone says "where is it?" Cats generally no longer come into our garden.

Failing that, in a back garden had you considered netting and angled brackets or fence rollers? Expensive and frustrating that you have to pay to keep someone else's animal out but might be worth it to never have to deal with them again.

One of our neighbours cats shits in everyones garden. They've ruined another neighbours vegie patch. Cat neighbor finds it funny. She's a bit of a twat really. Sometimes I think a swift solution to the problem would be to collect up said cats and drive them a very long way away. Of course I can't actually be bothered to do it, and I would vaguely be concerned that the cats may come to harm. I wouldn't give a shiny shit that the neighbour would be upset about the loss of her cats though. Although I expect the little shitters would find their way home anyway. Perhaps I'll give it a go and see if they do...

Sometimes I think a swift solution to the problem would be to collect up said cats and drive them a very long way away

Although that is a very silly suggestion, I would also love to do that to dog owners who hang their dogs' poos from trees. Now that would be even harder, as a large grown up would take up a lot more room in the boot. I'd have to buy a pick-up truck (Don't tempt me)!!

Gardening programme on radio once advised a caller with cat poo problem to store some wee in bottle for few days, and sprnkle round garden.. Idea being that cat will be deterred from using, as thinks another cat has claimed that territory. We tried it...it works..so far..

Oh, and agree with Chesterberry - don't get me started on barking bloody dogs. From 6:00am sometimes on a Sunday morning until 2:00am the following Sunday, sometimes. At least cat poo can be dealt with at your own convenience during normal waking hours. Barking frikkin' dogs at all hours of the day and night ...... Gaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!! Bloody dog owners drive me potty

Oh, and BTW - we do also have a couple of neighbours whose dogs are "allowed" to come into our garden and shit everywhere, and frighten the rabbits. Then, when we have to take them home, are met with an ineffectual "Ooh, sorry, (yet again) I'll have to reinforce the fence".

I'm glad one of my cats shits in your garden, you useless piece of humanity!

Is that cat, human, dog wee as a detterrent?

Human wee. It also keeps foxes from your garden.

Haven't rtft, sorry, but halved citrus fruit scattered around the edges works well as a deterrent and won't hurt the dog.

I do feel guilty that my cats do their business in other people's gardens, but there's not a lot I can do about it! Have you ever tried to reason or negotiate with a moggy?

Responsible people who choose to keep a cat erect cat fencing. That way the cat they chose to keep will have no choice than to remain in their garden and they get the job of cleaning up after it.

Others who cant be bothered with cleaning up the crap from the cat they chose to keep prefer to inflict it on the neighbours. They allow their cat to crap in other people's gardens and then spout the usual "Its a cat. It's a free spirit. What do you want me to do about it?"

There are responsible cat owners and then there are those who are dead ignorant to the plight of others. Personally if a cat craps in my garden I get a shovel and throw it back into the neighbours garden. Their cat, their crap! I chose not to get a cat because I don't want to clean up their mess. I don't see why my bin should have to stink of other people's cat shit!

www.icatcare.org:8080/advice/keeping-your-cat-safe/fencing-your-garden

Responsible people who choose to keep a cat erect cat fencing.

A great idea in theory. In practice that is not always going to be possible for all cat owners, for example if they are living in rented accommodation, have trees/hedgerows instead of fencing, have neighbours who object to a 6ft high fence, can't afford the cost of erecting and maintaining the fence, don't have the skills needed to build the fencing etc. Having read through the link cat-proofing a garden does not look easy or cheap.

I will not be building a fence for my cat (rented accommodation) but that's not because I can't be bothered with cleaning up my cat's poo. I provide her with two litter trays (one indoors and one outdoors) and clean them out as necessary but unfortunately she does not usually choose to use them. I do feel somewhat guilty having read this thread to think that my owning a cat who poos somewhere in my neighbourhood might be causing my neighbours so much distress (it had never really occured to me before) or that anybody might feel hatred towards me or my cat based on this. I find it quite surprising how much it seems to bother people.

I would love to find a solution to stop my cat shitting in other people's gardens (if she is, she may well be going in the various fields in the nearby area) and wouldn't object to having to deal with it myself. I expect most cat owners would feel the same if they were able but I think the solutions offered (expensive 6-foot fencing, keeping cat indoors) would be impractical to a large number of cat owners.

Unfortunately I think it really is a problem to which there is no easy meets-all solution.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum

As I said its anecdotal. If it makes you feel better to choose not to believe it then fair enough.

About five people on the last page or so have said something along the lines of 'I feel bad about it but what can I do?'

The answer is really simple. Keep your fucking cats indoors. If you want to keep a pet that is your decision but foisting the most unpleasant parts on your neighbours is irresponsible and antisocial. It's not just the shit, they do fuckloads of damage to plants and seedlings as well. People spend money and time on their gardens only for other people's animals to wreck them.

I don't agree with killing people's pets at all but I understand the sentiment.

If you think it's cruel to keep a cat indoors then don't get a cat. The same way many other wannabe pet owners don't have pets that need more time and attention than they are able to give.

Yeah i guess a bit of thought, when buying a cat.
So it poops ,i dont know 1-2 times a day. It wont go in my garden so i think a minimum of 365 poops for others to clean up.
If you arent close to woods/ fields then that is in your neighbours gardens.
They might try to hide it but really is there that much loose soil. We dont have any in our garden (except veg garden).

To answer the OP, no I don't think cat owners should clean up after their cats.

YABU.

I think more cats could be house cats than currently are - we've had three to date, including one who lived as a stray for at least part of her life but adapted to indoor life surprisingly smoothly. It is harder work for us as we have to make sure they get plenty of stimulus and playtime (and obviously we have to muck out the litter trays daily!) but the whole point of having a cat, or any pet, is to interact with it and my DH is retired so we are in a position to do so. I don't know whether we've just been lucky with the temperament of the cats we've had as house cats or whether we make some of our own luck by setting things up the best we can for success, but none of our house cats have shown any stress, ill-health or appeared to pine for the fjords great outdoors.

Where I used to live there was a high cat population and I would regularly see a couple of cats in particular who were obviously put outside when their owners went to work (different owners - different houses) who seemed to spend their entire day huddled up on the doorstep clearly longing to be back in the house. It didn't matter what time during the day you went past or how many times in a day, these poor cats were always pressed up against their front door, obviously finding outdoor life a bit too stressful but with no way to get back indoors.

Unfortunately some rescues have a blanket "no rehoming as indoor cats" which is a bit short-sighted IMO. It won't suit every cat but it will suit some, and if the choice is a life with the free run of an entire house/flat plus an owner who will spend time with it or life in a rescue shelter kennel/cage with limited interaction with overstretched volunteers, it seems a no-brainer to me.

"I find it quite surprising how much it seems to bother people."

Really? Because you thought, er, that cat poo was appealing in some way? Or that people who don't like cats would for some reason like their poo?

And as discussed above there is a hygiene issue. Not just toxoplasmosis. Cats carry some nasty nasty diseases - one scratched my dog and the resulting infection nearly killed him, so no, I don't appreciate cat poo in my garden!

I don't think it will be coming back anytime soon

That's right, because you've probably killed it. It will ingest the bleach trying to clean its coat. Water would have done the job perfectly well. But you carry on with your if you think killing an innocent animal because you're annoyed at the actions of its owner is something to be proud of.

FFS

I do hope you are not serious, Ican. Do you realise bleach is highly toxic to a cat? If you actually did hit the cat with the bleach spray, it will groom itself and ingest the bleach. I can become very ill, and, depending upon the amount it might ingest or inhale (or if it got into its eyes, which could cause blindness) it could potentially prove fatal.

If you know who that cat belongs to, you should inform the owner immediately, so it can be taken to the vet. If the cat should become ill without the owner knowing, the cat is likely to take itself off to hide somewhere, as this is what they do. And the owner may never know.

If what you have said is true, I cannot believe someone could be so stupid or cruel!