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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Who is being unreasonable re dog & cats?

113 replies

LaLyra · 06/04/2015 17:33

My head is pickled thanks to a row with my neighbour (well more neighbour had a go at me and I said I thought he was wrong so he shouted some more until I walked away until he can talk like a civil adult).

I have 3 cats. On sunny days, like today, my cats like to lie in my garden. All morning and most of the afternoon they were on the patio slabs asleep in the sun. Now the sun has moved/mostly gone, one of the cats (who is a sun worshipper) has moved to lie on the wall as it's higher and still in a sunny spot.

My neighbour has 2 dogs. One is a Westie who on his own is fine, doesn't bat an eyelid at the cats. The other is a little yappy thing, no idea of breed. This dog barks at everything especially the cats. It is currently going nuts at the cat, who is on the wall asleep ignoring it, this (as always) has set the Westie off barking as well.

When the cats are low in the garden the dogs can't see them because after the neighbour moved in last year he used to put the dogs out in the garden while he got on with decorating. At that point the noise didn't bother him, but I had a newborn and it drove me mad. So after trying and suggesting various things, including keeping my cats in of a morning and only letting them out after the dogs had had several hours in the garden to which he said I could go fuck myself if I thought I was keeping his dogs in all afternoon (this was the second time I'd ever spoken to him so this is the level of co-operation I've got) we put up fence panels that they can't see though. We're not allowed high fences and the boundary fence is actually his so we built that fence inside our garden. The fence works for most of the day.

Neighbour now works in a school so is about more during the holidays. He stormed out tonight ranting and raving about how he's not listening to my cats tormenting his dogs all holidays. Won't accept at all that his dog (who barks at the postman, us in our garden, anyone walking past, cars driving by, birds flying, trees moving in the wind - i.e. it barks constantly!) is the problem.

Am I missing something? Should I somehow be enforcing a height restriction on my cats or should he actually try and do something with his dog to stop it barking so much?

Apparently he's going to speak to the council noise people. Surely they can't do anything as I/my cats are not making any noise?

OP posts:

Puzzledandpissedoff · 07/04/2015 14:03

... and thinks one farted as it passed her door on it's way to the old lady's house

Thanks, pal - I've got all this tea to clean off my screen now!!

emwithme · 07/04/2015 14:06

Provocative sunbathing, eh?

Who is being unreasonable re dog & cats?

YesIDidMeanToBeSoRudeActually · 07/04/2015 14:07

Your cats are goady fuckers! Get them on MN

My neighbours complain about my goady fucker cat too. Apparently she is extra goady "as she is black and white she is more visible". Stupid fuckers.

Hate hate hate barking dogs. We have yappy barky dog (who dislikes black and white) on one side, and deep growling barky dog on the other. Sigh.

CrabbyTheCrabster · 07/04/2015 15:56

I hate barking dogs too, but unfortunately I own one. She gets utterly, hysterically outraged when cats come into the garden and because her eyesight isn't very good, every movement in the garden sends her into a cat-rage and she barks. I never leave her barking in the garden and always call her in but it's a massive pain in the arse, I worry that she's annoying the neighbours because she's certainly fucking annoying me, and it makes her on-edge all the time.

NDN now has about six cats and I curse the fucking things and her for being a mad cat lady. Obviously I wouldn't complain about them though because that would be deranged, which your NDN clearly is.

slicedfinger · 07/04/2015 16:01

I think this may be the best bonkers neighbour thread ever.

Mitzi50 · 07/04/2015 16:06

My cat (sadly no longer with us) used to sit in front of the one small gap in the fencing so that NDN's could see him. He would sit facing the fence and coolly washing himself with his paws as the dog went berserk. I now have a dog who sits with her eye to the gap looking for NDN's dog and spins in circles barking when she sees him - I do bring her in as soon as she starts and have plans to cover the gap.

SpicyBeat · 07/04/2015 16:15

Bahahaha. I have a terrier that would yap at cats if allowed. If my neighbour's cats are out sunbathing I keep him in. My annoyance is solely reserved for him and his unresponsiveness to hours of training on this. Well, and myself for getting a terrier that I knew full well would likely do this. Not to say that the cats don't love winding him up. They do, as is their right as cats

Poledra · 07/04/2015 16:23

Our NDN's terrier barks at our cats too. When he first arrived, the cats used to come streaking into the house when he appeared (you can get between our gardens if you are a small dog/cat/child). Now, they sit on the garden table sneering at him as he bounces up and down on his stubby little legs yapping at them. Then, after a few minutes, with his civic duty as a terrier done, he returns to his own garden all puffed up with pride. And the cats sneer a little more then go back to sleep.

Still makes me laugh and it's a little pageant that's being going on in my garden for over a year now

Original poster

LaLyra · 07/04/2015 17:09

Poledra This one doesn't stop. He just yaps and yaps and yaps until he can either no longer see the thing he's yapping it or NDN screams at him and hauls him inside.

Puzzled You are welcome Other neighbour has been sending me comments like that all day. He'll be complaining about my shrieking laughter next!

I've decided to phone the council tomorrow. I put up with the noise for the sake of neighbourly harmony, but I'm not putting up with the noise AND getting the sodding blame.

OP posts:

Coyoacan · 07/04/2015 17:18

I love the seemingly serious comment by one of the posters about cats not having the right to go into other people's gardens! I'll just explain that to my cats then.

I live in a large block of flats with open walkways. One of my neighbours put at sign up in front of her flat against animals defecating there, but she put it at the eye level of dogs and cats!

RandomMess · 07/04/2015 22:03

I remembered about my first cat who actually liked dogs and used to have one as a companion at his previous home.

Well our NDN had a border collie who did not like cats. They spent hours in stand off either side of the trellis at the bottom of our garden. Cat also used to walk up and down the top of their fence when the dog was trapped behind the stairgate and most goady of all playing knock down ginger by poking his paw under their gate teasing the dog mercilessly.

There was a very near miss one day when dog escaped through gate whilst cat was just outside, gate darted under parked cars whilst dog excitedly flew straight passed around the corner!

There was also the time when cat succeeded in scratch the dogs nose so badly in their "fight" through the trellis that there was blood sprayed all up it. Fortunately NDN found the ongoing fued as entertaining as us and poor dog continued to look for the cat after his demise until the end of her life

dollymixedup · 07/04/2015 22:23

My neighbour complains that my Chihuahua-cross terrorises her cat. She just looks at me blankly when I point out that her cat has to come into my yard to be terrorised.

GloGirl · 07/04/2015 22:32

I bet your cats are sunbathing ostentatiously , bastards.

mindthegap79 · 07/04/2015 22:56

Haha, he's barking

SwirlyThingAlert · 07/04/2015 23:39

I'm not a cat OR a dog lover. Can't be doing with either of them, if I'm being frank.So fully expected to come onto this thread berating the cat owner as they're the ones I can't stand the most.
However, your neighbour is stark, staring bonkers. He's going to report you to the council noise people when it's HIS dogs barking at the sight of your sleeping cats?!
Lol. If he says it again, offer to go along too!

SwirlyThingAlert · 07/04/2015 23:44

Lol, I now have visions of said moggy only venturing out when it sees Next Door Dog out. Places itself on the wall and starts preening/sunning itself when ND Dog shows its face.
Tormenting wind up merchant.

PeppermintCrayon · 08/04/2015 00:18

I think the provocative moggies need one of these:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/1091448-My-cat-has-a-padded-gilet-Help-need-advice

CelibacyCakeAndFuckThePO · 08/04/2015 00:45

Diary of Cat Trainer.

Cat Training Strategy:

Day One.

Welcomed class, gave a brief overview of course.

Encouraged cats to engage with Trainer (me)

Decided to try another technique.

First I reassembled the cats in orderly.....

First I rereassemble cats in orderly....

I let the cats roam freely around the room.

I started by explaining the boundaries of a garden and socially acceptable behaviour between cats and dogs.

D0oinMeCleanin · 08/04/2015 02:19

I've just had "Paranormal Investigates" episode or some such, as explained by dd1: " Do the have a cat?! No? Then it was our cat. Apologise and give them Dreamies"

Icimoi · 08/04/2015 07:25

Neighbour is undoubtedly nuts. However, could you resolve the issue once and for all by putting something on top of the wall to deter your cats from sunbathing there?

Puzzledandpissedoff · 08/04/2015 10:45

He'll be complaining about my shrieking laughter next

And who could blame him; don't you know that high-pitched laughter is extremely annoying??

Some people just have no consideration ...

Original poster

LaLyra · 08/04/2015 14:34

And the saga rumbles on....

I phoned the council this morning. Girl on the phone almost cried laughing when I gave my address. I've to keep a noise diary of the barking. She couldn't discuss the advice she'd given my neighbour, but I shouldn't expect a visit from them anytime soon...

Funnily enough the second the dog started yapping at the postman some kids this morning he took it in from the garden....

Icimoi I can't reach the top of the wall, but even if I could the wall goes round half of my garden (houses are on a hill and mine is the last so the end wall is over 6 foot). Even if I managed to cover all of the wall top then if the cat wants to be high for the last hour of sun he'd just climb the tree or go on the shed roof. It might sound cunty to some, but I sorted the solution that means there's no issue for the vast majority of the day. All he has to do is take the dog inside for the last little bit.

OP posts:

AndHarry · 08/04/2015 14:49

Hilarious. I would love to know what they told him!

taxi4ballet · 08/04/2015 14:58

Glad to hear of the hilarity in the local council offices!

We too have yappy dogs next door, and my NDN has always blamed my cat for being in our front garden/walking down the path as her dogs can see out from her front window. Their frenzied howling/yapping has to be heard to be believed.

A few months ago when we were round their house:

NDN "Oh it's your cat that makes them bark all the time, it's always in the garden"

Me "A black cat? No... I don't think it's mine"

NDN "Yes yes, it definitely is"

Me "No, it can't be my cat"

NDN "Oh yes it is!!!"

ME "Oh no it isn't"

NDN "IT IS YOUR CAT!!!!!"

Me "No - it can't be, she's been dead for six months..."

OnlyLovers · 08/04/2015 15:06

You've brightened up the council office's post-Bank Holiday days, OP.

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