To think defending your cat when it's crapping on my lawn is pathetic!!

[LegoComplex]

Not me but DP right now was washing up and saw the same massive fat cat start to take a dump in our front garden, bearing in mind this one cat always leaves massive dog size droppings where the kids play and a constant aroma of the stuff!

So he banged on the window but it didn't move so he opened the window and hissed at it, cue my neighbour comuing up and shouting at him that he threw something at it and she'd throw something back, he said what did i throw? she said she didn't know but kept having a go.

Are we supposed to watch the thing do that on our lawn?! we have our own cat and if i saw it doing that on someones front garden i'd shoo her away myself!

[UglyBugaz]

Eyeballs, cats dont like citrus so maybe spray some lemon juice/oil Or orange before you do clean off his scent with bleach/water

[kali110]

Kicking a cat is abuse

[kali110]

Im never a confrontational person, i usually shy away but if i saw someone booting my cat or another i guarantee me or my dp would definitely be returning the favour.

[AmIthatsummery]

Cornwall, the first part of that post was a response to you, and yesterday you are maybe lucky in not having stinking shit.

The second part of my post was in reference to the few posters who think that people deserve to be assaulted by owners. I didn't mean that you were weird, or advocated violent responses

[Gabilan]

"So you think assaulting another person is ok. "

No. However, my reaction to someone attempting violence towards one of my animals is quite visceral.

I realise that, long term, violence begets violence. However, there's no need to go around kicking a cat in your garden. You can shoo it away, aim water at it, set up an automatic waterer. There are lots of things you can do that are not violent, that should deter the cat. And in the end, it's not the cat's fault. It is doing what comes naturally, so the problem is with the owner, not the cat. Threaten violence towards one my animals and whilst I know that morally violence is wrong, you might find that my instinctive reaction is, well, let's just leave it at instinctive.

[AmIthatsummery]

Yes and I'd do the same - if it was one of my DC though.

[kali110]

Gabilan your answer is exactly how i feel. I def don't think violence is right but i don't know if id be able to stop myself from getting in trouble! The animal can't defend itself!

[AmIthatsummery]

Well, if any of you assaulted me I would be straight on the phone to the police.

I wonder how the defence would go - oh, your honour, my cat kept shitting in their garden, and they objected to the time, effort and expense spent on cleaning up, so they booted it out.

Okay.

[ThisIsClemFandango]

Yes, and if you assaulted my cat I'd be straight on the phone to the RSPCA. It's cruelty and it would be treated as abuse.

[DawnMumsnet]

Evening all,

Thanks for your reports about this thread.

We know (from experience, unfortunately) how annoying this problem can be, but we're not at all comfortable with folk advocating the mistreatment of animals.

Could everyone please be mindful of this when posting on this thread.

Many thanks

[feezap]

I don't think anyone is serious about hurting a cat, they are expressing their frustration in as expressive way as possible.

Seriously though, those saying cat shit doesn't smell or comparing it to horse shit or saying you'll step in shit at some point are in cloud cuckoo land. Cat shit stinks and has more harmful stuff in it than horse shit, dog owners have to pick up their shit for the same reason (those who don't are irresponsible), and I have never known a strange horse or dog come and shit in my garden. I know you can't dictate where cats shit but you should not be cross if someone shoos away your cat to stop it shitting on your lawn, let alone where kids play. I am a country person, and yes, fox shit stinks but the fact it exists is not an excuse to say to someone they need to get over the fact your cat is shitting in their garden.

We solved the cat shit issue by accident when we got chickens. The cats don't like them. The chicken shit is horrible too, we don't let them in the part of the garden DS crawls about in. (They do have a larger area, spoilt chickies).

If it was my cat, I'd be happy for it to be shooed away/squirted to avoid kids coming into contact with its shit.

[AmIthatsummery]

This is lem. Good for you.

How many such prosecutions have there been, do you know?

[ThisIsClemFandango]

I wonder how your defence would go, summery -
"Oh, the cat pooed in my garden so I decided to go and kick it because why not inflict harm on an innocent animal that knows no better?"
Totally reasonable.

[FuzzyWizard]

Cats burying their poo is a submissive gesture. That's why they bury it in their own gardens... My NDN has 7 cats. We are nice to them and stroke them when they are about. They bury their poo in our garden. My nan's NDNs get irate about cats (not my nan's) pooing in their garden... They shoo and spray and shout at them. The cats don't bury there and leave piles in the middle of their lawn... despite the fact that they bury it in my nan's garden. The poo irritates my nan too as she likes gardening but she wouldn't be unkind to animals.

[AmIthatsummery]

Thisisclem

Actually, the defence would be.

I was driven to despair at the amount of times I had to pick up stinking shit from my garden, day after day.

It as costing me a fortune in different deterrents

It was stopping DC having free run of MY garden

I could rarely catch it in the act and spray it because I have to go to work.

I caught it one day, chased it and aimed a boot up its arse.


Shall I start baking a file into a cake now?

[ThisIsClemFandango]

No i don't know, but believe me it's illegal and you can be fined and imprisoned for it. Just as you can if you assault a human.

[LegoComplex]

just to reiterate i wouldn't kick a cat, as i said i have my own who i love dearly when she's not being incessantly annoying

i'm a non confrontational person though and slightly worried about neighbous reaction if she sees me chase or spray her cat...as far as i know though if an animals on your property you have every right to chase it off?! i guess i'd just have to explain to her that i won't watch her cat doing that when i can prevent it and her cat won't suffer long term emotional trauma from an irate lady shooing it away!

[FuzzyWizard]

Also catmint works quite well in areas that have become designated toilet spaces. You plant it and then the cats see it as a relaxing spot rather than pooping spot. They roll around in it purring and being all adorable. Cat friendly gardens are the way forward if you want to avoid poo.

[AmIthatsummery]

I've got a shriveled up lime in my fruit bowl.

I'm away to grate it and spread it on the grass, would that work?

[ThisIsClemFandango]

Of course you can lego
I actually think your neighbour was BU in the way they reacted.
And I don't imagine for a second that you would go round kicking cats.
Luckily most people know that it is cruel and unacceptable behaviour.

[kali110]

Oh yes because that is acceptable, you were driven to abuse an animal

[kali110]

Thankyou mumsnet, im happy that you atleast do not advocate the mistreatment of animals

[Gabilan]

"The animal can't defend itself!"

Yes, that really.

My cats were born feral and when I got them, were right on the borderline of the age at which they might possibly become tame. They are now very tame with me -tamer than animal behaviourists say they should be given their lack of early socialisation. One set of neighbours can get within about 10 feet of them, the other neighbours can occasionally stroke the tamer one but cannot get near the other. As for any other humans, forget it, the cats will just avoid them. Reading this thread, I'm glad my cats avoid people they don't know.

[kali110]

Gabilan we have cats, only 1 was wanted to begin with the rest were strays! They'd been so badly mistreated though that we couldn't bare not to take them in.
Even 10years later 1 still runs from people but atleast he has a home.

[AmIthatsummery]

Kali, is it more acceptable to say that you assaulted
someone for booting your cat out of their garden?

Do you think that some assaults are justified? Really?