My cats and cat poo in neighbours' gardens

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I moved into my house a year ago and have three cats. My neighbours are all quite elderly and have lived there for decades, they are all keen gardeners and very proud of their gardens.

Several months ago my next door neighbour started complaining to me about my cats pooing on his drive, so every time I go round and clear it up. Although to be honest I'm not convinced that the poo is from my cats.

Anyway, I'm now having complaints about cat poo from people who live way down the street, that my cats are pooing in their garden, although they admitted they hadn't actually seen the cat that did it. I live on a large suburban housing estate where there are loads of cats.

AIBU for thinking that cats are cats and I shouldn't be expected to be picking up any cat poo really, and to tell my neighbours to deal with it themselves and stop complaining to me? I can't control where my cats poo, they are not dogs.

I love MN. A gp and a consultant tell me the most probable source of my DDs lack of smelling but Mnetters know better. Of course I was vigilant and washed my hands carefully however I regularly encountered cat poo and that is the most likely source of my toxoplasmosis.

And mythical where is the evidence that is linked to cat poo? And the evidence backing your claim your children at risk?

Mythical - that report cites a number of causes of Toxoplasmosis, including eating unwashed fruit, vegetables and contracted from lambs. Cats are not the only culprits.

It is very easy to make yourself believe something you want to believe from reading an article or statistics.

So three children in every 100,000 I agree, is still too many. But the report does not state that cats alone are at fault.

YABU.
People who choose not to have cats shouldn't have to pick up cat shit.
I used to live in a street where both neighbours on either side and the house that backed onto my garden all had cats (one of them had three cats), mine was the only house with grass in the garden, others were all concreted over. My garden became the cats toilet, I had two small children (one a crawling baby) and every single time they wanted to play in the garden I had to go out first and pick up the cat shit. The record was five piles of shit in one day. It's absolutely disgusting.
I didn't complain because I knew nothing could be done but I hated those fucking cats.
I did think it was very unfair that I was picking up after all the other cats in the street when I didn't own one myself so can understand why people might complain.

As said above, I have encountered cat poo, being a cat owner, for very many years, both in and out of the garden (and also from neighbour's cats). Yet we are all fine

Until this happened to me I would have said the same evans.

my door neighbour has 9 cats and they all crap in my garden - the lovely garden my husband and i bought so that our kids could play in it but don't because of all the awful shit it's filled with. there's so much we a) can't find it all or b) pick it all up. And this can make my kids very sick and kill my unborn child. yes, YABU.

that said, i thought it was very nice of you to pick it up! At least you're trying, which is more than any other cat owner i've ever encountered!

Why don't you suggest (and offer to pay some of the cost of) putting the anti-cat stuff to go on top of the fences (RSPB sell it). it doesn't hurt the cats - they just don't like to walk on it, so won't. I'd like to do it on our fences but am too nervous to suggest it to my neighbours (and i wouldn't even dream of asking her to contribute) and we can't afford it. assuming there are fences, of course.

you chose to have cats; your neighbours chose not to. you have a moral responsibility to work with your neighbours to keep their property cat-free.

But the report does not state that cats alone are at fault.

But is it worth the risk? I don't think so. If people want to take the risk with their own health or that of their DCs, then that's their choice. But they impose the risk on their neighbours and from what I read here they don't care.

I find that baffling.

It isn't hard to keep a cat confined to your property. If you want a cat, surely that's the least you can do. It's antisocial not to.

MythicalKings I hope you don't drive, I don't want YOU to be a risk to me, I have asthma and it's not fair for me to have an asthma attack because you selfishly want to drive. I hope you don't use a mobile phone and cause big masts to go up, potentially causing risks to others. I hope instead you sit at home with your tin foil hat on never leaving the house, which you must do in order to avoid taking or causing any risk.

I have asthma myself, Lashes. I'm allergic to cats.

MythicalKings so you see why your point about avoiding the tiny minuscule risks is a bit silly?

No. Not when the risks are easily avoided. Keep your cat in your property.

MythicalKings the risks are tiny and I'm not going to keep an ANIMAL caged becaids of a tiny risk

so is it illegal if a cat with no collar wonders into my garden peristantlu crapping because hey its free to roam to take it to the local rehoming centre.

Zwellers that's really dickish.

We had endless problems with being the neighbourhood litter tray as we seem to be the only ones who don't have cats on our street! Finally found some solar powered cat scarers that let out a high pitched tone and IT REALLY WORKS. Nothing else did. How about buying some in for your neighbours? They are about ten quid each. It is really gross when you are getting 6 fresh shits a day plus - it won't all be your cat but some probably will be!

The rehoming centre will scan it for a chip and return it home zwellers.

mythical so I take it Google didn't find you any evidence whatsoever your children are at risk from cats? You know with you not having any. Do you pray? Dear god, thankyou for the safe roads, the absence of crime, the complete lack of food scandals, but Lord protect my children from the cats, amen

Of course there is evidence. I didn't think there was any doubt of that.

But as you insist -

www.health24.com/Medical/Diseases/Diseases-from-cats-Client-20120721

consumer.healthday.com/encyclopedia/diseases-and-conditions-15/misc-diseases-and-conditions-news-203/kitty-litter-questions-toxoplasmosis-643324.html

There are plenty more.

Not sure what the other things you list have to do with avoidable risks posed by cats.

Zweller yes, and as said they'll scan it. Unfortunately though one of my current ones, and a previous one would have objected quite strongly and with them being cats I'm not legally responsible if they object violently. One at least would put you in a&e if you tried that, the other if you got it in the first place you'd get away with just scarring.

I love these cat lovers versus cat hating tossers threads. Almost as much fun as parking discussions.

This is why I have a happy healthy indoor cat....it's not crapping in other peoples gardens, it's not being eaten by coyotes/dogs/eagles or mistreated by humanoids nor hit by cars.

That makes it nice all around IMO.

If you can't control your cats whilst they are outside then keep the fuckers inside please! I'm sick to the back teeth of cat lovers letting their cats shit in my garden when they'd probably complain if I let my kids shit in theirs.

Absolutely pissing myself laughing that so called evidence link is entitled kitty litter. Great science Einstein. Whilst in the real world people have cats and vaccs don't cause autism.