Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

To expect my neighbour to take responsibility for his cat attacking mine?!!

163 replies

cleanasawhistle2195 · 31/07/2015 19:47

Back story: we live by a busy main road- cross the main road, and a family have just moved in about 5 weeks ago with their cat.

About two weeks ago- I had to chase their cat from our garden, it was just sat by the rockery. I knew it was theirs as I walk past their house and have seen it sat in the window. Not a problem- cats roam, I get that.

But now it's much more serious- the cat has attacked mine, leaving him with injuries which I've had to spend £60 (that I don't really have) to get sorted at the vets this morning. Not to mention whatever it will cost me when we have to go back in 10 days.

Went to knock today to have a word, and they have openly admitted their cat can be vicious- but aren't willing to leave it locked in as they have a toddler and the cat needs an escape. I asked them what they were going to do about the £60 it had cost me at the vet this morning, and they refuse to reimburse us. Quite frankly, I'm seething.

The cat has been in the garden again today- I went out with a water pistol but it scarpered before I got near. Went and spoke to our neighbour next door, and she told me she has had to chase the cat out of her garden as well.

Kitty now has to stay in for 10 days and is already driving me bonkers with his yowling to get out, not to mention the puddles and shit I've had to clean up today as he doesn't seem to be able to work out the litter tray is for him (fair enough I guess seeing as he hasn't come across one for 13 years!. Don't see why I should have to keep my cat in long term- we've never had any problems and he loves his independance, so to take that away from him now- well, I don't think it would be very fair.

Quite honestly, I'm thinking about reporting them. AIBU for that- and AIBU to think it's their responsibility?!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Bellebella · 31/07/2015 23:53

Most cats get vicious around other cats, they can't be trained like dogs can. My cat is docile until another cat tries to enter her area or the vacuum comes out Hmm

Also interested in who on earth you would report it to

RosePetels · 01/08/2015 00:14

Op who do you expect to report this too?
I know it must be annoying that your cat is being bullied, my cat has recently been bullied by a male, I caught him standing over her whilst she was lowered and on her windowsill. I threw water at him and he hasn't been back since.
You need to try throw water at the cat everytime you see him and eventually he will go away.

If I was your neighbour I probably would have given you the money but there's no law to say they must pay for your vet bills.

The5DayChicken · 01/08/2015 00:20

Not read any responses get, but OP you seem slightly unhinged. You're a cat owner so I'm sure you're aware they're very independent creatures and the law therefore doesn't hold an owner liable for a cat's actions.

They've not long been in the area...their cat will be encroaching upon other cats' territories for a while yet until through a series of scraps, new boundaries are hashed out.

mrsatkinson · 01/08/2015 00:43

I have 4 cats and my tom cat and smaller girl cat get bullied by a horrible cat thay lives nearby. tom cat has xome.in with bleeding wounds and infected bites as has small.lady cat. i have never asked for vet bills. I would like to think if it was a serious and exoensive injury the other owner might cinsider maybe a contribution, as if tables were turned I certainly would.
I do attge end of the day believe cats will be cats though. they are territorial and proud and have fights.

cocobean2805 · 01/08/2015 00:45

What a cat-astrophe (sorry).

Your poor moggy, but not much you can do.

Glitoris · 01/08/2015 00:49

Get over it.

Although I really want to encourage you to report the cat,to the police,for being ...well...cat like.Just for amusement value in hearing their reply

jennieflower · 01/08/2015 01:06

I feel your pain op, whilst cat owners can't be held responsible for their pets behaviour it's horrible when your own pet is injured.

A few years ago, we walked into our house to find a neighbours cat in the kitchen, he'd got in through the cat flap, when he saw us he panicked and charged at my then 6yo dd, he ran up her leaving deep scratches all up her legs and body, his claws were so sharp he tore two big holes in her brand new £46 school shoes as well as several bleeding welts on her legs and tummy (it was the first day of term) When we had cleaned up dd and calmed her down my DP went to speak to the neighbours.

The neighbour was mortified and very apologetic, their cat was a rescue Bengal and was known for being feisty, she immediately wrote a cheque to cover the cost of the shoes, just as she was doing so her husband arrived home and went ballistic, he chased DP out of the house threatening to hit him, DP made a sharp exit, in any other circumstances I wouldn't have banked the cheque but I was so cross at his reaction I paid it in to find it had been cancelled. I'm glad they moved a few months later

LuisSuarezTeeth · 01/08/2015 01:11

I love the simplicity of "cats are not dogs" Grin

kali110 · 01/08/2015 01:30

Weve been to the vet with our 2 3 times in last 5 months and theyve been attacked again this week though not hurt.
I know the cat that got them.
New neighbours, new toms wanting territory. Vets were very expensive.
I'm not going round there though!
Cats fight!
They mark their territory then get pissed off when others come onto it!
Do you seriously think yours has never got into a fight before?
Would you have paid an owner if they came round demanding money??
I know mine were right bullies in their glory days, especially as they were strays, i think it's karma Grin

BastardGoDarkly · 01/08/2015 07:20

We moved in here about a year and a half ago.

Jeeeeesus, my cat would come in everytime with a new injury, he was constantly scrapping.

Him and the other cats must have finally worked it out now, as he only has the odd scratch on his nose ATM.

I would have been Hmm had one of the neighbours come round asking for vet bill contributions.

SoupDragon · 01/08/2015 07:52

Maybe your Kitty keeps making catty remarks about the other one.

AngieBolen · 01/08/2015 08:00

My cat has just come in and wiped his poo bum on my white duvet cover.

AIBU to want to report this? Angry

mrsdavidbowie · 01/08/2015 08:12

There is a nightmare cat 2 doors down which is the only cat ours gets upset by. She spends her day on the patio happily watching all the others roam through the garden, but not this one.
They have had some real Tom and Jerry style scraps..literally going round and found attached to each other.

I throw buckets of water over it when it skulks past and a well aimed tennis ball seems to have done the trick.

QforCucumber · 01/08/2015 08:17

Cat proofed garden fencing - our 2 cant get out, the massive, one eyed, neighbours tom cat can't get it - sorted.

To expect my neighbour to take responsibility for his cat attacking mine?!!
elfycat · 01/08/2015 08:42

I had a £1700 vet bill after a cat fight. I had the choice between £400 to remove his eye or an eye-watering bill to take him to a specialist vet.

He wasn't insured (and still isn't) but we can afford to take the gamble (just, it was a lean few months). No insurance = you must make sure you can pay and not whine about it.

He's not an overly aggressive cat, we have several neighbourhood cats who use our garden to cross to more open spaces, but one in a fight he doesn't back down. 'Aggressive' in cats can just mean stroppy-territorial little buggers who will defend what they have sounds human really which is basically the definition of 'cat'.

WilburIsSomePig · 01/08/2015 09:03

This thread is hilarious. YABU.

SnapesCapes · 01/08/2015 09:07

Nobody on earth can trump our stupid cat for vets bills.

She's a tiny, bouffy ginger scrap of a thing. Three weeks after she came to us (as a 12 week old kitten, with her Mum) she ate the tip of a Nerf gun bullet and cost £800 to have an operation to get it out (and spent 2 days in the vets special care as she was so tiny they didn't think she'd survive).

She was allowed to begin going out once she was neutered (which cost £60). Two weeks after going out for the first time she came home with a slight swelling around her mouth, took her to the vet and she had an abscess after a fight (£240 as it was a GA as it was in/around her eye).

Nothing for six months; DH and I relaxed and thought perhaps she'd finished her run of ridiculousness. Until last month, when she disappeared for three days. It turned out she was on the top of our neighbours three storey house, with no way of getting down. I tried leaving tuna on their garage roof, I tried calling her down, I left her overnight after the RSPCA and Fire Brigade both said they couldn't come out. The next morning DH was up our loft ladder trying to coax her down and I had an epiphany, went to Wickes and bought the world's longest ladder (nearly £400) and fetched her down.

I'm going to turn her into some ginger slippers if she continues these shenanigans. As for reporting a cat fight, you probably can't. Laws don't seem to apply to dangerous cats the way they do dangerous dogs (unless your neighbour has a pet Black Panther, which I suspect the Police would be mildly more interested in). Law of nature; cats are ridiculous.

Tanith · 01/08/2015 09:44

One of mine was a big bruiser - ex-stray so not neutered until adult, when I got him. He stayed with us 14 years.

He tried to disappear on the morning of his op: I arrived torn and bleeding at the vets after scrabbling through the hedges after him, enormous cat snarling and spitting in his cage and I announced "He's booked in for his op!"
They looked extremely concerned - probably darted him before they opened the cage Grin

Anyway, he was actually a real softy for humans, especially little old ladies with salmon and chicken livers Wink

Four legs was a very different story! He never really bothered much with cats after the initial standoffs - most were too sensible. He never fought our other 2 cats and was very much in awe of the little black female, who dominated both the males.
His forte was dogs. And badgers. And the local foxes. I remember him once chasing a yelping Great Dane down the road after it dared put its nose on his territory for a sniff. The neighbourhood dogs avoided our fence and gate like the plague and dog walkers crossed the road rather than walk past.

He became well-known at the vets, where he was affectionately known as The Warrior. He was a sight to behold with his war wounds, faithfully patched up each time by the vet.

Soft as butter with the kids, though. Never so much as a claw shown, loved cuddles, let them rub his tummy and push him in the dolls pram.

He just left one day and never came back. I never saw him again Sad
Maybe he was getting on a bit, maybe he finally met an opponent who was his match. Maybe he decided to spend his old age with one of the little old ladies fussing over him.
I still miss him, though Sad

CamelHump · 01/08/2015 09:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lurkedforever1 · 01/08/2015 11:16

tanithe, that sounds like one I had. Except he'd left the sweet old lady who kept impinging on his Tom activities and decided my pre dd home was more suitable. 'Oh look, several dogs and frequent drunken parties, they look like they won't be bothered by the odd 3 week disappearing act while I shag my way round the neighbourhood, or object to my frequent battle wounds. Indeed they look like more suitable opponents for a post battle game of 'you need to go to the vet'.
Happily he died peacefully in his sunbathing spot at 16yrs old. Only realised he'd gone when the young dog had the nerve to get close enough to disturb him.
Sorry about yours, you never know though. One of mine turned up in a state originally and obviously badly treated, but she's so affectionate underneath someone must have loved her once, so somewhere chances are there's an owner like you wondering where she is. (Did try to find her owners)

anonacfr · 01/08/2015 12:25

Just watch the last few seconds of Inside Out- it tells you all you need to know about cats. Grin

hiddenhome · 01/08/2015 12:40

I have cat proof fencing too. Other cats can't get in to attack my three.

If you let your cat out then you run the risk of it being attacked, stolen or run over. It's your responsibility to keep your pets safe.

To expect my neighbour to take responsibility for his cat attacking mine?!!
DixieNormas · 01/08/2015 12:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pipbin · 01/08/2015 12:57

What would you do OP if a neighbour came and said that your cat had hurt their cat? Would you have a stiff word with you cat and get them a reward chart?

My cat got into a fight with a local Tom and it cost us loads. The Tom is feral. Who should I report it to?

TTWK · 01/08/2015 13:00

Three weeks after she came to us (as a 12 week old kitten, with her Mum) she ate the tip of a Nerf gun bullet

Bloody advertisers. They tell you that 8 out of 10 cats prefer Whiskas but they don't bother to mention that 2 out of 10 prefer Nerf gun bullets.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.