AIBU to think that as I don't own a cat I shouldn't have to clear up cat sh*t from my garden every other day??

[Magicpaintbrush]

I choose not to own a cat, and yet once again I find myself this morning in my front garden shovelling up big smelly piles of cat poo. If it was my own pet I wouldn't mind, but I'm really getting the hump with being up to my elbows in sh*t because someone else's pet thinks my garden is a toilet. I love animals -usually - but it's so gross, so stinky and really unhygenic. It was cat diarrhea on my rock plants at the weekend just as we were expecting visitors, just caught the little sod squatting on my plants despite me banging on the window in a rage. Does anybody have any suggestions of cat deterrants that actually work? We've tried all sorts but they just ignore it. We even had a deterrant containing lion scent called Silent Roar (!!!!) which is supposed to make them think a big hungry predator is nearby - they didn't give a toss. Ideas anybody...?

If my kid was bullying yours, and my attitude was it was your job to get counselling for your bullied kid, change school, ignore it as its just what kids do etc, there would be uproar.

And what do you think would happen if you started, say, spraying the bullying child with bleach...?

I didnt choose to own any cats. Mine just came into the house and never left.
They chose me.
If they shit or are sick on my neighbours drive/garden i clean it up.

"Your 'nice garden' is not that important that it's worth making an animal sick for."

Not sure about that argument really.

A cat is not a wild animal, it's a pest (sic) that people choose to inflict upon their neighbours. You have as much choice over owning a cat as you do about, say, playing loud rock music at 120b 24/7, or having ten bonfires a week.

Get a cat or better still a dog. My cat don't shit in my garden neither does any other little fucker because they daren't come in it!

It is so sad that people have so little toleration for animals- especially a cat that can't be controlled by owners.

It is the first time that I have heard a cat described as a 'pest that you inflict on neighbours'.

I hate threads like this as I always see fellow mumsnetters as generally decent nice people with good sense of humour,who I would love to hang out with, but realise that some are nasty and cruel to animals.

Scary

Not thought of a cat as a pest before but thinking of it they are a pest if you have cat poo problems. Saw this cartoon and thought of you mntters....

Should add i used to have the most beautiful tabby in the world which my ex kept. However i do agree re the cat poo problms and neighbour gardens and if i had another cat (unlikely as ive had the best) id make my garden cat proof so keeping my cat in as im not going through what we did when my boy saw the next door kitten run down by a car and disappeared for hours. If you ever on fb its shocking how many cats disappear.

Why should I put my unborn baby at risk to clean up your cats shit? Cats are a pest.

Yes, cats are a pest, however in many places they are accepted as part of the landscape.

I hate the fact that someone always states on these threads how polarized it is. It's not. I have loved owning cats, I have also resented them at times, I don't mind my own cat pooing in our garden but I don't enjoy other people's doing it.

I also worry that ours would occasionally, perhaps, poo in someone else's garden. Though I hope she didn't as our garden was huge and she had a lot of flower beds to use.

I like our neighbours, and I like their cats, even the one that comes and stares wistfully at our chicken and our rabbits (we only have one chicken as the others have all died over the years). And then poos in the flower bed.

The reason it doesn't bother me much is that I know the beighbours can do fuck all about it. People can control where dogs poo. If you have an outdoor cat, and I strongly believe outdoor cats are happiest, or at least, more in their natural habitat - then there is no controlling where they poo.

I dislike people buying new kittens, breeding cats when there are thousands in rescue centres, unwanted. I really find that a bit unnecessary and actually slightly wrong. But most people I know tend to rescue abandoned cats rather than buying kittens from breeders.

Someone needs to sort out the problem by rehoming these poor creatures and avoiding the breeders who make money out of pets come of which will later add to the problem.

People deliberately leaving crap in public areas or in our garden = socially wrong, horrible, lazy and thoughtless. That kind of only applies to dogs though as people can control where they crap.

People whose pets wander about and may poo in these areas, cannot be blamed for the pet behaviour, only for owning the pet in the first place and allowing it to live a natural life.

So I can see why people hate it. But having cats is rarely a malicious act. Allowing dogs to poo randomly without cleaning it up, generally is.

And what do you think would happen if you started, say, spraying the bullying child with bleach...?

Well, my example was more about the attitude of cat owners. How would you feel if you DC was being bullied, and you were told by the school and bullies parents that you can't control bullies, they are part of the landscape, it's cruel to keep them out of class despite making your dcs life a misery.

I totally get that cats roam, but...it's the attitude that nobody else can do anything to stop them coming on their property that beggars belief. You want a roaming shitting machine as a pet? ok. But don't moan when your neighbors won't stand for it. I think a fair compromise would be let people use whatever level of deterrent that actually works. Suggesting orange peel in the face of a huge cat shit problem is insulting.

We watched from the car today whilst a dog owner let its dog do a massive poo on a verge and walk on - no picking up. In the case of cats yes use lawful means to protect your garden and the safety of babies. If cat owners don't like that they will just have to lump it.

See I agree that it shouldn't be up to the non cat owner to have to sort out other people's cats' poo.

But then I don't think there is normally (anecdotally at least) a 'huge cat shit problem'. It is often one cat, maybe two, pooing in a garden and that means likely only one small poo per day at most.

That's not on the scale of a dog crapping on your turf. When our next door's dog was coming in, (and they just let it loose and shut their door) it did massive, huge craps often several times a day in different places.

Also dogs tend to go for any old place, middle of the grass, wherever - making it extremely hard to clear up.

Cats IME use earth areas more than grass. They like to be able to rake over it a bit to trick you into standing in it as they at least have some decency. And many people do not walk in or have children play on their flower beds.

Short of making all cat owners fence in their gardens properly, with cat proofing and maybe netting etc, there's really nothing that can be done - unless you ban cat ownership full stop.

Responsible dog ownership is different to responsible cat ownership in that a dog's excretions can be timed, controlled in terms of location and so on.

I would certainly offer to clear up if an animal of mine had shat in someone else's garden but no one's ever asked me to, (I don't think she did anyway) and I don't think they would want me galumphing in through their gate to do so. Mostly, as I said, cats tend to go in flower beds where people don't walk and the offending matter is eventually absorbed into the earth.

How would you feel if you DC was being bullied, and you were told by the school and bullies parents that you can't control bullies, they are part of the landscape, it's cruel to keep them out of class despite making your dcs life a misery.

On what planet would a school ever say anything so ridiculous? You get the prize for the most nonsensical analogy on Mumsnet. Ever.

And using "whatever deterrent works" is fine unless, like others, you are proposing cruelty to animals as your deterrent of choice.

It was an example of the attitude, suberb, in the way that despite causing the problem, cat owners want nothing to do with the solution. Im not saying this is a real life thing, obviously, I was trying to explain the frustration felt by those who are on the receiving end of this blasé attitude.

But yes, it IS ridiculous, which is why I used it as an analogy. But when it's cat shit instead of bullies, suddenly it's a perfectly normal attitude to hold!?

And anistasie, there are reams of posts on other cat shit threads where people will tell of the huge amounts of cat shit they get, on lawns, pathways, sandpits etc. This notion that cats are dainty little poopers is just not true of lots of cats.

My children don't shit in other people's gardens or scratch their cars?

Yes of course cats are pests, vermin, extirpating native birds, and shitting everywhere.

You have to make your mind up, wefloat.

Either it's "an example of the attitude" or it's an analogy. You've said its both, which somewhat dilutes whatever point it is that you're trying to make.

I'd be interested to know what you think cat owners should do. Even cats that use a litter tray also go outside. So what's your solution?

rickroll you might want to read this article from the RSPB website, exploding the myth that cats are causing a decline in bird numbers.

Let's just ban all cats

What an excellent and well-thought out plan, crumbly

Uh....ok suberb. I think my point is clear enough. But do carry on with your bizarre attack on my post, I'd like to hear more about this prize??

It was a joke, hence the grin!