Or is my neighbour being ridiculous?!

[Lilianna123]

Always got on really well with our neighbours. They are very different to us but this has never been an issue. Have keys to eachothers houses for when we are away etc.

Woke up this morning to find a note through the letterbox from them, they are saying that our cat 'torments' and 'teases' their dog, by sitting our side of the fence and looking into their garden. They have also accused our cat of eating their hazelnuts off their trees. Now this could be our cat, but could more than likely be the squirrels we tend to have visit?!

Anyway, they are requesting we now try to keep our cat as an indoor cat, as it's not 'fair' on their dog and want us to replace their hazlenut trees next year. Am I being a unreasonable or are they just being completely bonkers?!

Tell them you saw squirrels taking the nuts and sent the cat over to chase the squirrels away, since their dog isn't up to the job.

And buy them a bag of nuts, not a tree :)

Yes get your keys back. Given they have complained (in writing) about your cat looking into their garden and stealing their hazelnuts, there's no telling what they might do.

Nuts is right! Wtf???

A cat stealing nuts...effing hilarious

Yes, your cat is probably teasing the dog by sitting on a fence and looking in. This is what cats do. The dog needs to "dog up" and show the cat short shrift.

But nuts...in all my years, I have never known a cat to covet nuts! Have they not heard of squirrels?

I would write a note back telling them that your cat is actually on guard to scare the squirrels who are stealing the nuts. This could then go on and on...

How did your cat learn to use the nutcrackers to shell the hazelnuts?

Your neighbours are clearly nuts......

I should maybe complain to my neighbour too about her cats. In the summer one of them lies on the roof of their shed.
If I dare go outside and hang my washing up on the line it sits up and glares at me. Gives me a really filthy look and stare at me until I go back inside my house.
I'm scared to go outside !l lol

(The cat actually does do this, I sometimes ask him what his problem is ! He also likes to sit on my patio step and look in my kitchen, flees when a human gets close though. )

Can you go knock in their door and thank them from me for making me giggle.

I have a dog. Next door neighbours have a gorgeous cat. Cat torments dog by waling along top of said wall. Dog barks, she's told to stop, if she doesn't she gets called in and sent to the "naughty step" She barks at something else, same applies. It's called training As for your neighbours I don't think it's the dog that's "barking" !
BTW I also have a Hazelnut tree and can confirm the only creatures that eat the fruit are squirrels!

Errr, bonkers!

Oh my neighbour accuses a local cat of tormenting MY dog!

My dog, for what it's worth loves the sport! The cat dangles it's tail over the fence so my dog leaps up...then the cat simply nips sideways....they can do that for ages!

My elderly neighbour then chases the cat away calling it feral and mean...:(

My sister noted a phenomenon in her old house.

The neighbours had dogs but had never had a cat. There was a local slapper cat that would visit whichever house was likely to give it a meal and the laze on their fence. The neighbours were certain that the cat did it just to wind their dogs up. It turned out that their argument was that their dogs would deliberately wind each other up, so assumed that a cat would do that too. They would not accept that the cat didnt give two shiny shites about the dogs and would sit on that particular fence as it was in the sun for the most time. They insisted that the cat did it on purpose.

When they moved the neighbours had both cats and dogs, and they never once complained about neighbourhood cats once. When DSis got her own cat, which drove the dogs next door crazy, again the neighbours laughed it off and took the dogs in if they were making a racket. They saw it as their dog, their problem.

In short, dog owners with no experience of cats are barmy :o

It is funny but how do you actually respond to them since they haven't casually mentioned your cat is disturbing their dog, they have written a frigging letter which suggests they are formally complaining........

I would reply saying that your cat actually has an allergy to hazelnuts and knows not to eat them. And that the vet has advised the cat needs regular access to the outdoors to keep fit and its blood pressure low but as dogs only go for accompanied walks why not keep it in doors?

Tell them that their dog needs to get some nuts!!!

Are you sure they know the difference between a cat and a squirrel? They could be short sighted.

Couple of nutters....

I think they are mistaking the local gang of squirrels for your cat as this is exactly what the squirrels in our garden do. Although I did used to feed the squirrels peanut butter on toast every morning. Much to the absolute horror of our spaniel.

Our cat used to torment our neighbour's dog from the top of our fence. Now my cat has part of his ear missing.

Also, your neighbour is being ridiculous.

My neighbours like to complain that my cat has the audacity to meow in my garden sometimes. Apparently this is bad - at 5.30 in the evening!
Some people just really hate cats.

Tell them you can't stand in the way of the historical and classic dog-cat enmity which has defined pet relations for eons. It's a matter of cultural sensitivity. You would never act as some kind of colonial oppressor.

Look horrified.