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?!

Garlic, my cat eats tons of grass though

Yeah - they eat grass to make themselves puke! It helps get rid of the hair they've swallowed while grooming, and any indigestible bits of prey. They seem to like the taste of some grasses, but they'll still sick it back up.

Have they witnessed your cat doing this.....

Nothing to do but foster half a dozen more cats for the summer.

I would be tempted to say to them that they are bullying you , it might be a mild quiet way of doing it but it's bulling all the same, I think they might be quite shocked to realise this and back off

Cats eating hazelnuts and winding up dogs😂 Classic your neighbours are totally bonkers op

Your neighbours need a hobby, a proper one.

Good luck keeping a straight face OP!

Tell them to keep their dog and the nut tree inside

Well, your pet has the same right to be in your garden as their pet as to be in their garden. The difference is that dogs are trainable so with a little bit of effort they can teach their dog to stop barking on command. It can be a fun retirement project.

Cats don't eat hazelnuts so they should take that issue up with the squirrels directly.

I completely fail to understand why the hazel trees need to be replaced though. Did they say why? Even if your cat was harvesting the nuts (which it isn't) that wouldn't damage the tree, nor would a new tree be any more resistant to nut-thieves.

PhoenixReisling Love it.

(Mine used to stroll in front of neighbour's chained dog, just to make the point).

Guessing your neighbours aren't cat people. They are clearly mad. However, may be worth humouring them as these things can have a nasty habit of escalating. We told ours just to shoo her off with words, or clapping or a water pistol if they found her in their garden (to be fair, ours would have earned multiple cat ASBOs if they existed). We made the point that we would try our best to encourage her to stay in our garden, and put a collar and bell on her, but wouldn't tolerate any ill treatment of her (unfortunately, it does happen).

It sounds however your neighbours object to the very presence of your cat on your fence. And what are one or two hazel nuts. Presumably your cat hasn't ingested the entire tree. Not sure how I'd re-act to that. Clearly your cat has more sense than your neighbours, but you do have to go on living next door to them.

The other thing you could do is make a note of every time you hear the dog bark in the garden when your cat is indoors. Because I bet it does. My dog doesn't really like being in the garden unless one of us is out there with him and he will bark to be let back in after about five minutes.

Of course you could suggest that the hazelnuts led to you having enormous vet bills and now you know the source you are expecting them to pay half (which naturally is far more than the cost of new trees) . The vet says the cat ingested something toxic so now they've drawn to your attention the possibility that it is their hazelnuts they have so carelessly left lying around within reach of animals you'd appreciate them compensating you.

Sometimes you need to fight batshitness with more of the same.

(In reality I'd tell them to jog on , try and get some footage of squirrels nibbling their nuts and keep it in case they are stupid enough to make official complaint.)

How about charging them ground rent for any nuts that fall onto your side of the fence?

Buy them summer nuts to replace the eaten ones!!!

*some! Not summer!

Ok have been round, when I got there, they were both in the back garden gardening. I said I that as much as I wish I could stop the squirrels eating their nuts, I can't, but I'd like them to stop being ridiculous. I said I wasn't going to be able to keep her inside, because he's never been an indoor cat.

They said they've had to stop my cat getting in to their Guinea pig cage several times (can understand this must be annoying but again I can't help it) They said they will keep an eye on the hazlenut tree as they are convinced it's my cat and they've said can we not monitor when the cat goes out and wait outside with her?! I said this is impossible as some of us have to work (unlike her, who spends her days baking & gardening.) So it has been left, that I won't be monitoring my cars behaviour outdoors & they'OK be keeping an eye on their beloved tree

Did they really believe your cat was eating the nuts???

I think they secretly know the cats not, but they wanted another 'issue' to make it seem justifiable to complain

They of sounded much more reasonable complaining about the cat trying to get the guinea pigs rather than intimidating the dog and eating their nuts 😂

This is

That's what I thought Rosie. Op, you must have one badass cat if the dog goes bonkers at the mere sight of it yet it waltzes on past to attempt a bit of breaking and entering with the guinea pig cage!

Would like to see their faces when after staking out their tree for god knows how long they spot their first squirrelly theif!

Those guinea pigs aren't going to last very long if the cage is not cat-proofed. What are they thinking? Well we know they're bonkers anyway.

A fox will be even more determined at some stage. Wait for Guinea Pig-mageddon - then you'll really be in trouble!

...and did you get your keys for the mystery guest?

If Guinea Pig cage isn't cat proof, I suggest they have more to fear from foxes than a nut munching cat!