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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To not want to suffer other people's cats in our own gardens??

236 replies

Kione · 14/10/2016 10:46

They have peed on DP veggies, they have some acidic pee or something that killed strawberries? I do not touch anything that grows in our garden as I am pregnant. Bliming unfair.
One killed mt DD's bunny last year, bunny was about 12 weeks old. Can you imagine DD's heartbreak?? I well up just remembering.
There is one that has made his den in the front garden bushes, the grass around his den is gone and he is there all day.
Yesterday I stood on poo in my own garden.
I am seriously pissed off now!!!

OP posts:
Undersmile · 14/10/2016 17:50

Ffs. I cannot believe that people's solution to having too many animals in a small urban area is get another animal!

C'mon soupy, I want to know what I as a non-permanent owner (because DH has fantasticly bad asthma) have done to annoy you, or any of my neighbours, to the equivalent of shitting on your lawn?

Undersmile · 14/10/2016 17:51

Non-permanent= non-pet ffs

SuperFlyHigh · 14/10/2016 17:51

jacques well you're a bit foolish in some areas if you're high risk crime!

Have you tried orange essential oil on window?

PanGalaticGargleBlaster · 14/10/2016 17:52

To be honest it has never crossed my mind to check the house for the neighbours moggy when I am heading off on holiday.

JacquesHammer · 14/10/2016 17:53

super foolish using my front door? Opening it whilst I walk to the bottom of my drive, open the car boot, and carry the object in? Isn't that just, you know, using a door? I genuinely don't see how that's a crime risk?

I work from home hence my windows are wide open all day. No crime risk - I'm in the house. I will try the orange oil though, thanks

DipsyLaLa22 · 14/10/2016 17:54

I'm with you OP. I have no problem with wildlife in my garden but cats are not really "wildlife", they are pets.

My neighbours cats use my garden furniture as scratch posts, shit in the borders which ends up on my kids' hands, and even try to come into the house if I leave the door open in the summer. No other wildlife causes us any problems.

Thing is, people love their pets and can't see it from a non pet owners point of view.

JacquesHammer · 14/10/2016 17:59

Realistically though - I would be interested to know what the position is if a cat comes to harm whilst in someone else's house

(And no, I'm not going to harm a cat but I don't have a pet-friendly house either)

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 14/10/2016 18:07

Sorry OP did you reply to the question about how the killer cat got in the cage?

Farfromtheusual · 14/10/2016 18:22

YABU - cats are awesome.

Don't get a cat yourself...a side from the fact you hate cats, it won't stop other cats coming in your garden. I have 5 cats and we still get others in the garden.

I used to have a rabbit and 4 of my cats didn't bother with him at all, one of them absolutely loved him though. We used to leave his hutch was open all day and he would hop about in the conservatory. The cat used to get in his hutch with him and they would have snuggles and he would play ever so gently with him. So I can't really see a cat killing your rabbit.

Also - pee in a spray bottle and spray it on your lawn, it does keep them away. You have to do it regularly though as the smell wears off and they will start coming back.

FoxMulder · 14/10/2016 18:23

Never see any birds on my feeder since neighbour with all the cats moved in.

Soubriquet · 14/10/2016 18:24

I have birds on my bird feeder everyday

Mainly starlings and crows. The odd sparrow and even a robin.

I have a cat. I live in a car populated area.

Obviously these birds don't care

SukeyTakeItOffAgain · 14/10/2016 18:28

A goody a cat thread. To join the 795724 others.

SukeyTakeItOffAgain · 14/10/2016 18:28

Oh goody, even.

PanGalaticGargleBlaster · 14/10/2016 18:32

I would be interested to know what the position is if a cat comes to harm whilst in someone else's house

Pop it under the patio.

dinosaursarebisexual · 14/10/2016 18:32

Forget citrus, try peppermint oil, a good quality one ( I use tisserand ) , mix very generous amounts with water in a misting bottle, spray a lot where the cat visits, most critters don't like it, works with ants too. I'm a cat lady but mine don't bother other people because they're indoor cats.

toastytoastbear · 14/10/2016 18:33

but OP you left a rabbit unsecured enough that a cat could get it. you can hardly blame the cat Confused

Rozdeek · 14/10/2016 18:34

Yawn.

Would anyone like a debate about loo brushes, parking, dogs or disabled toilets while we're here?

kali110 · 14/10/2016 19:18

Yes purposely started with the same goady fucking comments.
Really twisted people.

missbishi · 14/10/2016 19:21

Domestic cats are a lifestyle choice. Why on earth should other people have to spend time cleaning up shit and money on anti-crap measures because someone else has made this choice?

NotYoda · 14/10/2016 19:43

OP

I am surprised a fox didn't get the rabbit before now

YoungGirlGrowingOld · 14/10/2016 19:50

My two bastard cats once tag-teamed a chicken and brought it through the cat flap so I believe the OP about the baby rabbit. The best thing I have found (and we keep both cats and wildfowl) is a powerful water pistol filled with water and vinegar. Supposedly when they clean themselves and taste the vinegar it reminds them of the mad lady with the water pistol and they keep away.

trufflesnout · 14/10/2016 22:26

Mozfan1

truffle, do your research, greyhounds have natural instincts even when not trained, hence why they are used to race.

You said repeatedly that someone else had trained your dogs to behave in this way, not you. You said it yourself - greyhounds are predisposed through breeding to enjoy (but not necessarily be good at) chasing - but racing greyhounds are trained to race and chase.

Do your own sodding research. And retrain your dogs if they have undesirable behaviours. If that's too much for you maybe don't rehome in future.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 14/10/2016 23:46

The was a cat that had a 'den" in my mother's tiny garden - under a very dense shrub where it was nice and dry - it would lurk there waiting for any unwary birds. And since the birds were one of my mother's few interests as she went into old age, I would regularly soak the cat's den with the hose so the bugger would stay away - and soak the cat if I could.

kali110 · 15/10/2016 00:49

ElegantDream so people who have had to go into rented accommodation for whatever reason should then give up their beloved pets to already overrun shelters just incase they shit someone's garden Confused ( still don't know for sure it is even a cat).

LovePGtipsMonkey · 15/10/2016 00:50

no, cats are SAINTS compared to foxes. Yes, I dislike to see cat poo occasionally in my garden (from neighbour's cat) but the foxes ar so bloody aggressive (and hungry obviously) that they dug large and small holes all around the garden, deep holes which mess with the lawn. I find bits of rubbish at times, plastic wrappers, even a bit of bone, brought in by them. They've dug under the shrub walls looking for roots to eat - that looks nice now!
They can also screech at night sometimes. I've tried orange spray from Wilko - cat poo is now more rare but the foxes are too thick-skinned for that.
=I'm not even in a rural location!
I'd love advice of how to deter foxes - a year or so ago t was just cats - what nearly blissful life was that.