to go and kick my neighbour's arse?

[Springersrock]

We have an 18 year old cat. She's quite thin, a bit rickety and looks like she's been dragged through a hedge backwards. Her sight is a bit dodgy and she's doesn't go far these days, just mooches around our house and garden.

We've had some glorious weather lately and her absolute favourite thing ever is to snooze the afternoon away on a manhole cover in our front garden (I assume the sun is warming the manhole cover up for her)

5 times in the last few weeks someone has taken her to the RSPCA as she's being neglected. The cat is chipped and the RSPCA call us and we go and pick her up. After the second time the RSPCA recommended we put a photo of cat in our front window explaining she's elderly and that she lives here and to come and knock if anyone has any concerns. Which we did.

Yesterday I get another call. Someone has taken cat to the RSPCA, can we go and get her.

I was chatting to the man behind the desk and he said it was the same person each time and that the RSPCA have told them 4 times that cat is fine, just old and to stop taking her in. The man described the person and it's my bloody neighbour (5 doors down). Looking back, I've caught my neighbour in my garden a few times but just assumed she was stroking/making a fuss of cat

Cat would have found the whole thing distressing. She's always hated the cat carrier and going in the car (for this reason, we use a mobile vet who comes out to us). Cat always stops eating when she's stressed and her eating is pretty erratic at the moment as it is.

I went over to see neighbour yesterday but she wouldn't speak to me and just shut the door in my face.

So now, my poor old lady is going to have to be confined to the house and I'm fucked right off

To be on the safe side you might get one of those collars that has a little container you can put info in about your cat. If this woman did take here somewhere else, they'd read it.

Tatiana good idea. You could write your contact number and something brief about what's been going on. Poor kitty

I'm usually very reluctant to say call the police straightaway for neighbour disputes but this has happenned more than once. Maybe your community police can go round and speak to her> Also, what GardenGeek said. I wonder if she's ill? Either way it has to stop.

How old is the neighbour?

It occurs to me that she could have early dementia - forgetting what you've been repeatedly told and an unshiftable obsession with something or other - your cat - would be fairly typical signs. She wouldn't have to be all that old, either - early onset is comparatively rare, but it happens.

Not that this helps, I know. I do hope you find a solution for your poor old puss.

flumpybear Sun 04-Jun-17 09:41:31
Lol Madd I'm reading this thread next to a pile of washing too 😂

haha I am a champion of Procrastination

Write to your neighbour telling them your cat is old but being looked after very well; but that your cat is becoming very stressed by being repeatedly taken to the RSPCA for no reason; and that if it happens again you will notify the police, as it's theft. And write on the letter, "cc My Local Police Station and the RSCPA", and send a copy to the police and the RSPCA. And ask the RSPCA to call the police if she turns up with your cat again.

Your poor cat. I am glad she has a nice warm access cover to lie on.

Oh my God, what a twat. That would piss me right off. Your poor cat. I can only suggest putting a polite note through their door telling them they're wasting yours and RSPCAs time, and saying next time you will report them for theft and trespassing.

Oh my God, what a twat. That would piss me right off. Your poor cat. I can only suggest putting a polite note through their door telling them they're wasting yours and RSPCAs time, and saying next time you will report them for theft and trespassing.

When asked what the hell, she said he was a stray and needed to be pts because he was ill. He usually sits in our window that she peers in to look at him every bloody day.
Ffs
Take him to the rspca and he would have been.
OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow
How did you keep your cool?

You can get custom-printed break-away cat collars which can say whatever you want. Agree with PP's idea of having a barrel with a piece of paper inside explaining this further. Although I am unsure if your cat would tolerate a collar.

Laughing at non-cat owning PP who seems to think preventing a cat from going where they wanted wouldn't be that hard… The stress of keeping them in would be more harmful to the cat than the trips to the RSPCA. Seriously. When we started keeping ours in from 10pm-7am due to the UK cat killer one of of our cats pulled all the fur out of his stomach and developed stomach problems with stress.

It occurs to me that she could have early dementia - forgetting what you've been repeatedly told and an unshiftable obsession with something or other - your cat - would be fairly typical signs. She wouldn't have to be all that old, either - early onset is comparatively rare, but it happens.

She shut the door in OP's face because she knows what she's been doing is wrong. If she had dementia I doubt she would have done that.

I'm so ridiculously angry on your behalf (probably connected to the fact my 19 yo childhood cat had to be PTS a week ago).

I hope the letter works but I'd definitely be talking to the police and seeing what they can do, too.

Take a photo of your cat and write below it something like:
Hello my name is ( cats name) and I'm x years old. In Hunan terms that x years, yes very old!
I like nothing more than lying on my lovely owners man hole on the sun. Sleeping.
I am old and fragile and do not like to be moved. Moving me causes me distress and anxiety.
I assure you I am fine despite my fragile appearance.
Please, please, do not touch or move me!
If you take me again my lovely owner will report this as theft to the police and name you as the prime suspect.

So fuck off you twat- don't put that bit in just think it!

I had a cat who was young, but had lymphoma so looked very neglected and starved. I leafleted all the houses on my road and one on either side with a picture of him and a message saying this is Katniss cat, I'm not a stray or neglected, I'm very ill. Please leave me alone and don't feed me. I am being treated at xxxx vets and my mums number is xxxxxx. It stopped people taking him to the local (not my) vets and him getting stressed while I was at work.

Maybe if you did this it wouldn't just be your neighbour you were targeting?

Could you get a CCTV camera up in your garden, with a note saying that trespassers and thieves will be reported to the police, with photographic evidence?

Cross posted with Emilybronte 😄

There is a woman in my village who is constantly moaning to anybody who will listen about how rubbish the rspca is and how they fob off poor abused animals.

Her target is a 21 year old cat who belongs to the local vet who is trying to live out her last few weeks in peace

I'm surprised the RSPCA haven't warned her off for wasting their time and preventing them from dealing with real issues (I know the RSPCA get a load of flack on MN)

I would give her 24 hours to view the note then follow up by telling her if she comes into the garden or touches the cat again (and causes it stress by putting it off its food) then there'd be no option but to call Police.

Also chuckling at idea of telling cats where they cannot go.

We got our cat from Rescue ( years ago now, she was PTS at the grand old age of 17). We said she couldn't go into the front garden. Once we were a bit late home to find her sitting there , on the doorstep giving us a verbal ear-bashing

BigDamnHero, so sorry to hear about your cat.
RIP Hero Puss Cat 🐾
I would report this manic woman OP, to the Police.😡

Argh! That's awful! I feel for you! Definitely send a note but be firm saying that the RSPCA has asked her not to keep taking it there. The cat is absolutely fine and if she takes it again you will be forced to call the police. You have lots of evidence from the RSPCA and the vets that the cat is healthy and well looked after and a positive description of her taking it to the RSPCA after they have told her not to. If it happens again you will not hesitate in calling the police and she will be charged with theft. (You obviously don't know she will but she doesn't know she won't!) good luck!!

I appreciate i dont have a cat but if my dog was in my garden and someone tried to steal him id karate chop the fuck out of them. Same applies if ddog was a cat

I would report her to the police now.

She is harassing you and causing deliberate distress to an animal.

I'm sure they would have a word.

Totally agree with Birds. I am sure a PCSO would have a word with this interfering horrible busybody. If anyone tried to interfere with my dog like this, I would be incandescent with rage!

^ PSCO was who I was thinking about.

A friend had to involve them in a dispute with her neighbour after some bloody awful behaviour including trespassing in the middle of the night and scaring the shit out of her. They were very good too.

Billben, I don't know why you think dementia wouldn't stop her shutting the door in someone's face.
My mother would shut the door in the face of someone who'd merely come to make sure she took her medication. And she developed a very anti 'thing' about her next door neighbours, after convincing herself that their son had 'stolen' her garage, despite having told him, pre dementia, that he was welcome to use it.

Would stop her, that should have read.