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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Neighbour's noisy cat deterrent

15 replies

Zelfaba · 16/07/2017 16:22

I've NC for this.

For the past few weeks I've been hearing a really high-pitched sound while in my garden. It's very shrill and has made sitting outside in the sun really uncomfortable because it's like a needling feeling in my ears. It's coming from various parts of my NDN's garden, sometimes multiple bleeping at once.

I did some googling and realised the sound could be ultrasonic cat detectors, although my research suggests they're meant to be inaudible to humans. I popped next door to ask them and see if they did indeed have these deterrents in place.

While I waited for NDN to answer the door I spotted five in their front garden (probably approx 5x10m space including the drive and gateway). Mrs NDN answered and said that her DH had fitted them so cats don't shit on their lawn (fair enough). Apparently there are more round the back.

I explained we can hear them very loudly from our house and that it's making enjoying our garden very difficult. She said she'd ask Mr NDN to have a look at them. I politely suggested this might be a good idea as they're (I think) not meant to be audible to human ears, only animals. Although we live in a reasonably built up area no-one else's garden is adjacent to theirs.

They seem to go off more in the sunshine (barely any noise when it rains) and sure enough they're going at regular intervals today now it's brightened up. WIBU to go back round and ask what's happening with them? I feel like I'm getting a headache from the noise (not usually a headachy type) - we can clearly hear them in the house with windows open. I really don't want to be 'that' neighbour and we usually get along well in distant way.

OP posts:
peekyboo · 16/07/2017 16:24

That sounds maddening. I don't suppose you're meant to fill the garden with them though?

Zelfaba · 16/07/2017 16:28

peekboo The ones I saw online said they covered massive areas so five+ seems excessive to me. Although if they were truly inaudible I would care if they had a hundred!

OP posts:
LeannePerrins · 16/07/2017 16:28

OP, how old are you and how old are they? We lose the top end of our hearing range as we age so your NDN probably can't hear them.

It is a maddening noise, I agree. If they come on in the sunshine then they are probably solar-powered.

Assburgers · 16/07/2017 16:34

If your neighbours can't hear them, you could just go round in the dead of night, painting all the solar panels black Grin

Zelfaba · 16/07/2017 16:34

LeannePerrins I'm mid 40s, DP mid 30s. NDNs are probably mid to late 50s. Mrs NDN could definitely hear one when I was round there as she said 'Oh there's one!' when it went off while I was there. She seemed surprised when I said they're supposedly meant to be ultrasonic/ inaudible, but they don't seem to use their front garden very much. And I guess the age difference may mean that it's not as loud and so bloody irritating to them.

OP posts:
Zelfaba · 16/07/2017 16:36

Assburgers I love your suggestion even more than I love your username (I've got an Aspie DC who refuses to pronounce the 'g' in Aspergers hard because they say it sounds like Ass Burgers!)

OP posts:
SprinklesandIcecream · 16/07/2017 16:37

YANBU OP. They cause nausea for me so not quite fond of them either. Sad

QuackDuckQuack · 16/07/2017 16:38

We've got them in our garden. The ones we have can be tuned to different frequencies, partly to match the type of animal being targeted. When they go off I can hear clicking, but they don't go off that much. My DC don't comment on them and presumably they can hear higher frequencies than me.

If they've got ones going off that much and you can hear them then they've either bought crap ones or not set them up right.

Zelfaba · 16/07/2017 16:40

Clicking I could cope with. From the glimpse I saw of the ones they've got, it looks like they've got a load of cheapish eBay or Argos ones - whereas the Catwatch one endorsed by the RSPB seems to cover a huge area and is inaudible.

OP posts:
CatGirlCatGirl · 09/07/2022 06:53

I have 3 cats that love to poop in the mice parts of my back garden. Everyone around the estate has cats but I get the blame. The new people have an annoying new cat deterrent thing that makes a very high clicking sound.
Pointless and one of my cats was sleeping next to it.
I'm not telling them the noise drives me crazy. I have autism and HDHD and my h more.
I'M GOING IN THEDEAD OF NIGHT AN RIPPING IT UP.

POINTLESS VILE THINGS.

waveyourpompoms · 09/07/2022 07:01

CatGirlCatGirl · 09/07/2022 06:53

I have 3 cats that love to poop in the mice parts of my back garden. Everyone around the estate has cats but I get the blame. The new people have an annoying new cat deterrent thing that makes a very high clicking sound.
Pointless and one of my cats was sleeping next to it.
I'm not telling them the noise drives me crazy. I have autism and HDHD and my h more.
I'M GOING IN THEDEAD OF NIGHT AN RIPPING IT UP.

POINTLESS VILE THINGS.

Ok, these noises drive you insane. You cats drive everyone else insane.

If this bothers you don’t keep an animal that is a nuisance to everyone around them.

Allthegoodnamesaregoneffs · 09/07/2022 08:15

waveyourpompoms · 09/07/2022 07:01

Ok, these noises drive you insane. You cats drive everyone else insane.

If this bothers you don’t keep an animal that is a nuisance to everyone around them.

The poster clearly said the cats poop in her own garden, not everyone else's garden.

It's the other cats on the estate yet they get the blame for it

Soubriquet · 09/07/2022 08:25

ZOMBIE THREAD. 🧟‍♀️

Allthegoodnamesaregoneffs · 09/07/2022 09:38

Soubriquet · 09/07/2022 08:25

ZOMBIE THREAD. 🧟‍♀️

I didn't check the date, as no doubt others didn't as well. Ggrrr

waveyourpompoms · 09/07/2022 10:28

Allthegoodnamesaregoneffs · 09/07/2022 08:15

The poster clearly said the cats poop in her own garden, not everyone else's garden.

It's the other cats on the estate yet they get the blame for it

Of course she would say that. And of course they shit in everyone else’s garden as well.

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