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AIBU?

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Original poster

neighbour scaring cat off from her garden

254 replies

DanHumphreyIsA · 27/08/2017 20:46

Ok not by being physical but just chasing him off with a water pistol or shooing him away.

I am not being arsy about that, by the way but wondering if IBU to offer to buy her some cat repellants or something? OH thinks we should leave it and thinks she's just mean lol.

We have only recently moved to this area, have never spoken to her. We said hello a few times, she's not interested, fair enough. We've also put a note through before when we had work done to the house to apologise for the noise (she's quite old, I would say 70+) so I atleast hope she knows we're not mean people.

We can't keep the cat in as he was a stray so used to outdoors and goes crazy if hes kept in. I have tried shouting him when he goes over the fence, but, well he's a cat Grin

I dont like it as he's my baby of course, but if she doesn't like cats or whatever and aslong as he's not hurt I can't exactly say anything.
I'm not really sure whether to just let it be and let her chase him off? I'm just worried he might piss her off enough to start chucking stones at him or something.

She's obviously not fussed about us being 'neighbourly' so I dont know if it would be overstepping to go and offer her some cat repellents or similar (open to suggestions on something 'similar' btw)

OP posts:
WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 28/08/2017 11:33

But why would I do cat proofing if there is no problem?

If all your neighbours genuinely like your cats, fair enough, you probably don't need to. But I very much doubt that is the case.

Although I'm not convinced they're your cats or your neighbours. With all the "lol"s, SPAG errors and not cottoning on to what I'm talking about, I think they're your parents neighbours and you've stumbled upon your mums mumsnet account and started posting Grin

Forheavenssake · 28/08/2017 11:38

Wow your Strange
No they are my late mil cats if you must know! We promised to care for them. And no this is my own (owned) house. Maybe all the light banter is just who I am? I find the post funny as it's a silly issue. There's me thinking the prices of fuel was a problem! I see the more positive things and I'm not a dweller!
Sorry your so hyped up over my posts il refrain from commenting further. Take care x

hannah1992 · 28/08/2017 11:39

My ndn cat comes in my house if I have the door open. Lovely friendly thing and I like cats and have one of my own. I just leave it to it and make sure I've shood him out before I close the door. My other neighbour squirts water and claps her hands as they dig up her plants and poo in the holes. I don't have a problem with it.

I was woken by two fighting I. My garden at some ungracious hour of th morning so I shouted out the window and they carried on howling at each other and scraping so I filled a jug in the bathroom and chucked it out of the window they ran off. I probably saved them from injuring each other.

It's fine let her crack on

JacquesHammer · 28/08/2017 11:41

Not for me I'm afraid especially the cost And that proves my point about cat owners.

Chill out love. Not end of the world but I can see why people could get mad. I got beautiful flowers in my garden If a cat came in and ruined them il be upset

Things next door's cat has done: -

Dug repeatedly in my flower beds and wrecked plants by landing on them when jumping over the fence
Constantly uses my lawn as a little tray
Killed a nest full of baby birds and left the detritus for me to clear up
Regularly gets into my house using my hallway carpet as a scratching toy
Stolen food from my kitchen
Wrecked the paint on the bonnet of my car

And then cat owners do the lovely little not our problem.

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 28/08/2017 11:43

I find the post funny as it's a silly issue.

It's not a silly issue, as many previous posters have pointed out. You are just selfish.

user1492507733 · 28/08/2017 11:50

Our neighbours two cats use my garden as a litter tray on a daily basis. Pooing in the flower beds and in the veg areas ffs. I believe cat's don't poo in their own garden but could be wrong. I use a nerf barrage super soaker, they scarper when they see me reaching for it now so they obviously get the message.

Forheavenssake · 28/08/2017 11:52

May I ask what makes me selfish?

JacquesHammer · 28/08/2017 11:54

May I ask what makes me selfish

The balking at cat-proofing because of the cost. Basically saying "tough shit" that other people have to deal with any fall out from YOU having a pet

Forheavenssake · 28/08/2017 11:55

Because I don't cat proof my garden? When clearly I have no reason too?
That labels me selfish ? How odd!
If a neighbor approached me and said the cats are upsetting me and destroying my plants gardens etc ild be horrified and would pay for anything that was ruined. BUT as PREVIOUSLY said I have no problem and my neighbors like my cats they are female so unlike toms (males) they don't venture far. Two house away at the most. I live in rural South Wales so not busy at all.

Forheavenssake · 28/08/2017 11:57

I never said tough shit ? Please quote me saying this if I have missed a sudden statement I have made Confused

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 28/08/2017 11:57

il refrain from commenting further

Yet here you are, commenting further.

JacquesHammer · 28/08/2017 11:58

If a neighbor approached me and said the cats are upsetting me and destroying my plants gardens etc ild be horrified and would pay for anything that was ruined

That's my point - if they asked would you cat proof the garden to stop your cats getting in?

If you were my neighbour you'd have to pay for a carpet, sorting the paint on my car etc.

SquareWord · 28/08/2017 12:02

I have cats and wouldn't have an issue with my neighbour's squirting them with a water pistol. Hopefully the cats would get the message.

Forheavenssake · 28/08/2017 12:05

Carpet ? Paint on car Christ if your local cats are doing this you need to call animal control ! Lol
No I have nuisance free cats and would certainly put things in place to help neighbors as best I could should the worst happen. Neighbors like the pair they kill all the rodents being out here is a problem so they keep them out and away
And yes I said I wouldn't comment but didn't turn off Dam notifications for this thread Grin. Curiosity killed the cat!

Forheavenssake · 28/08/2017 12:06

Squarewood I agree with that.
My two are shy so that would certainly deter them from doing it again.

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 28/08/2017 12:10

I have nuisance free cats

Nobody has "nuisance free cats" because they don't exist.

JacquesHammer · 28/08/2017 12:17

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Biggreygoose · 28/08/2017 12:21

Cats.

The reason the .223 was invented. Lol Grin

(No, but really - buy the NDN the biggest, baddest super soaker you can find. If they have any sort of sense of humour it would go down well. Grin ultrasonic devices I find don't really work. Other than that you will have to cat proof your garden)

Forheavenssake · 28/08/2017 12:21

Ok ladies calm down. Nope just who I am please don't character attack it's not nice I never said all cats are nuisance free. But I must say believe it or not lol!! I know my cats ( yes I know them well) for 9 years now, so rather a long time! :)
Sorry for your bad experiences with these rouge cats the owners should definitely pay and take responsibility. Have you confronted them about this ? I would!

FluffyPineapple · 28/08/2017 12:27

Genuine question - Why do people have cats? Whenever there's a problem with neighbour complaining about cat mess in their garden cat owners always seem to scoff and say, "Cats are free spirits. They roam. You can't keep a cat in... blah blah".

So if cats are not really seen as a family pet - as they need to be out (crapping in everyone else's garden and making that bloody awful noise at night) and there is no law to prevent this... what exactly is the point of having them??

JacquesHammer · 28/08/2017 12:31

Have you confronted them about this ? I would!

Now why didn't I think of that Confused of course I have! They're not interested because "our cat isn't a nuisance" (sound familiar?) and "cats roam, that's what they do"

PortiaCastis · 28/08/2017 12:31

cats have the right to wander
Not in my garden they don't! Sick of cat crap so they get the hosepipe if I see a moggy scraping in my flowerbeds

Thissameearth · 28/08/2017 12:32

I have only had dogs as a child and I've lived in flats as an adult so not had a garden. I genuinely didn't realise people got cats and then they just let them roam freely - only realised now we have a house. We never let our dogs into people's gardens, kept them on a lead around people, picked up all their poo and knew where they are at all times so could make sure not causing hassle. It's really weird to me that people decide they want pets so get cats but then let out to go in gardens, garages, on top of /under cars, through people's open doors or catflaps into their homes, shitting in gardens and on paths. Growing up, my dog in someone else's garden would itself be the nuisance without them doing anything further. it's not for someone else to have be on guard and chase them away, have water guns about you and then feel bad to the cat or neighbour that you're being a bit mean doing it. There is no other pet this would be acceptable with and it's weird to me that it's acceptable for cats. I can see it's not very nice to keep them only in your house or garden but in which case I think well if they can't be controlled they're not really suitable pets for residential areas...

somewhereovertherain · 28/08/2017 12:34

Land mines is the way forward. Fucking hate next doors cat shitting in my garden.

Water pistol fine also hose.

IfYouGoDownToTheWoodsToday · 28/08/2017 12:38

OP you seem really concerned about your neighbour and how to help her. You say this morning the neighbour was shouting about your cat being in her garden. You then say "I'll get around to cat proofing the garden when I can" Confused

If you were really that concerned about neighbourly relations, you'd just get on with sorting the fence ASAP.

We have two very stupid cats who keep coming into our garden. Thankfully the garden is pretty large and there's lots of places for them to escape to, when our Jack Russell spots them and tries to catch them. I've told the neighbour's that I'm worried my dog will catch them one day. They don't seem bothered as they are "fed up" of them.Hmm