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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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

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:

PortiaCastis · 28/08/2017 13:36

Yes it's all about poo and scraping up my plants and killing birds.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 28/08/2017 13:40

We cat proofed our garden mainly to keep the cat safe than thinking about the neighbour's but it does work both ways. We've got a low fence on one side so DH made longer brackets to make so the netting is the same height as the fence on the opposite side. Our garden is too narrow to have a 6' fence on both sides.

It does the trick of keeping him in and means the neighbours can't complain, although I don't know what they think of the netting as obviously it's visible from their sides. When the house next door was up for sale DH did hear one potential buyer asking the estate agent what the netting was for. I don't really care what they think though.

LinaBo · 28/08/2017 13:40

I had a similar situation to you, OP, except every time the cat jumped the fence, the neighbours would knock for me to go over and get her. There's only so many "the cat is on the roof", "the cat is on top of the shed", "the cat is on the fence" one can take, so I did keep my cats indoor after a few complaints. They - the cats! - complained for a few days but got used to it. They are happy, affectionate, playful indoor cats now.

We're moving soon to a house with a massive, massive garden and I'm planning on having a cat proofed section so they can enjoy it with us.

Original poster

DanHumphreyIsA · 28/08/2017 13:41

@this honestly before I owned cats all of the research (and instructions by shelters) was to let them out. A condition of adoption with first kitten was to have a cat flap installed to let her roam freely(which we never due to health problems, and we got her used to being an indoor cat)

The previous garden was also a lot smaller and I didn't have (or hear) complaints from neighbours. In terms of cats using the loo, outdoor cat 'goes' the average times in a day in his own litter tray at home, when he comes in, so this post has opened my eyes too.
I've also never had problems with roaming cats either, when theyve been in and out of the garden yes theyve nipped in and nicked cat food sometimes and stuff but have never had a garden destroyed so I'm honestly suprised tbh. The odd tom has sprayed but this is the owners responsibility to get them neutered to stop spraying.

Maybe shelter websites could offer more info about these problems before adoption, as recent events with NDN has been the first time for me.

OP posts:

JacquesHammer · 28/08/2017 13:46

Not really, but seems to be the latest mumsnet buzz phrase

Erudite.

Please feel free to explain how the human species being toxic as a whole has any bearing on someone's pet causing me problems and costing me money?

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 28/08/2017 13:46

FluffyPineapple, I can't speak for all cats but mine is affectionate and sociable, doesn't cause problems with the neighbour, doesn't catch anything and isn't out all day and night (he's never been allowed to stay out all night). He can't be the only one.

Forheavenssake · 28/08/2017 13:47

Pinksparkly nope not only one

Original poster

DanHumphreyIsA · 28/08/2017 13:50

@linabo thats good that yours got used to it, we kept ours in for 3 weeks when we moved in, and honestly the last 10 days was a nightmare. He couldn't work out where the exit was so he would just meow for ages, run into the next room, meow for ages again and so on wanting to be let out. Hes a lot calmer now he's out and he's only out for 2 hours a day in total. I think its because he was a stray, not neutered (is now though) and its assumed he had just always lived outside.

To answer why some people have cats, I just like them. I think they're amazing animals, and tbh they've cheered me up a lot more than most humans do during hard times.
I also know A LOT of cat owners who feel the same.

OP posts:

Forheavenssake · 28/08/2017 13:50

I'm still shocked that people have not done nothing about these rogue cats tho apparently destroying people carpets ( I won't ask how) paint on cars. Surely if this is really going on other neighbors would also complain and if they have why is the cat owner not made to pay! (Small claims court) is property damage etc? Or am I wrong if enough people came together about this criminal cat/s this would surely be dealt with right? I wouldn't allow this!

JacquesHammer · 28/08/2017 13:53

The cat comes in through the smallest open space. I only discover its in because I hear it scratching.......

The cat sits on my bonnet when it's warm. I chase it off if I catch it but it's left a dull/scratches patch.

I have no idea if it does it to other neighbours. The issue here arose from the previous owner feeding the damn thing.

do you really think I've made no attempt to get this sorted?? I explained up thread I had spoken to them

JacquesHammer · 28/08/2017 13:54

So I literally have "not done nothing"

Original poster

DanHumphreyIsA · 28/08/2017 13:54

@pinks how does the netting stop them getting over? The fence on one side is quite high, but he still just jumps on top if it rather than climbing up, so I wonder if he'd figure it out. Also is yours the type that is horizontal along the fence (like pp posted a photo of) or is it the one that kind of sits at an angle on top of the fence?

OP posts:

Acornantics · 28/08/2017 13:59

I quite happily shoo, waterspray or bark at the cat who comes into my garden and uses my veg patch as its own private litter tray.

It's absolutely disgusting having to pick up cat shit after digging it up, not to mention dangerous for DCs who love digging.

I make sure to pop it back into the cat owner's garden behind their shed, rather than put it in my rubbish bin.

HarryBlackberry · 28/08/2017 14:03

I absolutely love cats and have had them as pets. However, my neighbours cats shit in my garden every day. Every day I'm shovelling up multiple shits off my lawn, etc. My garden stinks. So I can understand how she feels. Like others have suggested, maybe get a sonar thing. Think I'll get one myself! Good luck.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 28/08/2017 14:04

The netting is on brackets that are attached to the fence and it goes up and inwards to stop them getting out and hopefully anything else getting in. DH did it himself, including making the brackets as it cost a fortune to get a company to do it.

neighbour scaring cat off from her garden

Original poster

DanHumphreyIsA · 28/08/2017 14:07

From what Ive seen though hes not been in there long enough to shit, shes come out as soon as he's jumped over. And he uses his litter tray to poo twice a day. Once before he goes out in the morning and once when he comes home from his evening stroll. Like clockwork.

OP posts:

Original poster

DanHumphreyIsA · 28/08/2017 14:08

Thanks @pinks glad it works! Off to measure and cost up netting.. no sleep for me today

OP posts:

FluffyPineapple · 28/08/2017 14:08

FluffyPineapple, I can't speak for all cats but mine is affectionate and sociable, doesn't cause problems with the neighbour, doesn't catch anything and isn't out all day and night (he's never been allowed to stay out all night). He can't be the only one.

Well according to all the cat people I have ever known "You can't keep a cat in as they are, by nature, unsociable animals. The roam and hunt... that's what cats do....and there's no law about letting them out because they are meant to be free spirits..

If your cat is kept in during the night that's at least one noisy, screeching animal off the streets and gardens at night. That's great!

If it's out all day how do you know what it's up to and whether it's causing problems for the neighbours?

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 28/08/2017 14:13

DH used pond netting for this but is planning on replacing it with something with bigger holes as we've had a few bees get caught in it. It's doing the trick for now though.

He went to a local steel company and got them to cut lengths that he could bend into brackets. It was a bit like sitting in a tennis court to start with but we're used to it now and don't even notice it.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 28/08/2017 14:14

Because the garden is cat proofed Before that he rarely used to roam anyway, he'd always be in the back or front garden or asleep on our bed.

starsorwater · 28/08/2017 14:18

Those ultra sonic things don't have a big enough range to bother neighbours children.We used one to keep neighbours incontinent cat off veg patch. It still crapped every where else though, and her merrily tossing her head and saying, 'that's cats' was not endearing.

Cat repellent smells awful. She won't want that in her garden either.

Cat faeces are vile, and for all you know until you arrived she enjoyed watching the birds in her garden. Realistically she can't patrol with a water pistol 24/7.

You really need to do something. She is obviously upset, not 'mean'.

BoneyBackJefferson · 28/08/2017 14:27

DanHumphreyIsA

I've found a lot of people have essentially wasted money because some cats figure out how to get over or around whatever is in place.

I am loving the irony of wasted money, given what the rest of us are expected to spend to try and keep cats out

BoneyBackJefferson · 28/08/2017 14:29

Oh and just for fun I started putting food dye in the water pistols i used so that I could identify which cats belonged to which neighbours.

dementedpixie · 28/08/2017 14:33

Cats don't tend to stay out all day either. They are crepuscular so most active at dawn and dusk. Mine are both in having a nap now and will go out again a bit later. I don't have a cat flap so they are only out if I am in. They are in overnight too

Original poster

DanHumphreyIsA · 28/08/2017 14:36

@boney well I dont know, I see cats coming and going from almost every house in these few streets so I doubt we were the first to introduce a cat to the area.

OP posts:

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