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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbors and Cat Poo

83 replies

CurtainstoCurtains · 04/05/2018 23:23

Yes it’s of these ones.. but interesting backstory.

We have very lovely neighbors, Really friendly but I have always in the back of my mind thought they might be a little ott.. (will be the type to do you a favour without you asking, then make a fuss about doing so, like buying you a bottle of expensive wine?)

Neighbors loved our cat when we first moved in. We have a large unusual bread of cat that we rehomed, you wouldn’t usually see one outdoors as it’s it’s an indoor breed normally, but our cat before we rehomed spent most of its time outdoors, and now continues to do so.

There garden is mainly gravel and our boundaries are privet hedges.. so you can imagine that keeping our cat in our garden is tough and how our cat uses their garden as a giant Litter box.

I was more than apologetic when we moved in about the cat, and offered to come round and clean their garden once a week. They said they loved the cat, didn’t mind about the poop and welcomed his visits. They even bought the same bread of cat, but theirs is indoors only. (I have actually overheard them feeding my cat and treating it as their own, including their extended family members)

Fast forward they now have a toddler and are fed up of the cat shit in their garden. They have asked if I can block all holes in my privets so the cat can’t get in..

I have a massive cold, was wearing clothes I wish no one would see me dead in when they asked me so agreed..

Now thinking that if they don’t want cats I their garden they should be the ones to do so..

AIBU to just ignore there request?

OP posts:
19lottie82 · 05/05/2018 08:18

aged as I mentioned earlier, how does the OP know which shit is her cats? There will be other cats and foxes doing their business in there too. Unfortunately if you have a garden it’s a risk you take! If the OP kept her cat inside permenantly, chances her her neighbours garden wouldn’t become shit free!

Based on this there is no way I’d be going over every single day.......and her neighbour is nuts if she expects her too!

Plasebeafleabite · 05/05/2018 08:19

Great advice from missymayhemsmum

Popfan · 05/05/2018 08:28

I have a cat and next door has a cat too. Both come into our garden. My parents always had cats. I really don't get the finding cat poo everywhere thing? I've never found any - they go in the flower beds and cover it over with earth. Never heard of cats just pooing on the grass!!

MaudesMum · 05/05/2018 08:48

Carrot and stick, basically. Make sure there are nice areas in your garden for your cat to use, and also provide a litter tray indoors. Spend more time in your garden when your cat is there to help him realise this is your territory.
Tell your neighbours that you're doing this, and ask them not to feed/attract your cat, and offer them a water pistol to deter him. Point out that they can't have the nice bits of the cat visiting without the nasty bits.

I have litter trays, despite having cats that are allowed free access to outside - they sometimes go outside but more frequently rush in to have a pee and then go out again. I did this partly because when I moved here my neighbours had small children and a sandpit, and I wanted to remain on good terms with them. It also means I can keep an eye on whether they're well or not, and can lock them in when I'm away without worrying.

Chattymummyhere · 05/05/2018 08:50

Pop we get it in our front garden. It’s slabs and weed membrane (ready for Astro) and the cats as I’ve seen them just squat on the weed membrane and drop their loads. It’s disgusting. We dont have an issue in the back garden as we have dogs. A neighbours kid stood in it when messing around in my front garden his mum was fuming till I pointed out it’s her bloody cats doing it then she just wondered off.

GlitteryFluff · 05/05/2018 08:55

pop there's probably a neighbour nearby whos garden is full of cat poo! They might just not like your gardens and go elsewhere. Great for you, but not for the other neighbour lol

mrcharlie · 05/05/2018 09:15

We used to have 2 cats
They used to hurl themselves at the door to come in and use the litter tray, then go back out!! Seriously
Neighbours have 2 cats too, ours would keep neighbours off our garden. They're both dead now and the neighbours cats come over and fucking shit everywhere.
I now simply scoop it up and toss it over onto their conservatory roof - fuck them!
They have 4 dogs too which they take in the church grounds (other side of my house) and allow to shit and piss wherever! The vivat put signs up saying no dogs! Not made and difference

Filthy fuckers! Neighbours that is.

mrcharlie · 05/05/2018 09:16

vivat ??
Vicar!! Stupid autocorrect

notsohippychick · 05/05/2018 09:22

Our neighbour has two cats and there is always ooo in our garden! Not much I can do about it to be honest. I have a toddler who adores being outside.

I just scoop it up and throw it back over the fence! Job done. It’s a pain but not worth getting into a pickle about.

In fact I adore the cats. My son loves them and in fact his first was was “cat”!!

Shedmicehugh1 · 05/05/2018 09:26

If neighbours have gravel, quite a few cats are probably using it as a litter tray.

Why not offer to help your neighbour ‘cat proof’ her garden, to try and keep all cats out?

RedHelenB · 05/05/2018 09:26

I think you should have a litter area in your own garden.

19lottie82 · 05/05/2018 09:41

I think you should have a litter area in your own garden.

And just ask the cat politely, to use it?
It doesn’t quite work like that, unfortunately!

LakieLady · 05/05/2018 09:53

The cheapest way of sorting out gaps in a hedge is to cut it right back, put chain link fencing in front, and then it's concealed by the hedge as it grows back. When we tried to patch up a gappy hedge, a new one would appear almost immediately.

I think you'd have to go pretty high to keep a cat in though. Next door's cat managed to get over the hedge when it was 5'6" (although, in fairness, he had the incentive of my terrier snapping at his heels).

agedknees · 05/05/2018 09:54

We came back from a week away to find 8 loads of shitty cat poo on our artificial lawn. Saw wormy cat with red collar just positioning itself to do another shit.

Unfortunately for wormy cat we had our cat hating terrier with us. Never seen a cat move so fast. No cat poos this week so far to terrier deterrent seems to be working.

agedknees · 05/05/2018 09:56

Oh and I tracked down the cats owner because I was concerned about it having worms but I don’t think it has yet been treated as it still has a bloated stomach. Should be a crime not to look after pets properly.

YimminiYoudar · 05/05/2018 11:08

Owners of pet cats are not legally responsible for their cat's poo. Cats are basically wild and untamable and will do what they like. We are privileged to be allowed to feed and stroke them.

A cat doesn't care which human claims which garden. Cat boundaries are not human boundaries and vice versa.

If they want their garden to be animal-proof then they can do it from their side. You spending time and money making one boundary cat-proof isn't going to stop animals getting in from other sides.

hmcAsWas · 05/05/2018 12:17

Might not be legally responsible, but there is a moral responsibility!

SluttyButty · 05/05/2018 12:24

There is nothing I hate more than people who seem to not have litter trays for their cats and seem put out when neighbours get fed up of clearing up cat shite from their gardens.
We've put new gravel down and I'm so fed up of cats shitting in it. I'm getting a water spray one of my son's high powered nerf guns to soak the little bastards.

Sorry I'm just really done with piles of stinking cat mess outside my front door Angry

Lizzie48 · 05/05/2018 12:34

No it's not great advice from missymayhemsmum! Didn't you read the post from the PP stating that Jeyes is poisonous to cats??

@BananasAreTheSourceOfEvil I'm so sorry to hear about your lovely cat. Did you report the neighbours? People who kill cats do face custodial sentences.

Lizzie48 · 05/05/2018 12:37

Water pistols are recommended to discourage cats from coming into your garden. I have 4 cats, thankfully as yet there have been no issues with our neighbours, but it's what I would suggest in those circumstances. I certainly wouldn't object.

Idontdowindows · 05/05/2018 12:43

Cats are basically wild and untamable

Nope. Cats are domesticated animals. They are not wild and untameable at all and they can be trained like any other animal can be.

ijustwannadance · 05/05/2018 16:20

Unfortunately those machines that give off high pitched noise to deter cats can be heard by some people too. It's horrible.

PositivelyPERF · 05/05/2018 16:25

That’s very true, ijustwannadance. There is one of those things that are supposed to only be heard by young people, at the local McDonalds, that is switched on at night and it’s horrible. I have tinnitus and it is really uncomfortable for me, any time I’m walking by it. I now have to cross to the opposite side of the road.

MaMisled · 05/05/2018 16:28

If you regularly turn over a patch of earth in your garden, the cat will choose to pooh there, rather than your neighbours garden. Do it and let them know you've taken steps to sort the problem.

I get so defensive over others intolerance of my pets but this saved our relationship with neighbours!

Panda81 · 05/05/2018 16:37

I get so defensive over others intolerance of my pets

But why? They are your pets causing a nuisance to others. If I wanted to clear up shit after an animal I would get my own pet. But I chose not to as I don't have the time or money right now to care for an animal properly. Yet I've ended up having to do it for my neighbour's car whilst their garden is nice and clean and safe for kids to play in 😡

I know there is no overnight solution for existing cats but I don't see why cat owners can't be forced to be responsible for providing litter trays and stopping cats from roaming. Why are cats allowed free reign but dogs aren't? Seriously, why??