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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To banish cat from the house?

379 replies

FeckingEll · 30/11/2018 00:28

At night.

Have rehomed the bloody thing in the garage.

We haven't had a litter tray indoors for over a year. Had an outside one for a while which she didn't use so I removed it. For the last few weeks, when it's been wet outside, she has been shitting in her bed. Two mornings in a row now I've come down to it.

I don't want an indoor tray again so have locked her in the garage with tray and food where she will go every night over the winter from now on.

DC think IABU but they're not cleaning up the shit and having to do two boil washes, one for bed, one to clean machine!

OP posts:
Yura · 01/12/2018 18:30

to everybody who says rehome: you realise that there are many, many cars up to adoption. many never get adopted. one with a histrory of pooping in the house and not very cuddly (see ops post) is quite unlikely to be adopted and will likely spend the rest of its lif in a shelter cage. the garage at night and acess to house and outside during the day is a much, much better prospect.

Zbag · 01/12/2018 18:31

People like you should not own animals. You're a disgrace

Notthemessiah · 01/12/2018 19:06

Christ. Anyone would think she was keeping it in a cage for its entire life, fattening it up just enough before stringing it up, letting a machine kill it and then eating it. Lucky it's not a chicken (which almost everyone decrying this poor, poor cats treatment will happily eat day after day). Keeping a cat in a garage overnight is so far from real animal cruelty it's untrue - peoples attitudes towards pets in this country are fucked up.

MrMeSeeks · 01/12/2018 19:31

You're all nuts, really. Bored now

I think this says a lot about you if you can call people who don’t agree with you that Hmm

Dotty1970 · 01/12/2018 19:58

Well said........

Notthemessiah

Christ. Anyone would think she was keeping it in a cage for its entire life, fattening it up just enough before stringing it up, letting a machine kill it and then eating it. Lucky it's not a chicken (which almost everyone decrying this poor, poor cats treatment will happily eat day after day). Keeping a cat in a garage overnight is so far from real animal cruelty it's untrue - peoples attitudes towards pets in this country are fucked up.

BackBoiler · 01/12/2018 20:04

My cat goes outside in a particular place. I work three short days in the week she is put out then and I feel bad about that! She then goes out as and when she wants when we are at home, she has a quick run in and out these days but sleeps on the sofa at night on her cushion. She will come up in the morning to ask us to let her out!

SBDB · 01/12/2018 20:10

I have an antisocial cat who we hand reared. A few weeks ago we left the garage door open by accident. In the morning I couldn’t find our cat (she has a cat flap) despite calling her. I went out to the garage and she was asleep on the boiler out there. She now makes a conscious decision to live in the garage! I think she’s decided she gets more peace and quiet from the dog and the baby! I wouldn’t say it was cruel, she’s chosen to do it!!

Cornish83 · 01/12/2018 20:25

Pets aren’t for everyone we had a cat and although we had a litter tray which she mostly used she also pea’d all over the house and the house stunk we tried everything vet said she had no medical problems so it was likely to be stress and we did have 2 under 3 year olds. Cats can’t tell you when they’re not happy but this is a sure sign something is up. Putting her outside will likely make her more anxious and you may have to make the difficult decision we did and re-home him/her for the cats benefit as it’s probably not going to improve unless you can get to the root of the behaviour which it doesn’t sound like you have the patience to do maybe because of other priorities such as kids so perhaps it’s kinder for kitty to have a new home.

empmalswa · 01/12/2018 20:37

Keeping a cat in a garage overnight is so far from real animal cruelty it's untrue - peoples attitudes towards pets in this country are fucked up

The only ducked up attitudes in this post are coming from people like you.

Yes cats can live in garages.

This cat may be unwell.

That's the difference.

Quarky · 01/12/2018 21:30

I used to make my cat sleep in the kitchen as night because she consistently woke us up in the early hours scratching the carpet. I felt guilty at the time but it was inside the house and she had one of those furry igloo cat beds. I would never shut a cat somewhere cold at night. It can get extremely cold in the early hours 😞

Notthemessiah · 01/12/2018 22:20

Woosh, as the point soars firmly over @empmalswa's head.

So the cat may, or may not, be ill - still one-up on the chicken I'd say.

norfolkandchanceyou · 01/12/2018 22:31

Maybe someone should take your toilet away, how would you feel about that?

So long as the garage is warm and dry and heavy emphasis on that plus the cat has food, water and tray and is let out in the morning it's not so bad but I think you are being very unreasonable to wonder why the cat shit on her bed when you took away her only clean means of toileting.

To be honest sounds like you have no attachment to this cat so why not find her/him a new home via a rescue. Problem for both of you is solved

BumsexAtTheBingo · 01/12/2018 22:46

I’ve never been in a garage that’s as warm as a house. They are generally big and not as well insulated or heated with no carpet. I certainly wouldn’t want to sleep in a garage.
If a litter tray in the house is such an absolute no no then don’t get a cat. I guess it will be kicked out into the cold garage once it gets elderly or ill as well.

empmalswa · 01/12/2018 22:51

Nothing went over my head. Your shote about chickens is irrelevant. I was responding to the comment about the cat.

CSIblonde · 01/12/2018 22:51

I don't think you are a cat person or you wouldn't be so mean as to consider she might need an emergency litter tray. If she's usually got access to outdoors she'll probably only use it once in a blue moon when caught short. Its part of having a pet. It's not that terrible. My girl was left outside permanently & rarely fed last year, even in - 3 snow by my neighbours. Her little paw pads were like ice. And they wonder why she decamped to me. It still upsets me thinking about it.

Claw001 · 01/12/2018 23:07

CPL advice “If you decide to keep your cat in at night, you need to ensure that your cat's needs are met indoors:

If your cat is used to being active at night, it can become restless and stressed when kept in. If it is necessary to keep them indoors, an indoor environment should provide them with plenty of things to do - from toys and climbing frames to puzzle feeders. Also, ensure they have access to a litter tray and water (not near to each other) when kept indoors overnight”

Clankboing · 01/12/2018 23:43

Take the cat to the vets. It may have a medical problem and it is best to check. Is the garage attached to the house? Has the cat got access to the house via a cat flap? If you are in the UK like me, an attached enclosed garage might be warm enough - my own cats sometimes choose to sleep in a cat bed in our cold conservatory - but not for much longer as it is getting much closer to winter.

Yidette86 · 01/12/2018 23:49

Omg poor cat... Please do the right thing and either look after it properly or rehome to someone that will.

This thread makes me sad.

Furries · 02/12/2018 00:08

This reply has been deleted

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DavetheCat2001 · 02/12/2018 00:44

@Furries right on 👍

evenbetter · 02/12/2018 00:56

Why do people think there are many homes willing to rehome unwanted cats? Rescues are coming down with them, scumbags who keep breeding them when there are already thousands unwanted. RSPCA will say as long as it has food and water there’s nothing they can do (which is a lie), people need to lobby their local politicians to let them know that animal rights in general is important to the people they serve.

CaliHummers · 02/12/2018 07:00

The other thing to bear in mind, whilst the OP's attitude stinks way more than catshit, is that this is an outdoor cat. Being a cat, if it wants to rehome itself it can and will.

HashtagTeamRaven · 02/12/2018 07:14

It is unfair because the cat will be unhappy/stressed being locked inside a room during its most active time of day.

EdisonLightBulb · 02/12/2018 07:18

I keep a litter tray in the house for emergencies, the cats go out most of the time to do their business.

I don't get the stinking litter trays. No way would I have a big deep tray full of clumping cat litter. I have an average uncovered one that I line with newspaper. I throw a handful of wood pellet litter into it, no more.

If the tray gets used I empty it and replace the paper and handful of litter as soon as I notice. The tray is kept in the downstairs shower room. The cats are sufficiently trained to use it with just a bit of something to scratch at, and one of the cats is really dumb, bless him.

As long as the tray is clean they will use it. As long as it's clean it wont stink. A bit like a human toilet!

Flowerpot2005 · 02/12/2018 07:27

@notthemessiah your argument only holds with people who buy chicken reared that way. I, along with many others, don't.

The fact this cat may be unwell goes right over this OP's head because it suits her that way. She clearly has no love for the animal or she'd be getting it to a vet. However, a fresh smelling home is her priority.

I find it strange that people like this steadfastly refuse to rehome an animal. It really makes me wonder if it's because if a vet did see them, a whole host of other untreated ailments & injuries would come to light.