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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask why cats roaming is acceptable?

537 replies

PengAly · 16/12/2018 23:05

Just want to hear opinions on this. Firstly i should be honest, i am a dog person, 100% love dogs and i really dont understand how people like cats (seems like they are a tad selfish of a pet) but i am an animal lover so obviously wish no harm to any cat and will play with one given the opportunity. This is JUST my opinion. But back to my original question...

Why does it seem universally accepted that cats can roam on other peoples properties and poop in the garden- even digging up flowers?! Now Im certain mainy people would get up in arms if a dog on a lead stepped one paw on their front garden or god forbid came within 3 feet of them or their child(I've seen many dog hating threads on MN) yet cat owners get a free pass for their cats doing as they please?

Im honestly not trying to start an argument i just dont understand it Confused

OP posts:
everydaymum · 18/12/2018 01:21

Cats can certainly injure people. I had one cat years ago that was incredibly territorial. She'd attack any dog that walked past our house and my brother ended up in hospital after a bite from her. It's obviously not common, but they aren't all lovely docile creatures.
My current cat however is lovely and docile, but lives within our fence line. Of course fresh air and nature is good for them, but there's no reason to let them roam away from home. I don't want her killing wildlife, getting into fights with other cats/animals, contracting any disease/illness from another cat or getting hit by a car. I wouldn't let my 5yo wander the streets so why let my cat? It's easy to keep them within the boundaries of your property, but if you can't manage don't have a cat.

Shriek · 18/12/2018 01:28

Your dcat is a grown up and your 5 to would be a liability to themselves and others that's why! Doh!

Shriek · 18/12/2018 01:30

You can't control your cat. Have you wired your garden to prevent it escaping?

Notevenmyrealname · 18/12/2018 02:32

A cat’s right to roam freely supersedes your right not to have a little bit of poo in your garden every now and then. You’re being utterly ridiculous and rather pathetic.

An irresponsible owner’s right to be a lazy fucker supersedes your right to be able to sit in a shit free garden that doesn’t stink to high heaven in the summer. Sod your children who might want to play on the lawn and don’t even think about doing any gardening when you’re pregnant. You’re being utterly ridiculous and rather pathetic.

tildaMa · 18/12/2018 02:33

@FenellasRedVelvetDress
There was also a lady who has posted who said that she caught toxoplasmosis from picking up cat crap in her garden. She didn’t own a cat. The baby she was carrying stopped growing at 22 weeks because of the toxoplasmosis she caught. I think she probably feels that a cat killed her baby. So cats do cause injury and death.

No, a cat didn't kill her baby. Unless she licked her hands clean after picking said cat crap with her bare hands, it's much more likely she caught it from handling raw meat or eating it undercooked.

Notevenmyrealname · 18/12/2018 02:36

P.S. They don’t all bury it. This was the size of the palm of my hand on the brand new lawn 2 days after it was put down.

ShiningSally · 18/12/2018 02:38

Well, I love cats 😻
Just saying.....

tildaMa · 18/12/2018 02:42

@Notevenmyrealname fox, not cat.

WhoTookTheChristmasCookie · 18/12/2018 02:49

Cats don't bother me either way. I wouldn't have one as a pet but I can't muster the energy to hate them.

I do hate the fact that they're allowed to crap wherever they please without the owner doing anything about it.
If my dog shits when I take her out and I don't pick it up I'm liable for a fine; same doesn't go for cats.
I'm sick of picking up cat shit from my garden just so my toddler has a clean, safe place to play - I shouldn't have to do it. It's my garden and I don't own a cat!

But, I know that it's near enough impossible to police so I have no answers there. It wouldn't be fair to stop them from roaming though.

Notevenmyrealname · 18/12/2018 02:54

tildama

Nope. Next door’s cat. They feed it raw salmon (!) and it always has fucking diarrhoea. We do very occasionally get foxes in the garden and you can tell the difference. Next door have 4 cats. The smell of cats marking their territory is distinctly different to foxes.

tildaMa · 18/12/2018 03:06

@Notevenmyrealname looks like fox in the picture and I can't smell it from here.

A lot of people blame cats for fox crap and mischief because they're not aware how agile foxes actually are, that they can easily scale a 2m fence or wall, jump on conservatory roofs etc.

twiglet · 18/12/2018 03:11

We have a cat and a dog. We did try to train our cat with harness and lead but after several months gave up as he hated it refused to walk etc. He used to be an indoor cat but when we moved started outdoors and much prefers it. He drives us crazy if we have to shut him in.

He does roam but I've no idea where we have never had complaints from the neighbours but majority have animals be it cats or dogs and we have fields behind the house which seem to be the turf war areas so think he mostly goes to the loo there.

It's difficult to stop cats from roaming if they go outside. All indoor cats I know have more health issues as well.

Notevenmyrealname · 18/12/2018 03:17

I promise it is not a fox that did that particular shit. The cat used to come in almost every day (I used to chase it out every time I saw it) but since we started complaining after one of the children nearly stepped in its mess, they keep it inside more and surprisingly we don’t get as many salmon-coloured gifts. Bit too coincidental.

We occasionally used to get foxes cutting through a different part of the garden and it was different. And since we blocked off their route, we don’t get them anymore. Funnily enough we do still get cat shit on the other side of the garden closest to the neighbour’s fence though when they decide to let it out.

Shriek · 18/12/2018 03:22

There's no way to stop foxes roaming and crapping everywhere they want and it stinks.
The only way to stop cats is to put cat defences on your fences, or get your own cat and train it to toilet in a litter tray, but even then,meh. They won't,if they don't want to.

But the foxes will still get in and crap on the garden

During my pregnancies I didn't clean up any kind of poo, or hang out around sheep placenta's, even when asked to.

Someone else had to do it, but if I'd picked it up whilst pregnant the obvious thing to do is make sure you don't 'handle' it!!! Jeez! And then lick it...

Shriek · 18/12/2018 03:24

Foxes scale fences of six foot or more. How high are your fences????!!! Blimey

tildaMa · 18/12/2018 03:57

I cleaned the litter box whilst pregnant. Wearing gloves and washing my hands carefully afterwards. Never caught toxo.

Notevenmyrealname · 18/12/2018 03:57

Foxes scale fences of six foot or more. How high are your fences????!!! Blimey

Is that directed at me? I’m not an idiot. We have had both foxes and cats in our garden. I am observant enough to be able to tell the difference. I’m sure the odd determined fox still gets in on occasion but as we have made it a bit more of a hassle for them, we don’t get as much of a problem. I’m sure if I waited long enough, I’d find something left by a fox but for now we have created enough of a barrier that they seemingly can’t be arsed. They only seemed to use it as a cut through anyway.

Next door however feed their cat a very distinctive looking and smelling type of food. It also wanders into our garden from one of the same two routes. We’ve blocked of one route as best we can (I have actually witnessed it trying to get over the barrier and falling off so pretty sure that for now at least it only has one route) and the only place we find its mess now is near its other route which we haven’t managed to successfully block off yet. I see it in our garden daily (even though next door swear they don’t let it out that much anymore) and have even caught it preparing to have a shit, and regardless of my ability to identify different animals’ faeces, I’m pretty sure that using the power of my sight I can tell the difference between an actual real life wild fox and an actual fat domestic cat with diarrhoea.

Shriek · 18/12/2018 04:03

You actually smell its food and see what it eats?! You spend an unhealthy amount of time watching your neighbours. Why on earth would you be asking your neighbour to keep their cat in or make those kind of enquiries that they would respond by telling you they don't let it out as much now...its literally none of your business is it.

Shriek · 18/12/2018 04:04

Just get cat proof fencing round your garden

snitzelvoncrumb · 18/12/2018 04:38

It's illegal in Australia to let cats wander, they kill native animals. Most people will trap cats and take them to the pound they are on their property, and the owners get huge fines.

Notevenmyrealname · 18/12/2018 05:27

Neighbours cat crapping in my garden isn’t my business? OK...

We’ve mentioned the diarrhoea twice over the space of a year (it was happening on a daily basis) and they have told us they only feed it raw salmon.

I knew of some twat once who bought an air rifle to shoot cats that got in his garden, I on the other hand, brought up an annoyance in general conversation with my neighbour who then lied and said their cat was healthy and always pooed in the litter tray when I’ve seen the damn thing doing it in the garden. But go on, keep having a go at a stranger on a forum for being pissed off at an irresponsible neighbours pet if it makes you happy.

everydaymum · 18/12/2018 05:33

Literally none of your business??

If a cat is in someone's yard, it's their business. People without cats shouldn't have to cat proof their yard, cat owners should take responsibility for their animals. I'm a cat owner and would never expect someone else to have to do anything to keep my cat off their property, but then again I'm concerned for its wellbeing and wouldn't let it wander in the first place.

As for those who say that they'd rather their cat had a free and happy life until it meets an untimely end, do you have the same attitude towards your kids?

Original poster
PengAly · 18/12/2018 07:24

@FenellasRedVelvetDress thank you for thst comment on the last page! I appreciate it and the other ones who actually understand what im trying to say. Ive given up as too many PPs on here who are choosing to ignore the main points and push their own agenda based off assumptions.

OP posts:
funmummy48 · 18/12/2018 08:08

I'm a cat owner who also loves dogs. I've sat my two cats down several times to discuss their filthy habits and have made my feelings about them very clear. They know it is unacceptable but neither is interested in changing. We've had to agree to disagree and I've agreed to love them as they are! 😉

WatchingTheWheels85 · 18/12/2018 08:13

I have ragdoll cats, very similar to dogs and they walk on leads. They are very needy and love company but I can happily go out all day and not have to worry about them needing to be checked on like a dog.