Is she BU or are we bad neighbours?

[TravellingSpoon]

We have a cat who is an outdoor cat and who likes to roam but normally within the proximity of our nearest neighbours.

She likes to hunt and is a prolific hunter. At one point we were getting a bird every other day or so. Neighbour mentioned she didnt like her round her bird table as she 'stalks about looking for little birds.' WE got her a collar with a bell, now neighbour is complaining that she can hear the bell tinkling as she runs round the garden, both hers and ours.

She has been round this evening to say that our cat is ruining her enjoyment of the garden and can we keep her in the house or in our garden.

I would say that the cat is out maybe 30% of the day, the rest she is being generally lazy laid out on the sofa.

She’s being unreasonable, but mumsnet hates cats in gardens so you’ll probably be spayed

Sounds ridiculous tbhhardly doubt a collar bell is causing that much disturbance to anyone, your cat isn't the only one who has one! YANBU she is!!

Get some wind chimes to cheer ndn up??

Silly woman. Some people are weird when it comes to cats. We live rurally, I can't even see my neighbour's house but she wanted me to keep my cat in as it's 'terrorising' her dogs and they're too scared to go in their garden because of it. She's got 5 massive bloody rotties and my cat is such a wimp that a leaf chased him down the lane the other day.

Tell her that she can cat proof her garden. Problem solved

Tell her that she can cat proof her garden. Problem solved

^ This

She's being completely unreasonable.

OMG not a TINKLING BELL.

The horror.

She is being unreasonable. You have made the adjustment she requested. Offer to remove the bell, it’s either silence and dead birds or tinkle tinkle tweet tweet😺😹

She’s being super unreasonable.

My neighbours hate my cat - regardless of the fact that he doesn’t shit outside ever, never mind in their garden, is only out for a couple of hours at a time 2 or 3 times a week and virtually never goes in their garden anyway, any time they even see him on the fence they open their door and start shouting abuse at him. Not that he gives a shit, being a cat of supreme self confidence.

I don’t complain about the fact that the same neighbours’ kids are in their garden screaming their heads off all hours of the evening or weekend and I’ve never mentioned how many of my flowers they’ve trashed by kicking footballs in. I haven’t even complained about the fact that they’ve started letting themselves in the side gate to retrieve said footballs...

Some people are just really bloody weird about cats!

She’s absolutely right but unfortunately the law is on the side of people who like to foist their pets and pet care on their poor neighbours.

Bollocks that is hilarious - your poor cat being harassed by a leaf!

Ask the neighbour which she would prefer - tinkling bell or stalking cat. My cat brought me half a rabbit once. He seemed to have managed just to eat the head.

If you told me to cat proof my garden I'd happily oblige... with an air rifle.

Especially if it's a ''prolific hunter'' and is needlessly slaughtering wild birds.

The neighbour who complains the loudest about my cat has a dog that barks all the bloody time.

The law is on your side BUT she is entitles to do what she likes in her garden, that could be putting out antifreeze, poisoned meat, bear traps, getting an air pistol etc etc - which so long as she keeps to the confines of her garden, she wouldn't be prosecuted if your cat came to harm.

There has to be a compromise - perhaps the cat can go out at night rather than in the day ?

Oooh, goody, MN bingo - number 47: 'Mention of an air rifle on a cats in neighbour's garden thread.'

"the cat can go out at night rather than in the day ?"

But what about the terrible tinkling bell, think of the noise.

The law is on your side BUT she is entitles to do what she likes in her garden, that could be putting out antifreeze, poisoned meat, bear traps, getting an air pistol etc etc - which so long as she keeps to the confines of her garden, she wouldn't be prosecuted if your cat came to harm.

Pretty sure that poisoning/trapping/shooting people's pets isn't legal, no matter where you do it, so no, she's not entitled to do this

Genuine question: how do you cat proof a garden?

I like cats, but I love my garden birds more. There are a few local cats that jump on the fence and into the garden, scaring the birds. I can't stop that, can I?

Within days of a neighbour with a cat moving out the birds were flocking to my table, but now a new neighbour with cat has moved in. I still get the birds, but not so many.

I have heard that lion poo can be bought and that keeps cats away. Could be bollocks though.

Can I just remind certain treble aholes ; it is against the law to deliberately hurt someone's pet even if it is sitting on your effing hedge.
Apart from being vile it's illegal. Stop spreading sadistic lies.
Your neighbour is a complete twat. I actively seek out my neighbour's cat for fun and now he knows me we have a nice relationship.

Cat proofing a garden properly can be expensive, unless you are very good at diy,

Google it, 5ere are companies that will add wire to the top of your fences to make sure no cats can get in or out.

Your cat was killing a few birds a week at one point?!!! Does not anyone care about the poor birds? How is that okay?

I wish my neighbours would put bells on their cats. I'm surrounded by neighbours with cats and not one has a bell on. Next door's neighbour has a cat that kills regularly which she moans about yet she still hangs bird feeders all over her garden. Our beautiful singing blackbird got killed recently... grrrr.

I'd take a tinkling of bells over dead birds any day.

Oh sorry - misread -- you put a bell on it!