Neighbours cats

[Hullabalooo]

My neighbours have six cats which seem to be free roaming and out all day. They're a nice family next door but the cats are driving me nuts.

They shit everywhere and it stinks. It's become a full time job keeping them out of my small patio garden so it's not a horrible place to sit in and one of them even broke in once whilst I was away and shat in my bath.

They sit on my door mat and shed fur everywhere and have bitten DC too.

How do I tackle this without falling out with my neighbours? I know cats are impossible to control but who has six cats anyway?!

A dog ?

Put mothballs all over the garden.

Wow, that is unacceptable! Surely I would be angry for all the cat shit but the fact that someone else’s pet attacked your DC on (I assume) your property by biting him? Completely unacceptable!

We have a cat but keep her inside to avoid her being a nuisance to neighbours.
I would have a serious talk with your neighbours and look for some cat friendly options to keep them away.

Glad it's not just me being unreasonable! What else can I use to repel the cats? Tbh even if i vanquish them, the neighbour on my other side doesn't bother so I was still smelling cat shit whilst eating lunch outside earlier.

one of them even broke in once whilst I was away and shat in my bath.

How does a cat break into a house? 🤔

Teabags dunked in orange essence is supposed to deter them.

Get a water pistol

I heard they despise coffee grits.

Just spray them with a hose. They'll get the idea eventually.

Cats don't usually stroll up to human beings and bite them out of the blue. What in heaven's name is going on there?

The only way I think that one of the cats broke is was last Christmas when I was loading car before leaving for my dp. Was away three days and came back to mayhem. Broken glass, cat wee on DC bed and poo in the bath. Cat ran through my legs as I opened front door when getting back

@martinidry one cat was in my front garden and bit DC there.

Cat proof netting/fencing.

If you have a wall or fence it can be fixed to the top, salmon netting and brackets are not too expensive.

Keep them out, it will save you having to worry about needing to spray or chase them out all the time.

I've heard orange peel is a good deterrent?

you are too nice OP.

I would have complained immediately after last Christmas. And be mortified if I were your neighbour, would have cleaned your entire bathroom for you and replaced your DC’s bedlinen.

I should imagine there's more to the cat biting your ds story than you've said.
Regarding them pooing in yours garden there's really nothing your ndn can do. Cat's like to be outdoors. I'd suggest googling options for deterring them from your garden. Especially as even if your ndn started refusing to let the cats out, there will be other outdoor cats in your area who may poop in your garden.
It broke in? Aka a cat (possibly or possibly not ndn unless you actually caught it) came in through a window you'd left open? Well that's on you too

Ahhh just seen your update that the cat coming in through the door whilst you were loading the car. I'd have spoken to ndn about that at the time. Ndn couldn't have done anything to stop the cat having got in but should have replaced the destroyed bedding etc

So is it worth having a word with ndn in general or just implementing my own cat free zone? I'm just looking for higher fencing as a solution. I've been using zoflora lavender around my garden which they don't seem to like.

I would have complained immediately after last Christmas. And be mortified if I were your neighbour, would have cleaned your entire bathroom for you and replaced your DC’s bedlinen.

Why? It’s not the neighbour’s fault the cat was shut in the OP’s house for 3 days. It was an accident.

There’s a vibration tool you can get which repels them, I’d be using it and I wouldn’t really care if it upset the cats. Having catshit everywhere is disgusting.

Any idea what it's called @cherrysoup

I would do both.

If they are decent people they will feel ashamed about your DC getting attacked and his bedding getting peed on apart from all the rest.

Imagine a dog bit a child in their own frontgarden and going into neighbours home to shit and pee there, neighbours would have come out with forkpitches, demanding that something would be done. Just because its a cat doesnt make this any less unacceptable. And I say that as a dog/ cat person.

The Xmas incident was clearly due to the poor cat being locked in your house for 3 days, did a cat just completely unprovoked walk up and bite your DC?
Plenty cat repellents available, water gun works a treat.

So is it worth having a word with ndn in general or just implementing my own cat free zone?

Not much point having a word unless it is ”can you come and clear your cats poop up from my garden again?” every single time one of them has been. You can try to cat proof your garden but I would say keep a water pistol handy as well. As soon as you spotone in your garden give it a spray, they will soon learn to stay out.

davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/keep-cats-garden/

@namechangeishard I can't get link to work?

Aren't ndn going to get pissed off with me though if that see me spraying their cats without me having a word first?