To think you don't enter people's gardens

[frostedviolets]

To try and stroke their cat?!

I've just seen a woman and child walking down my drive on the CCTV, assuming as they were right in the middle of my garden and walking towards the door they must want something.

I go out to ask if they were okay to a mum who tells me they wanted to stroke my cat, who was sat near the pots (nowhere near them!)

My cat is not a sociable cat.

I know for a fact she would never have approached them and would have been keeping well away so they have deliberately gone to try and approach her.

She isn't vicious but she doesn't like strangers, she doesn't even particularly like stroking much from her own family.

I'm not BU in thinking you just don't this surely?
Or am I?

Really feeling quite irritated about it.

Did you tell her they were under video surveillance while on your property? You wouldn't have seen them for dust!

At least it was only a toddler. Down our street, a woman has a massive Saint Bernard who regularly escapes from her house and runs into all the gardens.
Thankfully we are in a cul de sac, far away from a main road, but that dog has chased my cat a few times.
It's as high as my hip that dog! It will hurt a small child one day.

I would have said something like "she's a biter. Very territorial too. Perhaps you could get off my land?!"
Put a sign on your date that says "keep out private property"
It's lucky it wasn't a dog, stupid parent.

Crazy cat people are subject to a gravity-like force, drawing them ever nearer to the feline kind

Hopefully the CCP are savvy enough to "read" the body language (our male cat gives a very clear "Sod Off Mrs , you do not have my consent to touch me " look (which I heed because I like my skin ) . He's not an aggressive cat and in a stressful situation (like the Vet) he''ll fold up.
But if someone pushed him, who knows ?

The going into your garden for any reason, univited , is rude .

Im actually suprised by the amount of people on this thread who think its ok for a woman to wander onto someone elses private property 'because the child wants to see a cat'. Wheres the respect for boundaries?

Also to the PP whos said that its ok because cats are allowed to roam around onto other peoples properties - are you serious? Are you suggesting that humans should take their social cues from cats? Are you saying because cats do it humans should follow suit? In that case i'll go and shit in my neighbours hedge. When im challenged ill say 'dont worry guys, the cat does it so its ok for us all to do it'. Ridiculous.

Though if you want the ultimate CF-ery , my Parents friend had a Guide Dog .
A working, trained , obviously On Duty , Guide Dog .
The number of people who tried to feed her . Distract her by calling or whistling. Got offended because "I just want to clap the dog" (Clap= pat in Glasgow) or get the children to.

Now you see "Please Do Not Distract Me" on the harness .
It is someone's safety in danger , the working partner of the Guide Dog .
But as long as they can just pat the nice doggie .

(I'm sure the dog muttered FFS a few times , like Mutley )

Given that the cat hates being petted, there's an extremely high probability that the cat moved into the garden away from the mum and toddler in the first place. If you see a cat moving away from you, that's a clear sign it doesn't want to interact with you. Leave it alone and stay out of someone else's garden.

YANBU. It is all about respect and boundaries. If the mother thinks this is ok what else does she think is ok.

Bonkers that people think this is OK. And as a confirmed crazy cat person I would never follow after a cat. Everyone knows you crouch down and pspsps while rubbing your fingers together until it comes to you

It’s not a crazy cat person, it’s a “My child loves animals but I can’t be bothered to own one so little precious should get to stroke yours instead and you are mean if you don’t let little precious have his way”. You should see what they do if little precious likes horses. It’s a new kind of hell trying to keep idiots and their offspring from getting trampled by your horses on your property.

YANBU. Your garden is your property and I'd be furious if someone went into mine unless they were delivering a parcel. Your cat is not a toy, either.

People need to leave animals that don't belong to them alone (unless they're neglected etc).

If they’d been walking across the flower beds it would be out of order, but walking up your path/drive? Wouldn’t bother me in the slightest.

I’m sure lots of parents have had to do wierd things to keep the peace with little ones
Hence there’s now a generation of children being raised who cannot stand to hear the word ‘no’ and who are absolute terrors at school.

@Booboostwo I completely agree with you there. People are so overly cocky with horses and I wince every time. It's usually people with 0 horse experience going into the field as well. Not to mention dog walkers going into fields full of sheep or cows. I wish people would stay away but for some reason there's tonnes of entitled wankers about.

Im actually suprised by the amount of people on this thread who think its ok for a woman to wander onto someone elses private property 'because the child wants to see a cat'. Wheres the respect for boundaries?

Yes, this. And if the child has a tantrum about it it's up to you to deal with it, not give in because it's 'just easier'
I bet some of the same entitled people would be up in arms if they did corner an unfriendly cat and it scratched their child.

Sorry, but you shouldn't walk onto someone's garden. If you see a cat, encourage it to come to you. Pss pss pss normally does the trick if it's feeling sociable. If it doesn't come, what's the point going towards it. It obviously isn't in the mood.

I asked if they were okay, what they wanted as they were more than halfway down into my garden and heading to my front door so I assumed they needed something.

Then I just said the cat is mine and she isn't friendly, don't try and touch her again.

Think I'd have added a few swear words. Totally unacceptable behaviour from strangers.

It pisses me off when people cross our garden because there's a low wall that you can jump down to next door's drive. The postman does it, any cold callers, plus next door's kids - standing on our sodding flower beds!

Pepepig I’ve known random idiots attempt to sit their kid on a pony they found in a field!

I’ve read a lot of cat threads on MN and generally people recommend something called a Super Soaker. Could you get one in case this happens again?

I wouldn't like that either. it's crossing a line, quite literally

I do this all the time 🤪

YABU ... I saw the cutest kitten ever in someones window the other day and it took all my willpower to stop me knocking on the door to ask if I could cuddle their kitten for 5 minutes!