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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect my neighbour to have rehomed his cat by now?

39 replies

GK14 · 05/02/2020 09:11

Around 6 months ago my neighbour moved out, his brother moved in.
I'd been away for a couple of weeks, got back and it was late so dark, stepped out of my car into poo, the drive was covered after a cat using my drive as a toilet for 2 weeks.. Horrendous mess to clear up.
I now know it is next doors cat. I have a camera on my house and have witnessed it numerous times doing its business.. Its normally all down the side of my car, its now every morning outside my front door.
So I spoke to the neighbours and quite frankly they are not interested.
The man who has moved out was very rude and saod he'd left with his brother. The brother says he doesn't want it. It's pretty much permanently left out and is I feel suffering in the cold..what would you do? Its not my cat to ring and try and re home but this is driving me mad.

OP posts:
DingDongDenny · 05/02/2020 09:14

We had similar with a neighbour - we now own that cat.

However, if we hadn't taken it in ourselves I would have no hesitation with taking it to a rescue. That's what we did with their rabbit - left out in the Winter and snow for 3 weeks with no food (I was feeding it)

They never asked about the rabbit

NotEverythingIsBlackandWhite · 05/02/2020 09:15

I would just buy an electronic cat deterrent and position it so as to cover my garden, drive etc.
You cannot control your neighbour's behaviour so need to do something active yourself to resolve the situation.

Seeline · 05/02/2020 09:15

Call the RSPCA and tell them you think it is being neglected?

The fact that it is pooing over your drive would tell me that it possibly was unwell too. Cats are usually very particular about their toileting habits, and would normally poo where they can cover it afterwards. They don't normally do it in the open.

aprilanne · 05/02/2020 09:15

The RSPCA wont care unless cat injured .a stray came round our back 6 years ago and there attitude was chase it away .said strY is now our beloved family pet and was not a cat person before we took him in .could u not take cat poor thing sou da unhappy because cats are clean animals and would never normally leave there mess like that .

YappityYapYap · 05/02/2020 09:15

I would phone the RSPCA or SSPCA depending on where you live and tell them the cat has been left behind and the new tenant in the house has made it clear that he won't be caring for the cat. The poor thing is probably shitting everywhere from not being fed a proper diet or going from a diet of cat food when your old neighbour lived there to eating a wild diet because it's not being fed.

It really bothers me that someone can just say they don't want an animal anymore. If they don't want the cat anymore, they should be taking the poor thing to a cat and dog home to be rehomed!

bingbangbing · 05/02/2020 09:17

Take the cat to a shelter

RedRed9 · 05/02/2020 09:20

I would offer to take the cat to the rescue. You shouldn’t have to. But I wouldn’t want to see it live such a lonely, sad life.

CakeandCustard28 · 05/02/2020 09:23

They can’t exactly help where the cat goes toilet but I’d alert the local cat rescue it’s being neglected so they can rescue it. Wouldn’t go through RSCPA they’re quite frankly shit and don’t care unless it’s injured.

Floralnomad · 05/02/2020 09:24

I doubt it is microchipped , take it to the local cats protection place and tell them it’s hanging about and you think it’s been abandoned. I assume like Battersea they keep them for at least 7 days to see if anyone claims them so the neighbour will have a chance to do so if he wants .

SpamChaudFroid · 05/02/2020 09:25

One of my old cats ended up with me this way, he was left as a 3 month old kitten in January because the owner thought he was "retarded" (he had slight brain damage) which makes it even more unforgivable.

Google cat charities in your area, (not the RSPCA, they often don't have the animals welfare at heart) and they will be able to advise you about trapping him (or likely come out themselves) so he can be put up for adoption.

Could you leave some food and water out for him in the meantime? (water is most important)

just5morepeas · 05/02/2020 09:34

Take the cat to the rspca - people getting pets when they have no intention of looking after them is so selfish.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/02/2020 09:39

Do you mean that it is spraying urine on your car and door? That suggests that the cat is an entire tom cat.

If the owner has moved out and the brother doesn't want the cat, that strongly suggests that it is stray/abandoned and I would firstly arrange for a local rescue to take him for castration and rehoming.

This is a good time of year to do this, before we get the influx of nursing mothers and kittens that always fill up rescues in the spring and summer.

Otherwise it is only a matter of time before he becomes sick due to fighting injuries.

dognamedspot · 05/02/2020 09:40

Ring Cats Protection. If you take it to the RSPCA it stands a good chance of being put to sleep. Sounds like it might be ill actually.

FizzyIce · 05/02/2020 09:52

This doesn’t sound normal for a cat .
Agree with the above . Take to cats protection,not RSPCA

BovaryX · 05/02/2020 09:56

Please GK can you contact a cat rescue? This poor cat has been abandoned and is being neglected. As other people have said, it is absolutely not normal to be doing his toilet like that. Please contact a rescue who can help the cat, the previous neighbour should be ashamed of his behaviour

IntermittentParps · 05/02/2020 09:58

The fact that it is pooing over your drive would tell me that it possibly was unwell too. Cats are usually very particular about their toileting habits, and would normally poo where they can cover it afterwards. They don't normally do it in the open.
This is exactly what I thought. This sounds unusual and wrong. I'd speak to someone like Cats Protection, and also tell the neighbour his cat's behaviour suggests distress/neglect.

screamingvalhalla · 05/02/2020 09:59

Cat protection is a better charity , it's not the poor cats fault it didn't ask for awful owners or to be left behind , also not fair on you to have cat poo on your drive so ring cat protection and see if they will help , tell them the truth that it's essentially been abandoned

PersephoneandHades · 05/02/2020 09:59

The cat is clearly being neglected and is suffering, take it to a rescue - it's the decent thing to do regardless of if it's your cat or not

HmmIsThisAGoodIdea · 05/02/2020 10:04

Definitely contact a cat rescue for help, not the RSPCA. The poor cat! Someone needs to step in here because it sounds like it's being terribly neglected!

Zaphodsotherhead · 05/02/2020 10:12

If it's a gravel drive, the cat may be thinking it's covering its pooh by digging the gravel.

Take the cat to CPL. They are excellent.

Ouchaheadinmybehind · 05/02/2020 10:28

Poor cat.

www.cats.org.uk

Original poster
GK14 · 05/02/2020 13:05

Hi, gosh lots of replies, thanks. Also have no idea why a poll is showing but?!.. Anyway..
Yes agreed it is neglected, the owner has said he's trying to get it rehomed, this has been going on at least 6 months though. He then left, I spoke to the brother who said they don't want it and do leave it out (completely open about it) it carried on, so I spoke to the owner who quite frankly got very shouty and told me he can't stop it from pooing. Agreed and if it was just doing it because it would be as bad but because thue purposely shut it out that's why. It's I'd say def poorly, I won't go into description of what I have to pick up/clean up but multiple times a day is exhausting while trying to work (run a business from home that ppl attend)
To whoever said is it spraying.. No, its piles of 💩
I can't get the cat, it seems scared witless and runs off every time a car or person goes near it. I tried a charity today, waiting to hear back, other one is shut today.
My friends just come round, another deposit outside the door😠

OP posts:
Original poster
GK14 · 05/02/2020 13:15

Also wanted to add, this did stop at a point, no idea why, but I haven't been picking up poo for a whole 6m!
The drive is concrete too, so no burying possible

OP posts:
Dizzygirl00 · 05/02/2020 13:28

Poor cat 😔

Ebeneser · 05/02/2020 13:56

The fact that it is pooing over your drive would tell me that it possibly was unwell too. Cats are usually very particular about their toileting habits, and would normally poo where they can cover it afterwards. They don't normally do it in the open.

Half the cats in our neighbourhood are ill then. I frequently have to put up with similar. I've stood in cat shit three times getting out of my car and had to stop the dog eating countless other bits of cat shit off the drive. Unfortunately my neighbours look after their cats otherwise I'd be taking them to an animal charity to get rehomed!