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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not want cats using my garden

267 replies

temporarygate · 06/04/2020 13:18

Our neighbours cats are frequently in my garden. Last summer they kept shitting at the bottom of our slide and killing birds a our bird feeder. We installed plastic fence spikes to deter them and the neighbour knocked on our door complaining his cats might get injured and that cats have the right to roam.

We have left the spikes up which has stopped them running across the fences to catch birds but the cats continue to come in through trees at the back of the garden and now have adopted our new garden sofas. We bought some of those ultrasonic sounders things but they are not making a difference. We spent £90 on sofa covers to prevent the cats sleeping on the garden furniture but every morning when we go out the cats shoot from under the covers - this morning there’s wet cat hair all over the cushions. I bring the throw cushions indoors but not the seat as back cushions as they are huge and there’s loads of them.

I feel pissed off that I’m going to a lot of hassle and expense of buying things and covering things for someone else’s pets to use.

OP posts:
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5
charlestonchaplin · 06/04/2020 15:15

Either spend thousands cat proofing your garden, get a super soaker, move house or suck it up and stop moaning

Or be inventive.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 06/04/2020 15:15

I don't want foxes to shit in my garden but what can you do? There are loads of ways to deter cats.

I get equally annoyed by people who attract birds to gardens by putting out feed. They are then in the vicinity ready to a) shit on my garden furniture b) eat all the fruit from my trees and c) try to scavenge from my picnic/bbqs

DrManhattan · 06/04/2020 15:15

I'd absolutely hate to have cats all over my garden. Feel your pain op

BelfryBat · 06/04/2020 15:16

@thighmagedon I can assure you that the cats will have understood when it was explained to them that they were Bad Cats for going in the OP's garden. Unfortunately all cats are anarchists and do not observe human rules.

Whoever wrote the laws about cats understood this.

pointyshoes · 06/04/2020 15:16

According to cats protection league, cats do not have a legal right to roam. It’s just a widely held misconception. Owners are legally obliged to ensure their pet does not damage anyone else’s property/harm people

RonnieBarkingMad · 06/04/2020 15:18

@JKScot4

Seriously? That’s fuckin nasty and abusive, RSPCA would be paying you a visit!

For a cat in a cage? You think a cat in a cage is fucking nasty and abusive? Like when they get put into cages when visiting a vet, for example? Stop being ridiculous.

Dances · 06/04/2020 15:21

As for the shit lobbers, i presume take it you live in terribly terribly naice areas. There are plenty of places where you would get a smack in the mouth for much less..

Are you monkeys in the zoo, flinging shit around? Surely this is not a reasonable way to resolve your issues?

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 06/04/2020 15:22

Owners are legally obliged to ensure their pet does not damage anyone else’s property/harm people

You will probably find this isn't envisaged to include preventing a cat from defecating as it's impossible to.

It probably covers situations where a pet causes quantifiable damage (e.g. dog damages fence).

JKScot4 · 06/04/2020 15:23

Deliberately keeping a cat to scare the owner is vile and cruel. How long do you suggest scaring them 2/3 weeks?
Horrible person, have you any idea how distressing it is for someone to lose their pet? It can be their only companion, very cruel attitude.

TitusP · 06/04/2020 15:23

@pointyshoes - that’s not exactly what it says, you’ve made it sound much stronger. It says

“It is often thought that cats have a right to roam wherever they wish. This idea is based on the fact that dog and livestock owners are obliged by law to keep their animals under control - but these duties do not apply to cat owners. The law recognises that cats are less likely to cause injury to people or damage property than some other animals.

However, cat owners do have a duty at law to take reasonable care to ensure that their cats do not injure people or damage property. Cases involving damage to property or injury to people by cats are rare.”

Cat hair on a cushion is not damage, neither is pooing in a garden (not pleasant but not damage). I never understand why people are so het up about cats but foxes are fine when it’s more likely to be their poo.

AngryBananaSund · 06/04/2020 15:25

Buy an automatic cat water spray?

It’s motion activated and sends out a five second water spray on activation. No hurt cats, and no flying poo

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004YCUT4W/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_hPZIEbXW8FTS1?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Freddiefox · 06/04/2020 15:25

As for the shit lobbers, i presume take it you live in terribly terribly naice areas. There are plenty of places where you would get a smack in the mouth for much less..

No I don’t live in a particularly nice place, but it’s much nicer without cat poo everywhere. I have to bag it up and walk it through my house to put it in my bin. They should teach their cats to poo in a tray.
It’s their cat and their poo they can dispose of it

sandragreen · 06/04/2020 15:25

OP - bird feeders are actually rat feeders. Squirrels like them too.

As far as the poop goes, unless you are witnessing the shitting (in which case you need to run in the garden, flailing your arms and shouting) you cannot possibly know if it's cat or another animal. If you are an animal poo specialist then you till won't know which cat it is.

Your main issue appears to be the cats sitting on your garden sofas. The thing is, they will have assumed you put them out there for them. Unless you secure them properly, they will keep using them, so just be inventive about using stones or something to weigh them down.

There is no physical means to protect your garden from wildlife, so stressing yourself about it is really not a good idea. The biggest contributors to disease-carrying shit in any UK garden will be birds. And you OP are trying to attract them - so...................

Oldestchild90s · 06/04/2020 15:26

@Dances Oh yes, before we even had a cat and lived in our previous house we had random people through shit into our garden so we threw it back.. a fucked up version of tennis really. I found it more amusing than anything 😂

MarieQueenofScots · 06/04/2020 15:27

I do feel SOME cat owners want it both ways. They want their pet to roam for its own well-being (which of course may well inconvenience your neighbours) but also don't want to deal with the consequences of their pet roaming whether that's by engaging with your neighbours or accepting that accidental injury may occur!

Surely as an owner you would accept the risks of allowing your cat to roam? And I get its an emotive issue for a beloved pet, but it is reality.

vanillandhoney · 06/04/2020 15:27

Owners are legally obliged to ensure their pet does not damage anyone else’s property/harm people

All that means is that owners are responsible if the cat bites or hurts someone, or causes an accident or proven damage to something like a fence or plants. It doesn't mean owners are responsible for their cats going to the toilet.

Dog owners are responsible for picking up their pets' poo. Cat owners are not responsible in the same way.

SleepOhHowIMissYou · 06/04/2020 15:30

We have a rehomed greyhound. No problems with foxes or cats in our garden during the summer as the utility door is always open. We do keep him supervised if our sensor picks up badgers though, and they're about at the moment digging up the lawn.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 06/04/2020 15:31

They should teach their cats to poo in a tray.

Like we don't Hmm

My cat is litter trained. I have a tray. Cats do not like to shit in their own home. She will only shit in the tray if trapped indoors for a prolonged period of time (and will beg repeatedly to be let out before using the tray out of desperation).

vanillandhoney · 06/04/2020 15:34

They should teach their cats to poo in a tray.

Pretty much all domestic cats are litter-trained. But if they're outside, they'll go outside. Most won't walk all the way back home to go for a poo Grin

Disfordarkchocolate · 06/04/2020 15:34

Water pistol, every time you see them in your garden.

Escrima · 06/04/2020 15:36

Right to roam: www.inbrief.co.uk/animal-law/cats-fouling/

TitusP · 06/04/2020 15:39

@vanillandhoney - ours does exactly that, goes for a wonder, comes home, shits and is off out again. Grin We didn’t train her to do that obviously, she is just very set in her ways!

Freddiefox · 06/04/2020 15:41

My cat is litter trained. I have a tray. Cats do not like to shit in their own home.
And they don’t like to shit in their own gardens either, they tend to poo in their next door neighbour. Which they can have back.

Winterwoollies · 06/04/2020 15:42

@RonnieBarkingMad in an earlier post of yours you mention children coming into the garden uninvited, presumably likening they to cats. Out of interest, do you also advocate ‘humanely’ trapping children and also returning them once their parents are suitably worried?

Anyone missing any kids called Hansel and/or Gretl? Because I think Ronnie’s your woman/man...

Escrima · 06/04/2020 15:46

they don’t like to shit in their own gardens either

My cats shit in my garden and also the litter tray?

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