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Original poster

Should neighbours ask beforehand?

198 replies

TisforTucan · 01/05/2020 11:36

Woke up today to our neighbour nailing spikes onto the top of the fence (i'm assuming it's to deter our cat from going on it). We've never had any bad words, sure we probably irratate each other but never argued or anything and we've talked before.

Im not offended by the spikes, cat annoys us half the time by pooping in the garden ect but I just feel like they could of knocked and said "hi were going to do this, as we don't really want cat in our garden". I would of appreciated it more to have been told and think I'm more offended that they couldn't come talk to us.

Would anyone else want to be told? Funny thing is, it's not going to work as cat can jump over other parts of the fence so it's just made things a bit awkward I feel now.

OP posts:
Lampan · 01/05/2020 15:14

I guess anyone buying a cat would not be expected to check that their neighbours don’t mind.
I would love it if I could stop cats fouling in my garden. The spikes don’t affect you but cat mess in their garden is probably affecting them. No need for it to be awkward, just move on.

WeAllHaveWings · 01/05/2020 15:15

If they are metal spikes and likely to cause injury to your cat, speak to them - acknowledge its foul having cat shit in your garden and ask them if they would mind removing them and you will/purchase and install a safer cat proofing on your side instead.

WeAllHaveWings · 01/05/2020 15:16

I guess anyone buying a cat would not be expected to check that their neighbours don’t mind.

Of course they wouldnt, but they also cant get indignant when the ndn takes steps to stop the cat entering and fouling in their garden.

NeutrinoWrangler · 01/05/2020 15:18

I think it's unreasonable to expect them to talk to you before adding something to their own privately-owned fence. As a PP put it, would you expect to be consulted before they make any other changes to their garden?

Since they know you and other neighbours can't/won't keep the cats out of their garden, they decided to take measures to prevent it, themselves. I think discussing it with you beforehand would've been much more awkward than just going ahead with it, as they've done.

Lampan · 01/05/2020 15:20

@weallhavewings yeah that was my point, sorry if I didn’t make that clear! If only I could keep neighbourhood cats out of my garden, it’s not pleasant having to watch every step I take in my garden

MrsMGE · 01/05/2020 15:21

OP, tbh I'd feel majorly awkward if I were in your neighbours' shoes, I personally couldn't just knock on your door and tell you, "Hi, btw we're planning to install these spikes on our fence", what an awkward conversation to have Confused I'm a cat mum too and I'd install a safety net on top of my own fence, tbh, regardless of what your neighbours put up. That should certainly protect both, your cat and their garden.

Louiselouie0890 · 01/05/2020 15:28

Mayne it's to deter people climbing?

imsooverthisdrama · 01/05/2020 15:29

I think it's out of order putting spikes on the fence without telling you . Then know if they asked you'd say no but still your cat could get hurt .
Check to see if it's a boundary fence or have a word with them .
Someone I knew had a neighbour who did this while she was out , she also has a cat . Anyway she asked him to remove and he did end of drama . The neighbours claimed it was not for cats but security Hmm.

HannaYeah · 01/05/2020 15:34

Where I live you cannot do anything to a boundary fence without agreement from the neighbors.

I think it’s wretched if the spikes would harm the cats or other animals. I’d talk to them about that and discuss other ways to keep all cats out.

Also figure out how to keep your own cat away from the spikes.

Hoggleludo · 01/05/2020 15:38

I've got cat poop in my garden. I've spent weeks trying to find it and I can't

I put pepper all over the garden. It still stinks. I can't even be out there anymore.

The cats haven't been in since the pepper. But whatever they've done smells to high heaven. It's a smal garden. I can't believe I can't find it.

AJPTaylor · 01/05/2020 15:48

Assuming they are safe spikes, I can't see why the neighbour would knock. Cat spikes are pretty common here. Not 100 per cent effective but pretty good. And they are uncomfortable for a cat to put its paw on, like treading on Lego.

CrystalTipped · 01/05/2020 15:50

cat annoys us half the time by pooping in the garden

You're annoyed your own cat poops in your own garden? You'd rather the neighbours had to deal with all of it?

Onerealday · 01/05/2020 15:51

@HannaYeah would you tell you were to paint the fence? My neighbours have painted their side of the boundary fence and it has came through abit so we will have to paint it the same colour. It isn't a colour I wanted but I don't see how two different ones will work and they just went ahead and did it, they have just moved in and it was the first thing they did Shock

tenlittlecygnets · 01/05/2020 15:51

How high is teh fence? See keepcatsaway.co.uk/cat-spikes-legal/

"Cat spikes are legal, as long as:

The cat spikes are not put up with the intent to injure the cat
A weather-proof warning sign is clearly displayed next to the cat spikes (can your cat read, OP?)
The cat spikes are fitted above a 6ft height"
Onerealday · 01/05/2020 15:52

your neighbour if you were to paint*

LunchBoxPolice · 01/05/2020 15:57

Why should they have consulted you? It’s their fence and they can do what they want. You might be ok with cat shit in your garden but other people don’t have to put up with it.

Purpleartichoke · 01/05/2020 15:59

It’s kind of like expecting someone to come
Talk to you about how they don’t like you repeatedly hitting them on the head. They already know you are a jerk for hitting them repeatedly, why would they expect you to respond well to a complaint about it.

I’m a cat owner. My cats do not go onto other people’s property because it is my responsibility to prevent that. Not all cats take to leash training and they must be supervised when on a leash, so cat proof fencing or cat runs are easier options.

BuddleiaTime · 01/05/2020 16:01

Cat and pigeon spikes are legal, despite what some posters seem to think.

rosiepony · 01/05/2020 16:03

Grim. I hope they get a rodent infestation and none of the local cats help catch them. Miserly fuckers

PineappleDanish · 01/05/2020 16:12

Cat ownership is accepted anti-social behaviour though, isn't it? Cat owners bleat on about their cat's right to roam, right to shit everywhere, right not to be impaled on spikes erected by a neighbour. But they have chosen to have that animal in the first place, then just shrug their shoulders about the damage their pet causes.

The rest of us are supposed to tolerate cats, put up with them because of the minority who want them as pets.

FiddlefigOnTheRoof · 01/05/2020 16:20

Is cat ownership antisocial behaviour? Am interested in hearing people’s views.

amysaurus87 · 01/05/2020 16:21

As it is their fence they can do what they like, that said it would have been the decent thing to let you know they were doing it.

We share a fence with our neighbour, its theirs but whenever they have made changes to it they have always let us know first.

WriteAndErase · 01/05/2020 16:26

To protect your cat from jumping up and landing on the spikes put some trellis lengthways along the top of the fence at an angle towards your garden.

purplecorkheart · 01/05/2020 16:28

I think you are overthinking this. It may have been polite to knock and talk to you about it in your view. However I think you need to stop and look at it from their point of view.

They know that you cannot stop your cat from wandering or at least it is very hard or stop any other neighbourhood cats from straying into their garden via yours.

From their point of view maybe they do not want to cause their neighbour stress by bring up a problem to that you cannot solve or solve with great stress. They might be afraid this could cause a falling out or bad relations.

The alternative to them is to solve the problem themselves and not stress anyone out with the problem. No fall out with neighbour etc and problem solved. Which option would you pick if you were them?

(I do admit that I have no idea about Cat Spikes but I assume the ones install do not hurt cats, just make it hard for them to climb).

Original poster
TisforTucan · 01/05/2020 16:34

@CrystalTipped I dunno if the cat shits in their garden, it's half indoors and uses a corner of my garden when it does sneak out. I don't have a tracker on its arse.

right not to be impaled on spikes erected by a neighbour Jesus christ would you even wish that on an animal? They don't know any better, I get protecting your property but to do it to actually inflict pain on an animal, that's disgusting. I don't expect any rights, I accept the cats my responsibility. All I have said is, if it is my cat they're protecting their garden from then they could of come to talk to me and I would of even happily paid for a solution to stop it doing whatever it is doing.

OP posts: