Cat biting my little girl

[Mammaaof]

I went out into our garden this morning and my little girl followed me out (enclosed garden no way she can get out) she started playing in her sand pit so I went back into the kitchen and left the door open, I was back and fore to the garden and back inside just pottering around. When I heard a scream, I ran out and my little girl was holding her hand saying the cat bite her, I asked her where the cat was and it was sitting on our garden chair but it was tucked under the table so I didn't see it when I was in the garden.
Now this car is known to be nasty, always hisses and shows its teeth at any neighbors who shoos it out of their gardens. This cat is constantly coming into our garden and sitting on our furniture.
Now I'm assuming my little girl has gone and tried to stroke the cat so not trying to make out she didn't do anything.
But aibu if I went and told the neighbour what had happened? Just to add we don't get along with these neighbours, neither does anyone in the street
Sorry for long post thank you x

A lot of cat owners myself included have been very sympathetic towards yourself, your child and made lots of useful suggestions while noting that the cat involved is, at best neglected and not socialised but very probably being abused possibly by children. It's an unfortunate situation all round and I hope you find resolution.

Maybe MNHQ should rename this Catsnet?

CatsHatenet would be more appropriate.

@chocolatemademefat

Ffs! Surely the child’s welfare is more important than a cat! It’s hardly a pet if it’s hissing and biting other people. Why do cat owners always come out with - oh they’re free to roam so there’s nothing I can do about it? Yes there is - get rid of it and buy a proper pet. One who stays on your own property. I have a dog and can imagine my neighbours reaction if I let it roam free shitting in their gardens. And if it bit their child it would - rightly - be reported to the authorities. The cat in this situation is showing feral behaviour - therefore it’s not a pet.

And that is the fault of the so called owners.

On the subject of dogs, I'm personally sick of irresponsible dog owners (I'm not saying you're on @chocolatemademefat) allowing their dogs to shit everywhere and not picking it up, hanging the bags from bushes when they do pick it up, allowing their dogs to run up to people when off the lead, not telling them to shut up when they are barking etc.

My point is there are responsible and irresponsible cat and dog owners, it's not exclusive to either animal.

Why is it never the cat owner’s responsibility to sit about waiting to soak the furry little twats with water?

TBH, cats sometimes bite.

Am I right in saying this isn't YOUR cat? If so, I'm guessing your daughter approached the cat to interact with it, the cat didn't want to be interacted with, and lashed out.

Cats do that. I mean, I've had cats all my life. And honestly? Sometimes they can be complete and utter bastards.

Assuming you treated any wound, I wouldn't make a big deal about it. The cat was communicated with your daughter, and now she's learnt a (literal) sharp lesson about how to "be" around cats.

@LaMontser

Why is it never the cat owner’s responsibility to sit about waiting to soak the furry little twats with water?

Are you saying the cat owner should sit in the OP's garden waiting for the cat to appear?

@zingally no the cat isn't mine but keeps coming into my garden, has attacked other neighbours for absolutely no reason, and whenever I try and put clothes on the line and it's in my garden it hisses and tries to attack me or my partner just for walking into my own garden

I don’t think the neighbors will do anything and as they’re always falling out with people anyway I wouldn’t go and speak to them .
I’d look into ways of discouraging the cat from being in your garden . Water pistol etc.

@chocolatemademefat

Can we be friends please? You speak my brains.

Crazy that if a dog had bitten a child the vast majority of people would be saying it should be PTS.

Are you saying the cat owner should sit in the OP's garden waiting for the cat to appear?
The cat owner should restrict the cats movements and take responsibility for the cat. If they're not willing to keep their angry cat in they should deter it from going where it pleases. get a sun chair out for your neighbour OP

@Emeraldshamrock 😂😂 you've made me laugh with sun chair comment

Keep us updated . I feel quite invested in this story now.

@Quackersandcheese3 I will! I have been spraying with water every time I see him in the garden but still keeps coming back, maybe I need to do it for longer x

SS are involved x

As this is a neighbour you aren’t friends with, how could you possibly know this?

@SmileEachDay because myself and alot of other neighbours have reported as they are often fighting on the street, selling drugs from their property, they take the child out really late in the night midnight and don't return with him until 3/4am ( we know this as they make so much noise getting in and out of the car x

@SmileEachDay also my friend is a SW and I see her go there at least 3 times a week but we have never spoken about it for obvious reaons

@SmileEachDay it's a council house thats on a street with all private houses and it's so difficult to get them out ( nothing wrong with council houses I have previously lived in one, I'm just saying this as it's much harder to get people out of housing association housing than private rented houses) so it's an on going battle with the whole Street and council against them

Oh come on OP.

Your friend the social worker coincidentally ends up working with the fighty, drug selling, cat ignoring dirty stop out neighbours.... She must have the lightest caseload of any social worker in the country and you must spend a lot of your time staring at next door.

@SmileEachDay believe what you want, I have absolutely no reason to lie. Also you've given nothing to this thread so why your bothering commenting if you have nothing to add and yes we do spend a lot of time as weve had to get full CCTV system at the front of our house as our car got damaged or am I also lying about that

Also you've given nothing to this thread so why your bothering commenting if you have nothing to add

I think you’re embellishing for effect. It’s ok. It happens on here all the time.

@SmileEachDay ok love off you trot now

Buy a (or a couple) of battery-operated pest repellents and set the frequency for cats. I did this just to stop cats coming into mine and pooing

Do you happen to know if the sound affects birds, @User87471643901065319?

We think a neighbour's cat may have caught the robins that were nesting in our hedge (it's definitely had a sparrow and a blue tit, I saw the fucker) and we'd like to find a way of deterring it from the garden next year.

Spikes wouldn't do the job, as we have hedges on 2 of the three sides.

@LakieLady I've heard good things about the high pitch noises but I'm worried also how it will effect our pup

Do you have any local cat charities in your area? If the cat is being neglected then it would be better for it to be rehomed with someone who will take care of it.

Mostly when cats act out like that it's because they are either hungry, hurt or starved of human contact.

Having said that, I think some cats are just wired differently. I have two, one is old and the most docile thing ever. The other is a psychopath in a fur coat. She's been loved and nurtured and socialised and yet dispises people except me. She's more like a dog than anything and even growls at the neighbours and postman!

Both of mine are indoor cats because there are too many idiots round here, but I actually don't think I would let her out anyway because of how she is

Tbh, if the poor cat reacts like that to humans I’d be worried about what happens to it when it is eventually let into its home.

I say that as a mother to a toddler and a cat owner.