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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Cat pooing in neighbours garden

229 replies

Hahaha88 · 18/02/2021 12:26

So my ndn stopped my partner yesterday and mentioned that our cats are pooing in their garden a lot. When he told me I was a bit Hmm because I'm not sure what she expects me to do? I've said to my partner we'll buy some sort of cat deterrent she can put in her garden but other than that I'm not sure what I can do. My cats (2) are outdoor cats and I won't be keeping them in as they love to be out. I keep a clean litter tray for them, which they do use but no doubt they will be pooping outside too as cats do.
We don't have the only cats on the estate so potentially it's not just mine pooing in it (I assume she's seen them rather than just deciding it must be mine).
Aibu to do nothing but provide cat deteerant?

OP posts:
Anystarinthesky · 18/02/2021 20:58

Some suggestions which could help you are:
● Cultivate shrubs closely to make it more difficult for cats to find a
place to dig
● Cultivate prickly plants or place clippings of prickly or thorny plants
in any gaps on your flowerbed
● Keep flowerbeds watered as some cats don't like wet earth
● Consider covering parts of the garden that you do not want the cat
to toilet in with stone chippings, pebbles, small rocks or netting
over the top
● Shoo a cat away by either shouting or clapping your hands when
you see them enter your garden
● Squirt water near the cat, not at the cat,using a low­powered
water pistol ­ super soakers are not suitable. The intention is to
give them a fright and not to hurt them. Try to remain hidden from
view if you spray an unwanted cat in your garden; if they learn to
associate you with the negative experience rather than the garden
itself they may simply wait until you are not around before happily
entering. It could also cause the cat to be afraid of people.
● Install an automatic garden spray, triggered by an infra­red
detector which locates movement ­ you can find these online
● Attempt to make it difficult for cats to enter the garden through use
of high, close­boarded fences. Patch up any holes in any fencing.
● Do not to start feeding someone else's cat if you do not want him
around as this will likely encourage the cat
● The owner of the cat may be able to help by ensuring their cat is
neutered and has suitable latrine sites within its own garden. I

Anystarinthesky · 18/02/2021 21:04

You can get this for attaching to the fence to keep you cats in your garden.

Cat pooing in neighbours garden
StoneofDestiny · 18/02/2021 21:25

Either keep your cats inside or cat-proof your fences with nets and stuff so they can go outside and shit in your garden instead. Why should your neighbour have a garden full of shit because of your decision to own pets?

Porcupineintherough · 18/02/2021 21:34

How about you trot yourself round and clear up after them? Or tell your neighbour to just hoik it over the fence into your garden so you can deal with it?

DdraigGoch · 18/02/2021 21:34

The op has said she would go round, she has said she would buy deterrents. What else can she do?
Fence it in.

I would love to have a cat. I have periodic issues with mice so the deterrent would be useful and the company would be great. However, knowing what it is like to be plagued by endless amounts of poo turning up in my vegetable patch, I will not be inflicting this upon my neighbours. Therefore, until my garden is properly cat-proofed, I will not be getting one of my own.

On the subject of cat-proofing, has anyone got any suggestions for stopping them climbing a rubble wall? The lumpy top doesn't lend itself to spikes and I don't really want to spoil the look of the wall. Perhaps a wire near the top, a couple of inches or so from the surface would block them jumping.

Hahaha88 · 18/02/2021 22:43

Well I guess in the collective opinion of munsnet I'll just have to be unreasonable. I'm not fencing them in, cats roam it's what they like to do. They have access to a clean litter tray in the house. I will supply some deterrent and offer to clean the garden for her. If that's not good enough she'll just have to hate us/anyone else with an outdoor cat.

OP posts:
supernova21 · 18/02/2021 23:04

@Hahaha88

Well I guess in the collective opinion of munsnet I'll just have to be unreasonable. I'm not fencing them in, cats roam it's what they like to do. They have access to a clean litter tray in the house. I will supply some deterrent and offer to clean the garden for her. If that's not good enough she'll just have to hate us/anyone else with an outdoor cat.
I agree with you and sorry you've been given such a hard time on here. I am a fellow cat mum and my animals are my world. I have fenced them in my garden using protect-a-pet but I did this for their own protection- we live near a busy road. I wouldn't have done it because Mumsnet said so. I managed to stop my own cats from toileting in the flower beds by having a loose bit of churned up soil in the corner of my garden though.
StellaDendrite · 18/02/2021 23:19

I think you should buy the neighbour a cat deterrent and a nerf gun and provide an area of turned soil in your own garden. Hopefully your cats will shit there rather than in your Neighbours garden. I wouldn’t cat proof your garden but, if possible, I’d make it difficult for the cats to go in the neighbour garden- you could block up any easy routes that they use.
I’m a keen garden and occasionally there is cat poo. ( I’ve seen the cats pooing so I know it’s cat and not fox). Cats poo is absolutely disgusting to deal with. It’s revolting.

I use motion activated water jets that shoot the cats if they come in the garden. They work well.

Enidblyton1 · 18/02/2021 23:34

You could start a vegetable patch in your own garden. I did this last year and my darling cat suddenly started pooing in the lovely fresh soil. The carrots were supersized and really delicious. I tried not to think about why this might be Hmm

LolaButt · 19/02/2021 00:34

I have the same issue as your neighbour. On my lawn. Multiple times a day between their cats.

It stinks to high heaven. It’s disgusting. I don’t have pets yet I now have to clean up after someone else’s.

YABU to let your cats roam and shit in your neighbours garden. Let’s hope the neighbour doesn’t decide to roam and curl one out in your garden.

Mally2020 · 19/02/2021 00:36

agree with you you can't control where the cats go and it's cruel to keep them in they are animals at the end of the day , it's like someone moaning about hedgehogs or bird poo how stupid x

evenBetter · 19/02/2021 01:04

Your animals are at risk of
-being hit by a car
-poisoning
-being attacked by other animals
-being lifted by humans for baiting/torture
-getting trapped
etc.
And you’re like ‘meh!’. They can ‘roam’ and shite on your property, if you’re not irresponsible, just put a tiny amount of effort in to your choice to own the creatures.

evenBetter · 19/02/2021 01:08

Imagine giving a fuck about your pet, and the cognitive dissonance required to just..turn it loose to the whims of nature, the general public, and traffic. I couldn’t bear it.

Previous posters wittering on about native species wild animals-well duh, that’s obviously an entirely different thing, ffs 🤣

SpringisSpinning · 19/02/2021 01:14

I really want a cat and I'm don't know how I feel about in door cats really but this aspect really puts me off...

We have had previous issues with cat poo in all our pots and lawn

I have had to tip out all pot soil and fish out bulbs, chuck the rest all whilst wretch ing. Buy new soil, boil pots..

Then the lawn, again had to constantly check before dc went out
. I couldn't do that to my neighbours so not sure what to do...

SpringisSpinning · 19/02/2021 01:16

Mally we have hedge hog poo, bird poo etc it's nothing compared to cat shit. And yes... When I don't want a dog or cat for this very reason... It's awful having to deal with it

Sapho47 · 19/02/2021 03:11

Tell you neighbour the metal bird spikes work fantastic for cats but they need to get the ones that are longer than cats legs

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 19/02/2021 04:34

Just as long as you realise that, in law, cats are considered free agents and not properly domesticated, which is why, if they get hit by a car or otherwise accidentally killed/injured, nobody legally has to inform you or is considered at fault and it's effectively no more significant than a fox or badger being killed on the road.

I hate the hypocrisy shown by a lot of cat owners, whereby they couldn't care less when cats poo in other people's gardens, steal fish from ponds, kill pet birds and rodents etc. because 'that's what cats do - they're roaming animals and I can't stop them'; but if their cat darts right in front of a car and dies, they're furious with the driver for being heartless/selfish/driving dangerously/not stopping to find the owner/not apologising etc.

I'm in no way condoning deliberate violence towards cats, but if an animal is roaming/feral, how can you outright condemn people if they do take definitive action to protect their property from pests?

As we've seen from this thread, there are plenty of responsible cat owners who take actions to both protect their pets and prevent them from fouling other people's property.

All of the nonchalant expecting others to spend their own money and time and maybe not be able to enjoy their own gardens properly, just because you chose to have a pet, is very selfish indeed. You wouldn't expect to be told to simply pay for and undergo the hassle of installing sound insulation in your own property, just because your neighbour freely decided to play their music loudly at night.

PracticingPerson · 19/02/2021 04:42

I bloody hate this 'what can I do' routine from (some) cat owners Angry.

Your cats are fouling other people's gardens, it is not okay.

AmberWavesOfGreen · 19/02/2021 04:44

That’s gross, your cat shit should be your problem and not your neighbour’s. Confine them to your yard if they need to be able to go outside, there are plenty of systems available that will do this, oscillot is one where I live, it goes on top of your existing fence.

We have an inside only cat that has free access to a confined outdoor enclosure which we built, cat is happy and I’m happy as cat litter is outside and cat can’t escape.

Mally2020 · 19/02/2021 04:50

so many stupid people on here take better care of your dogs and kids before coming and attacking cat owners when you don't know how being one even is, you ignorant pos

Mally2020 · 19/02/2021 04:51

if you don't let your cats out I will be finding out IP of you and reprting you for abuse to rspca

MixedUpFiles · 19/02/2021 04:53

Cat proof fencing
Cat run

SqeakyHindge · 19/02/2021 04:55

I flung it back over neighbours fence, the fence is high so cat shit didn’t land in one spot.

After few times of cat shit flinging cat found another loo

Cat poo is vile I’d rather pick up dog poo

rockinaftermidnite · 19/02/2021 04:55

Give her a water pistol?Grin

SqeakyHindge · 19/02/2021 04:56

@Mally2020

if you don't let your cats out I will be finding out IP of you and reprting you for abuse to rspca
GrinGrin