Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

What do to about next doors cats.

63 replies

WinterWonderLight · 07/07/2021 07:12

Next door moved in a couple of months ago and they have two cats who are constantly in my garden, jumping on the fence and pooing in my garden (I have young children who like to play in the garden). For the last 4 nights these cats have been left out all night crying really loud and actually sound like babies. It's that loud it is waking my dc, DH and myself up even with the windows closed. Yesterday I was off work and could hear them crying all day, I could see them sat in next doors back garden just crying! This morning I feel like I have had no sleep due to these cats crying.

WIbU to knock on neighbours house this morning and let them know...i don't want to come across confrontational but not sure what else to do

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 07/07/2021 09:36

They aren't crying OP, they are looking for a shag!

My cats cry and they're neutered males

SoupDragon · 07/07/2021 09:39

If in your garden, a water gun should do the trick every time you see them

As a cat owner, I would have absolutely no problem with you doing this if my cats were causing a nuisance.

vivainsomnia · 07/07/2021 09:40

It's normal life! In our area, we have the sane issue, even worse, with foxes. Who should I call to get it sorted?

Your kids are most likely a bit of a nuisance to them too at times. It's life.

I do t have cats but if I did and my neighbour knocked on my door to ask me to sort them out, I'm sorry but I'd probably laugh.

ohthatbloodycat · 07/07/2021 09:41

My cat is the biggest pain in the tits known to man. He meows outside even though he has the means of getting in. When he sees me getting up, then he'll come in. 10 years old and counting

ocpwr · 07/07/2021 09:44

I've told my neighbours to spray water on my cats if they venture into anyones garden but to take them to the rspca is terrible and i would be fuming if my neighbours did this.
Talk to them and they might actually try and do something about it.

LST · 07/07/2021 09:52

@ShitPoetryClub

They aren't crying OP, they are looking for a shag! We have a cat and keep her in at night, she is trained to use a litter tray in the garage. Unfortunately our new NDN has 6 cats who often yowl all night and our garden (where we used to grow all manner of crops) has become their litter tray. I'm so sick of it we are considering moving away. I am not anti cat, just anti, inconsiderate owners. No way should one persons right to have pets spoil another person's right to sleep or use their garden without clearing up a mega ton of cat shit first. When we came back from our one week holiday last summer (yeah I know we were lucky to get away) the entire lawn was covered with poo. 6 cats, 7 days worth.

Neutered cats don't look for a shag

Fleetw00d · 07/07/2021 09:59

How do you like dogs? The only way I've found t keep my neighbours cats out of the garden is to borrow my dads dog every so often 😂 it worked over lockdown when i would have her a few days a week but since having a baby I haven't had the dog and they're back in the garden. Luckily they consider it as their property so don't poo, but I've had to board up an unused raised bed down the side of the house as that was their toilet. Luckily my neighbours are very considerate and if their cat kills something and has it in my garden they come and remove it really quickly. I would definitely knock on their door if they were making that much noise!

maskofzoro · 07/07/2021 10:01

The only thing that will almost certainly work is a battery-powered cat scarer that emits an ultrasound noise when it detects motion, only cats/foxes etc can hear the sound and cats hate it.

Buy and install a couple of these (from Amazon, about £20-30 for 2). That will work and won't injure or traumatise a cat. They simply learn not to come back as your garden makes a horrid noise.

DeathByWalkies · 07/07/2021 10:02

fixed a sonic cat deterrent which emits a loud noise at a low frequency that makes it uncomfortable for cats & teenagers. Handy to deter teenagers from gathering outside shops etc.

They're awful things - also uncomfortable for small children (anyone under the age of about 25 actually), dogs (so you may find that this noise distresses another neighbour's dog and makes it very barky for reasons the owner can't understand and can't fix) and other pets (hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs and so on).

Basically they're horrid for everyone and everything except adult humans over 25 ish.

DeathByWalkies · 07/07/2021 10:08

If you have a friend with a dog that likes chasing cats, getting them to come around for a visit periodically should help.

Don't pick a friend with a dog that's likely to catch and kill (eg a greyhound), just one that enjoys the thrill of the chase. My Jack Russell cross is perfect for this - I haven't seen a single cat in my back garden since I opened the back door one morning to let him out for a wee - next thing I knew there was a cat ricocheting around the garden trying to find a way out with the dog in hot pursuit. Eventually the cat found a gap in the fence that it could get out but ddog was too big for. That was about 2 years ago - word must have spread.

As I say, you don't want one that will actually catch the cats, just one that will chase.

therocinante · 07/07/2021 10:13

[quote WinterWonderLight]@DonLewis they have been moved in now probably about 3 months so I would have thought they would have a cat flap.

@Wolfiefan how do I cat proof my garden, I've had a look on Amazon this morning and found some light poles that suppose to keep them out - I've ordered a couple.

@TheSteins that's what I feel like doing, they are obviously not looked after [/quote]
My cat yowls outside the window at home like he's injured. He isn't, he's just a spoiled brat who prefers us to open the door for him rather than him use the catflap... obviously if we're home we let him in to shut him up (and he sleeps at night, so no nocturnal nonsense) but he's not 'not looked after', he's just a gobshite!

Some cats are just very vocal.

therocinante · 07/07/2021 10:14

@ohthatbloodycat

My cat is the biggest pain in the tits known to man. He meows outside even though he has the means of getting in. When he sees me getting up, then he'll come in. 10 years old and counting

Same!

gingerscot · 07/07/2021 10:22

Super soaker. Any time they’re in your garden. Any time the yowl in their own garden. They’re clever, they’ll avoid.

Warmduscher · 07/07/2021 10:30

Cats are also very destructive to gardens.

In what way?

speakout · 07/07/2021 10:45

*Warmduscher

In what way?*

THey leave shit and pee on things- sometimes lawns. They like to dig in the process- often areas that have soft soil- a newly planted seed area for instance.

They do destroy andd leave crap around.

LambdaLambada · 07/07/2021 10:46

I think setting a dog on a cat is a dangerous option. I have seen a dog chase a cat right out of its own garden onto a road. The cat ran up a tree, but the dog ended up in danger.
Not to mention it is animal cruelty, imagine if the dog did catch the cat because the cat was slow or ill or old. You could end up reported to the RSPCA.
Please use an ethical choice that does not cause injury to someone's property and is not illegal animal cruelty - a supersoaker (but you will find the cat comes back), an ultrasonic deterrant (I know a pp says children can hear them, but our child never heard it, I think they are referring to a 'mosquito' device which is different to a cat scarer) .

speakout · 07/07/2021 10:52

LambdaLambada cat owners need to be more responsible.

LST · 07/07/2021 10:54

@speakout

LambdaLambada cat owners need to be more responsible.

In what way? I agree not keeping them out when they are meowing to get in. But I don't agree with keeping them in full stop.

speakout · 07/07/2021 10:59

LST

I have two cats.
My immediate neighbour dislikes cats and loves his garden.
We talk.
I have minimised any nuisance as much as I can.
I keep my cats in at night.
They do get full access outside, but I have a litter tray just inside my back door ( used at night and sometimes during the day). I also have two cat toilets in my garden- which my cats use in preference to shitting in the neighbours garden.

LST · 07/07/2021 11:02

@speakout

LST

Same. Mine have a litter tray and we have gravel areas they use in my garden. I thought you meant keeping them in all the time like so many people on mn cry for on these threads.

Warmduscher · 07/07/2021 11:17

@speakout

*Warmduscher

In what way?*

THey leave shit and pee on things- sometimes lawns. They like to dig in the process- often areas that have soft soil- a newly planted seed area for instance.

They do destroy andd leave crap around.

I see - you mentioned about cats pooing in the garden and then said that they destroy things so I thought you meant in addition to pooing in the garden, like the damage caused by foxes an squirrels for example.

Cats do like freshly turned earth to poo in, that’s true. That’s why I always put stakes and fine netting down when I sprinkle seeds in the garden. This has the added bonus of stopping birds from eating the seeds.

Warmduscher · 07/07/2021 11:19

@LambdaLambada

I think setting a dog on a cat is a dangerous option. I have seen a dog chase a cat right out of its own garden onto a road. The cat ran up a tree, but the dog ended up in danger. Not to mention it is animal cruelty, imagine if the dog did catch the cat because the cat was slow or ill or old. You could end up reported to the RSPCA. Please use an ethical choice that does not cause injury to someone's property and is not illegal animal cruelty - a supersoaker (but you will find the cat comes back), an ultrasonic deterrant (I know a pp says children can hear them, but our child never heard it, I think they are referring to a 'mosquito' device which is different to a cat scarer) .

I think the person posting about setting a dog on a cat was joking.

After all, they seem to think cats speak to each other like humans do

AdobeWanKenobi · 07/07/2021 11:23

@TheSteins

I’d pick them up and take them to a local animal shelter saying nobody seems to be caring for them.

Of course you would dear. scratches chin

EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 07/07/2021 11:32

My 2 boys love having a nosy in next doors garden . I've told them to use a water pistol on them if they are being pains

We have litter boxes and they aren't out at night . One of them is very vocal though and a bit of a pita.

No need to be spraying them with water if in their own garden though. It's not their fault they can't get in the house. I'd be pissed off if my neighbour did that.

Just go and talk to them

DeathByWalkies · 07/07/2021 11:44

@LambdaLambada

I think setting a dog on a cat is a dangerous option. I have seen a dog chase a cat right out of its own garden onto a road. The cat ran up a tree, but the dog ended up in danger. Not to mention it is animal cruelty, imagine if the dog did catch the cat because the cat was slow or ill or old. You could end up reported to the RSPCA. Please use an ethical choice that does not cause injury to someone's property and is not illegal animal cruelty - a supersoaker (but you will find the cat comes back), an ultrasonic deterrant (I know a pp says children can hear them, but our child never heard it, I think they are referring to a 'mosquito' device which is different to a cat scarer) .

Having a dog-owning friend around for a cup of coffee in your own back garden, whether or not the NDN have cats, is never going to interest the RSPCA.

If the cats don't want to be chased, then they need to not go in your garden. If the owner doesn't want the cat to risk being chased / run over by a car / meeting other peril, then they need to keep their cat on their own property. The OP has every right to have a dog owning friend around for coffee, even if that ddog just so happens to think cats are fun to chase.

I'm assuming that the dog stays on the OP's property at all times - either by means of a secure fence or long line.

Both mosquito devices and cat scarers work by using high frequency sound - they are the same thing, just marketed differently.

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread