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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Cat faeces - can I ask owner to come and clear it up?

222 replies

HungryHippo11 · 14/08/2021 07:17

There is a new black and white cat in our neighbourhood, I've seen it in our garden once our twice.
We went away for a week and I've come back to find piles of cat shit in the space between our car and bins, covered in flies. Obviously cat has found a nice quiet spot to do his business.
We have a neighbour Facebook page, so I can probably find out who the cat belongs to. WIBU to request that they come and clean up the crap? And is there a way to prevent it happening? Luckily it driveway is a little away from the house so at least its not right by my front door.

OP posts:
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5
EmeraldShamrock · 14/08/2021 08:29

Foxes always get the wrap, my neighbour with 3 cats blames Foxes too.
I have cameras it was definitely cats.
I've never seen a fox in my high walls enclosed garden.

Monestera · 14/08/2021 08:32

And cat owners reckon that cats only poo in deep holes in soil, neatly burying the shit to decompose in 10 minutes. This is not true.

DancesWithTortoises · 14/08/2021 08:33

Cats don't usually bury their shit. That's just something cat owners say to excuse their letting cats shit everywhere. Some do.

Soak the area in Jeyes fluid. They hate the small. My dad swore by it.

DancesWithTortoises · 14/08/2021 08:33

*smell.

Dentistlakes · 14/08/2021 08:34

Unfortunately you can’t really blame a particular cat unless you see them doing it. Cats will roam and don’t seem to like shitting in their own back yard. Unless you have a house cat who goes exclusively in a litter tray, it’s impossible to police. My FIL found the next door neighbours cats shitting in the sandpit. He put it all in a shoebox and handed to back to them on their doorstep saying he believed the contents belonged to them. It didn’t stop the cats from using his garden as a toilet!

Hopeisallineed · 14/08/2021 08:34

That’s awful! Jeyes fluid is really toxic to all animals, not just cats and leaches in to ground water. Not a good idea at all.

FrankButchersDickieBow · 14/08/2021 08:35

Sympathise OP. But cat owners seem to be selfish pet owners who are always in denial and get very defensive if you bring up the issue of their cats leaving shit all over your property.

The 'it could be a fox' trope is the first thing pulled out the bag. Always.

You will get no sympathy from cat owners as they think their precious puss has the right to do whatever the fuck it wants. Regardless of the misery it causes their neighbours.

DancesWithTortoises · 14/08/2021 08:38

@Hopeisallineed

That’s awful! Jeyes fluid is really toxic to all animals, not just cats and leaches in to ground water. Not a good idea at all.
Dad used it for years and was a keen gardener. If it damaged the plants he wouldn't have done.

It had the desired effect if it kept any animal off his drive and garden. I doubt any animal would drink it. Gardening forums recommend it.

Confusedandshaken · 14/08/2021 08:38

All this fuss about animal shit. It's on your property so clean it up and get over it.

My sister was very similar to you a few years ago. Furious that some local fucker was letting their cat roam to shit on their lawn. Like you she had a specific culprit in mind. It turned out that what she thought were cat turds were actually worm casts.

cariadlet · 14/08/2021 08:39

@eurochick

Cats usually bury their shit. It would be unusual for them to do it on a hard surface. It's more likely to be a fox.

@eurochick Please could you come and tell that to the cats who live in my street. They all seem to have decided to use our back garden as a shortcut to the street behind us and often like to stop and have a shit en route. None of them has ever bothered burying it.

Pottedpalm · 14/08/2021 08:41

@vegas888

I think cats have got lazy, they might scoot a small paw of soil over it but. mostly it’s left uncovered.
This made me smile. ‘Scoot a small paw of soil..’ 😸 One of ours fires soil enthusiastically but generally misses the poo entirely and just leaves a load of soil on the path. Does mean I can locate the poo easily though.
EmeraldShamrock · 14/08/2021 08:41

All this fuss about animal shit. It's on your property so clean it up and get over it.
Are you a cat owner by any chance?

MapleMay11 · 14/08/2021 08:42

Cat poo goes hard very quickly so it's not as disgusting as dog poo (not saying it's pleasant though!)

Cat poo is a thousand times worse. Cats are filthy creatures. Many cat owners are happy with their cats pooing in their own homes so I'm not surprised they don't see a problem with them pooing in someone else's garden.

Neverrains · 14/08/2021 08:43

Cat poo stinks. It’s vile.

Original poster
HungryHippo11 · 14/08/2021 08:43

@Confusedandshaken

All this fuss about animal shit. It's on your property so clean it up and get over it.

My sister was very similar to you a few years ago. Furious that some local fucker was letting their cat roam to shit on their lawn. Like you she had a specific culprit in mind. It turned out that what she thought were cat turds were actually worm casts.

Its not actually my property, its my parking space / drive on the council owned area outside our houses. Does that mean I can get the council to clean it up Grin

Not sure what "all this fuss" is. I asked if I could ask someone to clear it up, people said no. I then asked if I could deter the cat, consensus also seems to be no. No fuss, just somewhat annoyed about it.

I can take some photos of the fly covered turds if you don't believe me Wink

OP posts:
Neverrains · 14/08/2021 08:45

@Confusedandshaken

All this fuss about animal shit. It's on your property so clean it up and get over it.

My sister was very similar to you a few years ago. Furious that some local fucker was letting their cat roam to shit on their lawn. Like you she had a specific culprit in mind. It turned out that what she thought were cat turds were actually worm casts.

So if someone let their dog shit on your front garden every day you’d be happy to just clean it up because it’s on your property? I don’t have pets because I don’t want to deal with their poo. I certainly don’t want to deal with a fresh cat poo on my gravel every morning, but I have to pick it so my children don’t stand in it.
SheWhoRemains · 14/08/2021 08:46

@eurochick

Cats usually bury their shit. It would be unusual for them to do it on a hard surface. It's more likely to be a fox.
No they don't. My neighbour's cat frequently shits on my lawn without burying it. We don't have foxes in our area, but we do have a host of cats.

OP I've found a mixture of chilli powder and cat scatter granules works well but you have to keep applying it regularly.

KalvinPhillipsManBun · 14/08/2021 08:47

What about bird shit? Who you going to ask to clean that upGrin

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 14/08/2021 08:47

Yes if you are 100% sure there are no other cats within 10 miles and have cctv evidence.

justasking111 · 14/08/2021 08:48

Dilute jeyes fluid with water spray it around the bins entry to your drive stops passing dogs lifting their legs too.

Fashio · 14/08/2021 08:48

@DawnFawn

No. You would look mental. Get some gloves and a poo bag and pick it up? No drama.
This. Jesus. You sound a bit eccentric.
GintyMcGinty · 14/08/2021 08:49

Cat poo in the garden is one of life's little annoyances

You cannot expect owners to retrieve it. It's what cats do.

Lady08 · 14/08/2021 08:51

I own two cats, both have litter trays but they will on occasion go outside to poop. If they were causing upset to my neighbours and toileting in their garden regularly, I would work with them to solve the problem and purchase something for them, whilst offering to clean it up. None of them have ever said anything though. We do however, have foxes around here and they sometimes poop in the gravel on our drive. So I would be inclined to think it was a fox doing it’s business.
I do think calling the supposed perpetrator out over a what’s app group, where others can read it too, is pretty nasty. There’s ways of telling people and that’s not humiliating them!

Antsinyourpanta · 14/08/2021 08:53

This made me smile. ‘Scoot a small paw of soil..’
One of ours fires soil enthusiastically but generally misses the poo entirely and just leaves a load of soil on the path. Does mean I can locate the poo easily though.

🤣

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