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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
SirGawain · 14/08/2021 09:50

@DawnFawn

No. You would look mental. Get some gloves and a poo bag and pick it up? No drama.
This^^^
smith5715 · 14/08/2021 09:50

We have a gravel driveway and all the local cats use it as their giant litter tray.
Infuriates me but tried lots of suggestions to keep them away but they keep coming back!
Hopefully can afford to block pave the drive soon instead!

JustLyra · 14/08/2021 09:51

I've lived here 7 years and never seen a cat near my house.
This cat appears and one week later the shit is everywhere.

A new cat will be upsetting/changing the hierarchy for all the local cats so could easily be a different cat.

My car recently took to sunning herself in a neighbour’s garden she hasn’t set foot before in her life because a new cat across the road has completely changed her habits.

Also we no longer get the Fox family that visited our garden (normally Cubs were born in a den between our shed and fence) and I’m convinced it’s because our new neighbours next door have three dogs.

Bumblenums1234 · 14/08/2021 09:51

@Catouttahell

Caught on camera Shock Cats poo all over the place.
I don't get your point here tbh, the cat is shitting on a soft bed of what looks like compost.
SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/08/2021 09:54

@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 no they really often don't.

@HungryHippo11 Helichrysum italicum helps.
And doff cat and dog repellent (purple and white pack)

Mybalconyiscracking · 14/08/2021 09:56

This is not how cats behave, they are very fussy generally and will not poo in a spot if there is poo there already, unless they have no choice. However, orange or lemon oil generally deters without hurting them.

ShoppingBasket · 14/08/2021 09:57

Water pistol OP and a lot of stalking and patience. After about 3 days or so they get the hint.

Signalbox · 14/08/2021 09:58

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.

Only cat owners think this. Cats sometimes make a half hearted attempt to bury their poo but if the soil is compacted it just sits on top of the soil. I've also seen local cats frequently crap around the edges of the lawn where the grass is slightly longer. I've never seen them poo on concrete or gravel though so probably this is more likely a dog. Dogs love pooing behind cars and wheelie bins. Also their owners can pretend they haven't seen it happening and just walk on.

Ditto dogs. Dogs naturally roam throughout the day, returning to their loving owners for meals and cuddles. Dog poo in the street is one of life's little annoyances. You cannot expect owners to retrieve it. It's what dogs do. (England, 1975)

More like England 2021 where I live. A massive increase in puppies = a massive increase in the amount of shit in the local park and on footpaths and in my front garden (which has a footpath running through it).

I suppose they will only do something if enough children become ill through exposure to diseases spread through dog and cat faeces.

GintyMcGinty · 14/08/2021 09:59

@Monestera

Nice little quote from 1975 - 46 years ago.

Lots of things have changed in the last 46 years. Men were legally allowed to rape their wives in 1975, corporal punishment was legal in schools, pubs could legally refuse to serve unaccompanied women.

What has not changed is cats and their freedom to poop.

deedeemegadoodoo · 14/08/2021 10:00

@RoseAndRose

You could try cleaning the area with Jeyes fluid.
Jeyes fluid is toxic to cats and other wildlife. I hope you weren’t aware of that when making that suggestion.
Monestera · 14/08/2021 10:05

Literally my point Hmm Hopefully in another decade or two opinions about car owner responsibilities will have caught up.

Femme99 · 14/08/2021 10:08

@MapleMay11

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.

So if they can’t poo in a litter tray in their own houses, or outside, where do you suggest they poo?

If cats weren’t domesticated, they would just be another animal that poos wherever they see fit, it’s co-existing. We pollute waters with our own excrement but because fish and other river/sea animals can’t communicate, it’s not a problem for them?

Thefaceofboe · 14/08/2021 10:09

Ffs just pick it up it’ll take 2 minutes Hmm I have 3 cats but other cats poo in my garden (I’ve seen them!) and it’s just one of those things

BeckyWithTheGoodHair5629456 · 14/08/2021 10:12

@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.
Lots of unusual cats around here then, there's at least one that doesn't bother to bury and does it on my drive (seen it on cameras). Must be a lazy little fucker.
Thatwife · 14/08/2021 10:16

If a neighbour presented me with evidence that my cat had shit on their property, I would absolutely clean it up. It's my cat, why should anyone else have to do it?

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 14/08/2021 10:18

Oh, well if it’s the owners who are coming and depositing their cat’s poo on your drive, you’d be perfectly reasonable to ask them to come and pick it back up.

A more appropriate analogy would probably be if a neighbour had a 7yo child who liked to throw stones at people's cars and scratch all the paintwork. Doesn't stop the car from working of course, just looks awful and then leaves it open to the elements.

That's not the parent sending the child to do it either, so I presume that's OK, as kids like to roam, and you just have to put up with it, repair it yourself, park a long way away or get rid of your car?

Ffs just pick it up it’ll take 2 minutes

So you honestly think OP is being highly unreasonable in not wanting to have to touch POO from another household that's been left on her property? Really? Same if a drunk person staggers by your garden and vomits over your wall? Maybe chucks a few bottles in their too? Is that also you being unreasonable to make the slightest complaint when it's clearly YOUR job to just go and clear it up without a fuss or moan?

Generalpost · 14/08/2021 10:19

Cats normal Bury their poo so quite unusual for them to do it and leave it in plain sight . Unless you can get dna drop poo 💩 Confused I doubt you can say for sure its that cat.

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 14/08/2021 10:20

If you can prove who's cat it is then I think it's fine to ask them to come and clear it up. It's their pet and it's so anti social to have pets that disturb other peoples property and not give a shit about even attempting to put it right.

But you have to prove it's their cat, rig up a camera to catch them in the act or something. Otherwise you could be asking a reasonable cat owner to pick up someone elses poo

SchrodingersImmigrant · 14/08/2021 10:20

People really need to stop saying cats usually bury poo.
Or tell it to the cats around here...

Willyoujustbequiet · 14/08/2021 10:20

If you had video evidence then absolutely ask them to clear it up. If they refuse start chucking it back at them.

Femme99 · 14/08/2021 10:21

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll - That’s a terrible analogy, you’re comparing the cognitive ability of humans to animals.

DancesWithTortoises · 14/08/2021 10:21

I should have thought more animals were poisoned by rat poison or slug pellets than dilute Jeyes fluid.

Ladyrattles · 14/08/2021 10:24

Our tiny cat used to be terrified of the big cats from the houses behind ours. They'd come into our garden to sunbathe & poop. They'd poop under all the bushes and leave them half buried on the flower beds. I ended up buying a kids water gun. I'd hiss like a cat and squirt water on them. Took a few weeks for them to get the message but it worked a treat. I just cleaned up the poop myself, didn't want to fall out with neighbours over something so small. Last year I thought a cat was back pooping again until one of kids spotted a fox in our garden.

Iom92 · 14/08/2021 10:27

I’m a dog owner. I always pick up my dog’s poo. It BOILS my blood that prior to owning a pet myself, and subsequently, the neighborhood cats poo in my garden and my children’s sandpit. Cat owners would be the first to criticize dog owners who don’t pick up, yet cat poo (that can also cause blindness in children) is fine. There are lots of countries where cats are not allowed free roam as they’re recognized for the nuisance they cause! Tbh it should be the same here. As a pp said, 40 odd years ago it was common place for dogs to have free roam. Hopefully it won’t be long before it’s the same with cats.

MrsFin · 14/08/2021 10:29

Are you sure it's animal poo?