AIBU to be feeling cat-related rage?

[IntoTheMystics]

We’ve been living in our home for 4 years and during that time, on and off, a neighbourhood cat has been using our front garden as a toilet.

I’ve used repelling methods from the internet- chilli powder and cocktail sticks, but it didn’t really work. I also used this green gel that you can get in pet shops which gives off a smell cats don’t like, but the cat keeps coming back.

I like gardening and keep the borders looking smart. The children play in the garden too, so the 💩 that we come across is just revolting and dangerous.

I had a suspicion as to which cat it was (there’s a few in our estate) and caught it in the act this morning, so I now know which neighbour owns the cat.

If it was a dog, I’d have no problem approaching the neighbour about the problem, but with a cat I feel unsure about it. I’m not sure why, but I suppose it’s because I thought cats used litter trays in the home, but maybe not all do. And if the neighbours cat doesn’t, how can she control where he does his business?

Not a pet owner so fully prepared to be educated here. What would you do?

Sprinkler system

Plastic spikes just under the surface won't hurt the cat is supposed to deter digging

Bells in random places

There's nothing realistically the neighbour can do about the cat visiting other people's gardens and pooing in them. Cats do wander around and go where they want.

You can try putting up something to prevent the cat from entering the garden - brackets and netting for example. Otherwise it's just a case of trying to repell the cat. Could you set up a motion activated sprayer as cats hate getting sprayed?

You can get things on Amazon that emit sounds to deter cats, but they often don't work on all cats! Did you try coffee grounds (local Starbucks often give them out for free) in the borders?

I'm a cat owner of two cats, they do their business outside and I am unable to control where! I believe they do it in a large pond area outside the front of the house. Unfortunately there's not a huge amount the owners can do!

Just bag up all the shit and give it back to her. If she has a problem with that then she’s being a hypocrite allowing her animal to ruin other people’s gardens but not willing to deal with it herself.

The cat should either be a housecat or the garden catproofed so it doesn’t bother anyone else.

I'm a cat owner of two cats, they do their business outside and I am unable to control where!

@GermioneHranger Of course you can control it. Catproof your garden. Why do you think others should have to deal with your dirty animals?

It never fails to amaze me that people think land ownership transcends species. We only own/rent/habit land in a human sense. Animals don't and shouldn't give a shit (literally) about our artificially constructed boundaries. Its a shame it causes issues for your children playing, but quite frankly given how many species humanity has driven to extinction, I think maybe we need to look to our own selfish behaviour before we start complaining about where animals choose to shit..

@seaandsandcastles

Just bag up all the shit and give it back to her. If she has a problem with that then she’s being a hypocrite allowing her animal to ruin other people’s gardens but not willing to deal with it herself.

The cat should either be a housecat or the garden catproofed so it doesn’t bother anyone else.

Can you explain exactly what the owner is supposed to do? You literally cannot control cats in this way.

Legally in UK cats are considered semi-domesticated not fully-domesticated so legally have the right to roam like other animals that are wild - foxes, birds etc. we have cats and we give all our neighbours super soakers to deter our cats. Cats are creatures of habit so they’ll do the same things in the same places day after day. So you need to break the cats habit of visiting your garden. Water works best. Sprinklers or supersoakers. It takes longer to deter a cat that is already in the habit of visiting but it will work.

These threads always descend into cats vs dogs. Animals poo wherever they want. Foxes, cats, hedgehogs, badgers etc are constantly shitting in your garden. Just get your kids to wash their hands ffs

@seaandsandcastles

I'm a cat owner of two cats, they do their business outside and I am unable to control where!

@GermioneHranger Of course you can control it. Catproof your garden. Why do you think others should have to deal with your dirty animals?

Hi 👋 random angry internet stranger. The pond is on my land. Did I mention neighbours? You seem nice!

And no, cats have territories and have enriched lives by being outdoor cats in line with their natural instincts. Cat proof my garden?? Shall I suspend a 10ft wire fence around my acreage to protect some hypothetical neighbours?

You seem to not like cats which might be clouding your judgement. As mentioned by other PP there's lots that can be done to keep cats out of the OPs garden and help the situation.

@seaandsandcastles "dirty animals"

Cats are very clean animals!

Also OP, if the sensors / deterrents don't work that PP have mentioned, you can get enzyme sprays that remove cat scents. If the cat has marked your garden it perhaps thinks it is in its "patch". The enzyme sprays will get rid of its markings and perhaps encourage it to go elsewhere 😊

I am just going to leave this here... threadreaderapp.com/thread/1197600452616966144.html

@catsandhens

It never fails to amaze me that people think land ownership transcends species. We only own/rent/habit land in a human sense. Animals don't and shouldn't give a shit (literally) about our artificially constructed boundaries. Its a shame it causes issues for your children playing, but quite frankly given how many species humanity has driven to extinction, I think maybe we need to look to our own selfish behaviour before we start complaining about where animals choose to shit..

Cats aren't wild animals - if they were they'd be found at much lower population densities and we wouldnt be finding their shit everywhere. Cats are pets and about time they were treated like that - it used to be acceptable to let your dog roam the neighbourhood and crap eveywhere, now its not. Time for the attitude to cats to catch up.

Yabu

@Porcupineintherough have you forgotten about the wildcats in the UK? They are wild animals! Just because some have been domesticated now doesn't mean there aren't also wild ones 😊

There is this Doff Super Cat & Dog Repellent 700g (337782) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QXD4RGG/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_JM6P8Q8317XCJRKHEE2A?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

And bramble branches in the borders. They are smart enough not to injure themselves on them
Also Helichrysum italicum.

Grew up with cats, could cuddle them to death, bit yes. In country where everyon is atuck on rop of each other with tiny gardens (so poop has really nowhere to hide) law should change. Cats should atay in their gardens.

Lol at the suggestions to ‘cat proof the garden’. I have a 200ft garden, high fences and large trees on the perimeter. My cats climb the trees and roam the surrounding gardens.

I assume they do there business somewhere as they don’t use the litter tray anymore, but how am I supposed to keep them confined to my garden?? Should I cut the large trees down and put netting across the top of the garden stretching from the fences? Ridiculous.

I understand that it’s annoying- I have neighbours bars that poo in my garden occasionally. I bag it up and get rid of it. As others have said, there will be all manner of faeces in the garden. Foxes, rabbits, insects, birds, rats, hedgehogs- they all need to defecate somewhere. Just wear gloves or wash your hands when gardening.

I think maybe we need to look to our own selfish behaviour

Agreed. It's completely selfish to breed, buy and own animals for the sake of having mute biddable companions regardless of the impact they have on habitats - in this case, the op's and her children's habitat, plus the birds/insects that live in it.

@MrzClaus look at wildcat population densities. Each pair needs a pretty big home range. You certainly wouldnt find 15 of them living on the same street.

My next door neighbour also hates cats. I’ve told her she can spray ours with water if she sees him. I get that it’s probably annoying for her but he uses his litter tray inside too. She also has that little thing that has a high pitched noise they don’t like but I can hear it all day and night. Personally, I think that’s more annoying 😅 your children will be able to hear the noise too, I think it’s somewhere 25+ that people lose the ability to hear the annoying beeps! I second the advice of sprinklers, pop a sprinkler out at the time you keep seeing him and maybe that will work?

Just because you've seen one cat pooing, doesn't mean all the poo belongs to that cat. It's more likely it's a disputed territory and two or more cats are fighting over it. They tend to bury their poo in territory they "own" outright.

I think motion activated sprinklers and a water pistol are your best bet. Make the territory unattractive.

I've got dogs and cats. I don't want either to inconvenience people by leaving poo around the place. I cat proofed my garden and that has kept them in fine. I am sure they would prefer to roam but on balance I don't want them to. Their own safety, so they don't cause accidents etc.
The number of cats killed in road accidents is massive in the uk. If this amount of dogs died every year it just wouldn't be acceptable. I don't know what the answer is though.

There is a very simple answer to this.

Get your own cat! Said cat will not want to mess in its own yard and will chase away others.

You're welcome

@ProlesOnParole I don't actually disagree (I think my username might be misleading and actually refers to the interaction between my neighbours cat and my hens, my hens are currently winning the battle for top cat..!)

I just find it irritating that people go "animals poo in my garden" (I've also seen people complain about foxes, badgers etc) as if they really cant understand that to an animal its not a humans garden its the animals habitat

Super-soaking the cat if it comes in your garden can act as a kind of deterrent. I used to keep a super soaker by the window and aim from inside the house if they didn't respond to shoo. If they've got a bit they like sitting or shitting in put pea sticks in rather than cocktail sticks. People can't control where their cat shites but you can put it off coming in your garden.