AIBU to find it utterly astounding that it's socially acceptable in England for pet cats to poop in other people's gardens??!

[DrawsSword]

I honestly cannot get my head round this. We've moved into a new house and the garden is full of cat shit. Not a single cat owner I know has a little tray for their cat to use. Where do cat owners think their cats poop? Do you honestly not care that it's in other peoples gardens?
My dh is from in a country where this is not socially acceptable and cat owners have litter trays and the cats bloody use them.

I suspect there might be no husband

I have an indoor and an outdoor litter tray for my cat precisely so she doesn’t crap in other peoples garden. I used to hate it when our old neighbours cat used to go in our garden, especially as our dog would try to eat it!

I think it’s becoming less socially acceptable, which is a good thing.

I’m always bemused at those who say cats always bury it, do it in inconspicuous places, etc. I had the same argument with my neighbour. Her cat shat directly on the concrete pavement. As did the other cats in the street.

@PickUpAPepper ok so people don't have cats. Then what? Cats will still exist. Shelters will be overrun or they will just roam feral and breed. Thus creating more cats/shit.

You don't have to like them but why not try to accept that they are as much a part of the planet as you or I and you can't just eradicate something because it annoys you.

Yes I think having a pet cat is hugely selfish unless you cat proof your garden and keep it in there. Awful for wildlife and they shit all over other people's gardens. People let them out roaming at night and then are surprised and upset when they get run over.

I don't have pet cats but my mother does. She does indeed have a tray that the cats use, if they are in the house. I don't expect if they are out they will be coming home to use the tray and will likely go in someones garden unfortunately. Not quite sure what people expect cat owners to do about this tbh, cats do go outdoors unsupervised are their owners expected to go round the neighbourhood picking up cat faeces on the off chance it was their cat that did it?
I know its a bit annoying, I have gravel on my front and occasionally find a cat poo there however its part of living in close proximity to others & their pets

You can't win. We used to have cats, put up cat proof fence all round the garden so the cats could go outside and have the whole garden to explore without bothering everyone else. Neighbours reported us to the council as they insisted the fence was too high. We ended up with a group of councillors coming to inspect it. Am I mean to hope the neighbours were listening when the councillors laughed at the madness and assured us we didn't need approval.

YABU for saying 'poop'

[quote dozyjosie42]@PickUpAPepper ok so people don't have cats. Then what? Cats will still exist. Shelters will be overrun or they will just roam feral and breed. Thus creating more cats/shit.

You don't have to like them but why not try to accept that they are as much a part of the planet as you or I and you can't just eradicate something because it annoys you. [/quote]
They don't have to exist as pets. If people neutered them and didn't breed them then shelters wouldn't be over run and eventually there would be no more pet cats.

@dozyjosie42 you dont have to eradicate them but it would be ok if there were less of them - no loads of surplus kittens, very few feral cats, etc Which could be achieved over tine through societal change, rather than culling the lot.

@Mummylewi

It's disgusting. Our garden constantly smells of cat poo as they do it in flower beds etc and if you don't get every last bit it smells revolting. I don't even use our garden with the kids because it puts me off. But ultimately there's nothing you can really do about it.

I have heard that if you ask the zoo for a bit of lion poo to put in the garden it scares them off as they don't want to have a territorial dispute with a lion. I don't know if you just end up with a garden smelling of lion poo instead of cat poo.

Watching this thread with great interest for cat any repelling tips, lol

I've never really had an issue with cats before, sure I'd see one in the garden now and then but it was hardly an issue and I didn't ever notice a poo problem.

I've just moved into a new house, and it appears to be a cat hotspot - if I only notice five different cats in the garden in a day then it's been a quiet day on the cat-spotting front! I imagine it's because before we moved in, the house was unoccupied for quite some time so they've gotten used to it as their hangout spot. They aren't just passing through either, they really are spending a lot of time here 🤣

I've not investigated the poo situation yet as the garden is an awful tip that we probably won't get round to starting work on until the spring, but I imagine it's not great

I must say though, it hadn't occurred to me to be annoyed at the owners of the cats, but maybe I will start now to inject a little drama into the neighbourhood

Outdoor cats are disgusting dirty animals and I also don't see the point in having them as pets if they are effectively wild-roaming. If it's your pet, either keep it indoors, cat-proof your garden or build a catio.

No wonder so many get killed in road traffic accidents. It's completely the owners' fault!

Because pet cats are not happy kept indoors. When they are out they will need to poo. Most cars would choose to poo outside rather than in a tray, even if one is provided. Cats bury their poo so for the most part I'm unaware whether cats do it in my garden or not. Cats are hugely popular pets in this country so I just wouldn't let it bother you. No law against it...one of many irritants in life, you just have to shrug about it.

Outdoor cats are disgusting dirty animals

My cats would beg to disagree.

They don't have to exist as pets. If people neutered them and didn't breed them then shelters wouldn't be over run and eventually there would be no more pet cats.

But that will never happen because you can't enforce a law that says all pet cats must be neutered - plus there will always be stray cats, feral cats and farm cats who breed and produce litters.

There will always be cats around.

Here come the ‘cat hating mobs’ who think that their shit smells of roses, while they pretend it doesn’t pollute the sea/rivers.
Shall we shame foxes, badgers, birds as well whilst we’re here?

I do agree with @Tal45 actually - I have long thought that the breeding of animals for pets is a ridiculous, selfish practice. Just get a rescue animal. If you can't or don't want a rescue pet and simply have to have a particular breed/age, then no pet for you - sorry!

Obvious exceptions for things like service animals such as guide dogs.

This is probably one of my more unpopular opinions, though 😬🤣

I agree.
It’s rancid. I’m fed up of having to tell my daughter who’s 3 to be careful in her own garden because there is so much stinking cat shit to dodge. I hate cats.

OP I don't think you understand that the cats rule us. They are in charge

If you think this is cute or witty then you are utterly deluded Agree - so bloody annoying!!!

If you can’t keep to your terms of the social contract then don’t have them. I really don’t care about your struggles to track the unnecessary and entirely luxurious pets that you chose to have, especially not after having to clean up a bag full off my own garden just yesterday.

I haven't signed a social contract.

I hate this! We have to check our garden for cat shit and then bag it and bin it before our toddler can play outside. Gives me the rage! Why should I have to clear up other people's pet shit.

I squirt them with a water pistol if I see them in our garden (I do like cats usually).

There is absolutely NO WAY a cat will just poo in in the middle of someones garden

Not true.

It is odd hoe people think it’s fine for a cat, but the opposite for dogs. Just had a post on local FB group complaining about someone’s dog pooing in someone’s garden. All front gardens are open plan, someone asked if it could be a cat, as they’d had the same and checked their CCTV camera and it was a cat.

Next door has a cat that doesn’t usually come into our garden as we have a dog. Yesterday we were out all day and this morning I had to pick cat shit up off my (enclosed, gated, bolted) back lawn. If it’s a dog, people go berserk, but cats they’re like “meh, what can you do?”.

I think you just need to get over it. There is nothing you can do to change it so why waste energy getting annoyed. Foxes shit all over my garden and then my dog rolls in it.