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.

Dogs are classed legally as domesticated animals so a dog crapping on a neighbor's garden is not considered the same situation as a cat. Not an appropriate comparison. The dog should be on a lead and being kept safe.

Public spaces/pavements/outdoors in general are everyone's garden in a way, where we get to walk dog faeces and pee around on our shoes. Dogs should have litter boxes too and only be allowed to shit there or in their owners gardens too.

Always the same replies from delusional cat owners, usually with usernames like GlitteryPussPuss12.

We’re all evil not wanting their choice of pet invading in our gardens. They’re only decimating the local wildlife to take as “presents” to their precious owners, why be so mean to try and stop them, they’re only getting their 5 a day. It’s nature! But also how dare dogs chase them.
Your dog ate a poo they left unburied? He is the chosen one!! He now has the poo of a god in him which means he can rule the world too.

@Glassofshloer

Cat owners being all ‘so what animals poop’ - happy for my dog to take a steaming dump in your garden? Would you just shrug your shoulders and smile ruefully as you clear it up with a plastic bag after your kids have run all over it?

But the difference is by law dog owners have to be in charge of their dogs once outside their own property, and are responsible for cleaning up dog poo. Not dog pee, which goes everywhere - all dogs in my experience save up a bit to make sure every gate and lamppost gets decorated.

Cats are free spirits by law, and therefore the cat owner is not held responsible for them once outside their own property.

I live opposite a forest and have a sign on my bin saying dog walkers welcome to use it for poo bags - but I still find bags on trees and dog poo on the public path and dog walkers walking away from the mess. I also frequently see men peeing against trees, not always with their backs to the road, and think this is more disgusting than animal waste.

I have neighbours' cats visit my garden as mine visit theirs, fortunately no one in my area seems to have issues with the odd cat poo deposit from a cat not their own.

I feel the same way about irresponsible cat owners (who are happy for their cats to roam and shit everywhere) as I do about irresponsible dog owners (who let their dogs crap everywhere and don't clear it up) - they're massive twats.
We have both where I live and they're both as disgusting as each other.
I like dogs. I don't like cats. Doesn't make their shit any more appealing when it's lying around everywhere though. (not envy)

These threads make me laugh as I can just picture an enraged OP expecting a cat to use the human toilet

@MoonCowbag

I feel the same way about irresponsible cat owners (who are happy for their cats to roam and shit everywhere) as I do about irresponsible dog owners (who let their dogs crap everywhere and don't clear it up) - they're massive twats. We have both where I live and they're both as disgusting as each other. I like dogs. I don't like cats. Doesn't make their shit any more appealing when it's lying around everywhere though. (not envy)

The difference is that dog owners watch their dogs shit and do nothing about it.

With cats, owners can't follow them about all day.

HTH

*Remind me to tell the fox and hedgehogs that crap in my garden to find somewhere else

@millymolls

Well they aren't people's pets are they? So no one's responsibility. Bit different?*

Wouldn't they be "Gods creatures"? If that's the case, god is responsible and should get them all litter trays! 😇

How are you supposed to stop cats though? My cats don’t as far as I’m aware. I have seen them doing it in our garden and covering it thoroughly they also use the litter tray but only when trapped inside. But other than that it’s out of my control?

@YourFinestPantaloons

These threads make me laugh as I can just picture an enraged OP expecting a cat to use the human toilet

Yeah that's exactly what they think 🙄

Your dog ate a poo they left unburied? He is the chosen one!! He now has the poo of a god in him which means he can rule the world too.

My dog likes nothing better than a good old root around in his personal snack box the litter tray. He is disgusting!

@minatrina

Ooo interesting thank you *@ancientgran*! I'll have to add it to the list for when we start the garden... of course that depends on whether we actually get round to finishing the house first lol

We didn't spend much doing it, it is the same principle as the link but we just bought some wood, metal bracket things and a roll of chicken wire. Bit fiddly but didn't cost alot and 24 years later our cats are long gone but we still don't get cats in the garden.

Obviously if you have neighbours like mine they will make an official complaint about it but hopefully the planning committee will have a good laugh.

@TwinklyBranch

Quite right. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland there are laws against this sort of thing.

I'd love to see anyone try to enforce those laws.

@sociallydistained

How are you supposed to stop cats though? My cats don’t as far as I’m aware. I have seen them doing it in our garden and covering it thoroughly they also use the litter tray but only when trapped inside. But other than that it’s out of my control?

You should keep your cat imprisoned in your house!

Sadly, there is nothing you can do about it. We have a very big garden, which is surrounded by high stone walls on three sides, and then the house on the fourth, so no foxes or hedgehogs. I tried the smelly cat repellent gel, which does nothing. Coffee granules, orange peel everywhere... They just don't care, shit in the middle of the path, on the strawberry patch, in the flower pots. How many times they dug out seedlings from the veg patch and expensive bulbs too, I lost count. Can't put the sonic device as we have neighbours on both sides with little dogs, and I don't want to upset the dogs.
But, of course, the cat owners will indignantly tell you you're being ridiculous.

@YourFinestPantaloons

These threads make me laugh as I can just picture an enraged OP expecting a cat to use the human toilet

I worked with a lady who swore her indoor cats used the loo. They hadn't cracked the flush.

These threads come up every few days and honestly I just don't care, and can't do anything about it anyway 🤷‍♀️ my cat is a house cat but one day I might have an outdoor cat and I truly will not give one single thought as to whether they shit in peoples gardens

God, I wish I had some kind of pet that could come and shit in your garden. Luckily for you, I don't like animals.

@PetuniaEvershot

Sadly, there is nothing you can do about it. We have a very big garden, which is surrounded by high stone walls on three sides, and then the house on the fourth, so no foxes or hedgehogs. I tried the smelly cat repellent gel, which does nothing. Coffee granules, orange peel everywhere... They just don't care, shit in the middle of the path, on the strawberry patch, in the flower pots. How many times they dug out seedlings from the veg patch and expensive bulbs too, I lost count. Can't put the sonic device as we have neighbours on both sides with little dogs, and I don't want to upset the dogs. But, of course, the cat owners will indignantly tell you you're being ridiculous.

Lion poo?

Yanbu it's foul.

I promised myself a cat when I got divorced but I can't hack the poo. I got a dog instead. He poos - I bin it - not a complex arrangement.

My cat has a litter tray. I find it odd that people wouldn't have one. What if the animal got sick during the night or when the owners are out?

But she tends to go to a bit of wooded land behind our garden to do her business. If it wasn't there, she'd probably use other gardens too. Cats don't like to shit in their own territory. But no other cats shit here because our cat would - and has - leave their fur scattered all over the garden if they try it.

Just give up. Get a cat. Much less chance then of anything shitting in your garden. However you may have to deal with the occasional bird/mouse carcass.

@Doubledenimrock

Dogs are classed legally as domesticated animals so a dog crapping on a neighbor's garden is not considered the same situation as a cat. Not an appropriate comparison. The dog should be on a lead and being kept safe.

So cats aren’t domesticated despite using litter trays, having a home, being trained in behaviour & being fed… just like a dog? How convenient.

I worked with a lady who swore her indoor cats used the loo.

You can train them to do this.

YANBU. I despise them, they’re vermin. Not an issue for me as I have an extremely cat aggressive dog. They’re not stupid enough to set foot in my garden, there’s a very good chance they wouldn’t leave in one piece.

Yeah, because an aggressive dog is so much better than a cat 😂😂

Pro tip - go to a rescue, and pick out the hostile looking cat who the rescue manager will tell you will not tolerate living with other cats, must be the only one. There's your garden protecting champ.