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.

Cats shit in gardens, we screwed the Earth over. Cats kill wildlife? We do far worse and most don't care.

@Romeiswheretheheartis

I'm a bit sceptical about all these cats pooing on patios etc - every cat I've ever owned has only pooed somewhere they could bury it. The only non buried poo in my garden isn't from cats, it's fox or badger poo.

Exactly. I accidentally locked my cat in the kitchen and she was obviously desperate and tried to bury it under the mat! Gross obviously but my fault and she still attempted to bury. It's instinctive in cats.

Presumably OP, you’ll be writing forthwith to farmers and telling them to stop letting their cows release methane and poo all over the British landscape?

What do you deem a reasonable prison sentence for a cat who catches a mouse? I think you need to apply a sliding scale here, to be honest. Start at the top. What is a fitting prison sentence for a farmer who slaughters thousands of cows / sheep / pigs every year (many of which go to waste)?

This is madness. Cats poo outdoors and bury their treasure, no matter how many litter trays they have. Unless it rains and you can’t make it stop despite their repeated miaows.

In 20 years time I’ll find this post on MN again and wonder how behind I was. All cats will have been socialised by then and go to government-sponsored cat-toilets. They’ll be obediently queueing whilst exchanging pleasant chit chat.

I feel your pain OP because I once moved into a house where the gravel area of the garden was full of cat poo. However, cats should be allowed outside and nobody can stop their cat pooing when it's out. They can provide a litter tray, but cats often have other ideas. My neighbours cat lives to poo in the middle of our front lawn. The cat is provided with a litter tray. Maybe my neighbour is just too English to have a word with her cat.

'As if a cat understands the concept of his / her “own garden.”

Well nor do dogs but I can guarantee if I let my dog shit in the neighbours gardens they would rightly be unimpressed.

Lazy cat owners get a litter tray and train your fucking cat. This thread just proves how utterly selfish and hapless some people are.

Can you tell the difference between a cat and a dog JaniieJones?

Here a clue for starters - does your dog climb trees and walk along fences?

Let’s all play - ‘Cats and dogs - spot the difference!’

'Cats are not indoor animals, keeping them indoors is cruel!'

They are domestic pets. Like dogs, mice and rabbits. We don't let other pets loose to crap in neighbours gardens do we.

I can't understand why people just let their pets run about all day doing damage to other people's property.

We all accepted dog shit everywhere in the 70s and 80s, that thankfully is not tolerated let's hope cat owners wake up and realise their cat shitting everywhere is also not ok.

I should also add, keeping cats indoors doesn’t always work and can be detrimental to a cats welfare, my sister rehomed a cat who was indoor only, she had numerous bouts of cystitis, kept peeing in unusual spots in the kitchen, the vet asked if my sister would allow her outdoor access as she wondered if it could be related to her stress-induced cystitis, low and behold her cat started going out and she didn’t get cystitis again and she used the litter tray for wees and poos, whereas before she’d pee in strange places, so it really depends on the cat, many have biologically evolved to roam and be outside, so changing that by keeping them indoors doesn’t always work out. The only thing is the older lady nearby likes to feed her and she has gained a few pounds

Why do cat owners have to wake up? The law states cats can roam. Until that changes all you can do is get angry which only affects you and not the cat or their slaves....

@JaniieJones

'Cats are not indoor animals, keeping them indoors is cruel!'

They are domestic pets. Like dogs, mice and rabbits. We don't let other pets loose to crap in neighbours gardens do we.

I can't understand why people just let their pets run about all day doing damage to other people's property.

We all accepted dog shit everywhere in the 70s and 80s, that thankfully is not tolerated let's hope cat owners wake up and realise their cat shitting everywhere is also not ok.

I'm awake thanks. And my cats have always been allowed to roam. 2 are impossible to keep in and it would be cruel to keep them locked in. They have litter trays that they can use if they so wish.

If only I’d known. Henceforth, I’ll just put my cats in a lead when they want to go outside. We’ll take a stroll down to the shops and the local park then.

Noooo..., dogs will not attack them. Of course the cat will walk in a straight line and not try to climb trees, walls when it’s terrified of everything and strangle itself. I don’t know why people don’t take their cats for walks all the time?

@tillytown

I agree, people who let their cats out are bad owners and neighbours.

My cats and neighbours would disagree with you

@JaniieJones

'As if a cat understands the concept of his / her “own garden.”

Well nor do dogs but I can guarantee if I let my dog shit in the neighbours gardens they would rightly be unimpressed.

Lazy cat owners get a litter tray and train your fucking cat. This thread just proves how utterly selfish and hapless some people are.

You do know that the majority of cats have litter trays but they don’t have the cognitive ability to think, ah I’ll walk the mile back home to take a shit.

Out of curiosity, if you’re out and you need a shit, do you wait until you get home if you’re desperate, or do you go in a public toilet?
If you have kids and you’re out and there’s no toilet, do you make them wait until they’re home?

Do you flush your shit down the toilet to open waters, if so, stop being so fucking selfish and polluting the water with your shit

“I agree, people who let their cats out are bad owners and neighbours.“

People should don’t understand cats are bad humans and neighbours.

All our cats have always used their trays so I thought all cats did - until current cat who eats then begs to get outside and uses their tray only if desperate. I don't really know what the solution is because I was always told by vets that keeping them indoors is cruel and I'm inclined to agree.

I will say that I think it is really socially unacceptable to not have a tray in your house, regardless of young children etc. But even with a tray you can't actually force the cat to crap in it without locking them inside - and then they'd probably shit on the floor for pure badness!

I will now look forward to being hated by cat owners and non-owners alike 😁

‘All our cats have always used their trays so I thought all cats did - until current cat who eats then begs to get outside and uses their tray only if desperate. I don't really know what the solution is because I was always told by vets that keeping them indoors is cruel and I'm inclined to agree.’

Well according to some on here, you just need to have a strong word with that particular cat. All the cats in Scotland and Wales understand, apparently. If this fails, you can always train your cat to be a dog?

I showed my cat this thread. She humoured me and pretended to read it, but went on to do her own thing.

I am merely her pet.

“In 20 years time I’ll find this post on MN again and wonder how behind I was. All cats will have been socialised by then and go to government-sponsored cat-toilets. They’ll be obediently queueing whilst exchanging pleasant chit chat.”

Whats your point @paloma2? The difference between a dog and a cat is most dog owners clean up their dog's shit. Cat owners seem to think their 'wild' cat must be free to roam and only becomes a domestic pet at certain specific times of the day.

If you have a cat get a litter tray. Have you heard of these, hmm?

This thread is pretty much summing up my thoughts about cat people.

YANBU OP. People should not be allowed to keep pets that they cannot keep under control. Cats are no different from other vermin.

@TwinklyBranch

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

I'm in Northern Ireland and if there is a law against this I can assure you it's wholeheartedly ignored - cats shit in others gardens all the time 😐

'But even with a tray you can't actually force the cat to crap in it without locking them inside '

No we can't force our pets to do things but that is where training comes in isn't it.

Why not lock them away anyway, cat proof your own garden cat owners, so they can have a wander then come back inside to continue being cute little pets not wild animals their owners bizarrely think they are.

Yes I have heard of litter trays Janie and that’s why we we have 4 of them .

Next time my cat goes out I’ll be sure to follow him. I’ll just tightrope balance along all the fences, hop down into people’s gardens, nimbly dash through alleys and haul myself through bushes - all the while balancing a cat litter tray on my head in case my cat needs a poo. I am am a responsible cat owner, you see.

I’m sure the neighbours will be delighted.