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.

"Would you be happy to have to check your garden before your kids could play in it?"

I live in the countryside and yes if you want to be sure you check the garden for fox/badger/deer poo. But tbh they could identify types of poo at 10 paces from a very young age.

@Lady08 I don't think anyone's projecting onto another species.... it's merely criticism of the humans that house that species for their own satisfaction whilst refusing to be good neighbours by taking responsibility for them.

As someone said upthread, nobody requires a cat. They are an optional luxury lifestyle accessory.

[quote goinggently]@Lady08 I don't think anyone's projecting onto another species.... it's merely criticism of the humans that house that species for their own satisfaction whilst refusing to be good neighbours by taking responsibility for them.

As someone said upthread, nobody requires a cat. They are an optional luxury lifestyle accessory.[/quote]
WTF! They are not accessories, stop labelling them as such and yes people don’t like it because they see them as an inconvenience (poo) but many species have to put up with our inconveniences on a much bigger level.

If cats weren’t owned, where else do you think they would poo?

‘They are an optional luxury lifestyle accessory.’

Er no. They are a species that has as much right to exist as you do. Get over it.

And how dare you label any animal as an ‘accessory. ‘

[quote goinggently]@Lady08 I don't think anyone's projecting onto another species.... it's merely criticism of the humans that house that species for their own satisfaction whilst refusing to be good neighbours by taking responsibility for them.

As someone said upthread, nobody requires a cat. They are an optional luxury lifestyle accessory.[/quote]
Christ you're the gift that keeps on giving aren't you?

If they weren't owned they wouldn't cease to exist. Kids are a luxury as well (of which I have 2) that over their lifetime will cause more damage to the world as a whole that a cat. Get a grip.

[quote goinggently]@AllThingsServeTheBeam 'they only kill the young' ... the ones that would have gone on to breed you mean...?

[/quote]
Have a look yourself. Loads of baby birds do not make it to adults for a massive array of reasons. Not just cats.

@Lady08 the lengths people will go to simply not acknowledge their choice of pet negatively impacts those around them. It's a selfish choice of pet.

It's disgusting to have other people's pet cats come and shit all over the garden. It's equally disgusting that foxes do the same, though they are wild and not inflicted on us by our neighbours, so is something to naturally put up with and try to deter (nothing works).

I'm sure if people let their dogs into your garden to take a dump you'd have something to say about it.

Just acknowledge that your darling kitty is lovely for you, but shit for your neighbours.

@goinggently

If it's such a giant ballache to be a responsible pet owner and respectful of your neighbours, or if the measures necessary would be 'cruel to your cat', the answer's quite simple: don't get a cat.

Mine were all waifs and strays that I rescued from different places or had from friends after they resuced pregnant females too late. I am never ever going to stop opening my home to cats that need homes.

@LaBellina

Yes I agree with you. We keep our DCat indoors as we don’t want others to have to deal with our pets waste as one of the reasons.

Poor cat, which would prefer to be outdoors.

“Just acknowledge that your darling kitty is lovely for you, but shit for your neighbours.”

Just acknowledge that a dog is not remotely the same as a cat because dogs can’t get over walls . What a ridiculous and utterly nonsensical comparison to keep making. It’s like saying, “stop your dog barking because I’m a responsible owner of a rabbit who doesn’t do that.” Very very odd.

An accessory is something non-essential added to your life to make it more pleasant. Pretty much sums up pets to me...

[quote goinggently]@Lady08 the lengths people will go to simply not acknowledge their choice of pet negatively impacts those around them. It's a selfish choice of pet.

It's disgusting to have other people's pet cats come and shit all over the garden. It's equally disgusting that foxes do the same, though they are wild and not inflicted on us by our neighbours, so is something to naturally put up with and try to deter (nothing works).

I'm sure if people let their dogs into your garden to take a dump you'd have something to say about it.

Just acknowledge that your darling kitty is lovely for you, but shit for your neighbours. [/quote]
How do you know my cats negatively impact my neighbours, they’ve never complained, the cats use their tray and they regularly get fussed over by them. So tell me how they’re negatively impacting them.

I think your choices that you make every day are selfish.

If no one owned a cat, tell me also where they’d all poo? Surely if I didn’t have a tray for my cats poo, then they’d be wild and using more gardens to poo in

@goinggently

An accessory is something non-essential added to your life to make it more pleasant. Pretty much sums up pets to me...

Well you're incorrect. You cannot have a sentient accessory

@goinggently

An accessory is something non-essential added to your life to make it more pleasant. Pretty much sums up pets to me...

So are we going to start labelling kids as accessories now 😂😂😂

LaBellina
Yes I agree with you. We keep our DCat indoors as we don’t want others to have to deal with our pets waste as one of the reasons.
Poor cat, which would prefer to be outdoors.

Safe cat, away from the busy road next to our home. Sod off with your judgement about my pet if you have ZERO knowledge about how we live.

@Lady08 exactly

@goinggently

An accessory is something non-essential added to your life to make it more pleasant. Pretty much sums up pets to me...

They are companion animals, you’re objectifying cats now, it’s very wrong!

@paloma2

I’ve already explained to you that if I balanced along the fences to try to follow my cats, I would

a) break the fence
b) do myself an injury
c) get reported as an intruder

d) be followed by concerned people in white coats trying to catch you to put you in a comfy room with padded walls

Well yes exactly GloriaSicTransitMundi. But apparently, as a ‘responsible cat owner’ I’m meant to know all the locations where my cat may or not poo apart from the litter tray and if I can’t be 100% certain if this, I should just keep it indoors for life.

Sorry not happening (obviously).

[quote goinggently]@Lady08 the lengths people will go to simply not acknowledge their choice of pet negatively impacts those around them. It's a selfish choice of pet.

It's disgusting to have other people's pet cats come and shit all over the garden. It's equally disgusting that foxes do the same, though they are wild and not inflicted on us by our neighbours, so is something to naturally put up with and try to deter (nothing works).

I'm sure if people let their dogs into your garden to take a dump you'd have something to say about it.

Just acknowledge that your darling kitty is lovely for you, but shit for your neighbours. [/quote]
Ah yes, the reality of co-existence!

I have a cat and she is legally entitled to wander all over my neighbours' gardens and shit where she damn well pleases. This may annoy some of them but hey ho, them's the breaks!

People are also entitled to ride bikes whilst dressed in hideous Lycra in annoying ways all over the lanes nearby my house which I find very annoying. Such is life!

@goinggently

Definition of a pet.

a domestic or tamed animal kept for companionship or pleasure.

Definition of accessory.

A thing which can be added to something else in order to make it more useful, versatile, or attractive.

I am just going to leave this here...

Don't know what it was about our garden but not only would all the neighbourhood cats congregate in it but they would shit all over it. Every day I was out there scooping cat shit. I adopted a dog that coincidentally despised cats and let them know about it. Haven't seen one in my back garden since.

@Sunshinegirl82

My cats do poo in their tray.

If no one owned a cat, tell me also where they’d all poo?
Surely if I didn’t have a tray for my cats poo and they were wild, they’d be millions more and using more gardens to poo in hmm