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.

@TwinklyBranch

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

There really aren’t!

You still haven't answered the question. I know cats are allowed to roam anywhere, any time of day and shit anywhere. Why is it socially acceptable?

Cats can roam here so obviously will shit. That’s how it is here. If you don’t like it, move or lobby yo change it.

@PuppyMonkey

People are answering your question, OP. You're asking if you're being unreasonable to find it astounding that it's socially acceptable to let your cat shit in a neighbour's garden. The poll is 65% YABU as I write this.

Haha. I meant the questions embedded in my post

@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.

It's the comment about another country that intrigues me. Which country is it where the humans get the cats to obey them?

I mean, there's a litter tray in my house but my cat doesn't use it unless he's in all night & feels the need, & that's very rare. 'the cats bloody use them'? What, all of them? I think your DH is having you on.

It's perfectly acceptable for cats to roam in Belgium as well; I quite often saw one trying to have a quiet dump in a pile of leaves only to be interrupted mid way by my two cats objecting to interlopers in their garden.

One of mine always pooped in his tray, the other was more free range. As the latter is now elderly, the trays are far more in use, especially when it's cold.

@DrawsSword

Er..... your title question asks AIBU to find it astounding blah blah..... so that's a yes/no answer

Your questions in op have been answered

[quote RachelHasThoseInBurgundy]@DrawsSword which country is your husband from?[/quote]
Clearly the OP is not going to answer this question, because posters from the DP's country will then point out that she is talking rubbish.

I've lived in Australia and the US, where a lot of cats are kept indoors, but this is to stop other animals eating them and/or because of the lack of any safe outdoor space in cities. It's not a poo-prevention measure. Personally I think it's cruel (unless you are rehoming a cat who has only ever lived indoors).

Yes cats roam, but that doesn’t mean other people have to be happy about cleaning up after your animal.

Of course you don’t have to be happy about it but it’s how things are here.

You cannot train a cat the way you can a dog. Cats are free roaming and there is very little control over where they toilet. We have a litter tray, keep her in at night, keep her in until she’s used the tray in the morning but she will not use the litter tray for poo only wee.

@BigWoollyJumpers

Get a cat. Problem solved.

Exactly how we solved the problem, ours is an indoor cat which will probably cause uproar about how I’m being cruel to my cat by keeping her in but she doesn’t want to go out, she is a wee timid cat who uses her litter tray perfectly!

She potters about in the garden if we are out but straight back in if she hears an unfamiliar noise.

@DeepaBeesKit

I don't know anyone who has a cat and doesn't have a litter tray. However I would say that some cats simply won't use one because they prefer to go outside and there's almost nothing the owners can do in that case.

If you are seeing cat poo unburied I'd be very uncertain that its cats, it's usually foxes who leave it very obviously.

Bingo

@MissingColorado

Yes cats roam, but that doesn’t mean other people have to be happy about cleaning up after your animal.

Of course you don’t have to be happy about it but it’s how things are here.

Erm I disagree. That’s how things are currently, not how they should be moving forward.

Cat owners should cat proof their own gardens to keep them contained. It’s not acceptable to hide behind the whole “they’re free to roam thing”. A responsible owner would not want to allow an animal to be a destructive nuisance.

I'm curious as to why people think it's ok. No one ever appears to answer the question.

It's not that it's ok, it's more how do you stop them? We have a litter tray bit or cat will only use it as a last resort. He does have a rather inconvenient spot in the garden he uses fairly regularly, there may be other places I don't know about, so hopefully he's not crapping in other people's gardens.

As for dog owners, some let their dogs shit on my front lawn, and local beauty spots have the whole poo bag hanging in tree thing that adds so much to our enjoyment when visiting.

It's the comment about another country that intrigues me. Which country is it where the humans get the cats to obey them? grin

In the USA it's illegal to let cats out.

@Kotatsu Not all dog owners do this - weeing in the gutter works along with picking up . If people where you live don't do it - shame on them . I am a dog owner and and equally horrified abut how some people don't.

Not everyone with cats thinks this is socially acceptable. Unfortunately some specifically don’t provide litter trays as they don’t want their cats poo in their house. Because obviously their neighbours want to pick it up for them..In my experience cats don’t actually bury their poo whether it’s in a tray or outside!

'Cat owners should cat proof their own gardens to keep them contained. It’s not acceptable to hide behind the whole “they’re free to roam thing”. A responsible owner would not want to allow an animal to be a destructive nuisance.'

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Have you ever met a cat?

Mumsnet.... the only place where I've read of kids peeing al fresco and potties pulled out in public places.....

Erm I disagree. That’s how things are currently, not how they should be moving forward.

I said ‘it’s how things are’... nothing about how they should be.

I wish it would change too OP! Cats shit in our garden and it is grim to have to always be cleaning it up and on the look out to make sure you don't step in cat shit. Of course we get the odd fox crapping in the garden to, but you can usually tell if it is fox because of the smell and it is far less frequent.

Domestic cats kill loads of birds, I'd rather people had house cats - they live longer, healthier lives apparently too.

You can’t control what the cats do. It’s just how it is. Keeping cats indoors isn’t great for some of them. It stresses them out.

I had this problem in a garden (a new cat poo present daily) and put wire mesh over the soil and planted through it. It stopped it completely.

Accept the things you cannot change.
Change the things you can.
Develop the knowledge to know the difference.

@ifIwerenotanandroid

'Cat owners should cat proof their own gardens to keep them contained. It’s not acceptable to hide behind the whole “they’re free to roam thing”. A responsible owner would not want to allow an animal to be a destructive nuisance.'

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Have you ever met a cat?

Yes. They shit in my garden regularly.

Can see it now, the U.K. 2023 where cats are now banned from roaming the streets but we now have a HUGE mouse infestation problem along with rats!!

Oh and even with a litter tray at home, cats will often still chose to go outside.

It's not ok for my dog to crap in someone else's garden. I'm not talking about wild animals, I'm taking about pet cats

How exactly do you propose cat owners prevent it?

Owning a littler tray does not stop cats from going outside.