Neighbour getting cross about my cats

[Faciadipasta]

We have 2 cats. They have a catflap so go outside when they like. My neighbour has started complaining that one of them likes to sit on their outside table (during the day, not while they're actually using it)
AIBU to think this is a bit nuts? I mean we get foxes, magpies, all sorts so why worry about cats?
I mean if the cats were pooing in their garden I'd understand- they use a litter tray so pretty sure they don't - also I'm sure neighbour would have said, but sitting on their table?
Would you try and think.of a way to stop cat doing it or ignore? I've told neighbour to spray the cat with a water pistol if he wants but haven't really got any other ideas.

You had me going there

nice one

@DeanStockwelll I do have a house cat, with a catio outside. Easy decision to make - I can’t deal with dead wildlife and don’t want to fall out with neighbours over cat shit.

I’d love a visiting cat 😞

There’s nothing you can do- it’s a cat. At least it’s not pooing. Spray the cat - tuck the table away. It wish this was my only problem in life lol

I spent weeks trying to get close enough to my neighbours cat, who pretty much spent the whole day hanging out in my garden, to stroke it. I even planted Catmint, which it rolled to death.
Anyway maybe give your neighbour some deterrent spray or tell them to gently but firmly shoo your cat away.

I don't know how its possible to contain a cat in summer when its this hot. We need the windows open for ventilation and its impossible to stop mine getting out. The are restrictions on the height we have our fences so I literally can't prevent them jumping out!

I don’t really like cats so can see where she’s coming from but I doubt there’s anything you can do about it so she may just have to put up with it or put something on the table so the cat can’t get up there.

I wonder if she sees it as similar to when people let their cats go on the kitchen counters (worse when they don’t wipe them down before prepping food on them). No one wants cat hairs where you put food.

Methinks your neighbour needs to get a life...

I really hate the fact that cats are the only household pet that you're allowed to release and inflict on everyone else.

I used to love feeding the birds until my neighbour's cat started killing them and leaving them for me.

My kids had a little rabbit that the bloody thing wouldn't leave alone.

I was sick of picking up its crap.

Of course what's the point of talking to the owner - cats must be allowed to roam free and cannot be controlled so it's not their problem, it's mine.

No deterrent ever worked.

I once worked with someone who had a true phobia of cats. Her problem of course that she couldn't sit in her own garden.

I think that's really sweet, and I hope Ollie appreciates it!

Ginger says tell them to chill out!

Perhaps the neighbours think that it’s unhygienic to have cat arse (or even cat mouth if the cat kills things) on the surface they are going to eat off. Not sure what they really expect you to do about it though. Cats do tend to be a pet that aggravates neighbours when the houses are tightly packed - like most are these days. I paved over my front flower beds as the neighbour’s cat wouldn’t stop shitting in them. I picked up so much shit, wasted so many gloves, it was ridiculous. I didn’t even know where I should put the bloody stuff. I tried everything over a period of 10 years and then gave in and removed the front garden (flower beds, bit of grass) in favour of paving. I can accept cats are sweet, but they are annoying to neighbours.

This 😀

Or alternatively ask if they would like a spare food bowl and some kibble so your cat can have something to eat at the table 😸

I love the Ollie story

one of my cats did get fascinated with next doors garden. She had cat litter she used but loved his porch. I told them to spray water near her and she'd soon stop visiting which she did

he did jokingly ask if he could super soak her I told him no

i can see why it’s annoying but other next door dog yapping constantly and crapping in their garden for weeks to stink for weeks that the don’t clean up disturbs my time in the garden

cats are def not the only pet that you can inflict on your neighbours

Perhaps the neighbour will be having a word with the birds too and asking them to stop shitting on their garden furniture - which is far more of a problem here than cats sitting on it! It's easily resolved by wiping the table down before using it.

Ollie has bribed my dad today to turn on the tap as no water feature and he can't possibly drink out a bowl. My dad is not a cat person
The neighbours love him, I hear her telling him to go home because "I'm not giving you more chicken, mama feeds you plenty"

“Terrified of cats.” I’ve heard it all now.

Same here we had to rip all our bushes and flowers out as neighbours cats used that area as a massive shit area
We tried everything we could think of to deter them and nothing worked and neither could we soak them as we never caught them.

It was an area under my kitchen window and if I didn't pick it up quickly enough the smell on a hot day was awful.

I recently caught one shitting on my front lawn so all this talk about cats like to bury it

Sorry posted too soon.

I like cats but it really feckin annoys me I am dealing with other peoples pet shit.

I turned the hose on a neighbours cat tonight after I chased him out of my house!!

but it’s not his fault - he is a free spirit. There are three cats who regularly visit my garden and unfortunately attack my cat!

that’s suburban life though. Cares are free to roam. Mine does. And about 25% of houses on my street have a cat

That's what I do too. 'I'll have a word'

🤣love this, do this!

or tell her to cat- proof her garden if she wants but I’m pretty sure they’ll have been worse on that table! Rats, crows, flies etc!

We used to have a cat come to our garden and sit on my fabric garden chairs. They were constantly covered in hair and I had to brush them every bloody time I wanted to sit down. I don't like cats and don't want them in my garden but there isn't anything you can do as the owner except keep it inside. Luckily for me the cat has moved away with the owners and my chairs are no longer hairy.

They are completely different species with different behaviours!

They want to count themselves lucky! My cat often wanders into my neighbours house. And the one next door, and the next one!
Luckily we are all very close and love seeing the relationships they have with their cat neighbours!

Say you'll have a word with him.

what else are you supposed to do?