To want cat-owner to acknowledge impact on me?

[SafetyLady]

My neighbour's cats use my garden for a toilet. I'm sick of having to deal with it. On top of plant pots, in my veg bed, etc. They make no attempt to bury it so it sits there stinky until I pick it up. Properly turns my stomach and spoils my enjoyment of my garden on a daily basis.
I know they can't be kept out or trained not to. I'd never want to harm them - they're just being cats! I'd just like some acknowledgement from neighbour that their choice to keep outdoor cats is causing this.
I did ask if they would be willing to take a turn dealing with it, and got told no, cats bury it so you can't even see where it is (some do - theirs doesn't), and anyway that's why they don't keep them in - they don't want to deal with litter tray (were originally indoor only kittens).
AIBU to be upset?

We had a neighbour shoot one of ours with a pellet gun. She is the sweetest soul, not a bad bone in her body. They are lucky I didnt find out who it was, I'd happily have returned the favour.

Haha tell that to the cats that we have on camera that crap all over our garden and don't bury it!! We get foxes too, but I can tell the difference- both in the poop and the animal on camera doing it.

I'm with you OP, it really ruins my enjoyment of the garden too. It stinks, it literally gives me rage as soon as I smell it. And then I have to run around to pick it up before the kids play. Every day. I've tried using pepper and chilli flakes, which work as long as it doesn't rain. We live in Wales, so you can imagine our dilemma there. I really resent that with any other pet it's the owners' responsibility to clean up after them yet with cats we're just supposed to accept it.

Surely the same amount as misery as it takes to make dog food? Dogs leave their shit all over the pavement, no amount of tiny plastic bag is removing a gallon of urine and poop remnants from the pavement or parks that children play in. Always such a one sided argument. Why does everyone act like their goddamn rose bushes are sacred 😂

Are you sure that hating others based on their likes or dislikes, or even preferences, isn't actually the loathsome thing though?
For the record, I don't actually hate cats, but I do hate any irresponsible animal owners.

Many pet owners - cats or dogs - lose the perspective about consideration for people when it comes to their own. It’s utter selfishness so I don’t know where the moral superiority comes from lecturing others about caring about animals is a sign of higher levels of compassion and empathy. Ime it’s entirely the opposite. In fact demonstrated on this very thread a pet owner has used very threatening language to anyone who might want to divert their precious animal from crapping up someone else’s garden.

Quite frankly, if your pet is ruining ‘my enjoyment’ of my own garden, then I will ensure that I will ruin their enjoyment of shitting and killing birds in my garden. So I will use all the tricks I can - skewers in the soil, heavily scented plants, super soaker, chasing, high fences, obstacles, high pitched sonic alarm, hose pipe and water bottles on the lawn etc.

I hate people generally so loathsome or not, I'm not a great judge. Happily fuck off to the middle of nowhere with a menagerie and never miss a single word from another human being.

Yanbu! That’s horrible we’ve never had this issue despite having neighbours with cats cuz we have dogs.

Id chuck it over the fence! Cat poo is the worst

@Screwballs

The thing is, as an outdoor cat owner you really don’t have a leg to stand on here. Why do you think your pet is more important than someone’s chickens/pigeons/small mammals that your cat is likely to have killed? Or more important than the wildlife it kills? You can’t have it both ways.

if your cat is roaming outside and gets killed then it’s your fault, regardless of whether the act was deliberate or not. That is NOT to say that the deliberate act is ok of course, but the same way you don’t leave your keys in your ignition overnight as some arsehole would steal it, you don’t let your pets roam around in constant danger.

It’s more likely that a dog would harm your cat while your cat is roaming in the dogs own garden, which is again your fault. It’s pretty rare to see free roaming dogs in the UK.

@CalistoNoSolo then I would stick that gun up your arse, sunshine!

Honestly you get some right idiots on these threads. I'm a cat owner (indoors as he's an idiot) but I wouldn't just say meh, can you get a cat scarer/ some plants that cats dislike?

Cats do shot on concrete, I'm always cleaning it off the drive.

I am not a huge people person either, but I don't decide whether to like someone or not based on whether we like the same animals.

*shit even

What a load of bollocks - cat shit is way more offensive than horse shit as horses are veggies. Cat and dog shit can actually be very hazardous as well as smelling very unpleasant. That's why people don't like it.

Equally, we have a couple of owners locally that will set their dogs on cats on their own gardens when they're out walking. One did it to one of mine a few months ago. I booted it to get it away from my cat, whilst they laughed their arses off. Started having bloody coniptions then! It's the minority, but something that seems to be happening more often (judging by social, which may be an exaggeration)

Oh my god I love this. It’s brilliant. Did they guess it was you? My only problem with the throwing it back over is the OP is still having to deal with poo. Maybe if you could assemble trays on top of the ground filled with mud you could just dump the whole lot over then you wouldn’t have to pick up the poo.

Good for you? Anything further to add?

This is incorrect. Our neighbours cat poos on our back lawn regularly. I have caught him in the act and try to chase him off but they let him out very early or don't keep him in.

I have two cats myself so I don't really think I can knock on their door and complain

Right back at ya, seeing as you've been offering your (rather odd) view on every sensible post on here.

My rather odd view? That people that dont like animals are tossers? Just my opinion. I care not if you agree or find it odd. I think anyone that doesnt have space in their heart for animals is a soulless miserable entity.

Garlic granules work well. Also (cat owner) try not to leave bare earth and cover up new plants with netting, less tempting that way.
I'm not sure you can expect anyone to control a cat though. Have you met cats?

Yes, you've expressed this several times - do you have any advice to offer the OP, other than this?

These threads always go the same way, some posters making up elaborate stories (the one poster who said she threw poo at their neighbours patio doors) some posters suggesting the worst ways to pay back the cat owners and some suggesting harm with only a small minority making sensible suggestions.
I do wonder though, does anyone think about where their excrement goes and how it impacts other animals habitats and pollutes.

Zap them with a jet hose. Solved the problem for us. If you like cats, but not their poo, you can aim the jet near the cat but missing it.

I have four cats and this is another reason they are indoor cats. Whether you agree with cats being indoors or not I don’t think it’s right that they should be poking in other peoples gardens especially if they have young children. We have an open front garden and I’ve watched cats poo on our front lawn before.

I don’t know what to suggest sprays, cat scare things water guns

Fence your boundary properly to keep your cat IN and deer OUT 🤷🏻‍♀️
Honestly, whining about deer in your garden as justification for your cats annoying the neighbourhood is just nuts.