Why are cats allowed to be a pain in the arse??

[sofaprincess]

We recently moved into a new house and we have a dog. She is quite a large dog and I have spent a huge amount of time training her and trying to ensure she is well behaved out of the house and friendly or indifferent (depending on the situation) with other people and dogs. I am always conscious that people might not like dogs and we steer clear of people in the street and always clear up her mess. She loves spending time in the garden and that is supposed to be her safe space.

My issue is this - my husband is picking cat poo up regularly from our front garden and has identified the culprit, but really what can we do (rhetorical)? But worse than that, a different cat likes to come and sunbathe in my garden (on the shed roof or other high up places) which causes my dog to bark continuously until I go out and lure her back inside. I’m starting to feel a bit fed up with nuisance cats - we should be able to enjoy our outside space without dealing with bloody cat issues……right?

YANBU - cats are are pain in the arse and they should be regulated in the same way as dogs are (ie owners need to ensure they have them under control)

YABU - cats will be cats and they should be allowed to free roam and sunbathe/shit where they like

Tell me how to control a cat and I’ll give it a go.

Well, if you can train your dog so well with people and dogs, why not with cats?!

They are their own creatures, I'm afraid.

Let your dog in her own garden, if she barks then people will soon realise what she's barking at - the cat doesn't trump your dog and it needs to learn that this is your dogs territory!

Nope, cats are out overlords, deal with it!

Have you had a chat with these local cats?

They need telling..

Super soaker on the cats to get them out of the garden. I say this as a cat owner

YANBU and I say that as a cat owner whose cats stay on my property.

More and more countries are requiring owners to keep their cats on their own property (either indoors or in gardens with the use of cat-proof fencing and catios. It's very possible and in fact, highly recommended in many places due to natural predators.

But MN is very pro-outdoor cat so prepare for a bashing.

Cats and dogs are not the same 🤔

Birds annoy me with their constant crapping, chirping and turning my indoor cat into a nut.... unfortunately there's nothing you can do about it

YANU cats are pain in the arse - including my own who has recently taken to using our back lawn as a loo despite having a litter tray or the preferred option of the flower bed (as no one will walk on it !!) however these worked! https://www.iwonderwhatsnext.co.uk/home-furniture-diy/electronics/cat-dog-scatter-granules-training-aid-stops-fouling-repellent-deterrent-3x450g/?gclid=CjwKCAjwkNOpBhBEEiwAb3Mvvfby7qJ9OV_uzwhIUGAm0At7tm82i_oT2IsRneDfqKqwoWFael3JwBoCV88QAvD_BwE

although you do have to keep reapplying - not sure if once we have broken the habit it will stick . It’s a really recent development so I’m hoping so .

Also cats don't kill and injure people

You can get devices to deter cats from pooing in your garden: lion poo is supposed to work, or put down something uninviting, or spray with water when they do it.

I think if the cat is lying high up on a shed roof your dog is making a bit of an unnecessary fuss: it's hardly antisocial for a cat to lie down.

It’s also mandatory in some places due to the devastating effect that domestic cars can have on native fauna.

If I were you I'd let the dog out to scare it off. I've sprayed lots of scents around my garden they don't like, also planted some plants they don't like and are poisonous to them. Have told my dh I wouldn't object to him using the kids nerf gun if he sees one

Cats have persuaded great civilisations that they are actually gods, so you've no chance I'm afraid. I say this watching one of our 'only lives outside' cats asleep on the bed.😅

Birds are wild animals, cats are pets.

YABU cats can't be 'regulated like dogs' what are you on about? They are an animal with natural behaviours and they have been in the UK for 2000 years - used to control farm pests. Your garden also has mouse, rat, bird and bat shit in it - and endless animal piss. They also fuck in your grass and borders and generally you know, live their lives. Cats are a domesticated species that also live a feral life (unless kept as indoor cats like my 2). Try and enjoy outdoors and the fact you may own it but cannot totally control it. Your dog would bark at a squirrel too - maybe work on what you can control - your dog and your reactions.

Your dog roams and sunbathes where it likes in its own territory, sorry, safe space, which is your back garden.
Cats do the same. Except they, and the whole neighbourhood, have to put up with incessant barking when they are just having snooze in an out of the way place.

To be honest the real problem is with dogs. Dogs have allowed us to train them. We, however have allowed cats to train us.

A water gun may help in moving unwanted cats out of your garden.

You've trained your dog continously, you say? But not to not bark ...

My old neighbours had dogs that never stopped barking : cats, birds, traffic, other dogs, a leaf set it off. The new neighbours have the same breed. Rarely barks. When it does, they tell him off.

A cat sunning itself on a shed is doing no harm and probably did it long before your dog arrived.

If it bothers you that much, chase the cat off. It'll soon realise it needs a more cat friendly sunspot.

Yet another thread about cats…

It's funny how people on these threads always say "you can't control a cat" and yet in many countries, that's exactly what people manage to do with zero problems whatsoever.

It sounds like the OP is doing her best to train her dog and be a responsible owner, so it's quite possible her dog won't kill or injure anyone either.
As it is, cat bites/scratches can end up being quite serious, and are also fairly unpleasant. Cats can often smell too, and leave piles of poo behind.
The garden belongs to OP, so her, her family and her dog take precedence over any cat that decides to enter!

I'd say that just reveals how many folk are bothered by other people's cats.