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

YANBU. Personally I don’t agree with letting cats roam free, mainly for their own safety and the safety of local wildlife. Unfortunately though, this is how most people keep cats and it isn’t likely to change anytime soon so there’s not a lot you can do about it. I would definitely let your dog bark at them as much as she wants as long as it’s in your garden. It’s her garden not theirs and she shouldn’t be stopped from enjoying it because of other people’s animals. Eventually they will get that it’s her territory and leave. Cats don’t come in our garden at all anymore because of our dog.

I hope this doesn’t sound like I hate cats as I really don’t. I love all animals. I’m probably more of a cat person generally (but DH wanted a dog). I just refuse to prioritise other people’s animals over my own on my property.

The dog is barking because the cat is there, the dog lives there and the cat doesn't.

I was going to write a post about how I agree with you and empathise with you Op, but my cats said I couldn't.

I love dogs, but I'd much rather have a cat than a dog as a next door neighbour. Too much barking and bouncing with dogs.

Had a neighbour complaining about our cats, apparently they frightened her! I mentioned also using a super soaker, it doesn’t hurt them. Could never understand why she was so frightened of cats and had two large labs. That settled it anyway.

Exactly. If the cat was in it's own garden, the dog wouldn't be able to see it and would have nothing to bark at.

I would love to see your plan for controlling cats OP 😆

Ime, barky dogs bark at everything

It's not possible to train cats the way you can train dogs.

There are surfaces in my house the cats are not allowed to get on. I taught them this by picking them up and putting them down the moment they jump up there. Two of the three cats figured it out and stopped going there. The third still gets up 2-3 times a day despite being put back down instantly every day of his life. He's 11 years old.

Well, depending on how close the gardens are it might still be an issue, but yes the dog is in their own garden and should be able to enjoy it.

OP has said her dog is otherwise well trained though, the cat is the issue here.

YABU

Squirt the sun bathed with water.

As for cat poo, you can get cat scarers, lion poo or in my case a lurcher

To be fair people can be scared of different things.
We didn't grow up with cats, and even now I am wary of their claws!

Care to expand why?

Keep the fucking thing indoors.

There's always one headcase in a cats thread.

This is today's one with the 'I'm so big and clever, I deliberately try to poison them'.

Yes.
Set the dog on them too. Pop barriers up to keep them out.
Horrid things shitting everywhere, killing all the birds. Vile creatures.
Yet their owners think they are cute and funny.

Well, it's not hard. Lots of other countries manage it fine.

Keep them indoors.
Cat-proof your garden.
Build a catio.
Take your cat out on a harness/lead.

Lots of people all over the world manage to keep cats and not have them shit in other people's gardens or terrorise their pets.

No evidence she's trained it not to bark, though. My neighbours' dogs rarely bark.

To be clear, I’m not expecting anyone to have a wonderful idea about how cats can be trained - I appreciate that they can’t, or not to the same extent as a dog! But if that’s the case and people choose to keep them as pets, then shouldn’t they need to keep them on their own properties?

Can you imagine the uproar if I let my dog shit in my neighbours front garden and left it for them to clear it up? Why should it be any different with cats? I didn’t choose to have a cat so I shouldn’t have to clear up after one!

Side note - I like cats and so does my dog usually (she has had a couple of pleasant interactions with them whilst out and about), but that doesn’t mean she won’t be cross about one being in her garden. Oh, and she rarely barks - only in a protective capacity and I don’t particularly want to irritate my neighbours by allowing her to (except for the ones that own the bloody cats!)

You're right, they're always is. I have to ignore them because they're either"

1. Deranged and making it up
2. Deranged and actually do it

Either way, they're a piece of shit and not worth our time.

My sister got attacked by a cat to the point she needed hospital treatment. It was pretty horrendous tbh.

I don’t dislike cats. I just don’t particularly enjoy their company.

You can get roller things that go on the top of fences which cats can’t walk on. It doesn’t harm the cats in any way. Maybe an idea to keep them out?

I remember growing up people allowing their dogs to wander in the streets, and the neighbourhood- we would regularly have a neighbour dog stopping by ours around tea time! this has changed in recent years and people are expected to keep their dogs on their own property, tidy up after them and under control.

When I was growing up I’m sure dog owners would’ve also said keeping their dog secure home was a ridiculous suggestion-but times change.

with the amount of cats killed by traffic (or just thugs) i think you are now pretty irresponsible to allow a “loved” pet out wandering nowadays

Also no evidence she hasn't trained it, again, the cat is the issue here.