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

I say this as a cat lover. A super soaker will deter cats.

Perhaps a number of people find them a pain as a number of people find out of control dogs also a pain?

An awful lot seem to ho missing and I wonder why

Cat owners are the most entitled and ridiculous people on MN. You won't get anything sensible from any of them, they just think the world should revolve around their shitty, parasite ridden animals and everyone else has to put up with it. And then when one of the things gets run over, it's all woe is me and bastard drivers etc. It's pathetic.

@SamAndEIIa sorry to hear that. I saw something a while back about a lady who almost lost the use of her hand long term, because of what initially seemed a small bite!

Sprinkle cayenne pepper liberally in your front garden during a dry spell and the cats will steer clear of using it as a toilet.
We have around 6 cats in the neighbourhood and they used to poo in our garden but the cayenne sorted them out.
Squirrels are a pain for me - they set our neighbour’s dogs off by sitting on the fence and taunting them. The dogs that were there previously didn’t bark at them so it does seem to come down to training. The squirrels dig up my lawn but not much I can do about that.

Give me neighbourhood cats over dogs any day. Have recently had dog shit several times on our front drive from people who let their dogs off-lead so said dog can then go off to do a massive shite somewhere they don’t have to bother trying to pick it up. The endless barking. I don’t go in my local park any more bc of the amount of off-lead muddy, slobbering dogs jumping up at you and getting in your way. Hate seeing them in cafes and eateries. I actually nearly applauded the other day when a woman with a dog was turned away from our favourite cafe. She was livid - she couldn’t believe they wouldn’t let her precious hound into a very chic cafe filled with families and children.

Sick of lazy, entitled dog owners.

Cats give me no problems at all.

If it's not already been said, there is a huge difference between cats and birds.... mainly one is domesticated and has an owner

My current cat is an indoor cat(due to being a rescue and utterly unsuited to independence of any sort). I have a catio so she can get fresh air. I had outdoor cats when I lived very rurally. It is possible to contain cats, but not all cats are suited to it.
However, there is a large feral population of cats in the UK (and most of the world I imagine) so how anyone knows there’s a person attached to random cats shitting in their gardens I’m not sure.

Indeed the local fb pages with the stupid things getting run over or missing and usually it's a neighbour feeding them and they pop up a few days later.

Completely agree.

OP YANBU

Do the cats not run away when your dog chases them?

My sister luckily did not have long-term damage except from scarring. She also nearly had to rehome her own cats as she was scared to go near them, but is okay with cats she knows now.

Her arm was so swollen/bruised that they had to x-ray her to check for teeth/claws left behind. She had several punctures plus pretty severe scratching. This was through a cardigan - her arm was so swollen she struggled to remove her clothing afterwards.

I don’t think many people really realise how vicious cats can really be!

Train your dog to stop barking at cats.

Cat-shit in your garden is annoying and gross, so make your garden less inviting with a cat-deterrent.

Cats sunbathing is fine, ya weirdo.

'Stop stealing my cat, she's got a home and my kids are missing her' posts are common where I live - most of the time the cat has chosen to wander on it's own and hasn't been stolen at all. I do sympathise, but I also wonder if an animal which likes to roam, doesn't always have road sense, and has sharp claws, is really the best pet for a 3 and 5 year old!

What will you do when it's a fox sunbathing in the same spot, OP?

They usually have an arrangement with the cats to take turns when the cat doesn't want it (and sometimes cats graciously agree to share the shed when warm sunshine is at a premium). Once you've got the joys of clearing fox faeces from the grass or off the dog where it's rolled in them ecstatically, you'll be wishing the cat came back.

I’m sure they would if she could chase them - (un)fortunately she can’t get to them on the shed roof and the perpetrator seems unbothered by her barking 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣

I think your dog needs more training in the not-barking-unnecessarily department.

It doesn't have to be either or though, maybe OP would like her dog to be able to enjoy her garden?

Shoot the one on the shed roof with a super soaker every time @sofaprincess, it will soon get the message

To the dog is it necessary barking though, the cat is in her territory.
Surely you'd defend a cat who was hissing at another cat in their territory?

…because a large number of cat owners take zero responsibility from the moment the cat leaves the house. They should be able to do what they like as it’s their “natural behaviour” .. things like killing birds that are coming to your feeder, pissing on your garden furniture, digging your plants up, and shitting in your garden.

Try to deter them and you are the devil incarnate … “don’t touch my cat” then keep it off my property then.

I could just as well ask why my next door neighbours don’t train their dog not to howl and cry like the Hound of the Baskervilles every time they leave it on its own?

Allowed 😂😂

which causes my dog to bark continuously until I go out and lure her back inside. You haven't trained your dog sufficiently. You can train them not to bark. Try harder

Easiest way to ensure that (and keep all other cats and foxes out of the garden) is to have a cat of her own - the dog doesn't bother it because it's part of the family and obviously in charge of the dog and the resident cat takes on all the defending of the higher places.

Yep, I say that as a cat owner myself. Mine are indoor though and don't shit in people's gardens or wind their dogs up.

Though on MN, keeping cats indoors is a bit like saying you torture small children in your free time judging by the responses I've had in the past

Funny how other countries manage it, though!