That cat-proofing should become a legal requirement?

[QueenCamilla]

As of June 2024 all pet cats will have to be microchipped by law or risk owners a £500 fine. It's a good start in the right direction, as it would allow the fed-up neighbours to identify the breeders of cat colonies and feeders of the feral populations. If chip-less I'd hope to be assumed owner-less and removed from living on the local streets.

I live in a run of back-to-back garden Victorian terraces and the problems with owned but roaming, feral and also intact cats of all sorts, are driving me mad.
I don't encounter as many dog shits in the streets as I do cat feces in my own garden (and that's just the paths and the patio).
I have spent near on £100 on deterrents. I'll spend another £100 in the summer on motion sprinklers. I'm building a new fence between the worst offending neighbour (who feeds all the neighbourhood cats in his garden and draws dozens of them to visit) at my expense, solely because of the problem with pests and their fouling. I bet the neighbour will try to put a ramp or something against the fence to enable "his" cats to roam.

Meanwhile, I can't take the bins out without clearing the turds and washing the paths first. I can't have builders round, without being out there at the crack of dawn looking for cat poos, so they don't get trod in (again).
I can't open a window downstairs or patio doors without smell of feces wafting in.
No garden or drainage improvements can be done without considering the cat problem first. I dig a trench for pipes and they shit in it. Gravel? That's just a giant litter box. I collect bramble branches to scatter them into flower beds and still a cat curled one out right next to the spikes. I have laid an ugly plastic grid as a walk-way over my lawn as it's impossible to not step into one otherwise.

I'm appalled that someone else's choice of pet is allowed to have such a detrimental effect on my finances and my enjoyment of my property.
Some cat owners dare to call these threads "boring". I'd rather call them a warning! I am growing increasingly angry at the situation and it won't be boring at all if I snap.

Would I be unreasonable to think that with the microchip requirement coming in, it would be a good time to force cat owners to spend money on their own pets and cat-proof their gardens?

I'm sure I could deal with an odd escapee (scan and return), but I'm losing the patience with the situation as it stands.

I've also got an 8 foot wall and we've had a fox in our garden so they must have claimed over to get in. I was surprised. DH saw it when he went downstairs to get some paracetamol one night at about 4am. He said he watched it out the window for a while.

@youmustrememberthis

There's a difference between feeding one feral cat at the front of your house or a few even on your farm or rural property. It's a totally different matter on encouraging unneutered, unvaccinated, non-wormed, uninsured cats to congregate outside akin to forming an unlicensed cattery of nightmares.

To report it, I have to be prepared for a bad neighbour conflict that might result in no change to the actual problem. Because the law is not on my side.

Many cat owners faced with containing their numerous pets (and their feces) in their own gardens, would reconsider the ownership. I'm sure. At the moment though, their choice is my problem to deal with.

That is fox poo on your concrete.

"Cats do not defecate out in the open like that. Believe it or not they are very hygenic and will only go where they can bury it afterwards."

Bullshit. I've just watched my neighbours manky cat shit on my drive. Again. Looks me in the eyes as it does it. Evil. Next time I'll film it

Plus that poo looks nothing like fox poo, it's hard to even see the poo in the pic but fox poo is much darker than that.

Rural fox poo is dark, but urban foxes, who eat a lot of human food waste, produce much lighter poo, just like the photo. If I saw cat poo that colour, I would assume the animal was quite unwell.

The best thing you can do is work with a rescue that does TNR. No one should be hoarding 20 cats. But if they are neutered it will calm things down a lot. The RSPCA should get involved but may well not. Google Cat Chat for details of all rescues near you.

Won't help with any fox poo though.

Yet according to the RSPB cats have no significant impact on bird numbers. It's farming and the destruction of habitat that is killing of our wildlife, not cats! 🤦‍♀️

No cat does shits that size. It's not even the right colour.

I’m confused as to whether they are feral cats or your neighbours pets? Cats aren’t classed as fully domesticated so they can’t be rounded up any more than the birds that visit your garden. I can understand it’s an annoyance, some charities will trap and neuter freaks which is the kind way to approach the problem. I was also thinking that those poos do not look like cat, unless the cat is the size of a fox!

Cats are amazing.

Animals like rodents and birds need natural predators or they become a nuisance to humans who end up dealing with them eg when seagulls are culled

Omg why do so many cat owners INSIST cats won't poo on concrete, or ONLY poo where they can bury it?

It's complete bullshit, I have numerous videos of my neighbours two cats shitting on my patio.

It's disgusting and I agree with you OP. I also have foxes come in the garden and luckily they don't seem to shit, but they have taken to burying bones and other things in my flower beds! But.... they are wild animals and I recognise that. Cats on the other hand should stay in their own bloody gardens!

OP lots of feral cats are microchipped. It's called trap, neuter, release. They're usually chipped when they are neutered. It helps keep track of them.

There's lots of farm cats near me are feral and go through this process.

Do you want the farmers to cat proof their fields?

Also, all those saying 'it doesn't look like cat shit' that's because it's been rained on.
My dogs poo comes out solid and dark but once rained on, goes lighter and soggy!
Stop making excuses for these cats

Cats bury their poo. That isn't cat poo.

I do think it should be law to keep your cat in its own garden - it won’t ever happen here . What you need to do @QueenCamilla is catproof your garden to stop them getting in .

Definitely a fox - probably the one in this photo

you have a neighbour problem really - I wish I could get a cat that shat everywhere but my garden ( or hall) sadly mine are all defective

also lazy they only catch the mice that live under our shed or the odd slice of bread

Cats most definitely do poo on hard surfaces, there’s a neighbourhood cat who I often see having a shit next to a lamppost! Still, at least it’s not in my garden.
I really don’t like cats; would happily have them all become extinct due to the amount of times I’ve seen them in my garden taking a crap in my raised beds and on my grass.

It's that colour because it's been rained on.
It's quite yellow in the middle (I'd rather not know really). So it might be a sign of liver problems indeed.
Not that the owners here see their own cat's shit, so they wouldn't know or care about the health of their "pets".

Cats definitely do shit in concrete

I know the feeling. I'd happily have humans go extinct due to being well on the way to ruining the planet for all species.

That isn't cat shit. Trust me I've shovelled enough of it in my time. Time to direct your fury elsewhere OP.

As for the mess and smell a quick hose down would sort that easily

I disagree. If it bothers OP and other people enough then there absolutely can be new laws brought in to stop cats roaming. Afterall it widely accepted that pet dogs, snakes and rats can't just roam on your neighbours land whenever they fancy and these rules need minimal 'policing'. It's a case of societal norms. Right now you can't imagine a world where cats aren't allowed to roam but logically there is no reason why a privately owned pet should be able to go on property that is owned by somebody else that has not given their permission.

It is your choice to have a pet cat but it shouldn't be your choice to inflict the animals on your neighbours or to force them to spend money trying to stop your animals entering their property. The onus should absolutely be on the pet owner (i.e. the one who chose to get it in the first place) to contain their animals.

Suggesting OP should live in a flat just highlights how you view the rights of a cat owner should trump the rights of a property owner. Ludicrous!

Could you do an anonymous call to environmental health about your neighbour - I love cats but wouldn't love living next door to a feral colony!

'You won't like me when I'm angry' 😂😂😂😂