To tell her to get lost?

[Sportycustard]

Just got home to find a note from my neighbour.

"Hi Sporty, just wanted to let you know that we're rehoming a couple of cats in the next week or two. I can see from our upstairs windows that you have some plants in your garden that are poisonous to cats so I will pop round in the next day or so and point them out so you can remove them in good time for our new arrivals"

I've just done a quick Google and it looks like she is referring to a rhododendron that was a gift from a friend who has now passed away and an azaelia that was a 50th birthday gift. Both are established shrubs and mean a lot to me.

AIBU to tell her my garden will be staying as it is?

If she's planning on letting her new cats out straight after they arrive, they won't stay with her for very long...

I have 2 cats and peace lilies, spider plants, lavender, and god knows what else. Also a mystery little plant that one of them gets high from. Thankfully they're smart cats and know not to eat random plants. I imagine she's never had a cat before, and/or she's a fool.

YANBU, she's a CF 😂

OP, please update us on how the interaction goes when she does pop round!!

Apologies, ignore me. Just seen you already update us.

Good for you, she's a right entitled lady!! I can't believe she thought you would just uproot your plants for her 😂

I have an azalea and a lavender. I've also an English Yew, an Irish Yew and various euonymus. AFAIK I haven't poisoned any cats yet. And I love cats and have three of my own. They are indoor though. However many of my neighbours have at least one cat.

Good grief. My moggy eats grass occasionally but I’ve never seen him chew any other plants. All bulbs are poisonous in some degree and I’ve got masses of tulips and daffs. Never gave it a thought.

A few years ago a new neighbour with four cats moved in next door. You can only imagine the cat shit-turd-storm that was unleashed on my garden. I can’t even bring myself to remember the cat pee smell (waaay worse than the poo!) that was permanently infused in my gravel borders. I ended up replacing the gravel, got a dog and then trained it to chase cats.

I’d have happily removed any poisonous plants in exchange for the right to catapult cat poo back over the fence in return. Why is it that if you own a dog, you’re (quite rightfully) obliged to clean up the mess, but cat owners get to look the other way?

I adore animals, but their owners can be awful!

April Fool

got a dog and then trained it to chase cats.

I’m thinking of the all kinds of ways you helped with this! 😁

Please tell her you have a camera fixed on your garden birds too…….

Where do people get this kind of confidence? Honestly! If my cat died in your garden I’d probably apologize to you for not containing it better. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

This

I personally think you need to do the right thing and remove the plants/shrubs that are poisonous and then plant them in neighbours garden. I'm sure that would go down well

I totally get why you'd want to keep those plants, especially since they have sentimental value. Maybe you could have a chat with your neighbor and explain how much those shrubs mean to you?

I think your garden sounds lovely ☺️. Please do come back and share after you’ve had a nice chat to your other nice neighbour post her visit from ‘all your gardens is belong to me’ lady!!

I can't wait to hear an update after you've spoken to the other neighbour/s...

This is next level bat-shittery, truly it is. I've also lived with cats AND rhododendrons in the past, no harm came to the (multiple, and often ridiculously stupid) cats and all lived happy and long lives!

I'm a massive cat lover and owned by two cats and I think what she's asked no demanded is very rude.

I know that I can't control what others do so my cats are indoors only and very happy. This is the only way you can keep them safe.

Just tell her it's up to her to keep her cats safe. I would not be changing my garden for such a CF.

"Oh, you've just rehomed some cats? Oh that's nice. What a coincidence, we are just about to get 2 massive dogs"

You could pontificate back to her about how cats should always be kept indoors for their safety and send her some links from cat welfare websites for good measure.

Seriously though we keep our cats indoors 100% of the time because we live near a busy road.

I have cats but your neighbour is insane.

anf I thought precious firstborn issues were reserved for human babies - sounds like she’s having it for her new fluffballs too. Hope she relaxes, nothing you can do to protect outdoor cats from eating stuff they shouldn’t. Almost lost ours when she was about ten after managing to poison herself but that was the only Incident and she’s well over 20 now.

I’ve had both of those plants in my garden for years, and a cat. She lived to be 18. Your neighbour sounds at best way too nosy and over enthusiastic about these new cats, and at worst quite frankly a bit mad and entitled to think she can dictate what’s in your garden!

It's surprising how much is toxic to pets. We had to get rid of a few bits when we got our dog as he did try to eat them 🤦‍♀️

"Neighbour, you do not need to come round as I will not be removing any plants. Try not to worry, cats instinctively will avoid things that are harmful. Good luck with your new pets"

This! My moggies avoid our azalea and we've had Lillies regularly and also they avoid! They're not dumb they'll sort themselves out

I’ve had rhododendrons and a cat for many years now. The cat has never eaten one.