Cat poo!

[Rockchicknana]

Sorry - this is a long one!

A neighbour has an elderly unwell cat who has constant diarrhoea, is stone deaf and senile. For months he has been evacuating his bowels all down the road, on driveways, gardens and people's doorsteps. Owner refuses to keep him indoors as she says it would be cruel!

All the neighbours are sick to death of trying to avoid walking in his, multiple times a day, deposits. We take photos which we post on the road WhatsApp group to alert her and she will come and clean up the mess but only when she gets home from work in the evening so it can have been sitting there all day covered in flies. Obviously when it's on someone's actual doorstep they have the pleasure of cleaning it up.

We have begged and pleaded with her to take him to the vet and keep him in until he's better but she flatly refuses. The poor cat is skin and bone and lays down in the middle of the road to sleep so definitely senile. One neighbour said if it was a financial problem they would willingly pay to have him pts and out of his misery. She went ballistic at this and called him a cat killer!

We have all contacted the RSPCA who have visited and are happy that the cat has a home and has food and water - so not a case of cruelty. The local council refuses to acknowledge that its an environmental health problem and refer us back to RSPCA. I've reported her for anti social behaviour but again just get referred to RSPCA.

In desperation someone took him to the vet as a stray but as he was chipped they contacted owner who when collecting him assured them he was under the care of another vet and was allowed to take him home.

We are now being accused by her of starting a witch hunt and she is claiming all kinds of mental health issues. She is ND but highly intelligent and articulate. I tried to reason with her a few days ago and got a response, that in simple terms, indicated that we'd all be responsible if she ended her life and threatened self harming.

We are all at the end of our tether with the situation - both trying to avoid treading in cat poo everytime we leave the house, and with concern for the poor cat. It's only a matter of time before he gets hit by a car. We have neighbours with babies and toddlers and an expectant mum, all have regular deposits on their doorsteps. I've tried to point out the health risks to her but she just says we're all responsible for our own self care!!

Thank you if youve made it to the end and does anyone have any suggestions whatsoever as what we can do?? AIBU to expect her to take responsibility and keep him indoors?

Yanbu but she won't so there you have it. You've tried everything you can.

All you can do is try to catch proof your property (almost impossible) and perhaps put something it won't like stepping on over your path/doorstep.

It sounds a bit grim but not something you can do anything about. It also doesn’t sound like it will be a problem for much longer.
I am chuckling though. As the owner of three large dogs whose poo I pick up daily, my first thought was,’how much poo can there be from one cat?’ (I do recognise I chose mine which is quite different).

Return deposits to the garden that they belong in?

(I know this is likely to be dodgy legally and morally, but as it stands, it doesn't sound as though its a problem for the owner. Cats don't tend to shit on their own doorstep - or at least, my neighbour's cats don't). 😡

I get that it's inconvenient and not very nice having her cat shit in your garden, but frankly bullying a neurdiverse person to the point they theaten suicide in a community group chat is horrific. You should all be fucking ashamed of yourselves.

The cat is old. Old enough to be senile. Old things get smelly, thin and shitty. It's just how it is towards the end for dogs, cats, and people. The only reason you don't see it in wild animals is because they die long before they get old to be old bones. The RSPCA are satisfied it is fed and housed. The council have told you it isn't a problem.

You have had somebody in the group threaten to put down her cat. Taken it to the vet and tried to pretend not to know it had a home, effectively kidnapping it, which is morally bankrupt. You have caused this woman so much distress she's threatened her own well-being and then you have belittled her disability because she 'is articulate'. Just because she masks well does not mean you have any idea at all of the severity of her condition. Frankly you all sound fucking horrible and I'd be ashamed to have you as neighbours.

To the point of her threatening to take her own life and your still continuing this on? You & the others ought to be bloody ashamed of yourselves!

Agree with the pp's - it actually sounds like group bullying of a vulnerable woman who's pet is dying.

How much poo could one cat create?!

The Local Authority can only act when it is dog poo. there are far more laws regarding dogs than cats.

If kitty is lying in the road, gently pick him up and put him somewhere safe.

Are you really expecting the owner to leave work to come and pick up cat shit ?!!!

if so you are out of your minds

and need to start reading and understanding the laws re cats ' v ' the laws re dogs.

and btw is it not a lot quicker to throw some hot soapy water over the shitty area than take a photo and post it on social media and then comment on that social media...

I hope the poor cats not in pain.

As someone who has had cats, I have always kept them indoors due to the threat they pose to wildlife. As a current dog owner and parent Im really annoyed by neighborhood cats using my garden as a wc and so are my neighbors. Cat owners often seem to think they and their pets needs are above everyone else's.

My first thought - morally bankrupt or otherwise - is cat scarers at strategic intervals.
I would be raging if one of my neighbours thought it was acceptable to allow their cat out all day to shit all over the neighbourhood. It's repulsive. If the cat is that unwell then it needs to either be taken to the vet to resolve the bowel issues or kept indoors.

Mix a solution of jeyes fluid, wash your own steps, paths and pavement down. The cat will avoid that area

We kept our last cat inside for the last few months of her life when it became clear she had severe dementia. She kept sitting in the middle a nearby busy road so we kept her in for her own safety. Your neighbour is being completely irresponsible but it doesn’t look like she’ll see sense so you may just have to put up with it for a bit. The poor cat will die soon, either from dementia or from being run over by a car.

While cat poo is unpleasant you really should stop harassing this poor woman & her cat.

A cat with diarrhoea can produce a lot.

Stop ambushing the woman. I feel for the poor cat who is clearly unwell. I notice the offer was to have it PTS, instead of treated for whatever ailment it might have. How upsetting for the owner. Also, sly move taking it to the vet hoping it wouldn't have been cared for enough to have been chipped....just as grim as all the cat shit. More so actually because you're not a set of helpless animals.
Side step the cat crap. It sounds like he is approaching end of life anyway so put up with it for a short while instead of plotting the poor sod's demise.

That poor cat. My cat had a terrible virus for 4 weeks which resulted in diarrhea . I had to keep him inside on medication. At his worst I was scooping every half hour. He was in so much pain, lost so much weight. That cat could be really ill. So cruel to leave it as it is.

If it's financial could you send her a link to Blue Cross, if there is one locally? If you're on financial difficulties you don't have to pay. But other than that you can't force her to do anything. By the sounds of it the poor thing won't last much longer if it elderly and sick. If it's young and sick then there's a chance it's a virus that could be cured.
But it's ultimately down to her.

Yeah, I think it might be time for the baying mob to back off now.

Difficult as it's runny poo!!

Sounds like the poor cat isn't being taken care of properly, if she is letting it out to poo everywhere and fall asleep on the pavement, never mind the stress it's causing the rest of the street.
Unfortunately it doesn't sound like there is much you can do (which is ridiculous since there would be uproar if this was a dog). Maybe some cat deterrents, like the ones that emit noises on a high frequency that humans don't hear but cats can't stand?