New neighbours cat

[butterflycatching]

Not so much an AIBU, because I am not going to change my mind, but it has been playing on my mind for a few days now.

I moved into a new-build a few months ago. I was the first one to complete, and the development has been gradually filling up. I have the house on the end of the development and next to me is woodland.

New neighbours moved into the house next door last week and popped round- I thought to introduce themselves. But, they actually asked if before I let my dog out in the garden if I would check that their cat wasn't in my garden so it doesn't get hurt, and if I would consider removing the pyracantha (spiky plant) I have planted on the woods side fence so their cat can use that as access to the woods.

I told them no, I had planted that for security, but I would happily plant more along their fence side too if it will keep their cat away from my dog. I then got a whole explanation of they were hoping to encourage the cat to use my garden side towards the woods for roaming- rather than the other gardens which eventually lead up to the road. I was left thinking they thought I was very difficult.

I am not wrong in thinking this is bonkers and entitled? I can't be checking the whole garden for their cat every time I let the dog out. And you can't train a cat to roam in a particular direction anyway!!

I honesty think I would have laughed at them & assumed they were making some weird joke.
Never heard anything quite so ridiculous. Absolute entitled madness

I'd stick to the 'My family, including our dog, will be continuing to make use our own garden. The spiky plants and presence of our dog will hopefully discourage your cat from entering our garden.'
Plant lots more spiky plants if need be.

I think it will probably be a non-problem because the cat won't want to go in your garden if a dog is there or likely to appear.
There main thing is to make sure that if that happens, the cat won't be injured by the dog, which would be horrible for everyone. Make sure there is something in the garden the cat can quickly jump onto to get away if necessary, or else a small hole in the fence that the cat can use to escape but is too big for the dog. That's a reasonable thing to ask.
I don't think it's reasonable to ask you to plant up your garden differently.
Probably the cat will enjoy itself in the other dog-less gardens close by.

Cats never came on my late parents' garden due to the dog behind the patio door, or being walked up the path - never even able to chase them as much as they clearly wanted to! Since the dogs went the odd brave cat checked it out and found it ok to lurk - new cats also now cross the garden - cats learn for themselves and most, whether the dog is in or out will know one lives there and avoid the place - I can't believe a cat owner knows nothing about cats!
My cat never went to the 'dog' houses though occasionally the dogs escaped and came for him - never ever caught him thank goodness - I never blamed the owners for a mistake though nor ask them not to!

Can they not cat proof their own garden. So it stays in their garden, so is safer for their cat.
But I have house cats and I don’t care if people think it’s cruel. Better than getting knocked down by a car or even fighting with other wildlife.

I do this as we kept having cats poo in our garden and I was sick of clearing it up. However, I know my dog wouldn't know what to do with a cat if she got near it so it's purely to keep them out rather than to harm them

This.

We had a new neighbour move in with a dog. Our cats soon learned to keep out of their garden!

I am a cat lover and have had many over the years, but would never dream of suggesting to a neighbour what they can and can't do in their own garden!

They'll be asking you not to plant lilies etc next!

On the other hand, we told our neighbour that if our cat is bothering her in her garden, to just chuck water at him - he'll soon learn to keep away.

Oh, and cats can walk along fences anyway - it's not like the cat would be up and over into each garden! We have 6 foot fences all around our gardens and the cats just use the fences as pathways!

They are nuts! If the cat wants to go in the wood, it will regardless of a bush, bin or whatever! And most cats I know would quickly run up the fence if a dog came near. These are bizarre requests IMO!

Stick to your no. End of .

@butterflycatching

You are definitely NOT unreasonable! 🤣

The only thing I would add is it might be worth confirming whether they're entitled twats or they're obsessively protective of their cat. I'm only saying this as my partner who is the world's most polite and conscientious person and 100% the absolutely ideal neighbour from heaven, could have easily done the same a few years back (I have since convinced him that this sis very unreasonable behaviour 🤣). Our cat is his world and he doesn't think that anything is unreasonable when it comes to her wellbeing 🤣

Good for you for immediately saying no and nipping this in the bud, just maybe give it a minute before you mentally classify them under "twats", there's a small chance they might not be.

It’s not OP’s responsibility to make sure her garden is safe for cats or that there is an escape route. If a cat can find its way in, it can find its way out.

If the neighbours don’t like it, they can keep their cat on their own property.

On our second viewing of the house we eventually bought last year, we noticed that the neighbour had a dog. A lovely friendly dog. IMMEDIATELY my anxiety spiked and I told myself nope nope nope we're not buying it, what if the dog attacks the cat?! This feeling thankfully only lasted a few seconds - I quickly realised I was being an unreasonable idiot 😬😬😬

(should have added that our cat is an indoor cat, so I was being ludicrously unreasonable 🤣😬🙈)

OP is not obliged to do anything, but everyone would be upset if her dog attacked a cat in her garden, and it is very easy just make sure there is a table or section of fence or whatever that the cat can jump on to. The cat would probably avoid the garden in future if the dog aggressively chased it once.
It's not so easy to keep a cat in your own garden however hard you try. I followed professional advice and had an 8-foot chicken wire fence put all round our garden, which in theory no cat can climb, but mine persevered and managed it on about the twentieth attempt.
It's tricky for cat owners. They love their pets and some cats are desperate to go out and explore, so it's neither fair nor easy to keep them indoors or in their own gardens.

cats rule, not dogs

It's tricky for cat owners. They love their pets and some cats are desperate to go out and explore, so it's neither fair nor easy to keep them indoors or in their own gardens.

None of which means anybody else is obliged to do anything to their own environment to facilitate it being nicer for cats.

I wouldn’t deliberately harm a cat (or any animal). But I wouldn’t be considering whether my garden was suitable for a cat if I didn’t have a cat - I’d be having it how I wanted. Not my cat, not my problem.

I love cats.

Tell them you do not want to see their cat out of your garden and nor does your dog.

Cat owner here.

I can confirm that your neighbours are indeed deranged. Their cat will go wherever it fancies - including amongst prickly plants if that's what it happens to choose to do...

The cat will go wherever it wants to go. The neighbour cannot dictate what another neighbour can or cannot do in their own property/garden.
I have a feeling this is only the beginning…

If it's anything like my cat it will go indoors just to shit in the litter box

I have two cats and I'm completely devoted to them. But in this case, I'm Team@butterflycatching and dog. Giving your dog the run of your garden that you are paying for is not the same as allowing a hellhound to rampage around the neighbourhood, eating everything and everybody that crosses its path. Most cats will scarper when they see a dog they don't like the look of. Those not up to scarpering tend to stay in their own house and garden. A dime to a dozen this CF is hoping to make their cat's poop your problem and that isn't on. Let your dog out when you want and plant what you like, but as a pp said, don't place too much faith in the power of prickles. A cat of ours once sat on a cactus until he'd squashed it flat.

Smile agree about checking for cat then totally ignore thereafter. Have both cat and dog and this is a mental request .Plant what you like and hopefully the cat will stay out .

In my own garden? Nope i wouldnt give it a moments worry other than if my own dogs got hurt as a cat is more than capable of doing a lot of damage. You see in my eyes my dogs are there as a loved pet, but also doing a job. They are there to make as much noise as possible if someone comes to the door, comes in my garden or a cat comes into the garden. You see that is their domain. That is their job, unless i tell them to stop, they are going to chase, bark and protect their domain.

My dogs are the softest, fluffiest dogs you can imagine. They wouldnt know what the hell to do if a cat turned and stood its ground. Thats not the point. Its more about show and noise. I prefer this for house/garden security over a ring doorbell so we can all compare our videos.

Unless their cat is elderly and senile or a kitten, it will soon learn to avoid gardens where dogs live. And if it wants to access the woodland (it may not) it will find a route by itself. They can walk along the tops of walls and fences, through tiny gaps in bushes.

Oh OP your NDN are deliciously batshit!

Whatever will they ask for next? 😂