AIBU to be annoyed neighbour put spikes on the fence?

[SunnyLuny]

We’ve lived in this house for nearly 5 years. At first neighbour was very welcoming and friendly. She’s an older lady (late 60s?) who lives on her own. She used to be lovely to our children. The past 3 years though shes just completely changed. She stopped talking to us, actively avoids us and blanks us. If we smile and say hello when we see her she looks down and pretends we aren’t speaking to her. It’s so bizarre. The only thing that has changed is we got a cat. He is an outdoor cat and admittedly probably does go into her garden.

Today she’s been hammering spikes into the fence! No warning or conversation. Infact whenever we go outside she runs into her greenhouse to hide until we go back in! I think this is so passive aggressive and I’m actually upset that she seems to think she can’t even approach us. We’ve always been friendly. She’s never spoken to us about the cat bothering her. I probably wouldn’t be bothered about the spikes if she had told us beforehand or said she had an issue with the cat. DP thinks I should go speak to her and just ask what’s going on but my parents think I should just ignore it. Aibu if I say something?

"...DP thinks I should go speak to her and just ask what’s going on but my parents think I should just ignore it. Aibu if I say something?..."

No need to ask her what's going on OP, it's obvious.
The time to speak to her would have been when you were thinking about getting a cat that would be likely to shit in her garden.

I’ve got cats and have for many years and I’ve watched one of my own happily drop one and wonder off no burying it.

That's what I thought. The best you can do is plant a spiky bush or tree, I believe.

That’s ridiculous, people can own a pet & cats absolutely should not be kept inside it’s cruel

You can cat proof your own garden so they can still experience the outside.

But you did know. You said it in your first post. "admittedly it's probably going into her garden"

I agree, plastic spikes don't tend to bother cats. My last next door neighbour detested all cats (mine literally never went into her garden - they crap in the woods and fields beside our house) and she nailed these spikes all the way around the top of her wall. She'd barely finished doing this and had gone inside when I went to put the bin out and spotted my cat jumping up onto her wall to see what she'd done, and proceeded to settle down on top of the spikes! I grabbed him off and took him inside (I haven't seen him do that again) but he definitely wasn't hurt or bothered by them.

OP, you might find it makes no difference to your cat going in her garden at all, so if you can find a way of encouraging your cat to crap elsewhere it might improve relations...

Be thankful your NDN is only blanking you.

A less scrupulous neighbour would be putting down rat poison to rid themselves of their ‘rodent infestation’.

No sympathy for the neighbour who has had three years to speak about the cat, and has not done so.

You caused the problem when you got a cat & let it into other people's gardens.

Why should the neighbour come to you to negotiate? Maybe she doesn't feel comfortable. She's taken a tion to stop the problem affecting her. You don't need to change anything.

You could have spoken to her when you got the car and asked her to let you know if there were any problems.

I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to do this.

That’s very difficult unless you cage them outside, it’s not an experience they need it’s the ability to roam

Tell that to the places where the only way to keep them safe from predators is to cat proof the garden or keep them in.

They need enrichment much like dogs and other animals they don’t need freedom to shut in peoples veg beds.

Cats are protected by law as free roaming animals. The op has done nothing wrong.

You should make a bed in your garden to plant seeds in. Buy some expensive seeds to put in and you'll understand.

Here’s the thing. You haven’t done anything to stop it. Forcing an awkward chat and waiting until she takes measures isn’t you repairing the situation. You should have got ahead of it.

Exactly. People think they are more entitled to the outdoors than animals.

I don’t know if he was shitting there or not though? Knowing he sits on the fence and lounges on the grass doesn’t mean I know he’s been taking fat dumps in her roses.

I don't understand this at all. If I had a dog which was constantly squeezing under the fence into my neighbours' gardens, stalking wildlife in them and shitting in them, it would clearly be outrageous. Certain people seem to think it's somehow a totally different situation when it's a cat. I don't get this at all. It's not as if these are wild animals.

Why would someone choose to get an animal which spends most of its time wandering around in other people's space?

Of course it's the fault of the owner. They were the ones who decided to get a cat and let it outside.

one word really. Catio.

this

For those who don’t believe cats shit in other people’s gardens - here is my neighbours front garden with at least 5 piles of cat shit in it - possibly more further up I can’t see.
The local cats were doing it in our front garden too, but thankfully the plants have now grown up enough to cover all the soil/chippings. I fully expect to get more as the plants die back in autumn. It stinks & is absolutely disgusting.

How can I get ahead of a problem I had no idea about?

Because everyone knows cats shit where they want litter box or not.