To not want neighbours cats in my garden?

[Rainbow3210]

Our neighbour has cats and they keep coming into our garden. They have also made their way into our house several times through the window and back door. I’m currently pregnant and have two young children. The children get upset when they come in as they don’t understand why they come and go (they want them to stay to play with). We have a lot of songbirds birds that sit in a bush in our garden and the cats are constantly trying to hunt the birds.

The cats are also doing the toilet in the garden which my husband has to clean with a hose. I believe it’s not entirely safe to clean up cat mess when pregnant.

I spoke to the neighbour and asked if they could stop the cats coming into my house and garden. They said there is nothing that can be done.

Is it unreasonable that this is bothering me?

I completely agree. I’m a dog owner and I’d be mortified if my dog shit on someone’s lawn. She knows well enough that she isn’t allowed on anyone else’s driveway / garden.
I would be all for dog licences coming back, and probably wouldn’t disagree if they said they were introducing them for cats, although I’m not sure how well it would work.

Well I wouldn't

Because I like animals

So I wouldn't be so lazy in the first place as to get my cat, if I had one, used to roaming so that I didn't have to bother putting time and effort into creating enrichments at home!

Honestly just buy a water pistol and spray him every time he comes in. It won't hurt him and he'll start keeping away pretty quickly.

Exactly this! I have two cats I've counted ten other cats that pass through our garden since we've moved in last year, there's 4 cats living in close proximity to us, there's at least one stray that's on the cul de sac at some point every day! Stray cats are a big issue. There will always be cats about, at my last house it was like a cat conveyor belt over the years with different cats passing through, we had 5 different strays use our garden as a home over the years.

These people forget that everyone of us has the same problem! Because we have cats ourselves it doesn't make our gardens magical cat shit free zones! We all get cats coming in.

Yup same here. I have two neighbourhood cats that shit on my front lawn regularly

Because dogs are required to be under the control of their owners outdoors and can be trained, whereas cats have a right to roam and can’t be trained.if you have an outdoor cat, that’s what they do- roam! You can’t train them into avoiding the neighbours garden,

So would you personally be happy to pick up cat poo daily in your private garden if you had chosen not to own an animal? I think not.

thank you. not only that it happened but he shouted at me being a complete arse whilst I was polite

yup....you can say "I saw the cat do it" or, as I said, I have video of the cat doing it.....and the response is "nononononono its a fox"

I’ve got 2 big dogs & they both dislike cats so we don’t get many in the back garden. I leave them to it if they’re wandering around at the front as my dogs can’t get to them there. If I spot any out the back I tend to try & shoo them away as I’d hate my dogs to hurt/kill someone else’s pet & my older dog has managed to corner one before but luckily I intervened.

When streets don’t have enough cats living in them the rat and mouse population goes up.

they are useful for everyone

find something that the cats dislike and do it every time you see them - if the water gun doesn’t work try a loud noise!

and stop harassing your neighbours. Cats are part of life always have been.

You are absolutely not being unreasonable. Unfortunately people have a very selfish attitude towards pets in general and cats in particular. They want their interactive fluffy toys and everyone else can go and fuck themselves. This is unlikely to end anytime soon so you are correct, you just have to put up with it.

In Freemantle, Australia, cat owners are fined if their cats are found outside. Fingers crossed, that may be introduced into the UK sometime in the future.

but you could choose not to make the problem worse by having a cat or cats yourself?

You are absolutely not being unreasonable. Unfortunately people have a very selfish attitude towards pets in general and cats in particular. They want their interactive fluffy toys and everyone else can go and fuck themselves. This is unlikely to end anytime soon so you are correct, you just have to put up with it.

In Freemantle, Australia, cat owners are fined if their cats are found outside. Fingers crossed, that may be introduced into the UK sometime in the future:

In Fremantle, Western Australia, cats are effectively banned from roaming freely in public areas. According to Sky News, the city council has implemented changes to its cat management laws, designating all city-owned land, including roads, verges, and bushland, as cat prohibited areas. This means cats must be kept indoors or on a leash when outdoors.

Key points about Fremantle's cat laws:
Prohibited Areas: All public areas owned or managed by the City of Fremantle are cat prohibited areas, including roads, verges, footpaths, and car parks.

Wildlife Protection: The primary reason for these laws is to protect native wildlife from being preyed upon by domestic cats.

Responsible Pet Ownership: The aim is not to ban cats entirely, but to encourage responsible pet ownership by keeping cats contained, either indoors or in secure outdoor enclosures like a catio.

Fines for Violations: Owners who allow their cats to roam in prohibited areas may face fines.

Leash Policy: Cats can be walked outdoors if they are on a lead.

Formal Ratification: The amended local law requires formal ratification by the State Government before it comes into effect.

So are you claiming your cat never shat on someone else’s garden?

Many of is adopt rescues that have spent time living on the streets, your cringey condescending comment shows massive ignorance! Some cats are on the street that long that they can't be homed in houses and the rescues have to find them homes on farms etc. Ask your local cat rescue to teach you about the cold hard reality of strays and ferals.

Too logical.

Cats are bloody annoying. I've successfully kept them out by
a - throwing a glass of water at them
b - looking at them angrily in the eyes
c - covering any bare earth with plants (eg clover) < this stopped the poo

They soon learned not to come round.

I also had a rat problem, the neighbour’s cats would rather terrorise birds. They left cat food outside too, didn’t help.

It absolutely is unfair and I feel for youqra the yoghurt on the sofa why is you'd yoghurt on the sofa how can you not see it you should be at the table yes because it's on the sofa it's on your shorts pay attention to one thing at a time the little balls are. between the cushions cam you

Me too! The spikes along our back fence have made a massive difference. It’s my fence, I paid for it, scrubbed it, painted it all- stop walking on it and scrabbling back up scratching my fresh paintwork I spent hours on! Don’t like the feel of them? Good, get the message and keep out of MY garden! Good burglar deterrent too as a bonus 👌🏻 One more fence to add them along now 👏🏻

this country can barely run schools and hospitals it’s hardly going to achieve cat rules 🤣🤣🤣🤣

XL bullies still killing people - we can hardly contain those!

My next door neighbour actively encouraged my cat to go in her house so now he thinks he is welcome into my next door neighbours the other side. I told them to spray him with water every time.

You’re not listening though. So many posts suggesting to squirt it gently with water or set sprinklers or get higher fences etc; the onus is on you here. As everybody has highlighted, cats are allowed to roam. You might not like it, you might not think that’s right, you might be allergic, your children may think they are moving teddy bears.. ultimately, there is nothing the owners have to do and little they actually could do so if you want to keep them out, it’s on YOU.

Money, money, money.