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?

In the grand scale of things two neighbourhood cats don't really count as a huge issue.Keep a sense of perspective and appreciate that there's little you can do about this issue.If a jumping cat can break a fence it was in very poor shape.

If you attach the sloped mesh, the cats can’t walk on it and can’t jump over it as they don’t know what’s on the other side so they would be taking a leap of faith to jump across the mesh. Their paws fall through so they can’t walk easily on it.

The majority of homes have cameras and this is an animal cruelty issue. I'd be careful of tactics like this, especially if you implicate children.

I wasn't suggesting the OP live in a 'baking hot house' i was suggesting she close the kitchen window if she isn't in the kitchen as a cat keeps getting in that way. Also it's not great security leaving your kitchen window open if you're not in the kitchen.

Unless the OPs house is really weird she'll have loads of other windows she can leave open .

Yes the cats have managed to catch a couple of birds in my garden which has been upsetting. We also had an incident last year with a cat that came into our garden and caught a bird and left it badly injured. I took it in a box to the local wildlife sanctuary. When I called later for an update they said the bird’s injuries were horrific and it died a few hours after I dropped it off.

God people really hate cats

You can use a water pistol to train them
To stay away

That only works if you hate gardening as much as you hate cats. My garden doesn't have a single fence, it has hedges and trees all round. If you do this in a fenced garden you can't have a single tree, shrub or plant higher than 6 ft near to the fence which is extremely limiting. I expect the type of people who do this have paving, AstroTurf and a couple of pots of pelargoniums.

Haven't RTFT (21 pages… no thanks!) but OP have you thought of getting those little spinning things for the top of your garden fence?– it apparently prevents the cats from climbing over (either way).
oscillot.uk/products/6-2-cat-proof-fence-kit?variant=47770021003608&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google+Shopping&stkn=e19730cff580&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22446633486&gbraid=0AAAAADP5EhlahyvXCxGg7wy2RcvKNj5eB&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqebEBhD9ARIsAFZMbfwDOHL0Dazql_tNf-0WhWIiATren6eNY4eo1otfHwCXmSau8rCyvnQaAn41EALw_wcB&shpxid=b81bd68f-61a7-4539-99a5-55ae2f1a7b94

Understand why you may be annoyed but your neighbour is right nothing they can do. Put some cat deterrents around your garden and see if that helps but I think allowing them in is encouraging them to poop in your garden

I’m pregnant, both of us working full time with two young children - so yes we do have a lot on our plate.

I would keep the door shut. Why does it need to be open all the time? And don't open windows wide enough downstairs for cat to get in?

And as for a cat breaking a fence - it must have been in a dilapidated state already to break so easily.

You seem to have an answer for everything when posters are making suggestions. I'm thinking if you both work full time with 2 young kids how the heck do you have so much time to be worrying about cats?

How many cats are there???

I think this is part of having neighbours.

My old neighbours hated cats. But not as much as everyone hated them for allowing kids to scream and shout all day. I'd want to be sure I was the perfect neighbour before complaining to someone about their cats habits.

Understandably, you don't want it in your house. Water pistols may work and shooing it off. But it's a bit much to expect that an already outdoor cat can be contained 🤣

People have a right to live and to use their homes reasonably and normally. How absurd to suggest that you should sit in a baking hot house in summer, with no windows open, just because somebody who lives nearby decided that their unmonitored pet should have more freedoms and rights to your own house than you do.

Oh gosh - are there no windows that open upstairs??

Their 'unmonitored pet' 😂It's a cat, not a boa constrictor

Thank you will look into this option!

You've finally jumped the shark OP.

My daughter volunteers at a local wildlife sanctuary. If any animal is brought in with 'horrific injuries' its obviously not going to overcome then it's despatched quickly. It's not left to suffer for hours until it's inevitable death.

Cameras have certainly proved useful for proving which neighbour’s cat regularly poos in my front garden- they now come and clear it up. More people need to insist on this. Not my pet!

Yep. I adore my gardens and my children playing in them.

I’ve spent the last 15 years picking up cat poo from multiple cats that aren’t ours. I have chosen to have no pets. We have spent loads of time and money buying and trying out all sorts of sirens, cat repellent products, wire mesh, fence spikes, plants, etc. I feel really sorry for people struggling with money who can’t even buy all this. I have beautifully arranged beds and flower pots which now look awful surrounded by holly leaves and prickly plastic mats.

As a child I knew to clean up after my own pet. From age 8 I spent every weekend scrubbing out Guinea pig hutches, water bottles and water bowls. From age 15 I cleaned out my hamster’s cage. My Mum clears up after her dog. My sister keeps her cats inside with a litter tray. It would never occur to me to be so selfish to buy an animal and absolve myself of any responsibility to clear up after it. No other type of pet owner gets away with this.

Why on earth would I like cats or be happy about them ruining my enjoyment of my own gardens whilst also worrying about my children treading in it or it contaminating their garden toys? Glad they are a bit older now. Would you like picking up a neighbour’s dog poo or dealing with their child’s dirty nappies? That’s the equivalent of what I am forced to do. Oh and they don’t bury it, and it stinks!!! Thanks a lot!

That’s weird. I’ve never met a cat that doesn’t bury its poo!

Cats have the right to roam and so they should. If your cats roam you reallt can’t help the fact of where they poo. So , no , it’s nothing like not cleaning up dog poo which one is very able to do, or dealing with a kids dirty nappies 😂.

Do you also go about in a rage about bird poo?

That’s weird. I’ve never met a cat that doesn’t bury its poo!

Cats have the right to roam and so they should. If your cats roam you reallt can’t help the fact of where they poo. So , no , it’s nothing like not cleaning up dog poo which one is very able to do, or dealing with a kids dirty nappies 😂.

Do you also go about in a rage about bird poo?

No idea why that posted twice

Jeyes fluid sprayed on hard surfaces is the only thing that worked for us. Cats don’t like the smell and as an added bonus it’s a disinfectant. Not only did lion poo/citrus/sticks/ultrasound not work for us, it made our garden look shit.

We’d all live in prisons then! Apart from cat proofing looking unsightly they also potentially trap other animals in the garden such as foxes who can’t get back out again. If you live in London there is zero room for a catio. I have never had a neighbour’s cat walk into my house even with the doors open. They learn safe territory very quickly so will be deterred by other cats/dogs but failing that simply scaring them by loud noises and clapping with make them wary about entering the garden. My parents trained my cats growing up to not go upstairs that way and they never did.

I sincerely hope they get caught. I presume you’ve quoted me in error as I am shocked that anyone would be cruel to animals even worse encouraging children to do so.

me either. Our neighbour told us our cat was pooing on his patio . Turned out to be foxes. Cats instinctively bury their poo to hide it from predators. Occasionally they might not but it isn’t usual. Putting coffee grounds into a flower bed tends to work to deter cats from doing it.

I find the attitude of cat owners, who think it’s perfectly reasonable to for their cat to shit in their neighbours gardens, appalling. Why is this OK? I just don’t understand!!