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?

They aren't wildlife, they're domestic animals that belong to someone, so if you stole my cat I would contact the police.
Unfortunately for cat haters, despite being domestic animals, the law still says they have the right to roam.
If I had a homing pigeon, for example, that flew into your garden, you would have no right to keep it either.

Our neighbour has 12 cats!! 😡
They stink!
They piss & shit anywhere and everywhere!!
Its a bloody nightmare!!!

Completely different animals, completely different behaviours and needs. There's no comparison.

Dogs used to need to have a licence, that should be brought back.

If you chuck a bucket of water over them a few times they won't come back.

Yanbu. After 2 years of next doors cat pooing in our garden which has a tiny lawn and my daughter not being able play on the lawn due to cat poo. Yes it was cat poo as saw it come out of the cat. We moved...it's the only solution... nothing else works on this pest.

We ended up erecting a 'catio', which is fencing as high as is allowed (6 feet) with additional see-though wire netting on top (to allow light through) with some canny twists and dips on top which stops cats getting a purchase on the fence. This means they can't jump or climb over.

It keeps the neighbours' cats out of our garden and away from our animals, and protects visiting birds, dragonflies, damselflies, bats etc.

I don't care what the neighbours think of it. They shouldn't have slabbed over their own gardens and then got multiple cats.

So they're NOT wildlife now... See... Good we're getting somewhere

I didn't steal it. it came here by itself. I am allowed to close my door. I will immediately hand it back to the nice copper and tell them exactly how much I DONT want it coming in and making itself at home....

How many times are you going to bother them before you bother to enclosed YOUR garden?

I don’t know any cat that will touch cheap cat food.

I don't want to keep it. Come and take it back!

It just comes in before I closed the door.

Cheeky fecker

Try orange peel and stop with the hose. Just pick it up fgs.

Just had to chase my neighbours cat off my counter where my cat was watching him eat his food.

We found that two sonar devices at opposite ends of our small garden sorted the problem out. Our non-cat neighbours on one side have them too. We did years of chucking water at the cats but it didn’t work as there are so many cats in the road and we’re not always in the garden. We switch the devices off when one of my adult kids is here and in the garden, as she can hear them.

Cats have a right to roam wherever they wish. This idea is based on the fact that dog and livestock owners are obliged by law to keep their animals under control - but these duties do not apply to cat owners. The law recognises that cats are less likely to cause injury to people or damage property than some other animals.

However, cat owners do have a duty at law to take reasonable care to ensure that their cats do not injure people or damage property. Cases involving damage to property or injury to people by cats are rare.

I’m sure most aren’t fussy. I haven’t got all day to sit at my patio doors with a water pistol. But leaving a big bowl of cat food in the garden is within my control, and my right. It’s my garden.
If the cats are coming in anyway, then I may as well…if only to piss off their owners.

Fortunately my spike mats are working well at the moment.

also for cats

I won't want to keep it, as soon as you come to claim it back: ITS YOURS. but you'll have to keep coming. Until you can think of oh, some other way to not have to keep coming! I'm not leaving my doors open all day now that they're so many fruit flies about!

I've had cats for 40 years. There are numerous cats around here, all allowed outdoors, how on earth is anyone supposed to know which cat has shat where? 😂
Fortunately I live somewhere with normal neighbours who wouldn't dream of expecting someone else to come into their garden and pick up random cat turds.

Mumsnet - "It's cruel to have indoor cats"
Also Mumsnet - "I don't want cats in my garden or killing birds".

Not everyone has the right sort of house/garden for a catio or cat proof fencing.
I suppose those people just shouldn't have cats!

OP, I sympathise but there's not a lot you can do except scare them away.

can i ask which ones you bought please?

Hate cats, so bad for wildlife killing birds all the time and shitting everywhere. Also annoys me the constant whatsapp and fb messages for lost cats...ffs (hopefully eaten by a massive bird!!).

I get the hose out to them in our garden.

I suppose those people just shouldn't have cats!

yup

Well yeah it's almost as if you should consider things like that when choosing pets eh

Or you can keep retrieving YOUR cat if it roams into my house. I might decide I don't like the doors open after all..

Yeah not really sure what the gotcha was here. “My house is not suitable for a cat”. Well, don’t get one then?

They were a pack of 2 from Amazn, about £50. Just had a look but they don’t have a brand on them. They work well for us but It is a very small garden though.

You mention in one of your posts having a dog - what breed is it, and does it 'patrol' in your garden? Seems odd that cats are treating your house and garden as a free-for-all when there's a dog about. My dog tolerates my two cats but goes nuts if another comes into the garden. She's a Jack Russell cross though, terriers are known for it.

I didn't read all the replies. But if you could spell properly it would really help