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Original poster

Neighbour has blocked hedgehog holes in the garden?

144 replies

staceyslatericeskater · 02/10/2025 00:14

My next door neighbour has blocked the hedgehog holes on our shared fence.

The holes were already there when we moved in which was done by the housing developer.

My cat was pooing in her garden and roaming there and from what I understand she didn’t want her toddlers stepping on the cat poo.

Is this even legal?

OP posts:
CherryBlossom321 · 02/10/2025 16:24

BumpyWinds · 02/10/2025 09:55

Two issues here - the cat and the hedgehog holes.

On the hedgehog holes front, if they were put in by the developer, there may be a covenant in place to say they need to remain unblocked. It was likely a planning permission condition when the properties were built. The neighbour is mad if they think this is how your cat keeps getting through! They can climb/jump fences after all! We have concrete base boarded 6-foot fences all the way round our garden and our cat gets out perfectly well!

Onto the cat. Cats do have a right to roam. I have a cat and our neighbour has mentioned that she has poo'd in their garden. We told the neighbour that she should scare her/spray her with water, if she catches her doing it. She'll soon learn that her garden is out of bounds.

Agreed - we have these hedgehog holes and they are mentioned in the covenant that they must not be interfered with. I’d imagine this to now be fairly standard on new developments.

We had a particularly persistent cat in our garden when we moved here, until I turned the hose on it a few times. Avoids our garden and in fact me, like the plague now.

HostaCentral · 02/10/2025 16:33

I look at my garden, entirely surrounded by hedges, and full of cats, hedgehogs, deer, raptors, general birds, rats and mice, the odd escaped dog from down the road, etc etc and wonder why people get so annoyed by encroaching nature. Honestly. We get poo, we get stuff eaten, we get ticks, we get all sorts ..... I would hate to live somewhere where boxed up into little plots, entirely cut off from the natural world. It's no wonder nature is depleted.

Nearly50omg · 02/10/2025 16:34

Unpaidviewer · 02/10/2025 15:21

My neighbours cat constantly shits on my garden and never covers it! We thought it was a small dog getting in the garden so put a camera up, nope its their bloody cat. Its infuriating and I dont blame your neighbour at all. I would love to use our garden or cut the grass without having to search every inch. You should be thankful this is the only step theyre taking, in some areas cats have been shot with air rifles or poisoned.

Chuck it back over their fence back into their garden each and every time! Spade and fling!!! The more splatter it makes when it goes over the faster they will be to sort out their cat!

Phoenixfire1988 · 02/10/2025 19:26

She knows cats can jump right ? So covering a hole won't stop them at all ! Only way is get rid of the gravel 🤷‍♀️

Ebeneser · 02/10/2025 21:17

Ruggerlass · 02/10/2025 08:17

Cat’s bury their poo so if her toddlers are stepping on poo it’s more likely to be hedgehog poo which does look similar to cat poo. I’d explain this to her and reopen the hole. Her closing the hole is not going to stop your cat which in any case has the legal right to roam. My cat thinks nothing of jumping climbing over 6’ high fences. He has a litter test but won’t use it.

I can assure you, cats do not bury their poo. I've even personally witnessed one of the bastard things pooing on my gravel drive right by my car door. I have on more than one occassion forgotten to check before getting out of the car and goddam stood in it.

I had to constantly de-cat poo my garden a couple of years ago to stop my then toddler from standing in it or my previous dog from eating it. It only stopped when the cat got run over. Thankfully not much cat poo now as we have a new dog and I deliberately let her out in the garden to chase any cats, so I think they are finally getting the hint to shit elsewhere.

Laura95167 · 02/10/2025 21:47

I assume she only blocked the hedgehog holes from her side. On her land? In whichcase of course its legal.

Not sure why you care either

carly2803 · 02/10/2025 21:48

offer to buy her a super soaker or a motion activated sprinkler because that is disgusting where your cat is crapping!

Laura95167 · 02/10/2025 21:50

staceyslatericeskater · 02/10/2025 10:03

As PP mentions the hedgehog holes were part of a convent taken these houses were first built a few years ago as this is semi rural area.

Yes the neighbour is aware they are hedgehog holes and she basically says she dosent want to be clearing any kind of animal poo in her garden as her kids play there.

She did mention to me that she does like cats and has owned some in the past but she just doesn’t want them in her garden because of her kids and the pooing which is understandable.

She has put those black prickly things on the tops of the gates so my cat doesn’t really bother now (her words).

I wouldnt be bothering myself with what shes done on her side of her fence and the legalities of her choice

Soontobe60 · 02/10/2025 21:53

Ruggerlass · 02/10/2025 08:17

Cat’s bury their poo so if her toddlers are stepping on poo it’s more likely to be hedgehog poo which does look similar to cat poo. I’d explain this to her and reopen the hole. Her closing the hole is not going to stop your cat which in any case has the legal right to roam. My cat thinks nothing of jumping climbing over 6’ high fences. He has a litter test but won’t use it.

The cats over the road from me who shit in my planters in my front garden defending bury their shit - they leave it proudly lying on the top of the soil amongst the lovely flowers. Bastards!

intrepidpanda · 02/10/2025 22:06

It's a shame you wanting a cat has resulted in these having to be closed. We should be encouraging wiildlife above pet ownership. But it won't happen because the pet industry has their claws in

fraughtcouture · 03/10/2025 04:57

This has to be a wind up!!

Change2banon · 03/10/2025 14:03

Lou802 · 02/10/2025 15:47

I've lived next to lots of dogs and never had them left out to bark.

On the other hand I just went out to mow the lawn and nearly stood in cat poo, I was going to post a pic as it is literally just sitting on top of the lawn but don't don't know if MN would approve poo pictures. I have a garden that wraps around 3 sides of the house so no idea how I'd keep cats out either. I wish someone would tell our neighbours cats that they bury their poo though - just not in my veg patch. And no it's not hedgehogs.

Edited
Show quote history

Theres a dog lives behind and a few doors down from me. It is put out in the garden regularly throughout the day, and it just whines/barks - it can last 10 minutes to a couple of hours - it’s heartbreaking. I don’t mind dogs barking etc, but my goodness I feel so sorry for the ones just left out to whine, all they want is human company 😢

My 2 cats are indoor cats. We have many cats visit our garden. 1 poos and covers it, 1 sprays agains our wall which is infuriating. I used to like seeing them roaming around, but not so much now due to their habits. If I see the one who sprays I tend to open the back door and he runs away. You can get various products to deter cats, some natural plants work too, or just get a water pistol and squirt them if you see them.

Tessabelle74 · 04/10/2025 18:00

You can't claim to be a wildlife lover whilst letting your cat outside! The hedgehogs will be safer not going into a garden with a resident cat anyway. Oh and cat shit is disgusting, why on earth would you think she's unreasonable to protect her child from that?

TheLurpackYears · 04/10/2025 18:04

I guess you read your deeds and the planning permission for the developers and see if there are any conditions of covenants about hedgehog holes. And it’s a shared fence rather than being solely yours, so you have an equal right to unblock them…
Other than that all you can do is make your own garden a better habitat for hedgehogs.

BitOutOfPractice · 04/10/2025 18:04

The cat that used to shit on my front door mat never got the memo about cats always burying their poo.

Tessabelle74 · 04/10/2025 18:05

BitOutOfPractice · 04/10/2025 18:04

The cat that used to shit on my front door mat never got the memo about cats always burying their poo.

One of my neighbours cats shits in the passage between me and my neighbour, it's paving slabs!

BitOutOfPractice · 04/10/2025 18:06

I’d bet my mortgage that the hedgehog holes were just a marketing gimmick from the house builders anyway.

godmum56 · 04/10/2025 20:27

TheLurpackYears · 04/10/2025 18:04

I guess you read your deeds and the planning permission for the developers and see if there are any conditions of covenants about hedgehog holes. And it’s a shared fence rather than being solely yours, so you have an equal right to unblock them…
Other than that all you can do is make your own garden a better habitat for hedgehogs.

that depends on how they are blocked. The OP has no right to enter her neighbour's garden or to move/remove anything owned by the neighbour. If there is no covenant on the home owners to maintain the holes (NOT the developer, the home owner) then there is nothing the OP can do.

BauhausOfEliott · 04/10/2025 22:38

Ruggerlass · 02/10/2025 08:17

Cat’s bury their poo so if her toddlers are stepping on poo it’s more likely to be hedgehog poo which does look similar to cat poo. I’d explain this to her and reopen the hole. Her closing the hole is not going to stop your cat which in any case has the legal right to roam. My cat thinks nothing of jumping climbing over 6’ high fences. He has a litter test but won’t use it.

I’ve seen my neighbour’s cat shit in the middle of my lawn. Its idea of ‘burying’ its turds is just feebly scuffing at the grass with its paw a couple of times. It doesn’t actually cover anything at all.

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