To think cat ownership should be considered more anti-social than it is

[airportfloor]

I am a single working parent. I live in a terraced house in a middle of the city. Each house on my street and the parallel one has a small yard. I have spent time and money to make my yard as attractive as it can be, putting in borders with a small number of plants, and some pots.

Neighbours on all sides have cats - some have more than one cat each. The problem is for me that cats are taking over my yard.

On a daily basis the cats dig up my planters, putting mud on the floor and pulling out plants. They do this because my border is the hippest place to shit. So now I have a border that on one side is kitchen herbs and the other side mud and cat shit. RANK.

I have to check before I can let my kids play out there because they also like shitting right by my door.

This morning I was greeted with a mass of pigeon feathers that I had to clear up where some unlucky bird saw its fate.

They knock over my pots, causing more mess.

In the summer I can't have my back door open because the cats will walk into my house. I was once in my bed and a cat came in my bedroom. They would come in every time the door was open if I left it. When I wfh with the door open I sit with a small water pistol so I can aim it at the door.

I have very little spare time of money and am furious I have to spend both of them now finding out how I can make my yard seem less desirable to cats, then putting this plan into action.

One of my cat-owning neighbours plays loud music and smokes weed in his yard but his two cats are more annoying than both those behaviours.

I have just seen one of the bastards digging out my borders again and am furious.

AIBU: yes, now you've put it so calmly and succinctly, cats have got a great PR team and people should consider that if they get a cat their neighbours have to put up with their shitty actions which could be mitigated by a nice packet of biscuits at christmas

NOT BU: get over it

[post edited by MNHQ at poster's request]

This made me laugh you do have a point could you imagine just going for a shit in your neighbours garden and it being an acceptable thing 🤣🤣

I mis-read as car, which i would completely agree with

You could tell them. Or you could be a responsible cat owner and ensure they can't leave your property.

Haha!

My cat never leaves his property. However his boundaries are different from human boundaries. HTH.

I don't have a cat (although I think their hilarious the attitude on them is just funny) but even i know you can't stop a cat leaving the property unless you lock them in which is just cruel. There is no such thing as a cat owner you're there employee

The hippest place to shit. Brilliant.

For a moment reading that I thought that her kids liked shitting by the back door.

My chickens would also agree with you because they keep digging themselves dust baths and then my cats come along and shit in them.
Presumably my cats think I have got the chickens for the sole purpose of being their toilet digging slaves.

🤣🤣

Having a cat myself (pitchforks away she’s an indoor girl!) I would say the fact you don’t like them and try to scare them away will only encourage them. Maybe try being overly friendly and fuss them and they will avoid you.

OP Have you looked at preventative measures?

There are deterrent mats, pellets, even motion activated sprinklers. Have you also checked whether the plants you have actually attract the cats? I've never heard of a cat digging up plants before.

You don't have to passively accept feline visitors. But I will 100% take cats over the foxes that drizzle bumjuice over our paths nightly.

Pet ownership in general is pretty selfish, and I say that as a cat owner. Barking, shitting, bird killing, biting, picnic snaffling, jumping up, being stinky, the furry fuckers are all bastards in their own way.

Current view out of my DS's bedroom, so I'm fully with you @airportfloor
The stench in my house is disgusting in summer if I dare to open my windows.

Can't let him play as he's ended up covered in it (he's only 4 so likes to dig near his mud kitchen).

Honestly, I hate it.
I don't get how people are so defensive when this actually impact how others can live and use their homes.

Not to mention the cost of replacing my roof now.

YANBU OP but don’t expect the comments to reflect that. You’ll be told all sorts on here “it’s foxes”, “have you tried spending all day sat at the back door squirting them with a water gun?” “orange peel helps”.
There is no solution that doesn’t involve you spending £££ while the cat owners don’t actually give a shit what their pet gets up to when they’re not looking.

Only those with cats they allow out would disagree.

I feel the same.

I’ve never owned a cat, but love seeing other people’s in the garden. They are fascinating to watch. Lovely.

Well, if people allow their cats to roam into my garden, it might not end happily.

My two retired racers may be the laziest hounds alive but they can move pretty sharpish if they spy a cat in their garden.

Cat's are legally considered to have a 'right to roam'.
We have cats but have cat proofed our garden so they cannot get out and they have litter trays indoors.
I would be mortified if one of my cats was causing a nuisance with toileting in someone else's garden.
From what you have said, no judgement, but I am not sure your neighbours would feel likewise.
An effective cheap solution would be to leave orange or lemon peel hidden around your courtyard, cats hate the smell of citrus.

They definitely do dig up plants. One dug up my nicely growing coriander last night (spotted on my security camera) and then shat in the pot so that now has to be binned. I am now waging war with chilli powder, a bag of rocks and electrified fencing. Its either that or just open the door and let my dog deal with them. Destructive little fuckers.

What do you think should happen to all the cats then?

A lot of this sounds like complete exaggeration. They knock your plants over every day? Most cats and very careful around objects not to knock them over. And youre so hard up yet apparently can afford and extravagant garden?

Sprinkle chilli powder EVERYWHERE. I buy the big bags from the Indian supermarket cheaply but mix in some extra extra hot stuff from amazon to make it extra spicy. Does my plants no harm but stops the cats and the foxes digging, apparently coffee grounds work too.

All we need now is a smoking/vaping outside thread and we'll have a full house

They don't poop in their own garden so the trick is actually to make friends with the cats and make them believe your garden is their garden.

I'd be suprised if it was a cat getting the pigeons, ours ge bullied by the magpies