Cats in my garden AGAIN...

[fattybumbum]

Some of you may remember a recent thread on here where I said that my neighbour (semi detached) had acquired 4 kittens (as well as having an older cat already) and they were all shitting in our newly done up garden. It has been a big problem often up to 5 deposits a day. I couldn't clear them up as I was pregnant and have a 3 year old who couldn't play out over the summer as the garden was full of shit and he has eczema. WELL, the problem has now escalated. We started spraying the cats with a hose to keep them out. It was working, then we noticed that the neighbours were not talking to us (including their kids).

I hadn't sprayed any cats for the last few weeks as I'd had the baby and had been ill too but today I saw one trying to poo under the tree where my son always plays so I got the hose and squirted it.

Next thing a voice SCREAMS, 'Don't you squirt my cats you fat fucking bitch!' and she is hanging out the upstairs window with her son. I said, 'Don't tell me what to do in my own garden.' She started screaming more stuff at me but I walked inside shouting, 'That is anti social behaviour I am going to report you to the council.' and shut the door.

Flaming hell, I don't want to start a whole 'thing' with our neighbours but the woman is nuts. I've seen her having ding dongs in the street with the neighbours on her other side and don't want to start all that. Plus she is really a nasty piece of work, very big build and very aggressive (She called the other neighbour's son a black bastard to the mother's face.' Should I report her to the council (we are not council tenants ourselves so not sure how it stands.) But seriously, I can't believe she just screamed at me like that. The woman is a bully! So what now?

I don't think I can cope witht he stress of all this right now. I have a new baby, an infection in my section wound and my son is beinginvestigated for epilepsy. This is just the last straw.

[prettyfly1]

emsy your attitude is a bit shocking. My cats were pooing in my next door neighbours garden and I told her to hose them as they are allergic. I have no qualms with it at all - it did work, it didnt hurt them and they know to leave them alone. The op did nothing that warranted such abuse and your neighbour should be reported to the council just for that.

[Longtalljosie]

Another cat owner who would have no problem with you hosing my beloved mog if you wanted him out of your garden. Cats are smart, they soon learn. I used to spray him with water when he miaowed outside our bedroom door at 4am (old house was open-plan) - it's there in the pet discipline books.

[pugsandseals]

If only hosing them worked!
I do not suggest any animal is harmed BTW- just that they should be kept inside. We also have the problem of many birds & field mice being killed by the horrible creatures- as well as their battle scarred faces where they are always fighting with each other! If people wish to have pets that's their choice but I do get very annoyed at not being able to use our garden!
I would try the lion poo if I thought me & DD wouldn't be allergic to that as well!

[Meandacat]

I'm yet another cat owner that thinks there's no harm whatsoever in letting them have a dose of the hose. FFS, it's just water and it's not like you're squirting them for any kind of malicious fun!! Only problem is that they are clever enough to know they'll only get hose if caught in the garden and they'll still come in if they see you're not there. So I reckon some of the other deterrents should be worth checking out. And more to the point, if they're a little more discrete then hopefully your stupid neighbour won't be prompted to yell at you again.

[jellybeans]

Cats are always pooping in my garden, tried the pellets but they don't work, cats love it. I like cats but not cat poo. I don't have a cat so why should I have cat crap in my garden for my kids to step in?

Cat owners should take more responsibility for their cats, my sister has 3 cats and they stay around her house/garden. Having crap in your garden is not somthing one should have to put up with.

I don't agree with poisoning etc though so will be looking for humane suggestions for my cat poop issue!! Do those cat ornaments work, with the reflective eyes, does anyone know?

btw YANBU and your neighbour is selfish.

[Aussieng]

Totally agree - I have 2 cats and a hose is fine (just perhaps not the jet spray setting)

Your neighbour is a cow, the cats are a red herring, people like this look to create issues.

Remember that since you own your house, if you come to sell it, you may have to disclose any disputes with neighbours. I would not let this prevent you from taking action if the shouting of abuse continues but it is something to bear in mind.

Have you thought about a motion sensor water spray? This might be slightly less inflamatory to your neighbour than you standing there like Jesse james with your water pistol?

[PeachyInCarnivalFeathers]

Jellyn hpow does she do that?i'dlove to know how to kep the cat in the garden but wouldn't consider a house cat, IMO only a choice one should make if option free- eg moving to a flat after owning a cat for a while. Most people I know who are qualified to say so (eg my Sis) say that it is unhealthry for them.

[jellybeans]

No idea how she does it, they are rescue cats and very healthy, she has had animals for years and rescued several. She does have a good size house and garden though.

[gagamama]

It is absurd that cats are allowed to wander wherever they please without any kind of consequences for the owner. Obviously you can't always trace a cat owner, but what other livestock/pet/posession can you allow outside to move anywhere within a neighbourhood without expectation that it will be seized, stolen or damaged? If dogs or sheep or tarantulas were on the loose, they would be rounded up immediately, and that's before they've started causing damage to personal property, which cats do as a matter of course.

[PeachyInCarnivalFeathers]

Ah,my experience of rescue animals is that they dowander less- many reasons I suspect.

I son't hink our cat is a juisance to people- quiote ther everse, they keeptrying to adopt him ....very child friendly older cat though, more likely to be found outside school waiting for the kids for a cuddle than in someone elses garden (has his own guaranteed spot in ours).

Obv.not all cats are like that. Ours is getting a little tubby though bu the time we, our elderly neighbour and then the family behind us have all fed him though (but as he's quite old I am not as worried as imight be otherwise- he has limited years left whatever)

[PeachyInCarnivalFeathers]

The big difference between acat /dog etc in my opinion is that a dog is truly domesticated whilst a cat is a semi-wild (at best) animal we deign to allow into our homes; there's a big argument for us being domesticated by them! So rather than comparing them to dogs etc that are trainable, they could be mroe like a bird or hedgehog that flits from place to place.

[AnnieBeansMum]

I should have explained the lion poo better. It is essentially compost that has been soaked in lion poo....errr...juices. (EEK that sounds bad). It doesn't smell and it is completely non-toxic for children and it's apparently quite good for your garden. It's not like you just stick a turd of poo in your garden!

[PurpleCrazyHorse]

We got fed up with cats pooing in our garden so got our own cat (from the RSPCA). She uses a litter tray so poo is all in one place and I emptied it when pregnant using surgical gloves! Haven't had any cat poo in our garden since we got her

We've kept our litter tray because I want to limit her possibility of pooing in other neighbours gardens by ensuring she has somewhere to go here. Unfortunately I can't stop her if she does but I wouldn't mind neighbours spraying her with water if she was causing a problem.

[Parmageddon]

Lol at tarantulas roaming free in our gardens!

[bentneckwine1]

My cat uses a litter tray in the house and I empty a poo most days so I am happy that I am limiting the mess that he may have made in other peoples gardens.

I aslo restrict the time of day that he gets out of the house...time it to avoid occasions when he might need to use litter tray. He gets brought in at night and also if I am going to be out the house for a while...don't want him meowing on the doorstep!!

This is the first cat I have had after many years of dog owning...I took really bad at first when the cat would go off exploring out of sight. With a dog you know where they are, keep them on lead in public and clean up their mess.

Perhaps that is why I am still happy to empty a litter tray despite my cat being well past the kitten stage. Maybe your neighbours need to have a litter tray available if they have so many cats in one house. I hope you get some respite.

[TootaLaFruit]

I have cats and always feel really bad when the neighbours say they've been pooing in the flowerbeds (the cats, not the neighbours...)
YANBU to be offended by this woman, she sounds vile. YAalsoNBU to spray her cats with the hose. I love my cats but a bit of water isn't going to kill them and might work.
For what its worth, I bought my neighbours some of this stuff, which they say worked:

www.stopcatsanddogs.co.uk/Cat-Repellent-&-Deterrent-Granules(500g)/13.htm

(it doesn't sell of 'aromatic essential oils' though... it smells like garlic!)