Neighbour/cat problem

[Hayls]

I've been really upset about something that happened earlier today. The woman who lives 3 doors down from me came round and had a real go at me about our cat, who has apparently been digging up her front garden. She was really rude and said that it had been going on since the summer and she'd had to keep going out to buy new plants after he'd dug them up. Her attitude was horrible- I understand how frustrating it must be and I'd also be angry but I had no idea it was going on and it's taken her since the summer to say anything. I apologised repeatedly and said I would keep an eye on him but wasn't sure what else I could do and her response was that if it didn't stop she'd be taking it further. She said that he'd been in this morning already but when she came round I'd only just got up and he hadn't yet been outside. I said to her that there was more than 1 black and white cat on our street (in fact there are at least 5 on a very small road) but she said her neighbour had been watching and told her it was ours.
I'm upset that it got to the stage where she couldn't discuss it first. We have a bit of garden with just earth in it that we have encouraged the cats to use and do regularly see them in it so assumed they didn't go in anybody else's garden.
IS there anything we can do to try and stop him from going in there? SHe doesn't have a gate or hedge or anything and the garden opens onto the street. We're going to block our back gate off to try and deter him from leaving the back garden but I'd realy appreciate any advice on how to make her garden cat-unfriendly.

ALos, what could she mean by 'taking it further'? IS there anything she could do? I'm so mortified that this has been going on without my knowledge and am still upset about it. I have this image of our neighbours all talking about it and complaining to one another about us.Dh is going to speak to her about it tonight and ask her to speak to him about it in future because I was in such a state. I just can't stop thinking about it. WE've lived her for 2 1/2 years and never had any problems and I don't want any to start now.
I'm 39 wks pg and would really like this sorted ut before baby comes. Suppose this could also be making me hormonal and liable to overeact...

Aloha, it isn't that straight forward in Sweden either. Many people in Sweden is not happy about this law at all. Many parents, for example, don't really want to know who the donor is. He never had a relationship with the mother and they might not feel the need to establish one later either. IMO this is not the father of the child. It's just a man who wanked into a cup 18 years ago to enable other couples to fulfill their dream of a child.

Ohdear...wrong thread. Nothing to do with cats. Or has it?

Message withdrawn

I wouldn't be rude to her as it will tempt her into further action, she can always set a trap and send the cat to the rSPCA or other agencies (at least that was what my MIL did when she realised that over a year she had spent £200+ in cat deterrents and fixing the garden after their visits, though they were street cats, or so did she believed)

RENARDINE!!! Anyone who wants to get rid of cats/foxes/squirrels, etc then use this. It's available from Garden Nurseries for around £10. It's perfectly safe for all animals and just gets rid of the scent. We had a problem with our brand new lawn being ripped to pieces and used this. It's excellent!

poor you hayls - just popping in to add sympathy.
we had a similar problem with our neighbours who complained about all kinds of things our cat was supposedly doing, including putting her claws in their inflatable paddling pool and scratching the canary. not only was there no proof but also they even admitted that loads of stray cats used their garden as well. I think you're just a convenient target for her (and perhaps even more so because you are pregnant - if she's not a very nice person).
we just say 'oh dear' to every new story but act like it's got nothing to do with us at all. our cat is kept inside as much as possible now, particularly at night and early morning when the neighbours were complaining about her.
hope to see you on the birth thread soon

Silly cow - her, not you Hayls!
If she is that bothered, SHE can go buy something from the plenty that is on offer but chances are, its not even your cat.
Definately no laws governing cats behaviour, he could bite her (fingers crossed) and she couldn't do anything in law about it
My DS2 is 11 weeks old and my darling pussy cat went in his cot once and got smacked - hasn't done it since, tho he likes to sleep under it. Apart from that, he has kept well away from the baby, cats don't much like noisy, smelly squirmy things so don't worry about that Hayls, they'll be fine

Thank you so much for all your advice. If she comes back round I'll tell her some of your suggestions (even give her permission to soak him!) and may even offer to pay for them if she carries on. I walked past her house earlier and there was a b & w cat almost identical to mine wandering about that area but it definitely wasn't mine! I've watched him all day, only letting him out once this morning. I watched him the whole time and all he did was sniff round the garden, disappear behind the shed for a bit then go in the field behind our house- didn't go anywhere near the front of the house! Think you're right in that I just got the brunt of it. He doesn't like going out anyway so he thinks he's done something he's being rewarded for!
Thanks again, it was lovely to have a rant. Now just going to concentrate on baby and hope she arrives on time...