Keep your filthy disgusting cats at home!

[SelkieQualia]

My 3yo son just ran across my front lawn and jumped in the car. On the way, he's trodden in cat poo ( there's a regular offender, and no, it's not fox ). There's now cat poo all across the back seat of my car. I'm first trimester, and horrified at the prospect of toxoplasma, even though I know the risk is low.

This is on the background of my aracuana chicks being stolen by cats from my own back yard. I don't care how lazy you think your cat is - research has shown that even the most placid cat will kill 2-3 animals per night if allowed to roam.

Keep them locked up ffs! If you can't keep them inside, make a run. If you can't do that, keep rabbits instead.

@Tadpolesandfroglets but this thread is specifically about cats. Not whether cats are worse than dogs.

It would be equally ridiculous to go onto a thread about people not picking up after their dog and someone's child standing in it and say things like "well cats shit in gardens"

Irresponsible dog owners in your area does not mean people have to be ok with cats shitting all over their garden or coming into their homes.

My neighbours cat shits in my garden sometimes.

You know what I do... I pick it up and put it in the bin.

I don't post an angry thread about it.

Oh Jeez @DuaneBenziesvoice I was answering a post earlier on. Please read the thread and dont dictate to people what they can and can not post about on a message forum

I have read the thread thanks. I'm not dictating anything, I'm just pointing out that you (and the others doing the same) sound ridiculous trying to swing a thread specifically about cats to be yet another dog bashing one.

...On yet another cat bashing one. Sorry it’s not going your way.

No one is saying that dog owners doing the wrong thing is acceptable. This thread is about the double standard by which cats are allowed to cause a nuisance that is not considered acceptable by any other domestic animal. I mean, I'm not allowed to even keep a rooster.

@SelkieQualia we've been over this op, there are different rules for dogs and cats. Move on and find something else to worry about

[quote icequeen34]@SelkieQualia we've been over this op, there are different rules for dogs and cats. Move on and find something else to worry about [/quote]
As I've already said, rules around other animals were different in the past. Judging by the responses on this thread, I'm not the only one who thinks it's time the rules for cats were updated to match.

Three year olds are more annoying than cats.

@SelkieQualia judging by this thread you need to get a life.

If you truly believe all cats should be kept indoors all the time you are being ridiculous. As I've said, you don't have to like cats but you have to accept you share a planet with them just like you do with the vast amount of other species probably shitting in your garden. Just put some orange peel down! It's not hard!

Honestly if this is your biggest worry in life then consider yourself very lucky.

Judging by the responses on this thread, I'm not the only one who thinks it's time the rules for cats were updated to match.

I wouldn’t judge by responses on here. Mumsnet views rarely seem to represent real life in my experience.

What happened to you is very annoying op, i would be pissed off too. But what do you expect to gain by this thread? No one is going to get rid of cats, or contain them indoors, to please you. We live in a society, and in so doing we accept the close proximity of other people and their choices. And dog shit is still a much bigger problem, not everyone picks it up, unfortunately my dc have brought it in and messed up my carpet (and car) many, many times over the years.

What an odd post....If you have a garden, you will occasionally attract all kind of animals, birds, cats and other critters...Plus there are stray cats that no one can actually 'control'.

I would suggest securing your birds better next time too.

Seriously, there are more important things to worry about in life.

*@DillonPanthersTexas I feel for you I really do. It's annoying and unfair. But I feel like you're waning to attribute blame because the cat has an owner. If mice got into your house and chewed through your electrics you'd accept it and probably just claim on your home insurance (which you can do regarding your sofa surely?) because they are wild and don't belong to anyone.

Ice, cheers for the reply.

I think you have hit the crux of the issue. Many people do assume that if you are the owner of the pet you have a responsibility for it. I don't think that is an unreasonable position to hold. I used to own a dog, it was 100% my responsibility to train it to behave, not jump up on people or bark at strangers, I trained it to use the special designated area at the park to poo, on the exceptionally rare occasions she was caught short I cleaned up after her and did not leave bags of crap in trees. When I see dog shit on pavements or spoiling scenic areas it pisses me off as much next as the next person. The constant referencing of foxes, mice, badgers and komodo dragons or whatever falls short as they are wild animals acting on basic feral instincts. What is supposed to set domesticated animals apart from wild ones (and especially pets) is that their owners have an element of control over them and they have been bred to have more agreeable behavioural traits that are compatible with living closely with humans. If my dog dug a hole under the fence and started to shit in my neighbours garden I would not start berating them that there are bigger things in life to worry about, ask them to invest in dog deterrents or just tell them to clean up the shit. I would be apologising and make sure it does not happen again. If the dog chewed up and damaged something I would offer to pay for it. I don't expect cats to be locked up, I get it that cats roam, I am not going to lose sleep when a cat takes a short cut through my garden or chills out on my shed. I do get irritated when I find them in my house with owners just shrugging their shoulders while citing 'right to roam' laws as if that absolves them of all social responsibility. You advising me to claim on my home insurance is a case point. As far as I am concerned home insurance is for financial protection against the big ticket stuff, burglary, house fire, burst water main etc. I do not want to incur higher premiums by making a (relatively) small claim for damaged furniture caused my someone elses pet, why should I?

Aggggh. Bold fail

You can’t banish animals from the world because of poo 😂

Do you get as angry over bird poo?

[quote Tadpolesandfroglets]@DuaneBenziesvoice plenty of people during this thread have tried to blame cats for all sorts of bizarre stuff. I’m just pointing out dogs do equally as much harm but they are supposedly being kept under control. I have a right to do so on a thread that has been pretty ridiculously biased. In my area dogs are not kept under control, they have entered my garden, run at my kids and chickens, they shit everywhere ( the local parish council have had to spend hundreds on signs telling irresponsible dog owners to stop their animals pooing on the road up to the school and on the playground) Sheep and lambs are frequently dismembered. Dogs have bitten local kids and wildlife destroyed. I’m countering an argument put forth from the OP that it’s cats killing all the wildlife, it’s just not true and one that it’s just cats that shit everywhere. So if cats have to be kept in doors permanently then so do dogs or we just don’t keep any animals as pets. Or we do and just accept it and shut up moaning about it.[/quote]
exactly. there is a man who lets his dog shit on the pavement but is aggressive if you challenge him - there is also or was dog shit right outside my neighbour's house this morning - 3 DC she has and it went into her house.

The most we do is put up a poster on lamp posts about it because letting your dog shit on pavements is against the law.

I can't control my cats when I had them shitting everywhere but trust me I wouldn't just pick up and plonk my cat in a neighbour's garden and tell it to shit there, that's just dickish behaviour.

@DillonPanthersTexas you shouldn't have to. I get it, it's totally unfair. You are being disadvantaged at the expense of someone who has decided to own a cat as a pet. Their choices shouldn't have to negatively affect you but they do because as a pp said, we live in a society in close proximity of other humans and sometimes their lifestyle choices will negatively impact on us. The only solution to that is to move somewhere remote where other people can't bother you.

I'm definitely not saying you're wrong to be pissed off im just talking from a practical and legal standpoint. And it's been said many times already but I don't think the dog vs cat argument is relevant here at all. You can never train a cat in the same way as a dog and you can never be as responsible for them in the same way when you have a cat that roams. I compare them to wild animals in the sense that, while they are domesticated, they do have a lot of the basic instinct and behaviours of 'wild' animals. Abandon a cat and it will survive a lot longer than a dog!

If you were my neighbour and you came to me with this problem I wouldn't just shrug although I'd perhaps want some evidence that it was my cat that caused the damage before offering a substantial amount of money. If a neighbour told me my cat had shit in their garden I would offer to remove it because i do take responsibility for my pet to the extent that I will rectify any damage he causes but I can't be expected to keep track of his every move.

@SelkieQualia

No one is saying that dog owners doing the wrong thing is acceptable. This thread is about the double standard by which cats are allowed to cause a nuisance that is not considered acceptable by any other domestic animal. I mean, I'm not allowed to even keep a rooster.

Roosters aren't allowed to be kept in built up areas as they are a noise nuisance.

If you live in the countryside go ahead and get a rooster - no one gives a shit.

Apart from cats - who shit everywhere. [sceptical]

@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer

The people who owned this house before us had cat proof fencing put up. I don't think it was that expensive and it does keep the birds safe.

that is expensive... and also not every cat owner wants to do that nor should have to do that.

I know one couple who have a garden with a cat cage/enclosure in it - because their cat is a rescue from Spain and they're worried she'd escape and is vulnerable.

With my old cat - my neighbour saw him climbing along a branch trying to get a magpie (failed) - I think he caught a wood pigeon once too - as cats generally bring their prey home he caught far more frogs (from my pond) and field mice than he caught birds - he caught the odd bird.

Field mice and frogs - yeah sure I try to protect them - and catch them off him - and the pond had netting over it so he and herons couldn't catch fish and frogs also had walkways installed. Cat now dead by the way.

No way would I restrict my cat to a cage or run just to please cat haters.

Not all dog owners control their dogs appropriately, not all cat owners ‘control’ their cats by keeping them inside. It is what it is. I honestly think if this is keeping you up at night you have very little to worry about.

Wtf would anyone want a pet rooster.

[quote icequeen34]@SelkieQualia judging by this thread you need to get a life.

If you truly believe all cats should be kept indoors all the time you are being ridiculous. As I've said, you don't have to like cats but you have to accept you share a planet with them just like you do with the vast amount of other species probably shitting in your garden. Just put some orange peel down! It's not hard!

Honestly if this is your biggest worry in life then consider yourself very lucky. [/quote]
Actually, I live in Australia, where some councils have cat curfews/ restrictions. It's an important ecological issue here. This thread has helped me realise that that was actually what I'm worried about, and the nuisance issue is just the last straw. I'm joining my local wildlife group, and one of the things that I will be helping them with is lobbying for restrictions on roaming cats.

@Deadringer

What happened to you is very annoying op, i would be pissed off too. But what do you expect to gain by this thread? No one is going to get rid of cats, or contain them indoors, to please you. We live in a society, and in so doing we accept the close proximity of other people and their choices. And dog shit is still a much bigger problem, not everyone picks it up, unfortunately my dc have brought it in and messed up my carpet (and car) many, many times over the years.

Well actually, many places do have legislation that contains them indoors.

@SelkieQualia 😂😂😂😂 I refer back to my previous point...you need to get a life.

I would love to know how a curfew on a cat works. Do they have tags like our criminals in the UK do? Do you say 'OK Tiddles I'm going to let you out but be back by 7pm or you're grounded!' Bizarre.

By all means campaign for what you believe in but surely there are more important things going on in the world? You really do sound disproportionately cross about this. Anyway good luck with your lobbying, thankfully I'm the UK so you're ridiculous attempts at cat persecution will never affect me.