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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Advice needed please!

11 replies

ElleMcFearsome · 03/10/2013 08:43

So upset and worried by this, hoping someone here can help.

I have an ancient senior cat and back in May bought two Siamese crosses (such as I have been longing for since I was 5!) They're gorgeous and we all love them.

Neighbours are on record as loathing pets, when we moved in their opening words were 'at least you don't have dogs' and were put out when I said we did, in fact have a cat...

Kittens have now been neutered and microchipped, so we've started letting them out. We have a garden with flowerbeds that they can use as a loo. We also have 2 litter trays inside the house. As is the way of cats, they go into next doors garden sometimes and use their flowerbeds.

NDN turned up on my doorstep yesterday with a bag containing two small turds, and ranted and raved at me for 15+ minutes about the kittens. I apologised, said we had litter trays indoors etc and asked her what she wanted me to do. Apparently I should keep them on leads Hmm Her closing remark was that she didn't want them in their garden and I'd better sort it out or they'd find themselves poisoned.

So the kittens are now shut inside and beside themselves wanting to go out. I'm in pieces as I really think she would do something that unpleasant - so I don't dripfeed the kittens were partially bought to cheer up/distract DDs (15 and 17) after their DF (my ExH died). If anything happened to them, not only would it be awful for us all, but there would be that extra element of vileness for the DDs.

It is not possible to catproof the garden to stop them getting out. What the hell do I do??

OP posts:
MokuMoku · 03/10/2013 08:46

What kind of fence do you have in the back garden? Can you put up a high fence that they can't climb over?

Original poster
ElleMcFearsome · 03/10/2013 08:58

It's a brick wall and a gate to the back. The trouble is, we don't own the wall (the NDNs do..) and even if we did fence it off on our side (i.e. in our garden) they'd get out the back, either via the gate (which in theory we could kitty proof) or by garden shed jumping, which takes them into the other NDNs garden, then along the alley and into the cross NDNs.

I've just been looking at kitty proof systems online and they're a) incredibly expensive and b) quite ugly. If I thought they'd be remotely receptive to it, I'd by some lion scat pellets or whatever they are to give to the NDNs to scatter on their garden but I cannot see any way in which they would agree to that Sad

OP posts:
sashh · 03/10/2013 09:25

Call the police and have it put on record what they have said. They should pay them a visit.

What horrible people.

MokuMoku · 03/10/2013 09:34

They are awful. A friend of mine had his cat poisoned by a neighbour. He could never prove it was her though.

I'd honestly just keep them as indoor cats with the occasional trip outside on a harness. Plenty of cats live quite happily inside. In fact they tend to live longer.

I wouldn't be on good terms with the neighbour anymore.

Original poster
ElleMcFearsome · 03/10/2013 09:41

sashh I really don't want to do that. Hoping to move next summer as I don't want a neighbour dispute thing screwing up my sale Sad

Moku I know and that's what worries me. Do you think they'll get used to being house cats? At the moment they're sitting by the back door crying. Ah jeez, this is really shitty. Also, I hate not being on terms with people. It makes me feel all anxious and panicky, which is daft I know.

Thanks both, I just needed to get this out.

OP posts:
MokuMoku · 03/10/2013 09:51

I have to admit I had a huge falling out with my last neighbours over my cat. We ended up moving to a nice pet-friendly neighborhood but the poor fellow ended up being shut in for a few months which drove him crazy. It was really hard.

He can roam freely here but in the summer he spent a month at a friend's house and had to be kept in. Surprisingly he wasn't bothered.

I have a few friends with indoor cats and they are absolutely fine. As yours are kittens I think they will get used to it.

issey6cats · 03/10/2013 10:16

would it be possible to build an outside run for them like rescue centers have wood frame and netting this is what a friend of mine has her cat can go outside but cant roam a friend of mine has just been through a horrendous week as her neighbour deliberately put slug pellets and rat poison in her garden and my friends 1 year old cat has died from ingesting them and one of her other cats is still seriously ill, and though she knows the neighbour has done it willfully she cant prove it

Fluffycloudland77 · 03/10/2013 10:39

I was just going to say build an outdoor run for them too.

I really wouldn't put it past a mad neighbour to poison a cat.

MokuMoku · 03/10/2013 11:30

An outside run is a fab idea!

ZebraOwl · 04/10/2013 06:38

Some people are just loathsome creatures. Sadly it seems you live next door to one. Serve them right if your whole family started crapping all over their garden.

I agree a run sounds like a very good idea, as does investing in harness & lead sets so you can let them explore all of your garden without them being able to leap off next door.

Sparklingbrook · 04/10/2013 06:50

What vile neighbours. Can you move any sooner?

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