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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.

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Original poster

Angry neighbour went for my cat - what to do?

109 replies

HaleyDunphy · 15/12/2013 14:14

Started letting my 3yo female cat out this week, as we've moved to a lovely area away from main roads with lots of greenery, so feel safe letting her out here.

She's very confident and she's really loving it - not going too far either which is reassuring for me. However I've just been outside watching her and she was perched on my bottom fence, looking into another garden. She climbed into one of the trees of the other garden (probably because there is a lot of bird activity in that garden). The man who lives there came out straight away, really angry and swearing. I went down to the bottom of the garden and saw her just sort of frozen and he went for her. She bolted back into my garden and even then he carried on swearing. I should have said something but I was a little shocked at how angry he sounded and just wanted to get her inside.

I'm guessing from the sounds of it he has bird feeders in his garden and I get why he would be defensive, but she does wear a bell so I'm not sure what else I can do? Any tips on that?

I've kept her in as I hate the thought of someone hurting her, but she really needs to go out as she's having a hard time with my other indoor cat. H says he will go round and just say that he's welcome to shoo her away but that it's not fair to be aggressive. I don't think it's going to make a difference to someone like that tbh. Is this just how it is with some people? I feel really awkward about it.

OP posts:

HesterShaw · 15/12/2013 15:56

Yes thank you for your enlightenment. However the OP saw the look on the guy's face, which was anger and hatred, and it has made her fear for the safety of her pet. I am under no illusions about the facial expression reading capacity of felines. Though now you come to mention it, if you do a really furious, fierce face at a nervy cat, they do shrink back in fear...

ProfYaffle · 15/12/2013 15:56

We have a cat, I like cats generally speaking but I do chase other cats out of our garden. Next door's was a particular pain, sleeping in my hanging basket and tearing my mini greenhouse to shreds. So, yes, I would try and scare it out of the garden by shouting in the hope that it learned not to come into our garden.

lilyaldrin · 15/12/2013 15:56

OP, you're massively overreacting. If you can't keep the cat out of his garden, then it's perfectly reasonable for him to scare her away.

DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 15/12/2013 16:01

Yes thank you for your enlightenment.

Glad to be of help.

Sparklingbrook · 15/12/2013 16:01

Cat perched in tree looking at birds. What has that got to do with cat poo in the garden?

MN is obsessed with cat poo at the moment.

I would go round and talk to him and ask him what the effing and jeffing was in aid of.

DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 15/12/2013 16:03

He shouted at the precious pussy to get the bird murdering feline out of his garden. It really isn't a big deal.

Sparklingbrook · 15/12/2013 16:04

Oi Doesn't no murder had been committed.

DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 15/12/2013 16:06

My parents have umpteen bird feeders and nest boxes in their garden. I am sure they aggressively shoo cats away. They would never harm them but they don't want them killing the birds that give them enjoyment in their own garden. IMO you are entitled to do what you like to deter animals if it falls short of harming them.

And yes, I have a cat and have had multiple cats.

DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 15/12/2013 16:07

It's the two sides of a cat isn't it? One person's precious pussy is another persons bird murdering feline. :)

FatCat is. Precious pussy, a fearsome mouse and a hateful bird murdering feline wrapped up in one large package.

K8Middleton · 15/12/2013 16:12

Are you worried the cat may have been offended at the language? Or the tone used? Or maybe you are worried the man next door will have a coronary?

Seriously, I think you are massively over reacting.

Sparklingbrook · 15/12/2013 16:13

My neighbour says Sparkling Cat doesn't go in his garden because 'she knows not to'. But he is the nicest man you could wish to meet so he probably just had a word with her.....

Idespair · 15/12/2013 16:13

Swearing at cat = irrelevant. Do you think she understands?
Shouting at her aggressively and moving towards her is telling her t get out of his garden. He probably doesn't want her crappingthere or killing birds. Why should he put up with your cat? I think it's fine for him to shout and swear at cat. He didn't injure or attempt to injure her, I'm not sure what the problem is?

GreenShadowsOfTheChristmasTree · 15/12/2013 16:13

WE have 2 cats and I would hate it if they were scaring away or even catching birds in a neighbours garden. Hence I would be quite happy for a neighbour to chase them away.

Sparklingbrook · 15/12/2013 16:14

It's a bit disappointing to move to a nice area, let the cat out for the first time and find you have a sweary neighbour.
Makes you wonder what else he doesn't like-summer could be fun.

kitsmummy · 15/12/2013 16:16

I'm pretty sure the Op is concerned that he may have hurt her if he had caught her and given that none of us know the man,it is possible that that could happen.

Op, as a few other have suggested I would take a super soaker round so that he is aware you saw his reaction and suggest that that would be the best way of scaring her out of hs garden.

lilyaldrin · 15/12/2013 16:20

For goodness sake, the cat wouldn't have let anyone catch it anyway! Hopefully it will have been frightened enough to stay away.

Original poster

HaleyDunphy · 15/12/2013 16:24

I don't know how many times I need to write that I'm not bothered about the swearing! His reaction was just ott and very angry, not just shooing. I don't think there's any need to get that angry, and it just got to me a bit because I don't want to have to worry about if he's going to be an utter bastard or not.

As I said, I'll get a couple more bells and hopefully she'll learn not to go into his garden.

OP posts:

JoinTheDots · 15/12/2013 16:27

I have chased cats out of my garden this way - he has no way of knowing your cat is not going to poo in his garden, and our next door neighbours cat has a bell on its collar but still comes into my garden and teases voles, mice, baby rabbits, pigeons, frogs / toads and other wildlife. I also have to check the lawn for poo before my 3 year old can go out and play. There are a lot of cats in the area, and so I find a lot of poo.

I am sure that while you are feeling sensitive as you have only just started letting your cat out, it is massively unlikely he would have been able to catch it, and just wanted to let it know in no uncertain terms it was not welcome to come back. You might find your cat avoids him and his garden and therefore there will be no further issues.

Iris445 · 15/12/2013 16:30

We send the dog out to chase off the cats :-)

Otherwise the cats attack the birds ( they left a dead blackbird a few months ago)...it's a dog eat cat kinda world!

neunundneunzigluftballons · 15/12/2013 16:52

Catneutrar no Irelando

WhoKnowsWhereTheMistletoes · 15/12/2013 18:34

I can see why this is a bit upsetting, as it could be a sign of an all round nasty character. Have you got talking to any of the other neighbours yet? Maybe try and meet some of them and say to them "please feel free to chase my cat out of your garden if she causes any bother, I've already seen the chap at the end of the garden shoo-ing her out" and see what they say. If he is a nasty bit of work they may well tell you, or they might just tell you that he is a fanatical bird lover and harmless.

DoesntLeftoverTurkeySoupDragOn · 15/12/2013 18:43

I'm pretty sure the Op is concerned that he may have hurt her if he had caught her

Except you catch a cat by being nice. You will never catch a cat that's in a tree by shouting and waving your arms at it. If you shout etc you are trying to scare it off.

NatureAdvocate · 15/12/2013 20:01

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Sparklingbrook · 15/12/2013 20:05

Nature do you feel better now?

JakeBullet · 15/12/2013 20:10

I would personally rip the head off anyone who killed a cat of mine.

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