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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

How do I sto my cat going into neighbour's house?

23 replies

crazychemist · 01/08/2018 17:36

Pretty much what it says in the title!

My cat is a very outdoorsy cat (he was originally a stray that we adopted, and he's always been that way).

We moved a few months ago. Obviously in the heat wave people have doors and windows open a lot of the time.

My neighbour is very cross that our cat went into his daughter's bedroom. I can understand that. He says we need to control our cat and should put him in a cage if he won't stay on our property. He has dogs and feels that he controls them appropriately so we should control our cat.

Any suggestions? I never had a cat before this one.

OP posts:

MrsFoxPlus4 · 01/08/2018 17:51

Cats are assholes! They do whatever they want anyways

Rebecca36 · 01/08/2018 18:50

You can't stop your cat going anywhere and your neighbour must realise that even if it annoys her. It's up to her to be vigilant and put the bar up to your cat. I've had odd cats come into my house (& a fox), never thought of blaming the cat owners. Cats are their own persons.

There is a cat repellant which I've seen on Kleeneze (now Kleeneze is no more but they are trading under a different name) and some sort of figure which frightens a cat away. Never tried it but might be worth looking into.

IHeartKingThistle · 01/08/2018 18:51

I spray any unwelcome cats with the hosepipe. Seems to work! Maybe give him permission to do this?

Aprilshowersinjuly · 01/08/2018 18:53

Buy your ndn a water pistol.

IHeartKingThistle · 01/08/2018 18:53

So I have cats and would be happy for mine to be sprayed if they were being annoying!

TwitterQueen1 · 01/08/2018 18:55

I think you need to have stern words with your cat OP - that should do the trick

sorry, but really? How does your neighbour imagine you can do this? I started a thread a couple of weeks ago about being chosen by a neighbour's cat, but wondering why I had been so honoured rather than freaking out (though i wasn't best pleased when I found her on the kitchen worktop . However, since gaining a dog as a house guest the cat has gone her own way again. Maybe suggest he gets a dog. Or a bear

Fluffycloudland77 · 01/08/2018 18:58

Your neighbour's a twat. You cant cage a cat.

DickTERFin · 01/08/2018 19:00

Cats are self entitled twats and will go where they like, humans be damned. You can’t train cats like you can train dogs but they do respond to a bit of gentle aversion therapy.

Buy your neighbor a super soaker and give them permission to spray the cat.

Yogagirl123 · 01/08/2018 19:05

Cats are total free spirits and do as they please.

TwitterQueen1 · 01/08/2018 19:16

Sorry, just seen that your neighbour already has a dog. In that case I would have stern words with him. Clearly his dogs aren't performing properly if they allow cats on their premises.

HTH

Bluelonerose · 01/08/2018 19:19

Just tell him to squirt it with a water pistol.
I squirt my own cats when they are deliberately on the fence winding next doors dog up.

PandaPieForTea · 01/08/2018 19:19

We have the sonic cat repeller things and they work pretty well. We can tell when the batteries run out as the cats come back. Perhaps he could get one of these.

Original poster

crazychemist · 01/08/2018 20:22

wouldnt sonic thingy be bad for his dogs? I told him he was completely welcome to use water pistol or give him a smack if he came in. Our old neighbour's used to feed him so I think he's just trying it on. However, neighobur says if he gets in again he'll shut him in a room with his four staffies.... so I really do need to find a way to discourage him! Is there anything I can put around the boundary of my property to keep my cat in our garden?

OP posts:

Fluffycloudland77 · 01/08/2018 20:35

You can cat proof the garden, YouTube will show you how. What a cunt threatening a cat like that.

Vinorosso74 · 01/08/2018 20:48

I wouldn't say it's ok to smack a cat especially as he clearly hates cats! Water pistol is fine. Your neighbour sounds like a twat.
I would second trying to cat proof the garden. He could use those window or door screens maybe offer to help with the cost.

PandaPieForTea · 01/08/2018 22:41

If it’s just one window they could cover that with the sonic thing to avoid annoying the dog.

Guiltypleasures001 · 02/08/2018 00:26

Our neighbours call betbet community cat, cause she goes In their house all the time 😒 , her husband woke up to find our cat asleep on top of him in bed, he was on nights.

PrimalLass · 02/08/2018 00:29

We have one that just comes in. She is here lots now. I'm not keeping my door or windows shut but am envisaging a neighbourhood war when someone thinks I'm stealing their cat.

Original poster

crazychemist · 02/08/2018 14:08

Oh dear, doesn't sound like we're going to be able to do much! He very much considers it to be our responsibility to keep him on our property. Our houses are south facing and have big windows so lots of open windows and doors in this weather! I'll offer to get him a screen for his kids windows, he might go for that. Thanks for the suggestions!

OP posts:

Lynne1Cat · 02/08/2018 14:14

Your neighbour is a twat. Cats are naturally curious, and some will go in if a door is open. You cannot do anything. You certainly cannot keep him in a cage (what a stupid thing for the neighbour to suggest). Your neighbour can surely shoo the cat away/squirt water at it/ make a loud noise to scare it off/ keep the door close/put a screen at the door. What a knob this person must be.

Had cats for 38 years, had one neighbour who once complained - she was a twat too.

mydogisthebest · 02/08/2018 14:15

I would say a screen for his windows. He really is an idiot if he thinks you can control cats. If he threatened to put a cat of mine in a room with staffies I wouldn't be responsible for my actions.

Years ago we had a cat who when he wanted to come in would knock at the front door with the door knocker. We found it funny. Unfortunately he started doing it at the house next door but one. He also would sit and look through their patio doors into their house.

A few times the neighbour would come and moan about our cat. The first time I asked her what she thought we could do and she said we should teach him to behave!

Every time she moaned I would say "I keep telling him but he just ignores me".

Lynne1Cat · 02/08/2018 14:16

I must add....YOU are a twat if you think it's ok to ever smack any animal. The person with the Staffies is what I'd call a cunt. I'd ring the police about him.

Original poster

crazychemist · 02/08/2018 20:08

I like "I keep telling him but he ignores me" :-)
Hopefully window screens will be accepted. I've been keeping my upstairs windows pulled to as I think he could go across the roof directly to their windows. Obviously he could still go over the fence to their garden, but I think their dogs should be enough of a deterrent there!

Lynne, obviously I'd rather he just shouted, but I must be a twat - I have smacked my cat twice in the past when I really needed to make a point firmly (he had scratched my baby daughters face without provocation because he was jElous and had drawn blood). Cats have claws, I can understand why people don't want cats they don't know to come into children's bedrooms.

OP posts:

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