Neighbours on warpath over Dcat

[ApplestheHare]

Our elderly male neighbour came round on Monday and said he thinks Dcat has been pooing in their flower beds. He asked to put chicken wire on a gate between our land and theirs and perspex over a window in a wall between our land and theirs. DH said yes but it wouldn't stop Dcat going on their land. He gave them some home baked goods as a peace offering. Before he'd even said yes, the gentleman's wife had started attaching this chicken wire. There's another 50m or so of boundary that's just vegetation, so Dcat can just walk in.

We told them today that these measures weren't working and we wanted to take the perspex down as it's an eyesore. It's nearly 150m from their house but about 3m from our kitchen/diner. They've said that if we don't accept it they'll put up a board on their land on the other side of the wall window to cover it completely. Dcat can just jump over this wall, btw.

We're in a large village and there are tons of cats so I'm at a loss as to why they've singled ours out and are barricading these two specific bits of boundary. We suggested they get sonic detterents to use up near their flower beds (100m away from this boundary with ours) so that all cats would be kept away and they said they don't see why they should. We also said we'd plant catnip here and keep a freshly dug soil patch to encourage Dcat to go at home. I'm at a loss as to what to do next. Dcat has a litter tray and spends about 20 hours a day asleep in her cat tree. I'm actually worried they're going to hurt her as the first thing the wife said when we got her was that is would be 'off with her head' if she pooed in their flower beds. Any ideas as to how we can resolve this?

lots of options for you to consider here?

Thanks thenightsky

Unfortunately our land spans an old smallholding, disused quarry and outbuildings so no way to catproof it all.

If you scroll down there are other options such as catios and big runs. You don't have to cat proof your WHOLE garden. My neighbour has a catio - its lovely.

Ah thanks, but I'm really looking for any ideas about how to resolve the issue with the neighbours rather than shut Dcat away. She was rehomed here as an outdoor cat and would hate a catio. I feel like the neighbours are being unreasonable because they just fancy bullying us, so want to stop it in its tracks before they move onto the next thing The fact we've suggested something that would stop all cats going in the flower beds they've complained about and that they've ignored that and pressed ahead with demanding strange and impractical interventions on our land males me wonder if the cat is the real issue...?

*makes

Your neighbours are wankers and bullies and are being ridiculous. Don't give into them. I've had bullying neighbours like this before and they made my life a misery. Record and photograpH their antics in plain view and tell them that any of their bulls hit and threats will be reported to the police. That's the only way to deal with people like this.

Until an accident happens to OP’s cat though?

If they can prove its your cat in the way of a photo, how about offering to remove any cat poo from their borders at a set time each week?

You can get a Tractive GPS tracker and it'll show you where your cat goes. There's a live tracking option so you can even see if the cat pauses long enough in their flowerbed to take a shit. Obviously they'd have to agree that was enough evidence though.

Clean up cats poo from flowerbeds and if they carry on with their threats to harm cat threaten to report them to community police (or whatever) and RSPCA.

Or my approach, as well as offering to de poo flowerbeds would be to say if anything happens to the cat they will be the main suspects obviously so in the interests of good neighbourly relations they might want to rethink making such threats, especially as social media is quite good for sharing such stories.

Just tell them you have given dcat a stern talking to about keeping out of their garden. Then ignore.

Frankly your cat is shitting on their property. I’m not sure why you think they should be swallowing the cost of sonic deterants or modifying their property to your preferences.

Put up with their efforts at cat proofing and know your cat may end up dead as a result of your inaction, or train your cat to not shit on their land or otherwise restrain them from doing so.

Well, no, if the neighbours harm the cat it will be as a result of their actions. Obviously.

Op let them board things up if it makes them feel better, if they do it on their land you can't stop them but at least then you can say it can't have been your cat. ;)

Is it just chicken wire on a gate and blocking out a window, if they think this will stop the chance of your cat going in their garden, just let them do it. You can put a camera up your side to see if your cat does go into their garden.

Your cat is shitting in their garden. Your cat is your responsibility. You should pay for deterants , not them.
I’ve had this issue for years as there are about 5 shitting cats on my road....nothing worse than having to go shit picking before you can sit in the garden.
We have a dog now so it’s all stopped. I would be interested to see how they’d react if I let my dog crap in their garden

Thanks everyone. I don't know about training Dcat not to go in their garden. I'm not sure you can train a cat?? Dcat has a whole garden to play in here, trees to climb, a litter tray, freshly dug soil, etc. and is here for the majority of the time. She spends about 20 hours indoors with us and the dog as she likes company.

Battytwatty and GemmeFatale to be honest I'm not sure she is pooing in their garden. I've seen her in their field hunting mice many times but never in the gardens or by their house. I've seen many other cats in their field and in their gardens. Their property is surrounded by cat-owning properties (they live in the middle of a village with 8 other boundaries directly next door) so I think part of my issue is them singling out our cat and two parts of our property that won't have any impact whatsoever on what happens up by their house/gardens. Even if it did stop Dcat their property is still wide open to many other cats, hence suggesting the sonic deterrents as this would help keep all cats put of their garden.

Could you buy them the sonic deterrent you suggested? It might keep the peace and avoid the need for chicken wire and Perspex.

Foxes badgers hawks. How do they know it's your cat? It sounds quite rural to me

Would much rather have a cat pooing in my flower beds (which they bury anyway) than step in dog poo and walk it into my house.

OP, your neighbours sound like they've got it in for you/your cat, so agree with you buying the sonic deterrent to keep the peace. Good luck. X

I think you're right, I possibly need to just but them some deterrents. I've been trying to avoid it as to not set a precedent in case they start demanding I buy them more stuff so will have to be quite firm that these would be the only things I'll buy. Kind of gutted they're not bullying all the other cat owners into buying stuff! I wonder if it's because DH and I are younger, mid-30s as opposed to all the others neighbours (some of which have the cheek to have 2 or even 3 cats ) who are mid-50s.

*buy them some deterrents