Neighbour showering me in poo?

[oxcat1]

Just before lockdown I moved into a new rented flat with a garden. I have two very timid cats who were kept in for the first few weeks but are now starting to explore. They never go far - they are home every 30 mins or so and can always be called back by Dreamies.

This afternoon I was reading on the garden when suddenly what seemed like mud and moss showered down on me. I realised iy was my neighbour who was digging up mud - and poo - and chucking it over the wall at me. "If your fcking cats keep fcking sitting in my garden...." "the council will fine you over £500"* etc
I tried to talk but a) I couldn't get a word in edgeways, and b) I can't even see the person as I am disabled and I can't stand to look over the wall. He just kept shouting and throwing stuff and threatening.

I don't know what to do? I don't doubt that it is annoying, but given I clear up at least one poo from the litter tray indoors every day, I don't know how to stop them occasionally pooing elsewhere? I feel afraid, and very afraid for my cats as I haven't had anybody so angry with me before. I'm shielding ( and a wheelchair user) so I can't go round and pick up any poo for him, but I would gladly take it if he leaves it by my door?

I was enjoying my beautiful new garden - the only outside world I have seen since late February - and I am now really shaken. Can he throw poo at me? Can he report me? Help!

I can’t believe some of the responses here. I’m an indoor cat owner and not a fan of cats free-roaming but this man threw shit over a fence onto a wheelchair user. Like fuck would I be apologising to him. I’d seriously consider calling the police in your position OP. He sounds deranged and you shouldn’t feel unsafe in your own garden.

I am not being defeatist, I promise. I just really don't have the money for many of those enclosure ideas over the whole space (as the harden is too small to make an cage within it) or additional fencing.

To be fair, he probably doesn't know I am a wheelchair user (and on oxygen) as he can't see me I assume, but he must have seen the unformed carers (in uniform at the moment due to Covid) so would have known there was somebody old or vulnerable.

If you can't take responsibility for cat proofing your garden then you really shouldn't have cats. It's totally unacceptable for your cats to be pooing in other people's gardens. If you can't sort your garden then you'll just have to keep the cats in I'm afraid.

That’s disgusting behaviour by your neighbour imo. I have a cat but there are loads of cats around here and no way could I identify who poos where, never mind the wildlife that I’m sure takes the occasional dump in my garden.

Report him to 101, it’s not acceptable behaviour.

I'd report him for assault.
He is clearly unhinged.

Forget about cat proofing you have no obligation to do that at all.

I'd keep the cats in overnight anyway.

If you really want to try and appease him buy him a super soaker water gun to squirt the cats with. But his first approach was to shower you with shit! He won't be reasoned with and I wouldn't bother.

@MadameMinimes He clearly didn't intend to throw the pop over the OP....and by her own admission he wouldn't have known she was a wheelchair uaer.

Call the police. You can't just throw cat poo at people (especially not vulnerable disabled people), the man is an aggressive bully.

@footywife cats are allowed to roam. OP has done nothing wrong letting her cat out.

I do keep my cats in at night, and they have an indoor litter tray.

He could have spoken to me - called to me - shouted at me - but his first approach was to throw poo over me with a shovel. I really think the wheelchair is irrelevant, except that it means that I feel very vulnerable as I cannot see him to talk to him or reason with him or anything else.

I cannot currently afford to enclose my entire garden. I manage my benefits well, including providing full care to my cats - but I don't have the spare income to get a tradesman to come and build a cage over the entire garden, inside the existing walls.

I'll do some research into things I can get him, but also call 101 as those things will be useless if I can't talk to him or anything else. I'll keep the cats inside until I have done something, but that does mean I will have to be inside all the time too as I can't shut the door behind me once I am outside in my wheelchair. I don't really want to go outside now anyway as I feel intimidated.

Thanks for all the thoughts.

I honestly do not know anyone who has cat proofed their garden, and I don't think you should have to. Cats roam and poo, as do foxes, hedgehogs and birds. It might be annoying, but if doesn't give him the right to throw poo at you.

This is funny. OP you need to realise there's a lot of bastards on here especially on threads like these 😂 tell your neighbour to just bag it up and throw it over for you to dispose of or to stop crying about it. If my neighbours had a problem i would fully expect them to be an adult and knock at my door to have a chat about the situation!

I think you should speak to the non emergency police especially if you feel threatened as this is not on! Don't worry about your cats, they will be fine!

Lots of suggestions for cat proofing here

www.petforums.co.uk/threads/cat-runs-cat-proofed-gardens.211361/

Personally I use aviary panels as they are already constructed and can be joined with cable ties or wire. They can be set against a doorway so you can enter if you build an enclosure, and you can add a layer to the top by turning them sideways and make a roof with either netting or more panels. It is also possible to buy door shaped ones with frames. Measure what you need and work it out, then find a place that supplies them. Find a handy person maybe to assemble them for you or ask on Freecycle when it is back, for someone to help.

Make a small enclosure if you can't afford to do the entire garden, then they can go out without wandering. Or keep them as house cats, it is much safer anyway.

I can’t believe some of the responses here. I’m an indoor cat owner and not a fan of cats free-roaming but this man threw shit over a fence onto a wheelchair user. Like fuck would I be apologising to him. I’d seriously consider calling the police in your position OP.

This. I can't stand cats shitting in my garden but that issue is tiny compared to the fact that he assaulted you. Phone the police asap and explain he threw excrement onto a person in a wheelchair, I'd be amazed if they aren't straight round.

You disability is relevant because you can't defend yourself- he wouldn't do that to a 6ft able boddied bloke. He targetted you because you are vulnerable.

I'm not a fan of the hate crime statutes in general, but they are dead right in their treatment of disability and too rarely applied.

@whenitisover and cruel if they are used to going out 🙄

It doesn't have to cost a lot to cat proof. He seems so unpleasant that I think it would be safer for the cats.

Most areas have lots of cats and also other wildlife including foxes, all of which poo outside... throwing poo into your garden is horrible and completely unnecessary, why didn’t he just knock on the door or put a note through to arrange to speak to you about it?! Even if this is impractical at the moment due to you being vulnerable that would be a normal step to take. I don’t think he has any grounds to report you to the police but you might have grounds to report him for his behaviour, so I wouldn’t worry about that.

I’m also surprised at the amount of PPs saying you should cat proof, I don’t know a single cat owner who has cat proofed their garden. Another idea would be to encourage him to spray them with a bit of water if he sees them in his garden to scare them off without hurting them, but not sure I would want to recommend that to him as he seems extremely OTT.

I’m also surprised at the amount of PPs saying you should cat proof, I don’t know a single cat owner who has cat proofed their garden.

Unfortunately, that's true. But I know several people who don't own cats who have cat proofed to keep neighbours' cats out.

I know no one in the real world who has cat proofed. Our garden is rabbit escape proof but literally cat proofing is only a thing on Mumsnet(and maybe in countries with wildlife that might attack cats)

@LST

Keeping away from this person would be better for them until the OP can figure out how to let them out safely. Someone that unpleasant may well put something poisonous down for them, like anti freeze or slug pellets.

I had to do similar in order to keep mine safe, made a large enclosure once the panels had been made, better than a dead or stolen pet. Started with a few panels but added to them and made it as big as possible.

Some reasonably priced options on amazon if you could get someone to fix them for you? 👍

@whenitisover he wouldn't get the chance because I would have called the police already

OP, do phone the police, I have no idea what the offence would be but it is not legal to throw crap at people, whether they use a wheelchair or not, although doing to someone who does makes it even worse.

I'd put the homemade roll bar top along the wall to stop them getting out.