Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => Pets without Feathers => Topic started by: Frizzle1 on February 11, 2012, 10:14
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Please can anyone give me some advise I'm at my wits end. I have five cats and love each and everyone of them. Last night my daughter came home from a night out and told me our neighbours were in the pub drinking and started telling her they've got plans to poison our cats for going in their garden messing. Apparently she tried moth balls but never worked now she has resorted to neat bleach and said to my daughter one will be poisoned soon it was licking it. I put two and two together,week before last,as two of my cats were ill with runny noses and wheezing one one week the other the next. Would bleach harm them. These neighbours talk to us normally and never fell out. Trouble is if she can do that what else will she try. My Tom cat is always coming home with meat from rubbish bags I'm so worried what can I do without falling out. Apparently she told my daughter not to say nothing to me but we are very close and she did any advise please and will bleach actually harm them? She's find this very amusing and laughing about it I don't find it very funny I'm worried
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Oh dear Frizzle, what a horrible neighbour. We had two of our beautiful cats poisoned a few years ago, luckily our Rosie was a home cat and did not stray too far from our garden. It was extremely distressing as Rosie's brother made it home to the back door before he died and the mother was in the next garden.
Can you not talk to your neighbour for the sake of the cats and just ask her if there is a problem with cats in her garden? you do not need to be confrontational, just say someone overheard her saying she had a problem and you would like to help. Cats have very sensitive noses and would not lick anything covered in bleach but she may try something like rat poison next.
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I also had a problem a few years ago with a cat that was poisoned, unfortunately I was on a night shift and didn't realise until the next day.
I don't have any advice for you I'm afraid, except to say are you sure she was being serious?
I don't understand why people don't just throw water over a cat that they don't like - it will work after a few tries.
Hope all works out well for you.
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If they are really doing this then I would report them this is pure cruelty.
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This RSPCA website says it is indeed illegal to poison cats, maybe you could give them a call to ask for advice.
http://www.rspca.org.uk/utilities/faq/-/question/ENQCADDeterCatFromGarden
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Thank you all for your replies so far. I definately don't think she is bragging because about a year ago she was spreading news around the pub about my dog was messing in her garden she knew it was him apparently as we had a Newfoundland and the mess it done was from a large dog. But our Newfie was actually dying at the time with severe heart condition and was never allowed to go out on vets orders but they instantly accused him as he's big, sadly he died in June.As for approaching her and asking if the cats are being a nuisance if she says yes there's nothing I can do to stop them, they are naturally roamers anyway. Looked at the website given thanks but still lost with what to do.
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still report them either to the RSPCA or the police. If it is a rented property then report to their landlords whether they are private or council. What they are doing is a crime and you have to think of your animals (plus any other animal in the area). I do know this will make things awkward for you living so close to them but they are simply being bullies and need dealing with :(
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I hope I don't offend, but I had neighbours with 8 cats which would use my garden as their toilet. My 2 children were very small then and I did not like the smell of the poo or that I had to pick it up and dispose of it. Cat owners are responsible for picking up the mess the same as dog owners are.
I threw the cat's poo back into my neighbours garden and with the help of a water pistol encouraged the cats away. Neighbour moved away taking most of the cats with her.
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yes water pistols are fine but putting down poison or bleach isn't and neither is using mothballs as they do poison cats :(.
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I would agree with that, so possibly she should buy her neighbours a water pistol.
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we have 8 cats, and they are indoor cats so dont bother the neighbors, they range in age from the latest rescue 3 months old to our old 20 year old, who is happy on my lap as I type.
It could just be that they said that in front of your daughter so she would tell you and so you would then stop them going there, maybe you could buy them some of the cat repulsive pepper stuff for them to use to keep your cats out of their garden, this shows them you are actively trying to help them deter your cats safely.
Grendel
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jif lemons are good too, one squirt will deter them for a while.
Grendel
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Thanks for all the replies, yes I feel that this lady should be reported trouble is I've got no proof. As for the reply from grinling I don't actually agree, cat owners I think are different from dog owners they cannot possibly clean up after them everywhere they roam as some cats can wander far away and be gone sometimes a week or more. You can't possibly follow them with a bucket and spade just to clean up after them. Also cats are clean by nature and it's unlikely that they leave it uncovered to smell anyway. When my cats do mess in my garden, I can't say I smell it and only uncovering it when digging and by then it's generally dry anyway. Thinking of also buying some lemons, and knocking on her door with them.I think picking it up and throwing it over the fence is disgusting,quicker to put it in a bag and done with, plus it does not always have to come from the direct neighbours it could be anyone's cat.
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If you get on with her why not just talk to her. Say you didn't realise there was a problem and wished she'd said something before. If she knows you know what she said, whether she was kidding or not, she'll realise if anything happens to the cats she'll be the first person suspected.
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I don't see a problem with speaking to the RSPCA informally, asking whether they would be prepared to have an informal word with the people concerned. A warning may nip it in the bud.
But this will probably lead to a falling out so consider the consequences for you and your daughter first.
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I would urge you to contact the RSPCA even just for a chat, unlike the police you don't have to make a formal statement.
They are the experts in their field who can advise you on your rights and maybe on how to try to resolve the situation before it goes any further.
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My garden had purple slate over weed surpressant so cats could not dig it in and having a small garden (7mx7m) could easily identify it. I have grown up with cats and cleared up my mum's cat messses as she would not go outside.
I do not think that a cat would lick bleach as it smells and would burn their tongue.
Speak to your neighbour and offer an olive branch.
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I have a cat but wouldn't like cats pooing in my garden. Mine uses outside litter trays which I change regularly. They do cover their poo when the soil is dry and loose but not in winter and tend to favour one spot which can get extremly smelly.
I would try and talk with your neighbour and offer to do as much as possible to resolve the matter. However I would also let them know that you will report them to the RSPCA if they take matters into their own hands.
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I would make it known what she has said, that way if anything happens (pray god, it doesen't), but at least she will be firmly in the spotlight for the cruelty.
Why tell your daughter ? she must know she would tell you ? (maybe her plan was to wind you up).
Sorry I can't give any better advise.
The fact she's nice to your face, but then comes out with things behind your back, seems so nasty & makes things harder to deal with.
At least if she came to you before moaning to others, you could have looked for solutions, but to say nothing to you & threaten to poison them ? I won't say what I am thinking.
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There is no excuse for cruelty to animals but in my opinion, cats and their owners should be treated the same way in law as are dogs and their owners.
There is nothing worse that pulling up your veg with a dollop of cat poo on it, or hitting a some with the lawn mower to spread it about.
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Well I think you could say its near on impossible to treat cat owners the same as dog owners. Cats could stray for miles in a day and maybe be gone for a week or more, who knows what they get up to in that time and I wouldn't be prepared to follow them with a bucket and spade just encase they do naughties in someone's garden. If you was suppose to pick up after them you would be able to buy special poo bags for them the same as dogs. Sorry but cats are natural roamers and what anyone says about them there mine and they live like cats should do. That's why so many products are available for gardens as repellents. By the way she don't grow anything in her garden only loads of old motorbike and junk, so I've got my eye on her and I wouldn't hesitate to report her if need be simples.
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Please don't let this degenerate into a more generalised argument about cats.....love'em or hate'em !
If it does it will be locked!
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I have a catWatch in my garden as I feel lots of wild birds and don't want the cats to hunt them.
I don't see any cats in my garden.
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Have you thought about making a sand pit in your garden. Cats love sand to go in, but you would have to keep it clean.
If you went round to the neighbours and took a water pistol or a even a super soaker to use and explain that you have made a sand pit for the cats, they might be friendly about it and you can deal with the problem together. :)
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We've always provided soft soil toilet areas in the garden for our cats but the fact is that they use their business as a way of communicating to other cats about territory and dominance so often do it away from home.
The law recognises that cats are not like dogs - hardly trainable (you can say sit all day long and the cat will ignore you) but on the other hand, you never hear of them tearing a child to shreds.
There may well be cat poo in your garden but it's as likely to be a cat from half a mile away as the one next door.
There are good cat deterrents available and a squirt with a water pistol will do them no harm but putting down poison etc is illegal. Even if you hate the cats, think about the owner. Could be some little old lady or a small child heartbroken. Or some pyscho who'll come and discuss it with you when there are no witnesses :ohmy:
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To pick up on cat's roaming.
I have 2 cat's (one roams to the food bowl & back to the couch), neighbour has 1 cat, other neighbour 3 cat's, house over the road 1 cat.
My garden is not full of poo & the only pain cat is a ginger tom who lives ?
Haven't a clue, but if he's on the fence he spits at you !
:D
Cat's are treated differently in law to dogs, for more info Cat's protection site can give you all the details, remember reading it.
Oh, forgot I feed the birds & no cat's here kills or harms them.
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Yes I also feed the birds and I don't think they would know what to do with it if they did catch one. As for the ginger on the fence he sounds very bold and brave maybe he classes it as his territory especially if you own a Tom cat. I think they go to her garden mainly for the mice there's loads in her garage so they do keep the mouse population down at least. My cats do have litter trays as well as going out. One of my Tom cats hasn't been home today yet looking out for him hope he's ok x
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Cats use their excrement to mark the edge of their territory not the centre of it.