Weddingbee boards

I am beyond frustrated with my neighbours. I spend a lot of time and money trying to make make my flowerbeds look nice, only to have them filled with cat feces all the time. Not to mention the lovely urine smell. All of the mulch I have taken the time to spread out evenly is kicked around while the kitties enjoy their huge litter box. They even shit on our lawn!

A couple of years ago I gathered A LOT of cat poo from my gardens and I added some from our litterboxes and put it in a bag. In the middle of the night I took the bag full of crap and spread it through one of the offending neighbours flowerbeds. Mature I know...but it made me feel a lot better.

It just pisses me off. I have tried moth balls and various other methods but nothing works. I realize this is not the cats fault, but the irresponsible owners. I have spoken to them about it, explaining that I understand since they choose to let their cats run free they really can't control where the cats go to the bathroom but that I would appreciate if they would come over once in awhile and pick the feces up. Honestly, this would have been a great compromise. They have never come over.

We have 2 dogs that I pick up after everyday. And we have 2 indoor cats whose litter box's I change. I shouldn't have to pick up everyone else's shit too. It must be nice to never have to do those things.

End of rant. I'm adding a poll because who doesn't love a poll?

You sound like my neighbour from when I was growing up. She was so horrible to us about our cat that she actually threatened to catch him, drive him out to the country and leave him there.

He was already used to being able to go outside when we adopted him and he would have been miserable to be kept inside. In the end we decided to rehome him to some friends who lived in the country. He wasn't there long before he escaped and was never seen again (presumed dead). 

Please don't be like my horrible neighbour who got my cat killed. 

That is extremely rude of them. Especially if they have been made aware of the situation. My cats are inside cats and only go in the house (not necessarily always in the litterbox, lol) but if they went outside and pooped in the neighbor's garden, we would clean it up. Just like they always clean up when their dog poops in our yard, and when we are dog sitting, we pick up when the dogs we sit poop in their yard. 

@Lemma: Um, seriously. That was ridiculous. I'm sorry about your cat, but all she's asking is that they clean up after it.

@Rachael432: How? Cats bury their waste. Does she want the neighbours to come over and dig around in her garden seaching for poop?

@Lemma: I am sorry about your cat but re-read the post. I am nothing like your neighbour.

@kelmac: I read it and I'm glad that you haven't graduated to threats yet, but I still don't understand how you expect them to either control their cats or find buried poo without further disturbing your garden.

@Lemma: Its not difficult to find. Some of it may be "buried" but the majority of it is laying right on top. And the little bit that may be buried is easy to find because the mulch is all disturbed.

My cats don't even bury their poo in their litter box. They leave it right on top. I wish they would bury it so it didn't smell as bad lol.

This wasn't meant to start a fight.

@Roe: Oh, I will add that option. Thanks.

@kelmac: I know it wasn't meant to start a fight, but it struck a nerve with me. I just can't understand how some flowers can be more important than an animal. My neighbour's garden was important enough that my cat ended up dying for it. 

If the poo is easy to see, then it is a bit more reasonable to expect them to pick it up. I still don't think you should expect them to dig it up though, because they might hurt your plants and then you'll have further troubles. 

It also seems like you have the issue of multiple neighbours with cats, so it will be difficult for them to feel the need to assume responsibility. Maybe you could ask to make a schedule where they take turns cleaning it up. 

@Roe: She's already overreacted by taking the bag of poo and putting it in a neighbour's garden. What's to stop her from getting more upset and threatening people?

Also, if you had followed the conversation, you would see that I thought the cats would be burying their poo like most normal cats do. That's not easy to clean up. 

@Lemma: Seriously? I am not going to graduate to threats and I don't value plants over an animal's life. You need to stop jumping to conclusions and quit insinuating that I am some horrible cat-murdering person.

@Roe: My neighbour was an animal owner and used to be a vet. That doesn't always make people reasonable about other people's animals. 

@kelmac: Threats are not the same as actually doing it. I never said that you were a cat murderer. I'm glad you don't value plants over an animal's life. I'm sorry that you have taken such offense here, but even you admit that your very minor act of vandalism was immature. I have disagreements with my own neighbours, but I have never resorted to even a very small act of vandalism. I tried to suggest a way for you to deal with the neighbours in a more mature way, but you haven't responded to that part. 

@pinkshoes: "Overreacting would be whipping out a bb gun and shooting at them."

Like a different poster on here joked about doing. You see how easy it comes to some people. I don't know kelmac at all, so how was I to know that she wasn't one of the people who would do such a thing? I am very happy to learn that she isn't. 

@Lemma: Yes, it was immature and if it makes me a vandal I'm OK with it. In that case my neighbours vandalize my house every day.

As for your "more mature suggestion" of dealing with my neighbours...while it sounds great in theory, if I can't get them to come over even once I doubt they will follow a schedule. I approached them once and I don't want to harass them.

@kelmac: Your neighbours' cats vandalize your house. It's not the same. They do it out of biological need and you did it out of purposeful anger. I hope you can understand the difference and I'm really not trying to be snarky in saying that.

The schedule was meant to deal with issue of it not being clear whose responsibility it was. Each neighbour probably thinks that it is the other neighbours' cats who are the problem and therefore they don't need to deal with it. Maybe you could get them all together and talk about it as a group. Explain that you have seen each of their cats in your garden and that you need to work out a schedule. 

@AlmostMrsDoc: Easy questions first. In kelmac's orignal post she mentions owners, plural. The schedule was meant to include only the neighbours, not kelmac herself. 

As for my cat, they were keeping him inside for the first few days so that he could get used to the move. He escaped during the period where he was still adjusting to his new home, and he basically ran away. 

I say that my neighbour caused his death because if she hadn't threatened to do something terrible to him, we wouldn't have had to rehome him.

ETA: I suppose owners could mean just one couple. The other reason it seemed like there were multiple households is that as somebody else mentioned that it sounds like there's way too much poo for just one or two cats. 

@BrightGreen: I have heard of the chicken wire thing but I don't think it would work for us and I wouldn't want to hurt the cats. There is less poop now than there was a couple years ago because one neighbour had 4 cats but she has since moved. Although she didn't take her cats with her but that's another story. LOL at the cat gang! maybe I should be honored they want to go in my lovely gardens! And that's a cute story about your cat in the pot. Its really funny how they can be so creative sometimes, and yet completely miss the litter box other times.

@AlmostMrsDoc: LOL @ It is, in fact, 'their property'... you're simply giving it back to them ;)  Good point! They should be thanking me!  I have tried several powders, but no sprays. I should keep looking I guess. We looked into a motion sprinkler system but it wasn't cheap.

Yes there are multiple owners. At this point there are 2 neighbours (3 cats) that I know of. Another owners cat recently passed away of old age, and there was the one with 4 cats. Also, there is a random I see every now and then but I don't know who it belongs to yet. There may be more...

@KatM: I agree. I just think that they will be more likely to try to pick up some of it if kelmac can find a way to stop them shifting responsibility in their heads. 

@KatM: Thanks. I will have to look into the sonic deterrant. I wonder if it bothers dogs and squirrels ears etc. because I wouldn't want it to. And you are right. All I would like is a little effort on their part.

Keep the suggestions coming. I'm going to walk my dogs now. Maybe I will take poop bags...maybe I won't

This would drive me absolutely nuts! I'm going to go on a rant, feel free to ignore. Nothing pisses me off more than people who do not clean up after their pets. I used to work in a daycare right next to a park and my 2 year olds would go running through the park, only to step in dog crap. As for the cats, I am in a similar situation. In our state, apparently if you want to keep animals out of your yard, it is your responsibility to put up a fence to keep animals out. This is complete crap; it should be the pet owner's responsibility to put up a fence to keep their animals in. I don't have animals because I do not want a yard full of crap!!!

@BrightGreen: I just wonder if it would make it difficult to weed etc.? Some of the beds are fairly wide so I have to go into them. And if you want to plant another shrub you would have to lift it out. Unless I only did maybe 1 foot in? Maybe that would be easier? It sounds like a perfect solution for deer.

@misskoala: No its not killing the flowers but it stinks and its disgusting. Plus its a hygiene/health issue for me and my other pets. I used to allow my cats to come out on the front porch with me once in awhile and they would wander around in one of the beds. I can no longer do that because of the cat urine and feces that is there. I am scared that there may be fleas etc. in there, and maybe they could catch something from the feces. Probably irrational, but you never know. And my dogs will eat it if they find it. Sick but true. And I refuse to believe that is OK.

I would still be frustrated if they were strays but I wouldn't have anyone to blame except the cat-and I don't blame the cats. And I would love for the owners to come over and pick up the crap. That is my point.

@julies1949: You are 100% completely right.

@ebet24: That is NOT acceptable. What a rediculous law!