Neighbour put chilli powder on garden - cat deterrent?

[Ceejay123]

As a cat owner.

They are animals- not humans. They do not have the brain capacity that we do- they poo in gardens. They just haven't got it in them to realise sometimes the gardens they choose to shit in isn't theirs- they simply don't know the difference. Just like when people let their cats sleep on windowsills but then get annoyed when they jump onto kitchen counters- they don't know the difference. Simple.

You can't expect people to keep their cats locked up- a) I don't think its fair as cats are natural born explorers and hunters (like it or not- its true) and b) I dont want to have a shitbox in my house with a 10 month old and a baby on the way. Who wants to change dirty cat litter while they are pregnant? Not me.

I get it is annoying...but in the great scheme of things its nothing to worry about- and I am incredibly jealous of your life if that is the biggest thing you had to worry about.

As for the chilli pepper- well, if I was her neighbour- I would just hope and pray that woman didn't have animals of her own- because if she did, I would be straight on to the RSPCA as it would raise big questions to me about what she considers appropriate methods to keep an animal under control.

That has made me a little sick if im honest- and if anyone did that to my cat, I wouldn't have a problem throwing chilli pepper back in their eyes and seeing how they liked it. And then handing them the veterinary bill afterwards, of course

Well said x

 

[kassiaethne]

As a cat owner.

They are animals- not humans. They do not have the brain capacity that we do- they poo in gardens. They just haven't got it in them to realise sometimes the gardens they choose to shit in isn't theirs- they simply don't know the difference. Just like when people let their cats sleep on windowsills but then get annoyed when they jump onto kitchen counters- they don't know the difference. Simple.

You can't expect people to keep their cats locked up- a) I don't think its fair as cats are natural born explorers and hunters (like it or not- its true) and b) I dont want to have a shitbox in my house with a 10 month old and a baby on the way. Who wants to change dirty cat litter while they are pregnant? Not me.

I get it is annoying...but in the great scheme of things its nothing to worry about- and I am incredibly jealous of your life if that is the biggest thing you had to worry about.

As for the chilli pepper- well, if I was her neighbour- I would just hope and pray that woman didn't have animals of her own- because if she did, I would be straight on to the RSPCA as it would raise big questions to me about what she considers appropriate methods to keep an animal under control.

That has made me a little sick if im honest- and if anyone did that to my cat, I wouldn't have a problem throwing chilli pepper back in their eyes and seeing how they liked it. And then handing them the veterinary bill afterwards, of course

I've had cats most of my life, and no they may not have the capacity to think as humans, but that is why they are owned by humans, to have the human set the boundries. and no my cats knew the difference between a windowsill and my counters, why? because I was on their butts from day 1 until they learned.

So you're totally cool with them coming into my yard, shitting all over with my child around where it's toxic to them, as long as it's not in your home messing with your child? how is that justifiable.

I made sure my cat's wouldn't be able to escape my backyard area or they were not allowed outside. I put a net area over the climbable area's and they were content to stay in the yard with my boundaries set. I lived in cities where neighbors liked to kill cats who went into their areas, so I decided to protect my animals by setting limits so they wouldn't go to those area's and be fed glass, or rat poison, or get shot off the wall (all these things happened to my childhood cats by neighbors)

Just because it is your pet, doesn't mean it has to be mine too. "it's a cat" is a rude excuses. Cat's can be taught to walk on leashes, they can be trained, they are not stupid beasts. Just because their owners want to be lazy and put their animal's as burdens on the rest of society, doesn't mean society should have to put up with it.

on the other hand, with the chilli, I really hate people who take such drastic measures to hurt an animal. Which is why I'd rather take it somewhere to be re homed instead of killing it or hurting it. it's obviously got irresponsible owners, not the cats fault for that. And I also shouldn't have to be figuring out how to train your cat to stay out of my lawn, garden, home.

 

[little_cookie]

I do get your point..but think how you felt when that happened to your cats for shitting in anothers garden. Did you not ever just think "surely it is easier to just pick it up?"

If somebody shot my cat...well, they wouldn't get away with it lets put it that way.

I just believe it is a lot easier to pick it up then do something to anothers cat that will likely cause backlash and a neighbourly dispute. It's not worth it for some cat shit that takes a couple of seconds to pick up. Maybe i'm soft, maybe i'm used to it. My cats have always adequately buried their poop though

 

[kassiaethne]

I do get your point..but think how you felt when that happened to your cats for shitting in anothers garden. Did you not ever just think "surely it is easier to just pick it up?"

If somebody shot my cat...well, they wouldn't get away with it lets put it that way.

I just believe it is a lot easier to pick it up then do something to anothers cat that will likely cause backlash and a neighbourly dispute. It's not worth it for some cat shit that takes a couple of seconds to pick up. Maybe i'm soft, maybe i'm used to it. My cats have always adequately buried their poop though

yeah, I think if it was just one cat it would be less annoying for people, and easier to just pick it up, but most of the time it's more then 1 and you never know where you're going to find the next lovely supply.

The reason one of my neighbors started feeding glass to cats is because one woman literally had 50 cats (finally someone called animal services on her) and they would come ruining everything in everyone's yards, put holes in the window covers, get into peoples homes and terrorize their own pets. (I called animal control on him too for animal cruelty, to late though my cat already ate the food soon after and died)

and especially in big cities, I lived in palmdale (where the neighbor shot the cat) Miami (where the glass and the rat poison happened) then rio de janerio, then sao paulo, and now mexico city(and you don't want to know what people do to stray animals in those countries). and there is no such thing as one cat, or one dog. dogs run in packs and terrorize people at night. cats attack your own pets and try to get into your homes, and good luck ever having a garden if you do happen to be one of the lucky few who has a backyard. So I am more firm on the stand of control your pet because, not only for my sake, but for your pet's sake as well from other frustrated humans, other feral animals, and such.

 

[binxyboo]

As a cat owner.

They are animals- not humans. They do not have the brain capacity that we do- they poo in gardens. They just haven't got it in them to realise sometimes the gardens they choose to shit in isn't theirs- they simply don't know the difference. Just like when people let their cats sleep on windowsills but then get annoyed when they jump onto kitchen counters- they don't know the difference. Simple.

You can't expect people to keep their cats locked up- a) I don't think its fair as cats are natural born explorers and hunters (like it or not- its true) and b) I dont want to have a shitbox in my house with a 10 month old and a baby on the way. Who wants to change dirty cat litter while they are pregnant? Not me.

I get it is annoying...but in the great scheme of things its nothing to worry about- and I am incredibly jealous of your life if that is the biggest thing you had to worry about.

As for the chilli pepper- well, if I was her neighbour- I would just hope and pray that woman didn't have animals of her own- because if she did, I would be straight on to the RSPCA as it would raise big questions to me about what she considers appropriate methods to keep an animal under control.

That has made me a little sick if im honest- and if anyone did that to my cat, I wouldn't have a problem throwing chilli pepper back in their eyes and seeing how they liked it. And then handing them the veterinary bill afterwards, of course

Wow. You don't want a "shit box" in your house with children around.

Well I don't want to have to clean other peoples cat shit out of my garden in case my 2 year old finds it.
You want an animal, YOU need to look after it. And that includes cleaning up its shit.

I have a cat. It is litter trained. The "shit box" is a covered one so my child can't get into it.
When I was pregnant, I cleaned it out using disposable rubber gloves and a mask and washed my hands thoroughly afterwards because it was MY responsibility to clean up after my animals.

I do not appreciate cleaning up the cat shit in the garden that my neighbours 5 cats leave.

 

[sue_88]

Little-cookie: you don't want your own cats poo in your house/garden because of your children.

I also don't want to have to pick it up because of my baby. Why should I be exposed to potentially dangerous cat poo that doesn't belong to me?

I've had 3 fresh poos in 2 days, it makes me feel physically sick. I don't blame my neighbour for taking drastic action, whilst I wouldn't do it.

It upsets me I can't enjoy my garden without worrying about the crap that's all over the place.

 

[dani_tinks]

I'm not sure why people say they don't want a ''shit box'' in their house? If you choose to have a cat, well, any pet/animal then it's your responsibility to look after it. Most of the time, that includes a litter tray.
From my experience most cats come away from breeders litter trained. I know our boy did. He would actually be mortified to have to do his business outside.
On the rare occasion he does venture out, he always runs back inside to use his tray.
I totally understand how annoyed people would get if you have another persons pet pooing in your garden. But chilli powder, really? Not all cats have common sense and that could cause harm .

 

[Kate&Lucas]

You can't expect people to keep their cats locked up- a) I don't think its fair as cats are natural born explorers and hunters (like it or not- its true) and b) I dont want to have a shitbox in my house with a 10 month old and a baby on the way. Who wants to change dirty cat litter while they are pregnant? Not me.

Who wants to clean up the shit of five cats they don't own all day long before their three-year-old picks it up and tries to draw with it? Not me, but that's what I have to do since my neighbour doesn't want to have a 'shitbox' in her house. I've never kept pets because I don't want the hassle of cleaning the mess, but my neighbour keeps as many pets as she likes without that hassle, because everyone else in the street cleans up the mess instead. Is it okay for me to knock on her door everytime I find crap?
I'm a busy, working single mother, and five cats shit at random intervals during the day - it is not taking 10-15 minutes out of my day. Truth be told, I rarely use my back garden incase I stumble on more crap.

And no, it's not the biggest issue in my life, it's quite trivial in the grand scheme of things, but it's the issue being raised in this thread. I'm not advocating the use of harmful deterrents and have never used any, but I believe selfish pet owners need to take more responsibility.

 

[smallpeanut]

Well that's the point. We don't want to clear up the cat poo. But we have no choice in it. It's dangerous to our children. So IF I didn't and my baby got ill, I'll be round every cats owners house going spare. It's simply not my responsibility. But your attitude of 'i don't want a shitbox in my house with a baby' is a totally hypocritical.

In order to make it safe for my children, I'm going to have to pay for cat deterrents. Well I think that's wrong. I think the cats owner should be paying for my cat deterants.

 

[Redfraggle]

As a cat owner....I dont want to have a shitbox in my house with a 10 month old and a baby on the way. Who wants to change dirty cat litter while they are pregnant? Not me.

I really don't understand what is so difficult about taking 10-15 seconds out of your life, getting a plastic bag and picking the poop up off the ground.

Are you kidding me?! It's fine for other people to do it for YOUR animal but not you?!

 

[Pink Flowers]

we have a cat as I said. If I knew where she had done a poo I would clear it up.

But we have other peoples cats pooing in our garden and I have to clean it up, I am pregnant and have a child yet I still have to do it. If it was my cat I would go round and clean it, or at least say sorry for your cat doing it?

 

[GypsyDancer]

As a cat owner.

They are animals- not humans. They do not have the brain capacity that we do- they poo in gardens. They just haven't got it in them to realise sometimes the gardens they choose to shit in isn't theirs- they simply don't know the difference. Just like when people let their cats sleep on windowsills but then get annoyed when they jump onto kitchen counters- they don't know the difference. Simple.

You can't expect people to keep their cats locked up- a) I don't think its fair as cats are natural born explorers and hunters (like it or not- its true) and b) I dont want to have a shitbox in my house with a 10 month old and a baby on the way. Who wants to change dirty cat litter while they are pregnant? Not me.

I get it is annoying...but in the great scheme of things its nothing to worry about- and I am incredibly jealous of your life if that is the biggest thing you had to worry about.

As for the chilli pepper- well, if I was her neighbour- I would just hope and pray that woman didn't have animals of her own- because if she did, I would be straight on to the RSPCA as it would raise big questions to me about what she considers appropriate methods to keep an animal under control.

That has made me a little sick if im honest- and if anyone did that to my cat, I wouldn't have a problem throwing chilli pepper back in their eyes and seeing how they liked it. And then handing them the veterinary bill afterwards, of course

I really don't understand what is so difficult about taking 10-15 seconds out of your life, getting a plastic bag and picking the poop up off the ground. Causing potential harm to an animal and/or taking it to the pound or whatever- surely that just causes more, and longer term, grief?

I was reading this thread on my phone, but after seeing this reply i had to come onto my laptop so i could reply properly.
Im not sure whether your being serious or just trying to provoke a reaction but if its the first then your attitude is pretty disgusting to be honest.

My toddler has cystic fibrosis. I spend enough of my time worrying about the potentially life threatening germs he can catch from things a healthy child wouldn't without having to worry about cat shit aswell, which is toxic to any normal child. Why should i have that added stress and worry for my sons health just because you dont want a litter tray in your house.
I was also very much pregnant when i was constantly having to pick up someone elses cats shit from my garden EVERYDAY so my toddler wouldnt get hold of it, just because you dont want to do it. Very selfish and irresponsible.

I understand cats roam and cant be controlled, but like i said, your attitude of "I dont want to have a shitbox in my house with a 10 month old and a baby on the way. Who wants to change dirty cat litter while they are pregnant? Not me." is just disgusting.

Just a last note. In your grand scheme of things no its not a big deal to have to pick cat shit up out your garden, in my world, actually yes it is, as like i said, i have enough to worry about without added stress of my son becoming unwell from touching cat shit.

One of the reasons we ended up agreeing to move was because of our next door neighbours cat constantly shitting in our garden.

 

[pinklightbulb]

The attitude of it's my pet but not my problem.... Flabber. Gasted.

 

[sue_88]

As a cat owner.

They are animals- not humans. They do not have the brain capacity that we do- they poo in gardens. They just haven't got it in them to realise sometimes the gardens they choose to shit in isn't theirs- they simply don't know the difference. Just like when people let their cats sleep on windowsills but then get annoyed when they jump onto kitchen counters- they don't know the difference. Simple.

You can't expect people to keep their cats locked up- a) I don't think its fair as cats are natural born explorers and hunters (like it or not- its true) and b) I dont want to have a shitbox in my house with a 10 month old and a baby on the way. Who wants to change dirty cat litter while they are pregnant? Not me.

I get it is annoying...but in the great scheme of things its nothing to worry about- and I am incredibly jealous of your life if that is the biggest thing you had to worry about.

As for the chilli pepper- well, if I was her neighbour- I would just hope and pray that woman didn't have animals of her own- because if she did, I would be straight on to the RSPCA as it would raise big questions to me about what she considers appropriate methods to keep an animal under control.

That has made me a little sick if im honest- and if anyone did that to my cat, I wouldn't have a problem throwing chilli pepper back in their eyes and seeing how they liked it. And then handing them the veterinary bill afterwards, of course

I really don't understand what is so difficult about taking 10-15 seconds out of your life, getting a plastic bag and picking the poop up off the ground. Causing potential harm to an animal and/or taking it to the pound or whatever- surely that just causes more, and longer term, grief?

I was reading this thread on my phone, but after seeing this reply i had to come onto my laptop so i could reply properly.
Im not sure whether your being serious or just trying to provoke a reaction but if its the first then your attitude is pretty disgusting to be honest.

My toddler has cystic fibrosis. I spend enough of my time worrying about the potentially life threatening germs he can catch from things a healthy child wouldn't without having to worry about cat shit aswell, which is toxic to any normal child. Why should i have that added stress and worry for my sons health just because you dont want a litter tray in your house.
I was also very much pregnant when i was constantly having to pick up someone elses cats shit from my garden EVERYDAY so my toddler wouldnt get hold of it, just because you dont want to do it. Very selfish and irresponsible.

I understand cats roam and cant be controlled, but like i said, your attitude of "I dont want to have a shitbox in my house with a 10 month old and a baby on the way. Who wants to change dirty cat litter while they are pregnant? Not me." is just disgusting.

Just a last note. In your grand scheme of things no its not a big deal to have to pick cat shit up out your garden, in my world, actually yes it is, as like i said, i have enough to worry about without added stress of my son becoming unwell from touching cat shit.

One of the reasons we ended up agreeing to move was because of our next door neighbours cat constantly shitting in our garden.

I couldn't agree more. It's such a disgusting attitude from an irresponsible pet owner.

Nasty that they'd rather an innocent pregnant woman/mother pick up shit that doesn't belong to them.

 

[dgirllamius]

As a cat owner.

You can't expect people to keep their cats locked up- a) I don't think its fair as cats are natural born explorers and hunters (like it or not- its true) and b) I dont want to have a shitbox in my house with a 10 month old and a baby on the way. Who wants to change dirty cat litter while they are pregnant? Not me.

I actually laughed at this comment.

You want a cat and you don't want a shit box in your house? Yet it's OK for YOUR cat to shit in other peoples gardens?

If you don't want a shit box then you shouldn't have a cat, no?

 

[Missy86]

If someone had an issue with my cat I would hope they would tell me

 

[sparkle_1979]

As a cat owner.

You can't expect people to keep their cats locked up- a) I don't think its fair as cats are natural born explorers and hunters (like it or not- its true) and b) I dont want to have a shitbox in my house with a 10 month old and a baby on the way. Who wants to change dirty cat litter while they are pregnant? Not me.

I actually laughed at this comment.

You want a cat and you don't want a shit box in your house? Yet it's OK for YOUR cat to shit in other peoples gardens?

If you don't want a shit box then you shouldn't have a cat, no?

Such an irresponsible cat owner shit attitude and I if you were my neighbour ( thank goodness you're not ) we would be falling out, big time.

 

[KayBea]

As a cat owner.

They are animals- not humans. They do not have the brain capacity that we do- they poo in gardens. They just haven't got it in them to realise sometimes the gardens they choose to shit in isn't theirs- they simply don't know the difference. Just like when people let their cats sleep on windowsills but then get annoyed when they jump onto kitchen counters- they don't know the difference. Simple.

You can't expect people to keep their cats locked up- a) I don't think its fair as cats are natural born explorers and hunters (like it or not- its true) and b) I dont want to have a shitbox in my house with a 10 month old and a baby on the way. Who wants to change dirty cat litter while they are pregnant? Not me.

I get it is annoying...but in the great scheme of things its nothing to worry about- and I am incredibly jealous of your life if that is the biggest thing you had to worry about.

As for the chilli pepper- well, if I was her neighbour- I would just hope and pray that woman didn't have animals of her own- because if she did, I would be straight on to the RSPCA as it would raise big questions to me about what she considers appropriate methods to keep an animal under control.

That has made me a little sick if im honest- and if anyone did that to my cat, I wouldn't have a problem throwing chilli pepper back in their eyes and seeing how they liked it. And then handing them the veterinary bill afterwards, of course

a) its pretty simple to train your cat to not walk on work tops, its highly un healthy to anyone.

b) dogs are natural born hunters but i bet you would moan if i let my dog shit in your garden?! and ide end up with a nice hefty fine if i didnt clean up my dogs shit, also another hefty fine if he was found wandering the streets because he would classed as a 'stray'.

c) if you dont want a 'shit box' in your house because you have a child & another on the way ide suggest you give the cat up to a responsible pet owner who wants to actually look after their pet(s), i dont want to clean your cats shit up either.

d) yes it is annoying & yes it is something to worry about when i have to check my garden for cat shit everytime LO wants to go & play, i dont want her touching it & i definately dont want her walking it into my house!

 

[Rachel_C]

Pet cats are part of life in the UK. Whether you like it or not, they are allowed to wander outside and that means pooing in gardens too. Birds, foxes, mice, rats, rabbits, ferral cats etc all poo in gardens as well... I've often found fox poo on the garden wall in the morning, or when there were babies around it would be outside the front door too! I've also seen a few mice around and they poo and wee everywhere they go. I really don't see the difference between people letting cats roam and letting wildlife roam. Cats aren't like dogs, most of them need to be free to go outside (not just a garden), they're half pet, half individuals/wild. If anybody is saying cats should all be kept confined to a house or garden, perhaps they want to catch all the wild animals who might poo too?

Actually, I can see a difference between pet cat poo and other wildlife (including ferral cats!) - pet cats are more likely to have been wormed so their poo is less gross from that perspective!

 

[binxyboo]

Pet cats are part of life in the UK. Whether you like it or not, they are allowed to wander outside and that means pooing in gardens too. Birds, foxes, mice, rats, rabbits, ferral cats etc all poo in gardens as well... I've often found fox poo on the garden wall in the morning, or when there were babies around it would be outside the front door too! I've also seen a few mice around and they poo and wee everywhere they go. I really don't see the difference between people letting cats roam and letting wildlife roam. Cats aren't like dogs, most of them need to be free to go outside (not just a garden), they're half pet, half individuals/wild. If anybody is saying cats should all be kept confined to a house or garden, perhaps they want to catch all the wild animals who might poo too?

Actually, I can see a difference between pet cat poo and other wildlife (including ferral cats!) - pet cats are more likely to have been wormed so their poo is less gross from that perspective!

It was the attitude of "I don't want to clean up my cats shit, so I will let it shit in someone else's garden so they can clean it up" that angered most of us

However, as stated in my previous post, my cat is litter trained. He does wander outside but not too far (as he is neutered) and will come inside to use his litter tray.
I don't understand why other cat owners don't litter train their cats
It isnt difficult. Judging by the "why should I have a shit box in my house" comment, I will assume some other cat owners are lazy and selfish.