# Ethel's upsetting the neighbours



## lurcherd (Apr 15, 2012)

Good morning all.

I am new to your site please be gentle with me. I live in a downstairs flat in a warden controlled retirement village where there are a lot of bungalows and a lot of unenclosed gardens. Mainly of well kept lawns. The people that own their own homes pay ground rent to live here i don't as i rent this flat. I have only been here for 2 months now and i have two female cats. Molly who is 4 and a half, and Ethel who is a year old. Both spayed. I have two litter trays for them which they use. Both of them have been going out now for about a month and seem well settled. However! Yesterday i had a knock on my door and on opening it, there stood the site warden. So i let her in and and as soon as she opened her mouth i knew i was in trouble. She very tactfully told me that the black and white cat (Ethel) has been pooing on her neighbors lawn. She told me that they had tried all sorts of things to stop the problem including putting disinfectant all over half of the lawn which has now killed off the grass. I was told that they are at the end of their tether. Friday they went out and bought one of those high pitched noise things that only cats can hear to try and stop it. I went round to the house of Ethel's litter tray to make my peace and they have been very good about it. I told them that i would keep an eye on the lawn and pick up any mess i find and hope that the noise thing would do its job. However! This morning i went to check on the lawn and there right in front and not two feet away from the noise thing was a dolope of do do. Apparently she also does it on the bit of soil they have and she doesn't even cover it up. So apart from keeping her in which is difficult if i don't want the carpets ripped up. I don't know what to do. Has anyone any constructive suggestions? As i am worried that the owners of the property might take further action either towards my landlord or god forbid the owner of this land that the properties stand on and get me and my pussies kicked off. 

Thank you for taking the time to read the novel above sorry it is so long but i wanted to give you as much information as possible.


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## SandyR (Oct 8, 2011)

Can you just agree to check the lawn and flower bed once a day and clear up any mess. If she is not digging up any plants or grass then I cant see their problem if your willing to clear it up after her. 

I don't think anyone could ask much more then that.


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## dorrit (Sep 13, 2011)

Is there any way of working out an enclosed area for the cats so that they dont roam everywhere?
Have you tried lion dung or cat granules?

If not and they continue to cause problems for your neighbours you will have to keep them in regardless of what happens to your carpets..

I dont want to sound unkind but if you had a dog we wouldnt be having this conversation as it wouldnt be allowed to roam about and you would be required to pick up anyway..

Much as I can understand your love for your pets they should not be allowed to ruin other peoples enjoyment of the gardens..

I hope you do find a peaceful solution that is acceptable to you and the neighbours..


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## lurcherd (Apr 15, 2012)

SandyR said:


> Can you just agree to check the lawn and flower bed once a day and clear up any mess. If she is not digging up any plants or grass then I cant see their problem if your willing to clear it up after her.
> 
> I don't think anyone could ask much more then that.


Thank you for your reply SandyR. It seems the owners have done a lot of damage with the dissinfectant. I will try my best to alleviate the problem. Thank you once again.


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## lurcherd (Apr 15, 2012)

dorrit said:


> Is there any way of working out an enclosed area for the cats so that they dont roam everywhere?
> Have you tried lion dung or cat granules?
> 
> If not and they continue to cause problems for your neighbours you will have to keep them in regardless of what happens to your carpets..
> ...


Thank you Dorrit for your reply and the sugestion of lion dung, I havnt tried that or the cat granules. The rest of your reply i will ignore. Not very welcoming was it. I am off to try a more freindlier site and hopefuly more constrctive.


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## bordie (Jan 9, 2012)

lurcherd said:


> Thank you Dorrit for your reply and the sugestion of lion dung, I havnt tried that or the cat granules. The rest of your reply i will ignore. Not very welcoming was it. I am off to try a more freindlier site and hopefuly more constrctive.


tara.................................................


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## SandyR (Oct 8, 2011)

lurcherd said:


> Thank you for your reply SandyR. It seems the owners have done a lot of damage with the dissinfectant. I will try my best to alleviate the problem. Thank you once again.


Disinfectant was a silly idea. What's the point in trying to protect a lawn if your going to throw that on it. I'd rather of cleaned up a bit of poo then do that to it but I guess I'm used to cat poo and they probably find it disgusting.


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## Mo1959 (Mar 31, 2012)

lurcherd said:


> Thank you Dorrit for your reply and the sugestion of lion dung, I havnt tried that or the cat granules. The rest of your reply i will ignore. Not very welcoming was it. I am off to try a more freindlier site and hopefuly more constrctive.


Oh dear. I thought it was a reasonable suggestion. Sometimes the truth is a bitter pill to swallow.


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## yeahuloveme (Mar 30, 2012)

if their disinfectant had any hint of ammonia in your cat will continue you to use, although why they decided to do this is beyond me, 
cats HATE curry, so they can sprinkle some curry powder or curry plant, your cat should hate it so much she keeps well away,
cats can be little buggers. 
hope it is resolved x


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## ChesterCat (Mar 21, 2012)

dorrit said:


> Is there any way of working out an enclosed area for the cats so that they dont roam everywhere?
> Have you tried lion dung or cat granules?
> 
> If not and they continue to cause problems for your neighbours you will have to keep them in regardless of what happens to your carpets..
> ...


....I thought what you said was quite reasonable, its not like you said it with any malice.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

dorrit said:


> Is there any way of working out an enclosed area for the cats so that they dont roam everywhere?
> Have you tried lion dung or cat granules?
> 
> If not and they continue to cause problems for your neighbours you will have to keep them in regardless of what happens to your carpets..
> ...





lurcherd said:


> Thank you Dorrit for your reply and the sugestion of lion dung, I havnt tried that or the cat granules. The rest of your reply i will ignore. *Not very welcoming was it. I am off to try a more freindlier site and hopefuly more constrctive.*


dorrit I agree with you on this.My cats have always been indoor cats,but if they wernt I would be very unhappy about them using someone elses garden as their toilet and would do all I could to make sure that they were not causing a nuisance,although I dont see how this is possible when cats are allowed "freedom"

lurcherd.Not sure that I can see anything "unwelcoming or unfriendly" about dorrits reply.There is after all vey little that _can_ be suggested other than restrict their movements or try deterents,as a cat that is allowed to "roam " will do just that ,roam


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

I assume the open plan gardens are at the front of the houses, if you have a back enclosed garden perhaps you could put an enclosure up or cat proof the garden so keep the cats in your garden.

Apart from that which idiot puts disinfectant on a lawn


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## dorrit (Sep 13, 2011)

I really wasnt being nasty...
I was only pointing out that if the OP had had a dog she would have been expected to control its roaming and pick up in the communial gardens so why not do the same for her cats ..

Some cat owners fail to understand just how much misery their beloved pets bring to others... Ask my daughter who has just lost another parikeet to the neighbours cat...

Im sorry but the OPs reply leads me to think of the arrogant type of owner who feels kitty can do no wrong and no one has the right to say anything to them about it..

I feel quite sorry for the neighbours if this is the attitude displayed


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## Aurelie (Apr 10, 2012)

lurcherd said:


> Thank you Dorrit for your reply and the sugestion of lion dung, I havnt tried that or the cat granules. The rest of your reply i will ignore. Not very welcoming was it. I am off to try a more freindlier site and hopefuly more constrctive.


I don't think Dorrit's reply was unwelcoming at all. Realistically from your description of the flat/community you have moved into, I am amazed that the landlord allowed you to have cats at all. I hope the cat granules work for you but I also wonder if they work, and the cats move onto another garden are you then going to have the same problem with another neighbour?

I feel for you because its an uncomfortable situation, but I think that your only option is to keep the cats in or build an outdoor enclosure. Sorry .


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## Treaclesmum (Sep 26, 2011)

An outdoor run might be the only way for your cats. She probably didn't cover it as she was marking the garden as part of her territory. I don't really understand why some people don't want cats to poo on their gardens, as it is surely good fertiliser for the plants?! :ciappa:


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## The Minkey (Feb 6, 2012)

"It seems the owners have done a lot of damage with the dissinfectant. " Who on earth would be so daft as to put disinfectant onto a lawn? Oh, maybe it's my ex-colleague, the one who tried to clean up a coffee spillage on the office carpet with bleach. That damage to the lawn is entirely the neighbours responsibility, not the OPs.

If I were the OP, I'd use the feline desire for habit and routine to my advantage: I'd try to identify what time Ethel feels that particular call of nature and keep her inside until she disposes of the urge in her litter tray.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Treaclesmum said:


> An outdoor run might be the only way for your cats. She probably didn't cover it as she was marking the garden as part of her territory. *I don't really understand why some people don't want cats to poo on their gardens, as it is surely good fertiliser for the plants?! *:ciappa:


I assume you are not serious .There is nothing nice about cat cr*p in flowerbeds or on grass.I have indoor cats so I dont inflict that on anyone but if my cats were outdoor cats I would not be happy with the thought that they were using other folks gardens as a toilet


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## Treaclesmum (Sep 26, 2011)

buffie said:


> I assume you are not serious .There is nothing nice about cat cr*p in flowerbeds or on grass.I have indoor cats so I dont inflict that on anyone but if my cats were outdoor cats I would not be happy with the thought that they were using other folks gardens as a toilet


Well I agree they shouldn't be doing it on the grass, however in my area most cats will go to the toilet alongside a fence and not in the middle of the lawn, as it's not very private for them! I personally do not mind if a neighbour's cat goes to the loo alongside my fence, and neither do my parents, as it is only natural for animals to do their business on patches of earth.


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## PetloverJo (Nov 4, 2011)

I've had cat pooping in my garden wherever I have lived it's not been a problem for me, it's something that outdoor cats do, In fact cats are still pooping in my garden in my planters and in my front garden. It doesn't bother me, I get a bag pick it up and put it in the bin. Think these people are idiots and who put disinfectant on their lawn


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## Treaclesmum (Sep 26, 2011)

PetloverJo said:


> I've had cat pooping in my garden wherever I have lived it's not been a problem for me, it's something that outdoor cats do, In fact cats are still pooping in my garden in my planters and in my front garden. It doesn't bother me, I get a bag pick it up and put it in the bin. Think these people are idiots and who put disinfectant on their lawn


Exactly!! A cat is not like a dog who will often just go to the loo wherever it's standing!!! If so, then I could understand alot more people keeping their cats indoors! I feel that the earth of a flowerbed is probably the most natural place for a cat to go, and probably great for the plants! 

I would defo scoop it out if it was in my planters of course, but in the flowerbed wouldn't bother me at all!! It would be a shame if the cat dug so deep that it uprooted the plants of course, but we tend to favour wild flowers rather than pristine flowerbeds in our garden as we feel it's more natural for the wildlife anyway


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## canine (Feb 23, 2012)

Why don't you get an outdoor litter tray and place it near the neighbours garden? Try replacing the ones in your house with one until the cats get used to it then move it to the outdoors. Explain to your neighbours that you will check it every day. Invest in a good scratching post and keep your cats in a little longer every day. Please do try everything you can because if the neighbours end up using bleach or Jeyes fluid then you could end up with two dead cats. I had to keep my cats in over a really bad winter a couple of years ago and they destroyed the six month old stair carpet, but at least they were safe. The carpet is still there and I won't be spending another £500 while I have cats. That's just one of the sacrifices you make when you take a pet on. Good luck. There have been recent reports of at least 8 cats that have been poisoned quite near me and I do worry that a cat hating neighbour will some day do the same here. Though thankfully my close neighbours like cats.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

It is a shame if the OP took Dorrit's kindly well-meaning advice as criticism and ran away. 

Hopefully she will pop back in again, read all the friendly helpful comments everyone has added, and realise what a non-judgmental and welcoming community we are.


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