My neighbors have cats that they keep outside 24/7. Help!?

Question

I am allergic to cats and they come and try to get in?to my house--in the summer they steal food off my deck (of the plates!) and they crap in my garage.
They keep saying they are getting rid of the cats but don't....what do I do??
I do like these people...I wish I didn't, it would be easy to report them.
Any thoughts?

For those who passed some silly comments:

I have guests and eat outside on MY deck in the summer...I have a patio set and enjoy eating breakfast and other meals with my children out there...should I stay locked in my home because of the cats?? The last time this particular cat ate off the deck, the kids got up and went in the yard to play after they ate and the cat was ON THE TABLE eating my daughter's food. My pets do not venture into her property and bother her or her family. he has 3 cats but two of them are always outside.
And they "try to get into my house" each time I open the door to come in or out---or they sit and cry wiating for someone to let them in.
And, my garage is open maybe 10% of the time...it's my garage afterall. I should not have to alter my lifestyle for HER pets.
And thank you very much to everyone else who offered constructive advice.

And I should not have cat feces all over my lawn and childrens play area...as I said I have allergies to cats--so I choose not to have them FOR THIS REASON.

Answer 1

I went through the same thing with my neighbor but worse! Her cat (one of nine!) gave birth to 2 kittens on my porch and they both died there! Well, that was it for me!!! No matter how much I liked her, I had to tell her to keep her cats away from my apt. She had no choice but to leave them indoors because how can you possibly keep a cat in your yard? I was firm but nice about it and made it clear that I would have to call the cops if she didn't do something about it. Don't be scared of making waves; they shouldn't be outside anyways!! Stick up for yourself and tell her everything that has happened. Then say "I don't want to cause any hard feelings but something needs to be done". And if they say again that they're gonna get rid of them, just say "Well, you've said that before and nothing's been done. We need to do something about this". Good luck!

Answer 2

It sounds like they are desperately looking for attention and food from you if they're actually sitting outside your door meowing to come inside. And if they are eating your food, then chances are they aren't being fed well enough.

Do you live in a cold area? With winter approaching, if it's cold where you live, there will be more problems with the cats if their owners don't give them a warm place to sleep, eat, etc. Go over to your neighbours and tell them what the problems are. Give them a reasonable time frame to give their cats adequate living quarters so they won't be as tempted to go into your yard. However, it's not easy to train cats to stay in one place if they are outside. If the problem still persists after the reasonable time frame, call animal control. You've done everything you can, but if your neighbours insist on letting their cats roam free and it's interfering with your lively hood, there's not much else you CAN do except report them. Good luck!

Answer 3

Well, it sounds like, to me, that your neighbor is incapable of caring for their cats. See the behavior you describe to me sounds like, a) They are not being fed properly, b)They don't have a proper place to go potty, and c) They don't have adequate shelter so they are trying to find shelter where they are getting food. I know you said you like your neighbor, but tell your neighbor this, "Either you take care of this problem yourself, or you will find your cats at the pound." Then give your neighbor a week. If in a week the cats are still bothering you, call the pound or take them there yourself. If you do this it may cause a fight with your neighbor, but sometimes it is worth it. Hope this helps!!! ^,,^

Answer 4

How can you like these horrible people?
They get pets and then abandon them to be a nuisance to neighbours, and you like that?

Don't take them to the pound! Why should these animals lose their life because their owners are dumb and cruel?

The cats are looking for human contact, and if they steal your food they are obviously not getting fed.
If you really can't get anywhere talking to these animal neglet merchants you live next door to, call a NO-kill shelter near you for advice, before some nutjob has them put down for being owned by idiots who should be put down themselves. You can find a list of NO-kill shelters at www.petfinder.com
Someone else might adopt them and be happy having them around as pets.

Answer 5

If they are not going to take care of the cats whether you like their owners or not the cats deserve a better life. Locate an organization that will find a good home for them in your area.

Answer 6

How many cats do they have??? Hoarding can be a mental illness, unfortunately you will probably need to call animal control on them. But it's going to be a long frustrating process sadly, legally there might not be many options for you. But animal control or your county sheriff's office is where to start, they can give you more specific info about what you can do.

Answer 7

poor kitties... you can take the kitties to the SPCA where the owners may have to pay to claim them, however if they do not claim them and the kitties are older than 2 yrs they would probably be euthanized

your neighbours dont have cats.. they just think they do...

if they were cat owners they would take somewhat better care of them - the fact the cats are looking for food is more serious than not letting them in - yes you can report them

Answer 8

Firmly tell them what is going on, dont be sensitive, you want this to stop dont you? I would give them like 2 days to get the cats out of your yard. Otherwise if they dont, report their cats to the animal control and report them to the police.

Answer 9

i agree with you. you shouldn't have to alter your lifestyle because your friend can't control her pets. have you talked to them repeatedly? if they're not being receptive to your being civil about the whole thing, tell them your going to have to report them to the animal control in your town. chances are they're not being vaccinated against rabies either and your kids are at risk. sounds like it's getting to be a health issue as well as a nuisance.
ask animal control to come out and set some have a heart traps.
although you like your neighbor, they're not being respectful of you or your property. so they may not feel the same about you.

Answer 10

i love animals so much but the owners are to blame for not keeping them in the house since they would be safe and not a nuisance. you could firmly tell them that. if nothing becomes of that, then you will have no choice except to call the humane society or animal control.