Why don't cat owners realise how much stress their cats cause?

Question

No insults unless thats all your petty lives are able to muster
you try to cleaning cat mess of your toddler as a cat has messed yet again in your garden
and yes I do go and try and clean it up before my child is let out to play in the back garden

cats dont always burry the stuff
but some cat owners would disagree

I know whoes cat it is but they are just as crazy as some of you

Answer 1

I am a cat owner, (my parents run a shelter for homeless cats) and I am a vet student. I love cats very much, and agree whole-heartedly with this complaint about roaming cats. People who CHOOSE to own an animal, also choose to be fully responsible for it. Cats are no more entitled to roaming the neighbourhood than any other domesticated animal. Any dog would love to be able to roam the streets at will, but it's not safe for the dog or other people, yet some cat owners believe for some reason that while every other pet is restrained, cats shouldn't need to be. Cats do perfectly well when kept within the confines of their owner's property. It is not up to neighbours, who did NOT choose to own an animal to be left with that animal's waste in their gardens, or to have that animal harrassing their own pets on their property. Not every owner is up to date with vaccinations & worming, which makes the complaint about the toddler being exposed to the cat's waste a valid one. Children CAN and ARE sometimes effected by parasites picked up from cat waste. Wake up cat owners - it's the irresponsible few that let their cats take possession of the entire neighbourhood, denying other residents of a cat-free existence if they choose it, then blame those residents for being angry, that have caused so much cat-hatred to start with. If dogs were as often allowed to roam free, leaving their waste where-ever they wanted, and harrassing strangers in their own yards, dogs would be just as despised as cats are by many people!

Answer 2

I'm sorry you have this problem.
I agree that neighbour cats can be a pain and I don't think that it's acceptable for people to just shrug and say "what can I do?"
Before I get pulled up for that, I would like to point out that I have two cats, both of whom never go outside. They are my little darlings and I want to keep them safe from cars, dogs, cat-haters and other cats.
It is far safer (for the cat) and more socially responsible to keep indoor/house cats rather than little hooligans who go tearing around the neighbourhood with no controls placed on them.
Imagine if teenagers were doing the same thing - running onto other people's property, vandalising it and worse, and their parents refused to acknowledge there was a problem.
There'd be outrage.
I have heard that there are particular plants that will prevent a cat fouling in your garden, but a garden centre would probably give better advice. I think that there are also sonic devices and things that you put in the garden to deter cats, but again, don't know what they are.
Most of all, I suggest talking calmly to the cats owners and asking if there is anything they can do to help. Everyone knows how dangerous cat poo can be to babies, and hopefully they will see a bit of sense.
Good luck.

Answer 3

It is not just the cat owners, it is humman nature, it is hard to understand that our rights end where the other rights start . (i.e. yelling from the top of your lungs 2:00 Am. "I'm yelling because I'm free") A lot of pet owners are responsible and take care of their animals
I subscribe the talk to the owner of the cat's idea to see if he can control his pet. (also to see if the cat it vaccinated and desparasite). Then, also a good idea the use of deterrents to keep the cat away from your garden.
But are you sure it is a particular cat?
My downstairs neighbour has two puppies, as she is so clean and don't won't her dogs pissing and pooing all over his neat house, she opens the door and let them free to go to the terrace. (of course at the beginning she blamed on a neighbour's cat that roams free through the neighbourhood, and refused to clean it).
Some mornings it's so nice to step on dog **** at my flat's door... I caught the dog's, several times, doing that and pointed to her, she still does let the dogs out but at least she cannot claim that is the cat fault. (moral victory perhaps..?)
Anyway what I do now its to watch out, and ignored the poo till she clean it. And also at the street were just one of the neighbours that owns a dog cleans after his mess.
And the other will feel offended and insulting you if you point that to them... good luck... But IT'S ALWAYS PEOPLES FAULT NOT THE ANIMALS.
P.S. The dogs had also pee in the laundry basket (with clean clothes in, of course) laying on my flat's floor when they have come into my house...
EDIT: I have a kitty (3 moths old) I found her when she was 5 weeks old, she got sand box trained when she was 6 weeks old, and I have been traveling with her since then; even if she had to wait 9 or 10 h. she will wait till she had her sand to do bussines. Years ago, I had an indoor/outdoor cat that wait for me everyday after high school to get home... first thing he did there was going to his box. I also had dogs and I cleaned after them, Maybe in the Uk dogs owners normally do that but not in Spain. Tell your neighbourg to educate his cat.

Answer 4

You do realize that the majority of your problem is more than likely coming from feral/stray cats that do not have owners. Therefore blaming cat owners does you absolutely no good. As for me my two cats are strictly indoors and the only stress they cause is to my husband and me.

Edit: I'd rather be a crazy cat owner than a crazy cat hater. Maybe the reason you are making so many people mad is that most of us ARE responsible cat owners. You are blaming us for problems that are not our fault. If you had phrased the question better, like "How do I keep cats out of my garden" you would have gotten positive responses, instead of all the negativity you have gotten.

Answer 5

You can't control where a cat poo's. I have cats and have always made it clear to my neighbours if they see one of my cats messing in their garden i would be happy to clear it up. They do however poo in their own garden rather than some else's. Try spraying them with water when you see them in your garden, one of my old neighbours used to do it to my cats, it doesn't hurt the cats however because they don't like it they tend to get the hint in the end and stop going into the garden where they get wet! I can understand that it is frustrating and not fair on you or your child but do try and persevere with the water it works. xx

Answer 6

ok i can see both sides of the coin because i have cats that come into my front garden which belong to my neighbours and it annoys the hell out of me. my cats are in my back garden and they keep all their business to one spot in my garedn which i have made sure has a very thick covering of compost on it so that they can do their business and then bury it.

to be honest if i didnt have the cats then i would have rats come into my garden as my neighbour has a serious rat problem with nests under his conservatory but he refuses to deal with it and then moans that i have no problems so i am trying to convince him to get a cat as well as the last ones that came into my garden my cats attacked and killed, hurray for the cats.

i am a parent and while i understand the way you feel about cat mess some of us do have a responsible attituted regarding our pets, but i am also aware that it is not just cat owners that are to blame at times.

my neighbour used to let her dog roam free and it used to come into my garden and mess all over my patio and yes i stepped in it and blew my top big time.

to be honest i think that there are far more chemicals and bad stuff in most gardens and i for one dont think that children should be allowed to be outside digging in dirt and allowed to get near cat mess, i mean you say you try to clean it up before your toddler goes out but the only way you wont see it is if it is in the soil!

so while you moan at cats remember they keep many things away from your home like rats which are far worse than the cats i asure you

Answer 7

Ok, firstly why don't you try being less aggressive in your questioning.
Secondly, have you tried anything other than complaining about it? Cat pepper for example!
Other than that I don't see anything wrong with chucking a bucket of water at the offending cat next time they're in your garden. As long as that's all it is, (no stones as you can be prosecuted), it will certainly make a cat think twice about using your toddler section as a loo again! I have a cat and when we got him I told all our neighbours that we wouldn't mind them doing this to dissuade him from using their gardens but there was no need - see note below!!!!

NB Joe Kool - my cat is exactly the same. Your answer made me laugh :)

And lain - sparrows haven't disappeared because of cats, it's what us humans are doing to their climate! See links and check your facts!

Answer 8

I have a house cat :o) so not guilty!

Thing is as well, if I was letting my child play in the garden I would make sure it was 100% cat mess free, not just try and clean it up like you say you do :o)

Answer 9

Purchase some spray that deters cats all over your garden.

I personally don't see the difference in cats pooping everywhere (and cats cover it, unlike dogs) than dog owners who don't pick up after Fido. At least you can control a cat messing in your garden with those sprays. The same cannot be said for dog owners who take Fido to the park knowing full well that he is going to have a crap. Then the owners conveniently look away and pretend that nothing ever happened. Either that or you have the jerks that let their dogs mess all over the streets at night because no one is around to see them leave it...

A bit of responsibility is needed on both sides. Cat owners need to encourage their cats to poo in their own gardens or provide a litter tray and dog owners need to clean up after their dogs. Remember that it is the owners to blame and not the animals.

Answer 10

Well - cats are independent creatures, and do what they must, or feel like. They would cause less stress if people weren't afraid so much about danger to their children from disease, but since every animal carries some sort of disease, I am driven to conclude that it is the cats themselves that people don't like.
There are a number of simple solutions to stopping cats from pooing in your garden. If they cover it up, as most cats do (though some are too lazy), there's less danger to your infant, but more to your bedding plants. Try those sprays that cats find repulsive.
I should hate to make my child a cat-hater, by setting her a bad example; have you never seen a neighbouring cat that really just wanted to be friends with a child?