Stupid cats why cant you stay in the yard!

[JessicaR]

So my stupid cats wont stay in our yard, and the neighbors are starting to complain. I dont know what to do with them (the cats)!

Boo is our long-haired black cat, he mostly stays in the house, but does like to go outside, especially on sunny days. Libby is our outdoor cat, when she was in the house she would pee on clothes, so I cant let her inside. Pumpkin is a semi-feral cat she comes up to be fed and will sometimes let you pet her but she doesnt let you pick her up, and is very wary of people. All the cats have been fixed, and vaccinated, I didnt want tons of kittens being born around here. The 2 girls are great hunters and keep the mice and vole population down. The problem is they like to go to the neighbors yard. I know they go there to hunt as these people maybe mow 1-2 times a year, so their grass is high, or they sun themselves on their tree stump. They are not damaging their yard in anyway they just like to hunt there! BTW my cats are not the only cats that go in their yard.

The neighbors are becoming increasingly aggressive about the cats being over there, they have started to say stuff to the kids (never when I am around) or if they see that i am outside and the cats are in their yard they will throw stuff at them and then go in back in the house before I can say anything. I understand that people dont like cats and dont want them in their yard, and that is their rights, but I dont know how to keep them off their property. What really makes me mad is these people used to get puppies every summer and not take care of them. I was constantly returning their dogs to them, or throwing them ice cubes since they would go away and leave the dog outside with no water or watch the dog get killed on the highway in front of my house! Not once did I complain is it too much to expect the same courtesy?

I really dont want to find a new home for the cats as they really help keep down the mice, but I cant have them in the house. If i could afford it i would put up a 6ft privacy fence around the yard, but I cant. Does anyone know of any other way to keep them in the yard, or at least away from that neighbors house (none of the other neighbors mind them) Maybe some type of spray or something?

 

[tank333]

There is nothing you could do short of keeping the animal inside the house that will prevent a cat from going where it wants to go and doing what it wants to do. When trained from birth, cats CAN be trained to come when called and a few other tricks, but stay out of the neighbor's yard? You might as well try to teach it not to kill mice while you're at it, cause you'll have about the same amount of success... lol

 

[Wheels]

do you have any type of fence around your yard? if you do I'd suggest adding a partial overhang so the cats can't jump or climb over - like bird netting or chicken wire at a 45-90 degree angle off of the fence pointing inward. I can't think of any spray that would deter a hunting cat enough to not cross it.

 

[Sagebrush]

Something like this would greatly deter your sweet cats from going to your neighbors yard, they would just have to wait till the mice and voles come to your yard to hunt them.

 

[Zass]

The neighbors are a very serious potential threat to your cats. Not just by complaining. People have been known to leave baited rat poison, antifreeze, or anything else they can think of out for wandering cats to find. Or shoot them.

 

[akane]

There's some DIY fencing instructions here if that is an option http://www.alleycat.org/document.doc?id=100. Other than that there isn't much you can do about cats. Nothing stops them from wandering except keeping them indoors, putting in a cat fence, or only let them out in harness on a rope(freaks most cats out).

 

[DogCatMom]

I take my cats outside during good weather on a harness and leash. I'm just holding the leash; the cats decide where they want to explore. But they're not allowed to "explore" over the fence. They wear the harnesses all the time instead of collars; the harnesses have "Buddy Tags" on them with the cat's name, our address and our phone number.

If you can't put up a fence, is there a possibility of screening in a porch? (If you have a porch...) It's not quite the same as Outdoors for cats, but it's much safer than hostile neighbors. Some cat-keepers (it's hard to say cat "owner") have made safe enclosures for their cats in the back yard, but I'd imagine that keeping track of who's in the enclosure vs. who wants out/in might be a bit much. Something like one of these, maybe (or use them to inspire a DIY project): http://www.catsondeck.com/?gclid=CIOdpN ... fgodRSMANA, https://kittywalk.com/lawn.asp, or these?

It's interesting to note that some of the photos look similar to "free-range" enclosures for rabbits!

Good luck; I hope this can be resolved before the neighbors do something horrible. If they're willing to watch baby puppies get killed in the road, no telling what they'll do about a cat.

 

[JessicaR]

Thanks for the link! I will see if i can try something like that. We have a chain link fence but it is 4 foot high only so the cats have no problem jumping over it. I will also have to figure out how to fix the gate as they can squeeze in between the gate and pole. It will take time to do though I would have to do the whole backyard which is 150'x50'. Even then the cats could run out of the gates when someone opens them.

I am afraid it would be easier to re-home the 2 outdoor cats Libby would probably be easy to find a home for but no on is going to want pumpkin since she is semi-feral.

I do understand that they don't want them over and that is their right, but geesh, they are not home that much, and when they are home they rarely go outside. They occasionally have a party in summer which then means they mow a little section of their backyard where the fire pit is. And yes i think they would hurt them, as they have said to my daughter that it would be a shame if someone poisoned the cats since they are such pretty cats.

Another question, if anyone knows. They have 3 trees growing almost up against our fence, not sure what type they are they were planted by squirrels. Anyways, they are large trees, over 10 feet tall, and they are going to get bigger in height and diameter, they was supposed to cut them down before they got too big, but she didnt have anything to cut them with. I offered to have hubs do it and she said no she would have it done, that was 2 years ago. I want them gone before they damage the fence but I dont know how to go about having it done without starting a war! I could talk to the township trustees but I am afraid that then they will start complaining about my animals. Since i do butcher rabbits and chickens I prefer that no humane society becomes involved, even if I am not doing anything wrong.

I really wish I could move further out in the country with no neighbors. All this stress isnt good for the baby <br /><br /> __________ Thu May 01, 2014 3:09 pm __________ <br /><br /> DogCatMom, those enclosures would be great for Boo but definitely wouldnt work for the semi-feral cat, I think she would panic. Also I do still want the cats to be able to hunt. The mice seem to really like rabbit and checken feed that is spilled

 

[Audrey]

Your neighbors are freaks! What exactly is their problem with the cats going in their yard? We have psycho neighbors here too, they shoot anything, cat or dog, and probably anything wild critter that sets one foot on their property.

 

[HowlsOfAngels]

Your neighbors are freaks! What exactly is their problem with the cats going in their yard? We have psycho neighbors here too, they shoot anything, cat or dog, and probably anything wild critter that sets one foot on their property.

In regards to feral cats, I chuck rocks, shovels, sticks, etc at them when they enter my yard. My reasoning: they rile my dogs, crap in my yard (which the dogs then eat... ick), crap in my hay shed (gross and damaging as I refuse to feed soiled hay), and they are really noisy when they're in heat (i.e. they keep me up at night). Strays, on the other hand, are swiftly taken into my laundry room and cared for while they wait to be rehomed.

Her neighbors, perhaps, have similar reasoning.

 

[Comet007]

I hate to say it - but we are also people who don't want cats in our yard. We have a lot of feral cats on the island, it's actually a big problem, and it is really hard to tell a feral cat from a wandering pet from a distance. DH is a soft touch when it comes to most animals, but detests cats. If we see any problems with the cats with the rabbits or the garden or... pretty much anything DH will probably get more aggressive about them, though I'm not sure what his method would be. We've never had any kind of pet that we allowed to roam free, even when my daughter had cats, so I can't really appreciate or understand why someone would allow their animals to roam unless they had no neighbors and a lot of property. So if someone else's pet is allowed to cause problems in our yard, that would be a problem for us, though we would NEVER speak to someone's children about it! Just to give some perspective, there are many people who feel this way.

As for the tree - if they are on the neighbors property, there's actually not much you can do about it, even if it damages your fence. If you put the fence on the property line, that's their property line too. This is why usually it is recommended for neighbors to put up fencing as a shared cost and agree to maintain it together. We had a neighbor once who's trees pretty much shredded a wire fence that was on a property we bought - they had no legal responsibility to maintain the trees on their yard or pay for the fence. We did, however, discover that we were legally allowed to trim any part of their tree that was on our property. And we did so.

 

[sarah8001]

I don't know if this helps you since it doesn't sound like you want the cats inside, but my cat pees on clothes. He had several bladder surgeries, and developed a litter box phobia :shock: He ONLY peed on clothes and carpet.I learned that if I don't ever, ever leave clothes on the floor, keep a super clean litter box (scoop daily) and use a clay litter called Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract (miracle stuff), I could get it under control. I think there's hope for rehabilitating any problem cat, if you do decide to keep them inside.

 

[akane]

I agree it's not that crazy to dislike cats on your property. I don't care if they are doing nothing, if they come around too often, especially without tags, they will end up on CL. It's the same to me as letting any other animal wander off your land except with cats it's much harder to tell who, if anyone, they belong to and if anyone is vaccinating and neutering them. I don't need sick cats, litters of kittens, or potential baby rabbit killers. Our cats always had beastie bands with tags. They are used by rescues and feral neuter programs because they still let the cat get away if stuck but the cats have more trouble removing them on purpose than release buckles. I am not having cats again without a cat fence or just keeping them indoors. Need a big house though so they can be given their own space and kept out of the bedroom since we both have mild cat allergies. I still like cats. I'm just tired of everyone else's cats, dumped cats, and ferals who no one has neutered or vaccinated.

 

[Audrey]

I should have clarified, this guy lost a small claims suit against him for wrongly shooting an innocent dog. Yes, we have at large laws here, one has the right to protect their livestock from menacing predators, but this dog is a tiny little lap dog that belongs to another neighbor, way too friendly, came over to say Hi, guy shot him in the back as he was running home scared. Dog lived, but has permeant injuries Lots of neighbors think he actually lures critters over and then shoots them.

I also totally get the feral cat thing. We do our part when we can to bloodtest (FIV and FeLv) fix if clean (euth if not, never had a dirty one yet) and rehome the friendly, ones. Luckily all the ones dumped here have been super friendly and made wonderful pets for us or whoever we rehomed them to. If I got a super feral one, I would be wishing I Had a man around who would dispose of it for me.

 

[JessicaR]

As for the tree - if they are on the neighbors property, there's actually not much you can do about it, even if it damages your fence. If you put the fence on the property line, that's their property line too. This is why usually it is recommended for neighbors to put up fencing as a shared cost and agree to maintain it together. We had a neighbor once who's trees pretty much shredded a wire fence that was on a property we bought - they had no legal responsibility to maintain the trees on their yard or pay for the fence. We did, however, discover that we were legally allowed to trim any part of their tree that was on our property. And we did so.

The fence was there when we moved in so unfortunately we didnt have no say on where it was put or we would have had it put on our property far enough to maintain the other side. They wont even let us weed whack the other side of the fence, we asked to do this years ago before we even had any cats, so I just think they have a problem with us and are looking for anything to complain about.

I do trim the branches that I can reach but it is getting quite large now and harder to reach the higher branches. I believe they are walnut trees

Oh and I forgot to mention these neighbors have a daughter that used to call the cats over so she could pet them before she went to collage, because she loves cats. So my cats are used to at least one person over there that was friendly.

Sarah, we tried all kinds of things with Libby. Different boxes, location, litter and she still would pee on clothes, or rugs. Also Ruled out medical problems. When we removed that source she would pee on bed stuff. I can not have her peeing on the babies stuff!

 

[Comet007]

The fence was there when we moved in so unfortunately we didnt have no say on where it was put or we would have had it put on our property far enough to maintain the other side. They wont even let us weed whack the other side of the fence, we asked to do this years ago before we even had any cats, so I just think they have a problem with us and are looking for anything to complain about.

I do trim the branches that I can reach but it is getting quite large now and harder to reach the higher branches. I believe they are walnut trees

Not suggesting that any trees be harmed but the roots of that tree are on your property too if it's that big. That is where you have some room for action - because you're within your rights to take out any roots that are on your property that are causing damage or just generally in your way. I only thought of this because when we put our worm beds in, there was a HUGE root right through part of one, so DH had to cut it out with an axe. It's a root off one of the trees that will hopefully be removed this Fall, so we weren't worried about damaging the tree.

 

[DogCatMom]

I also totally get the feral cat thing. We do our part when we can to bloodtest (FIV and FeLv) fix if clean (euth if not, never had a dirty one yet) and rehome the friendly, ones. Luckily all the ones dumped here have been super friendly and made wonderful pets for us or whoever we rehomed them to. If I got a super feral one, I would be wishing I Had a man around who would dispose of it for me.

1) Good on you for testing the cats you can and fixing them. This *can* run up into $$, though, and not everyone can do it.

2) If you manage to trap a completely feral cat, be prepared ahead of time by having contacted local humane societies, vets, and animal control to see where you should take it for euth. Be aware that taking a feral cat to an organization definitely *will* end its life because ferals, by definition, are unadoptable. Maybe a super-blaster water soaker would drive the feral away and save its life? <br /><br /> __________ Fri May 02, 2014 11:02 am __________ <br /><br />

I hate to say it - but we are also people who don't want cats in our yard. We have a lot of feral cats on the island, it's actually a big problem, and it is really hard to tell a feral cat from a wandering pet from a distance. DH is a soft touch when it comes to most animals, but detests cats. If we see any problems with the cats with the rabbits or the garden or... pretty much anything DH will probably get more aggressive about them, though I'm not sure what his method would be. We've never had any kind of pet that we allowed to roam free, even when my daughter had cats, so I can't really appreciate or understand why someone would allow their animals to roam unless they had no neighbors and a lot of property. So if someone else's pet is allowed to cause problems in our yard, that would be a problem for us, though we would NEVER speak to someone's children about it! Just to give some perspective, there are many people who feel this way.

There's a tradition in cat-keeping that cats can be outside. I used to partially subscribe to this, letting my cats be outside if they wished during the day and calling them inside when the sun went down. (Yes, they came when called--guess where the food dishes were? :mrgreen: ) But my then-favorite and smartest cat of all time, whom I had rescued direct from the street, was hit by a car and died in April 2006. He was my 19th or 20th cat (I keep multiples and once had 9 at the same time: my cat and a rescued street cat who turned out to be pregnant with 7 kittens), so I had had long-term success with the "calling in at night" method. But when he was killed, everything changed for my other cats.

Fortunately for my small garden, a few neighbors still allow their cats out in the daytime and those cats keep the mouse/rat population down. They've also diminished the squirrel problem, too, probably by killing baby squirrels. (Squirrels, aka Fluffy-Tailed Rats--the gardener's natural enemy--like to dig up seedlings and stash empty peanut shells in the excavation. :angry: )

There are many non-violent yet effective methods of discouraging cats from pestering your veggie beds. We can start a new thread if this becomes an issue.

 

[HoppyMeal]

It could be that your neighbors enjoy watching the wildlife such as birds and wild rabbits. Cats whether tame or feral will catch and eat the wildlife and crap in their yard. I live in a subdivision and have neighbors all around me and I hate it when their cats come over here and poop in my flower garden which smells like cat crap now and eat the wild rabbits that feel my property is a safe haven for them.
After 3 years of having a neighbors cat killing and eating the wild rabbits and birds in my fenced back yard (which this cat would climb the trees and eat the babies out of the nests), because the homeowner didn't want to take care of their cat, I have implemented a relocation program. That cat has been gone for over a year and no one has even asked about it. If any cat starts coming into my back yard where my rabbits are it will either be relocated or dispatched. I have not had to do either since the relocation program. I also have not seen the other 2 neighbors cats since implementing this program. It could be that they are keeping their animals in their house or that they just ran away. I feel if you have animals, then you should keep them at home. If you can't do that then you should not have animals. I know this sounds harsh, but this is the way some of us homeowners feel. That being said, I have had cats and dogs and have kept them on my property. You may also try an invisible fence with shock collars on the cats.

 

[JessicaR]

HoppyMeal I can guarantee these people dont watch any wildlife and they have no flowers they are too busy doing drugs! They barely come out of the house.

I do try to keep the cats away from their yard I even spray them with a hose if I see them over there.

Yesterday, my son was outside playing basketball with his friends, the ball scared the cat and she jumped over the fence, the neighbors son accused my oldest son of throwing the cat of the fence into there yard! :shock:

Like I said it may be for the best if I find a new home for Libby because she is not going to stop wandering.

 

[HowlsOfAngels]

Or maybe you could report your neighbors for suspicious activity involving drugs and see if they 'move'.