Row with my neighbour

[Shirley]

What a horrible man Karen  but well done your Dad  Hopefully your Dad will have scared him off but i agree with Mark about a solicitor's letter (that's assuming the piece of  can read!)
When i lived in my flat the old man in the block behind me loved dogs, but hated cats. He was very nice to my face, (even strimmed my garden once!) but one night, Chuch came home covered in green paint, as tho he'd jumped the fence into his garden and landed in an open pot-strangely enough, it was the colour of his shed............I  couldn't prove anything, and it may well have been a bit of forgetfulness on his part, so i let it go. One day i noticed he'd hammered nails about haf an inch apart all along the fence (it was only about 4'high)......... I never spoke to him after that and thankfully, i moved. Some people are just evil!!!! 

[Mark]

I don't blame you Karen  - if he knows that they are onto him, he will think twice before doing anything stupid. As has been said before, whether we like it or not, cats are regarded by law as property and damaging property is obviously a crime so it should be a police matter. Also the USPCA are supposed to prevent cruelty so should be involved. If the authorities aren't any help, it night be worth getting a solicitor to write a letter saying that as he has made threats, if anything happens to your cats, he will be the suspect.

[karenjet]

Glad it's not just me with nasty neighbours but it's a shame there has to be people like that. Belle's just the cutest, most mischievious, most loveable cat ever, I can't understand how everyone else doesn't love him as much as I do! Apart from that horrible one I am lucky with my neighbours. My next door neighbour was telling me the other day he'd left a window down in his car one day, came out and Belle was fast asleep in the driver's seat lol. Nobody else is bothered by them at all. An elderly man that lives beside me told me ages ago that he was having a sleep in the armchair and woke up to Tigger sitting on the arm of it looking at him!

I think I'll give the USPCA a ring later and see if they've been in touch with him, had a nasty thought last night that he'd put rat poison into cat food or something. I doubt my cats would eat it anyway but if they thought they weren't allowed to you never know!

[bunglycat]

I think we should have a Purrs Village !
Just cat lovers , no kids or dogs  either (sorry )  in a nice place surrounded by trees, fields and hills ,nice and peaceful and all houses at least a quarter of a miles distance from each other .

[snarf]

ive fallen out with one of my neighbours about the cats too- i put up cat proofing, they have litter trays inside and i keep dug over and clean a spot in the garden for them. they also only have restriced outdoor access. apparently not good enough but then thats to be expected when he was complaining about my cats before theyd ever been outside (he assumes all cats are mine  ) he destroyed the cat proofing by"improving" it by pulling it back and nailing it to the fence  hes also nailed bits of plasic, wobbly stips of metal and upside down rusty nails to the top of his fence- which they avoid by going through his garden instead of around the fence. hes old and senile and every time i talk to him is shocked that his deterents might injure an animal and takes them down, only to write me silly letters and put different stuff up in a few weeks. he shouts at my cats when theyre on my fence and both display fear postures when his back door opens  ive had to take down the cat proofing so that my 2 dont injure themselves (indoor only drives sparecat mad within a few days). My neighbour is lucky that hes only making life difficult hes not actually hurt them  or directly tried too. hes been warned tho, that should that change i doubt ill have any control over my violent temper
its just so stupid, every house in the cul de sac apart from his has at least 2 cats. why the hell move to a cat heavy area if you dont like cats? and he blames them for everything. nothing growing in the ground around his pine tree... that wouldnt be the acidity of pine needles and/or the big tree taking all the good stuff from the soil eh? nope its obviously cat wee. 

you have my sympathy  ive not been able to come up with anything constructive so cant help there.

[Lizzie]

Why is it that our cats are drawn to the gardens of the worst 'cat-haters' in the street - like honey to the bee?

I had an evil old neighbour in his 90s who would throw stones over the fence at my cats WHEN THEY WERE IN THEIR OWN GARDEN and when he thought I was not looking - when I accossted him, he claimed that my 2 cats were preventing his apple tree forming apples as they could scare the birds who would, therefore, not eat the insects on his apple tree thus preventing it from pollenating and producing fruit!  Some excuse!  Bit tricky to resolve as the guy was elderly and very deaf (when he wanted to be).  One stone throwing episode resulted in a very heavily built neighbour's car being damaged and the row that ensued afterwards put paid to any more stone throwing.

I understand gardeners keen to keep their gardens nice - I'm a keen gardener myself but would never threaten or harm any of the neighbours visiting cats, who never cause any damage anyway, they just supervise me at work - it's the foxes round here that do their business in the gardens, not the cats.

[karenjet]

Lol thanks, Mary. I love my Dad too. He's no angel but looks after his own and won't stand for anyone being bullied. That's precisely what that man is, it takes a really big man to pick on a cat, loser.

Was talking to my next door neighbours last night to tell him I told the USPCA he'd witnessed it and he said he'd keep an eye on my cats if they're out too. He said to ring the police cos my pet counts as my personal property and he threatened it, but I dunno how that'd work with Belle being on his property. Plus now my Dad's threatened him!

[Yvonne]

Sorry to hear this Karen but great that your dad had a few stern words with him

Hope it all resolves itself real soon   

[Cat_Crazy]

Sounds dreadful, a complete over reaction by the neighbour. He sounds like a real bully, happy to lose his temper with a woman half his size.. then cowering like the wimp he is when your Dad stepped in for a little chat. I bet he  himself when he saw your Dad appearing over the fence. I hope the RSPCA actually take action against him.

[maryas]

I'm so sorry for you and Belle and it may be wrong but I love your dad

The thing is with some people they see a woman on their own and think they can intimidate you.

It's awful what he did 

Mary 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Hopefully your Dad having words will have put the frighteners on him, he'll know if he messes with you or tries to harm any of the cats he'll have your Dad to deal with. Bullies like him are cowards so hopefully he'll leave you all in peace now, especially with a visit from the USPCA too 

[karenjet]

Ugh, some people make me sick  

If Belle had gone in their window I'd have understood a bit more (would still have been fuuuuming) but I was watching everything from the window and Belle just walked across their shed roof.

I dunno how they'd take to a cat run now though, with being used to getting out the back into the trees etc

[Millys Mum]

  if you cant catproof could you add a run to the back of the house? Im afraid i dont trust people not to retaliate 
I'd still ask the landlord and see, they may surprise you

[bunglycat]

I had awful people living next door but one (they have gone now    )
Old couple both evil and he once saw me looking for Winston (a few years ago now) and said if he was near his car or saw him he would kill him.
I stayed very calm and said very politely -if he layed one finger on him he would not live till the next day as i would kill him -he knew i meant it too!
I always watched Winston when he went out the front after that - they have been gone about 3 years now-but i still look out and watch where he goes and if not back within 20 mins , i go where i saw him go and fetch him back home !
Some people are just evil scum .
Also round here a blue persian from round the corner has gone missing, one from the top end about 1 mile away and a black and white fluffy cat - all disappeared over the last 3 days 
I spent ages on Saturday tea-time walking the fields and round the old farm buildings , then when i couldn''t sleep at 2 am -went out again round the estate looking for them (one i had seen before and knew his name).
I only say 3 cats all the time i was out and none of the missing ones.
The blue persians owner is so bothered -that 4 days later she now has a 8 week old kitten !! What a 
If i find him -she is not getting him back ! i told her he needed to see a vet and she never took him -she has let him roam -he isn''t microchipped or insured !!!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

you must report him 

my neighbour has threatened to shoot my cats and sounds like this guy is a bully just the same.

[karenjet]

Thanks, I rang the USPCA and they took the man's name and address, said they'd contact him.

And then . . . .  . . . my Dad called in, saw the state I'm in, asked what was wrong, I told him and before I could speak he bolted out the door. My Dad ain't a man to be messed with and jumped his fence, he said he started stuttering and apologising before my Dad even spoke. Dunno what exactly was said but my Dad said he told him to tell me he was really sorry and didn't mean it. I don't trust him though. He's just a bully and  himself when someone his own size stood up to him. Probably not the best course of action but at least he knows now I've somebody that'll stand up for me. He's a wise man cos if he'd spoke to my Dad the way he spoke to me he'd have knocked him out.

Poor Belle's all forlorn though. I opened the window while I was out the back washing the car, normally Belle would be out like a rocket climbing over the car as I'm trying to wash it but he just sat outside the window on the windowsill. My poor wee lamb 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Seeing as you have witnesses coupled with the fact that the cat proofing/water pistol ideas are not an option then I think the RSPCA would be the best way to go, even if they went round and had a stern word with him that might frighten him off. I really feel for you as it must be gut wrenching letting him out wondering if this evil pig is going to hurt him   

[karenjet]

I would absolutely love to have my garden catproofed but it's hard to describe if you haven't seen it. It's not a big garden at all and it's on two levels, the top is just concrete and has the shed on it, then steps lead down to the bottom where half of it's grass and the other half is a driveway. So I'd need catproofing all round the fence, plus on top of the sheds on both sides. Plus I don't think my landlord would let me.

I do actually have witnesses because my next door neighbour and his girlfriend were sat out the back on a summer seat.

I would give him a water pistol and I know it'd work for the other 3 cats but not our Belle, he is scared of nothing, I've squirted him with water to try and get him down from the kitchen benches and he couldn't care less.

He doesn't have a partner, Helen, he lives with his elderly mum (who also is an old cow, forever out shouting at kids round the place).

[Lottie (Team Svartalfheim's)]

That's awful that he thumped Belle   If he doesnt want your cats in his garden why doesn't he just install a sonic device or throw some water at them or something to deter them rather than being cruel to them.

[Tiggy's Mum]

What an absolute 

I would definitely report him but the thing with both the Police and RSPCA is that without any independent witneses it would be your word against his so very unlikely any action would be taken.

I know it's extreme and you shouldn't have to but is there any way you could catproof your garden? If not does this man have a partner? You could pop round and have a friendly chat with her explaining that all your cats use litter trays and maybe give them a water pistol to try and discourage them from his garden.  I know the temptation must be to go round there raging but that wouldn't solve the problem as he could still be horrible to Belle and also might make your life difficult as you have to live there 24/7.

Big hugs to you and Belle 

[clarenmax]

I would call the Police as well, and the RSPCA (?) as that's cruelty and threatening behaviour 

[Gail Bengal Slave]

  @rse hole you have every right to be angry
hugs  to you & Belle

[CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls]

Yes I have had problems like this but nobody has ever hit my cats, I would knock them out 

Actually I would phone the police as he is threatening you.

 

btw, cats are free roaming animals by law they can go wherever the hell they like!

[karenjet]

I'm sorry in advance for the rant but I'm still shaking and need to tell people who'll understand.

All 4 of my cats were out the back which they do for a couple of hours a day. I was standing at my kitchen sink and saw Belle on a neighbour's shed roof and then jumping down. The man who lives there was standing painting his fence and I noticed him trying to flick paint at Belle, Belle being Belle just stood there and the man went over and thumped him. I ran out and on my way I saw him chasing him ready to hit him again. Over I go and ask him what Belle's done for him to hit him? He told me he'd been on his shed roof, I said "So? What harm is he doing up there?" He replied, "He's always  up there and  ing in my garden" I told him to get his facts right about that because my cats use littertrays and he shouted "I don't care what they do, if I see him anywhere near here again I'll  ing kill him" 

I'm so angry and upset and scared, I haven't stopped crying since. The cats are all in now and Belle's wailing at the door wanting out cos it's sunny. I'm scared to let them out in case he hurts them. I know for a fact it's none of mine pooing in his garden cos every one of mine will come in if they're outside to use the littertray. Grrrrrr, if he wasn't twice the size of me I'd knock him out 

Has anyone had this kind of problem with neighbours before?