Mystery bag of cat poo

Saruman

I have two lovely cats.
They usually go outside in our yard, we do not keep a litter box any more in the house and they prefer it that way.

So the other night we came home and there was a bag of cat poo at our door.
I assumed it was one of the next door neighbours. One has a dog so i did not think it was them, the others do not... and he had jokingly said to me before (summer) about the cats going in his back yard. He did not mean me to do anything (you can't exactly train them not to ).

So anyway i walked to the shops today and both were in the front taking down Christmas stuff. So i said hello to the main suspect and he said "im sick of them, smiling at me.. i assumed he was talking about the cats and said sorry etc and its ok.. to confused looks.. so when i noticed i said, you did leave that bag in front of our door right? He said huh? So i explained and he said no way, he would never do something like that.
So i went over to the other neighbour and asked him and he said no, sure he has enough cleaning up after his dog.

So question is now.. who the hell leaves a bag of cat poo outside someone's house and what do they expect me to do with it? I threw it in the bin but its very odd... A note would have been nice. Jaysus :rolleyes:

the dee

Maybe there's another neighbour about whose garden they're using.

Or maybe some kids tried the 'flaming bag' trick on you but didn't have any matches?

T'is a bit of a mystery.

Saruman

Well if it was the flaming bag then they were too stupid. It was clear plastic which would just melt leaving poo It would have had to be a paper bag.

Im assuming there is another neighbour but its not like we have the only cats, There are two down the road that are regulars in my yard. There are others too so why someone who does not obviously live next door to me would assume its my cats.....

Its just the fact that it was left there.. with no note or anything... whats the message? How can they expect anything done about it when there is no indication of who or where this neighbour is who has a problem.

the dee

Well, one thing I have learned in my 20 or so years on this planet is that people can be both strange and stupid.

Nanoose2

A buddy of mine resonantly moved back to Ireland and
he is a practical joker so it’s probably him.
I am trying to get in contact with him and when I do I will
mention that he should of at least left a note. Cheers!

stovelid

I generally try to be non-judgmental about my neighbour's sexual fetishes..

Saruman

I should get a plastic bag and fill it with all the crisp and chocolate wrappers in our front yard and stick it on the doorsteps of random houses with kids... We certainly do not leave wrappers on our grass

luckat

This is a message from a neighbour in whose garden your cats are pooing.

Look for the neighbour with the very neat garden, and no pets.

I'd suggest that you train your cats to a litter tray, to be honest.

kmick

Cats eh - who'd have em. Just teach em to use the loo like in that documetary Meet the Fockers.

Saruman

Yeah nice one Luckat... A nice obvious first line.. i think this is obvious.
As for training my cats to use a litter tray? Well firstly they know how to use one as i plainly said in the first post which you obviosuly did not read!

Secondly... why should i force them to stay inside? I know my cats use my own back garden, i see them. Im sure they also use other gardens when they go for a wander... Its not like they can be taught not to.

I do not want a litter box inside, they do not want to use one inside, they prefer to go outside... If i put one down, they use it but they will ask to go out if we are there.

kmick i have actually seen some trainer device to teach them.. in fact it was posted here some time ago

KTRIC

Nanoose2 wrote: »

A buddy of mine resonantly moved back to Ireland and
he is a practical joker so it’s probably him.
I am trying to get in contact with him and when I do I will
mention that he should of at least left a note. Cheers!

LOL :rolleyes:

Do you realise how big Ireland is and how many people there are living there ?

Saruman

KTRIC i think there was a level of sarcasm in Nanoose's post.

Arcadian

You don't appear to be taking this very seriously. If you don't want a litter box in the house you should at least have one in the garden, it's your job to ensure that your pets are not causing a nuisance. If a neighbour is pissed off enough to gather up your cats poo and leave it on your doorstep they may well be pissed off enough to leave out some poison for them too.

Saruman

They have a huge area of dug up soil to use... and they bloody use it.. how the hell can also leaving a litter box outside prevent them from doing a poo in someone elses garden.
Even if i had it in the house, they are still likely to use someones garden if they are out rather than trek back home just to do a poo... for feck sake, what kind of logic are you trying to come up with Arcadian??

The ONLY thing i could do, is prevent them going out in the first place, and that is just not fare on them.

Whispered

I own cats too. I used to worry about this until one day a big tom from down the road jumped in my kitchen window and went to scrab me when i tried to get him out. Needless to say he got poked back out the window with the end of a brush. But so long as mine dont do that, I dont care.

Our estate is crawling with cats. There also are the barking dogs, the dogs running around going in my front garden, the screaming kids, the kids throwing wrappers and broken toys in my garden, the little saps with their souped up cars revving at 2 am outside the door. I'm sure you have a lot of these things in your estate too, if not them, then there are sure to be other things you have to live with and put up with EVERYONE has to put up with some things they dont like! So I'd just ignore them. I understand people saying to keep them in, as it is best for them apparently, and would solve your neighbours problem but i dont do it either. They're happier when they can get out for a while each day. As for the suggestion of training them not to do it?? Have you ever MET a cat??

Saruman

Actually i live in a very quiet estate. The worst i have to put up with (not having kids myself) are other kids just being kids playing ball etc. I had a lovely boxer run in after my cats through the front door one summer... He forgot the cats when inside and decided to it was fun being in someone elses house. I was cutting the front lawn grass and watched all this laughing. He came out wagging his stump when his owner called him.

There are some cats, we get some in my back yard as i said. toms though, so our cats will not chase them off.. I do not care... If they came over to me i would pet them.

All the neighbours are very nice, we do not socialise or really know any of them but there are always hellos etc...

I think its possible, as i said that its not my cats at all, and someone assumes it is because they know we have cats.

The point of the post was how stupid and strange it was, Even a note would have helped. The point was not to blame me and make this my fault like some people did.

I have had cats since i was a kid, all my life that i can remember i have taken care of cats. Never have we ever had to use a litter box once they are old enough to go outside.

biko

It only looked like cat poo. I was on my way home when I had "to go", only place around was outside your door. At least I used a bag this time.

Saruman

You should have stopped off in Bagnalls then and had a drink at the same time

Whispered

Maybe the reason there was no note is because whoever it was doesn't want you to know who did it and is hoping you just start keeping your cats in. Personally I think it's very cowardly, if I had a problem I'd politely say it and would hope my neighbours would do the same thing. And if you did start keeping your cats in to please this muppet then what about the other cats, the strays, etc if it's such a problem for them they should really get a cat fence. Just keep a close eye on the cats though. I've heard some horror stories from a woman at cataid. The next step the person who did this could take could be poisoning.

Saruman

Im curious about poisoning.. what would they poison? Grass in the hope they eat it or simply leave poison meat out in the hope of Luring the cats in to the garden to kill them?
Some people... Im reading (on and off) a minnette walters book in which cats are found with eyes and mouths etc superglued shut and pretty much abused in every way... Apparently this is common in the UK?

Whispered

I have heard stories of cats being mutilated here too. Absolutely disgusting stuff.

All they have to do is poison a bit of meat and leave it out their back. As far as they are concerned it will be the cats (or your) fault if it is eaten as they should not be in the garden anyway.

They dont even have to buy poison, there's one way which has been used before which uses something very very common in houses, has no smell and is practically undetectable to cats. But I'm not going to post it, just in case I give anyone ideas.

Just keep an eye on them, I dont know what your neighbours are like, they would probably never do anything like that, but you never know.

Saruman

Well i do not think the neighbours would do something like that... but its impossible to know. They are not outdoor cats though, they just go to the toilet outside and go for the odd wander. For the most part, they want to be indoors especially when we are home, in fact usually in the same room. If i change room, they follow.

Here are pics of them. who could ever hurt them
The first one in the basket is doubled... she should be in a bag... the first link in the post.

Whispered

They're gorgeous!

Saruman

Yeah mother and daughter.

Whispered

My two are brother and sister, they were found on a building site, their mother dead so they were hand fed as kittens and are the sweetest little things! Very friendly, although lately I got pupppies for a while and their noese are a bit out of joint. They cant wait for the pups to go so they can have their house back!

luckat

Saruman wrote: »

Secondly... why should i force them to stay inside? I know my cats use my own back garden, i see them. Im sure they also use other gardens when they go for a wander... Its not like they can be taught not to.

I do not want a litter box inside, they do not want to use one inside, they prefer to go outside... If i put one down, they use it but they will ask to go out if we are there.

Surely if you're living in society, you can't be self-indulgent. You have to regard other people as well.

Generally, cats eliminate once a day. If you work out what time they do their poos, you can have them indoors to use the litter tray at that time, and when they've done their business, let them out.

Yes, they're cuddly and adorable, but not cuddly enough or adorable enough that I'd like my kids to catch toxoplasmosis from their excrement.

ztoical

Arcadian wrote: »

You don't appear to be taking this very seriously. If you don't want a litter box in the house you should at least have one in the garden, it's your job to ensure that your pets are not causing a nuisance. If a neighbour is pissed off enough to gather up your cats poo and leave it on your doorstep they may well be pissed off enough to leave out some poison for them too.

taking it seriously? If a person has issue with the way the cats are acting then they should be adult about and knock on the OP's door and have a frank discussion about whats upsetting them. Leaving a bag of cat poo on a doorstep with no name attached is just silly and childish.

Secondly putting a litter tray outside in the garden wouldn't work. The whole point of kitty litter is that absorbs liquids and I'm sure we've all been aware of the wonderful weather we've been having.

I'm very confused by the actions of this mystery cat collector. Cats aren't like dogs, they don't just poo anywhere. They general pick an area as their bathroom area [they will do the same indoors if a litter tray is not left out] and use that. My cat uses a spot at the back of garden behind the shed as the soil is very loose there. They usual dig holes for poos and bury them when finished, very neat and tidy so I can't really see anyone getting in a huff about a cat pooing. A dog I could understand.

ztoical

luckat wrote: »

Yes, they're cuddly and adorable, but not cuddly enough or adorable enough that I'd like my kids to catch toxoplasmosis from their excrement.

While cats have been shown as a major reservoir for this infection, undercooked meat is the bigger cause of human infection. Also nearly 1/3 of the worlds human population is a carrier, its really only a major health threat to people with weak immune systems [like people who are HIV+] and fetuses.

The chances of Pet cats having toxoplasmosis is very low as they would be feed mainly a diet of canned or dry food.


Also on the subject of people leaving raw meat out with poison in it, is there any legal issue with that? Surely there is a risk [small but still there] of a protected wild animal eating it? Just wondering.

luckat

ztoical wrote: »

Also on the subject of people leaving raw meat out with poison in it, is there any legal issue with that? Surely there is a risk [small but still there] of a protected wild animal eating it? Just wondering.

I don't know if there's a legal issue, but there's certainly a moral one.

However, people do poison rats and mice routinely. One of my darling cats died at the age of 22 after eating a poisoned mouse he found in the garden.

Arcadian

ztoical wrote: »

Secondly putting a litter tray outside in the garden wouldn't work. The whole point of kitty litter is that absorbs liquids and I'm sure we've all been aware of the wonderful weather we've been having.

They're called outdoor litter trays, the clue is in the name;) I have 2 and they're virtually weather proof. A dog kennel with a flap housing a regular open litter tray is weather proof too.

sebastianv

At least they put it in a bag for you! Years ago when I let my cats out to poo wherever they like, please don't think your cat uses the same place time after time, as I was informed poo is also a marker for other cat so they do leave their calling card in neighbours garden, to get back to my story, I used gardening shoes left them out and changed into indoor shoes, till one day I slipped my size 10 into the shoes, only to find a nice bit of cat **** :eek:
I got the message! My cats are now in door with a run, I don't upset my neighbours and I save on heart ache and vets bills.

I have cats coming into my garden periodically and they do **** everywhere, not nice why should I clean up after other folks, who are sitting in their nice clean home with their nice clean garden because their cat chooses to **** in mine.
I want my grnadchildren to have acess to a cat **** free environment is that too much to polietly ask for from some people. Do you really now what your cute cat is up to 24/7.
Seb.

Whispered

Seb, cats dont poo in the grass or on paths etc, they bury it. So long as your grandkids are not digging up your flower bed there shouldn't be a problem. I know it can be a nuisence but we ALL have things to put up with that we would prefer not to. (noisy dogs, neighbours partys, kids throwing their wrappers in your lawn etc)

Quality

PLAN TO GET NEIGHBOUR BACK



ITEMS NEEDED: bag of poo, a pair of gloves and a roll of kitchen roll.
6 Pack of beer and cigar.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1 Wait until night fall
2 Go into neighbours drive way and to drivers side of car
3 Put gloves on
4 Get Cat poo from bag and smear under the car door handle
5 Clean off dirt from where it is obvious to see
6 Sneak home, Drink beers and smoke cigar in celebration...

Whispered

Quality wrote: »

PLAN TO GET NEIGHBOUR BACK



ITEMS NEEDED: bag of poo, a pair of gloves and a roll of kitchen roll.
6 Pack of beer and cigar.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1 Wait until night fall
2 Go into neighbours drive way and to drivers side of car
3 Put gloves on
4 Get Cat poo from bag and smear under the car door handle
5 Clean off dirt from where it is obvious to see
6 Sneak home, Drink beers and smoke cigar in celebration...

:D:D:D

Arcadian

helena.ryan wrote: »

Seb, cats dont poo in the grass or on paths etc, they bury it.

Actually they will, I don't have lawn in my front garden anymore partly because of neighbours cats using it as a litter box. Said cats have now moved 3 doors down to a nice lush lawn where I regularly see them attempting to bury their poop in the grass.

Also, two of my own cats would never ever consider burying theirs, no matter where they happened to go.

I think it's terribly sad that people feel they can't let their own kids or grandkids enjoy their garden because their neighbours are too lazy to take responsibility for their pets.

Whispered

Really??? I never knew that. I honestly thought thay buried it, in fact I'm wondering if these particular cats were taken from their mother very young? Anyway thats besides the point.

When we moved our new garden had two large plant beds with you know the soft wood chippings, i think it's called mulch. Well my two cats were delighted! They get out in the morning, head up the back, spend 20 mins digging and burying then toddle back in. I cant guarantee they dont go in others gardens but I know they prefer to use their usual spot. Maybe if you tried that op? A large area at the back of you garden with those wood chippings or light soil. You can plant hardy alpine plants which wont die from the cat leavings and they will more than likely be only too delighted to use it. Just be careful when you're gardening

sebastianv

Nope not all cat bury according to the behaviourist girl, a bolder cat will poo and leave for other cats to smell, the more nervous cat may bury as he does not want other cats to know his area. (I think that is what she said)
Can only speak and learn from my own experience and the neighbours cats that now use my decking poo and go, nothing has deterred them.
I don't see why anyone should have to accommodate a toilet facility for someone else cats either. I don't knock on the door come into their lounge and take a dump on their carpet ! As an animal lover I am finding I have an end to my tether, no amount of advice sinks in as it seems that's what cat do and it's cruel to keep them in, I know where I would like to stick the cat poo, I don't blame the cats either but the owner!!!! Now where does she leave her shoes :cool:
Helen I think I am a tolerant guy, live and let live, but when my 2 year old grandson comes in covered in cat ****, THAT IS AN OTHER MATTER. Our wee guy fought hard to be here (another matter) I am NOT having him ill through cat ****, and yes he is supervised in the garden, which should be ONE area he can play without HARM.

BTW I also have out door trays in the run and find them sturdy and durable, the only time they are a pain is when the high winds blew the rain into them, but thankfully that has not happened to often.

ztoical

Arcadian wrote: »

They're called outdoor litter trays, the clue is in the name;)

you didn't say outdoor litter tray you said put a litter tray outside. I've never heard of an outdoor litter tray ok so I didn't know.

luckat

Even if cats bury their excrement, it's not good to have it in your garden. Plenty of people like to introduce children to growing their own food by giving them a little bed in the garden to grow a few carrots and radishes and things.

It's not going to be a good introduction to gardening - not to mention healthy - if a small child then gets poo on her hands, bursts into tears. wipes her eyes with her pooey hands, etc.

ztoical

luckat wrote: »

It's not going to be a good introduction to gardening - not to mention healthy - if a small child then gets poo on her hands, bursts into tears. wipes her eyes with her pooey hands, etc.

how sensitive are these kids? My Grandad ran a scrap yard and my best memories as kids was running, jumping, climbing over crap in that yard with my cousins [lots of cousins] I to this day have scares on my knees from that yard and we climbed the massive tree in the middle of it and made mud pies at the bottom and crawled around in the grass playing soldiers. When my mum started growing peas we'd all help out dragging bags of soil around and spreading it around with our hands. I got covered in muck and grass and bugs and loved ever minute of it.

sebastianv

It always sems that whenever such a post is made that the folks objecting to the cat $hit are made to feel like the ones in the wrong
Does it matter how sensative the kids are? Is it so wrong to NOT want my 2 YO grandson covered in cat poo, or worse putting it in his mouth, all which can be avoided! by people keeping their cats in or building a run.
I am not going into my GS health on a public board suffice to say we are lucky to have him and yes some precautions are needed, but at 2 years old those precautions are standard. I well remeber the days when I also came back home from a hard days play, covered in good honest mud, but not at 2 years old, I hope that my grandson can regale such stories to his own children. The point is I do not want cat **** in my garden nor do I want to be percieved by my neighbours as some crank for asking them to have consideration for others.
We don't wrap our grandchildren in cotton wool, we make educated informed choices re their saftey cat $hit being one.

lightening

There is a product called "get off". Its supposed to stop cats crapping in an area. I presume its ok with kids....

the dee

Everything poos. There's poo everywhere. The soil in your garden is basically worm poo. Lots of animals probably poo in your garden without you knowing.

There are ways of deterring animals from using your garden - some have been suggested already and discussed on other threads in this forum - squirting them with water etc. I don't think it's fair to target cat owners - they can't be trained or controlled as easily as dogs and other pets.

sebastianv

Why is it not fair to target the source of the problem, I agree that some cats owners cat be trained as easily as dogs or other pets owners

I am a multi cat owner, I built a run end off.......I have paving, no worms as yet have soiled on, through they may be planning a worm taking over with small pneumatic drills. I have decking no worms there then only cat $hit.
Why is it such an issue to keep your cats indoors out our gardens and then we can all live happily side by side :cool:
I should not need to deter someone else's responsibility I.E pet from ****ting in my back yard as I do not go and $hit in theirs. I really can't see an argument here for allowing cats out deliberately to roam, causing accidents, getting injured and POOING in our gardens. Though out of sight out of mind may be appropriate.
Seb

littlebug

helena.ryan wrote: »

Really??? I never knew that. I honestly thought thay buried it, in fact I'm wondering if these particular cats were taken from their mother very young? Anyway thats besides the point.

When we moved our new garden had two large plant beds with you know the soft wood chippings, i think it's called mulch. Well my two cats were delighted! They get out in the morning, head up the back, spend 20 mins digging and burying then toddle back in. I cant guarantee they dont go in others gardens but I know they prefer to use their usual spot. Maybe if you tried that op? A large area at the back of you garden with those wood chippings or light soil. You can plant hardy alpine plants which wont die from the cat leavings and they will more than likely be only too delighted to use it. Just be careful when you're gardening

Yup they do.. My (nice) neighbours cats have pooped on our back lawn a few times... right beside the kids' slide They also like to "spray" my plants and flowers. I have used one of those deterrant sprays and they did seem to come in the garden less frequently. The ultimate deterrant would of course be a dog

Whispered

Ok, I've been converted. Can anybody please give me some cat enclosure ideas and also some ways to help them settle into having their area so restricted. Does anyone know a way of forcing them to stay in the garden?
Thanks

Arcadian

Kittenadoption.ie have links to various sites showing safe outdoor enclosures.
Zooplus.ie also sell fencing for keeping your cats in your own garden.

Whispered

Thanks Arcadian

Saruman

I actually do have an outdoor cat loo, well its in indoor one from argos but it has a roof and a flap so i assume its grand outdoors. I also have a kittie house which is bassically a small dog kennel with a flap on it. I got that at the pet superstore place in Blanch.

lurchin along

Under the law an owner is not responsible for ANYTHING a cat may do-I find it amusing that even THEY recognise the temperament of our feline friends!
Dog owners beware-same does NOT apply!
I'm an advocate for keeping cats in and my own have lived both ways,depending on where we lived and how safe it was for them to have free access to outdoors.At the moment it's not safe for them to go out(fast road,greyhound kennels)so until a secure run is built they have their own bedroom.As long as they get their cuddle time there's no complaints.
1" weldmesh is the best but don't forget they can climb so it has to be 100% enclosed to be effective!
Once you've spent the 1000 or so it will cost you then you'll have the eternal thanks of those sweet neighbours whose communication style is so imaginative-and anyone who can think of a way to stop the birds doing it in his garden might even get a Christmas card from him and ALL the copraphobes on this forum and elsewhere.
First thing every parent and animal lover learns - it washes off you know!
Was I the only one taught to wash my hands...?

LegacyUser

What type of a garden do you have? We have 3 cats, no litter tray, but there is plenty of places in the garden for them to go. I put in compost etc. If your garden is just paved, with no area for your cats to go then you have to put in a litter tray.

In a post above you are more or less stating "guffaw sure what can I do about it .. they're cats, they'll poo".

Saruman wrote: »

So question is now.. who the hell leaves a bag of cat poo outside someone's house and what do they expect me to do with it? I threw it in the bin but its very odd... A note would have been nice. Jaysus :rolleyes:

I'll tell you one thing, and from a cat owner, you cannot expect non animal lovers to put up with your cats faeces on their flower beds, in their childs sand pits, digging up their plants etc!! All becuase you don't provide any alternative, becuase you stop having a litter tray in the house.

I think its a warning from your neighbour to be more responsible and provide the facilities your animal needs. And lets face it, if you did you wouldn't be getting **** left in plastic bags on your door step from pissed off neighbours. And like I said - we have 3 cats ourselves!