neighbour threatening to kill my cat

[amure]

hey ENA, bit of a situation here.

 

I live in a complex, and my neighbour chucks a fit every week or so because my cat goes on her property. Apparently he was doing his business on there lawn, so they came to my door on xmas eve, returned the cat and started raging. Which is fair enough, but cats dont do it like dogs, they dig and then go, right? how can they do that on grass? lol anyway, apparently now the daughter is allergic to cats, but she was holding him when they returned the cat

 

it could be true, it could be rubbish, either way shes said repeatedly and quiet clearly shes going to kill him, which is very disturbing. hes a beautiful pursin cross tabby/ragdoll. how could you even threaten to kill such an innocent creature? i honestly dont believe she'd actually do it, but still im sick of having to hear it.

 

my question is, is there anything i can do police wise? im in australia btw.

 

thanks again

[norsewoman]

There is a simple solution to all this. Keep your cat indoors. That way, the neighbors are happy and your cat isn't crapping in their yard or killing any critters. And yes, cats can and do crap on top of lawns.

[Russ]

Get some sort of fencing over a portion of your yard.

[Tanzi]

You could keep a litter tray indoors in the hope that your cat will use this instead of your neighbours lawn, that way she could still go outside. I think it will be pretty hard in keeping a cat that already loves the outdoors, inside.

 

That said, I think they do it for a reason so it may be pretty hard to stop her without keeping her in. I know cats generally spray to mark their territory but I have heard that they can leave their poo on someone's lawn by way of a message too.

 

Perhaps you could tell your neighbour this and offer to clean it up if it happens again. Does she do it often?

[amure]

There is a simple solution to all this. Keep your cat indoors. That way, the neighbors are happy and your cat isn't crapping in their yard or killing any critters. And yes, cats can and do crap on top of lawns.

 

ahh ok, cheers for the clarafication. But yeah thats the plan, just hope he doesn't escape again lol

[amure]

You could keep a litter tray indoors in the hope that your cat will use this instead of your neighbours lawn, that way she could still go outside. I think it will be pretty hard in keeping a cat that already loves the outdoors, inside.

 

That said, I think they do it for a reason so it may be pretty hard to stop her without keeping her in. I know cats generally spray to mark their territory but I have heard that they can leave their poo on someone's lawn by way of a message too.

 

Perhaps you could tell your neighbour this and offer to clean it up if it happens again. Does she do it often?

 

yeah we have a kitty litter indoors, which he uses. i wish it was as simple as him pooing, its more like his pressence in general thats the issue. thats really interesting though about the message thing.

[Pinnsvini]

In regards to the threat to kill him; If you can I would watch to make sure she doesn't put any food out for him, as it may be laced with anti-freeze which seems to be a common method of killing pets Law-wise I would do some research and maybe visit your local station to see if there's anything that can be done, as well as looking up the symptoms of poisoning incase she does carry out the threat.

[bluelava1]

In regards to the threat to kill him; If you can I would watch to make sure she doesn't put any food out for him, as it may be laced with anti-freeze which seems to be a common method of killing pets Law-wise I would do some research and maybe visit your local station to see if there's anything that can be done, as well as looking up the symptoms of poisoning incase she does carry out the threat.

 

very well stated, keeping the cat indoors too would also help immensely

[Scorpion Fury]

I can't even tell you what I would do to any neighbor of mine that had the balls to stand on my front porch and threaten to kill my cat. It wouldn't be pretty.

 

All that aside, I would call the police and see if there's anything they can do. I'm not sure how the law works in Australia. For now, I might keep the cat in for his own protection. Keep a litter box around for the cat to use, and clean up anything he does in someone else's yard.

[bluelava1]

yes, contacting the police would be a good move. also even if your cat is one of those cats who cannot deal with being totally indoors, when its literally a matter of life and death (and its much much safer for cats to stay indoors anyway) it's really the only option.

[tina-rocks]

I would suggest the first thing you do is get a couple of litter trays, as this will encourage to go indoors rather then outside.. My two cats are outdoor types but they litter indoors and always have because of their trays..

 

I would then recommend a bit of trellis fencing which is cheap and can be fixed up easily, as cats are not keen on trellis as it's harder for them to climb on. I know I have this in my back garden one side and they hate it which stops them from going into the the adjacent garden mostly.

 

I think you also need to log a complaint with your local authority as threatening behaviour toward an animal is just as unacceptable as it would be to threaten a human being.

 

Christina

[Miss Firecracker]

What will you do if your cat scratches the paint on their automobiles?

 

Just take the cat inside. Simple as that. Yes, it may destroy your property and it may howl and disturb you until it adjusts. But this is YOUR cat, not the neighbor's. If they had wanted to deal with a pet, they would have one.

[tina-rocks]

I understand that people who do not own pets or cats can become agitated by someone else's cat getting into their garden. That's understandable, and usually these thing's can be addressed to help with the situation, such as using cat off etc:

 

These people are threatening to kill the OP's cat and in my book, this is not at all acceptable, anymore then it would if they threatened to kill a human being. Same principles must be applied.

 

Christina

 

What will you do if your cat scratches the paint on their automobiles?

 

Just take the cat inside. Simple as that. Yes, it may destroy your property and it may howl and disturb you until it adjusts. But this is YOUR cat, not the neighbor's. If they had wanted to deal with a pet, they would have one.

[Capricorn3]

I think the only way to solve this problem is to keep your cat indoors. I don't see any other way out. Keep your cat indoors. Problem solved.

[Dragunov-21]

Amure - file a report with your local cop-shop. Basically, unless you do this, your neighbour will be almost guaranteed to get off if he/she tries anything. It's only provides a small measure of protection, but it's there nonetheless.

 

If at all possible, I'd try and resolve this amiably. The cops can't do anything based on your word besides go and talk to your neighbour, which they may or may not do, depending on the cop, and how busy they are feeling at the time.

 

If you can keep your cat indoors, do so. If you can get hold of a deterrent-collar an boundary system, do so. Your neighbour is being a little scum, but bowing to them is worth it if it keeps your pet alive, no? Having a threat like that hanging over you is a horible feeling, since there's little you can do to stop it.

 

And yes, this coming from a guy who can't stand cats

 

If you're sure she won't actually go through with it, ask her if she calls the RSPCA to deal with every possum that strays onto her property, and if not, ask her to kindly play hide and go herself. With a pinecone.

 

By which I of course mean explain to her that you will endeavour to keep your at under control, but ultimately it may have to be something she accepts as normal. And if you see crap on her lawn, whether it's yours or not, get a bag and pick it up - it will either placate her (if she's serious), or if she's just whinging for the sake of it, see my earlier comment.

[bluelava1]

op, how's this situation going? is everything ok?

 

are you keeping the cat indoors? have you reported anything?

[Scorpion Fury]

Why do things like this never happen to Scorpion? I wish someone WOULD threaten to kill my cat.

[Dragunov-21]

Why do things like this never happen to Scorpion? I wish someone WOULD threaten to kill my cat.

 

I'm gonna kill your cat, because I don't like third-person references

 

Whatcha gonna do about it?

[absinthe]

Another vote for keeping your cat indoors. If your cat is an outdoor cat, what's the purpose of having a pet that people rarely have contact with?

[bluelava1]

keeping the cat indoors is immensely safer in any respect

[samantha20]

I disagree about keeping it indoors. The cat's obviously used to being an outdoor cat, to suddenly keep it indoors would be cruel and it would constantly be scratching at the door wanting to go out. Just inform the police of the threats and keep a written note of anything they say.

[Angelstar30]

Cats learn to adjust to being indoors. I had a cat who had been an outdoor cat for 13 yrs. or so. After she was hit by a car, we had to keep her in. She was fine. I would also rather deal with a cat scratching at the door than take the chance that my neighbor does something to it.

[samantha20]

I just don't think that you should give in to bullies. Like you said, you don't honestly believe that they would really do that. Your decision though.

[Miss Firecracker]

I wonder, samantha, if someone threatened to kill you, would you continue to go in their yard? The poor cat doesn't know someone is waiting to kill him. At least a person has a choice if they want to put their life in danger. Cats don't have that privilege.

[Dragunov-21]

I just don't think that you should give in to bullies. Like you said, you don't honestly believe that they would really do that. Your decision though.

 

Considering how easy it is to leave out a tin of laced meat, I don't think it's the time to be principled. Would you risk your best friend's life on calling someone's bluff like that? I truly hope not.