Enjoy this video of an irate man who describes his neighbour as a 'cat pervert'

I suppose I should make a few comments about this amusing video. This middle-aged man is irate about his neighbour's behaviour. This is because his cat (female called 'Mercury') goes on to his neighbour's property and this middle-aged man thinks that his neighbour is keeping his cat. He think that he is possessing his cat and feeding his cat to tease his cat away from him. And he describes his neighbour as a "cat pervert" as a consequence. 

Screenshot.

It looks like he's lost his marbles because the young man he is accusing appears to have done nothing untoward. He does say that his cat goes onto his property but that happens and he is not doing anything to entice the cat onto his property. 

His dutiful wife is with him, supporting, but looks a little bemused by the whole episode. I don't think she wants it to happen. She's just there to be with him and provide some support. But the point is that the whole altercation should not have happened in the first place. Far better to have dealt with this in an amicable way; to have discussed the matter with his neighbour and then if this middle-aged man was concerned about this cat being lost to his neighbour, they could have decided amongst themselves how best to deal with it. This is not the way to go about dealing with the "problem".

I guess it shows how a neighbour dispute can be started over nothing but often it concerns a domestic cat! Poor cats. They end up being in the middle of a neighbour dispute because of their innocent behaviour.

 

Plant scents that are a deterrent to nuisance cats? Are they effective?

From time to time, we see an article in the online news media about deterrents to stop neighbours' cats from coming into your garden. Non-cat owning gardeners hate it because domestic cats like to go to the toilet in a nice fresh area of well fertilised flower bed. All that tender loving care can be undermined a little.

The Express in the UK has one of these articles online today. They list 'offensive scented low maintenance garden plants to deter cats from fouling outside'.

Lavender is not an effective cat deterrent. Image: MikeB

They suggest four plants which produce a scent that cats hate. The objective: to make your garden as unpleasant as possible for domestic cats as they have excellent noses.

The problem is this: they don't work! The scent of plants does not work as an effective cat deterrent.

I know that from general research and personal experience. For example, I have lavender in my backyard. A big bush of it near the patio. Lavender is the number one deterrent plant according to the Express.

For years my cat has walked past and brushed against this big bush of lavender and nothing! No effect. Nada. Zilch. He ignored it.

So that is the end of lavender as a cat deterrent as far as I am concerned. 

But my experience is backed up by science. Google Scholar has no articles on plants as cat deterrents as at the date of this post.

The scientists do not see research on plant scent deterrents as useful or viable. They don't want to waste their time.

The other three plants that the Express say are effective deterrents are: Rosemary, Rue and Pennyroyal.

Just in case you think they are worth a try; I wouldn't bother. The scientists says that ultrasonic noise deterrents work fairly well. You can buy them online at a fairly modest price.

Do ultrasonic cat deterrents work?

The one downside is that some people can hear ultrasonic sound. You won't know if you can until you have bought the device. It may be a waste of money if the deterrent deters you as well from going onto your own garden! 😎

Neighbor from hell threatens to kill the stray cats that I feed

USA: This is about a new neighbour from hell and how to deal with him. It is not an uncommon problem, but it is an almost intractable one and my advice based on a lifetime of experience is to move home.

A social media user is desperate for advice. They say that they bought a house five years ago after much effort and he is pleased that he has managed to secure a safe haven for himself and his family. It has a large backyard and a forested area beyond. Therefore, there is lots of wildlife including possums, foxes, raccoons, deer and groundhogs and even an otter. He enjoys this.

How do you combat neighbours from hell who want to kill stray cats that you feed, and this is in the country. Image: MikeB

And there are two neighbourhood stray cats hanging around his carport, so he feeds them every night at the same time that he feeds his three indoor cats.

"At a loss about animal hating new neighbors" - social media user desperate for help.

A new neighbour bought the house next door about a month ago. It is clear to him that his neighbour is an animal hater plus a neighbour from hell. For example, his neighbour said that he saw a groundhog in his backyard and that they are going to feed it with food baited with a constipation treatment so that the groundhog shits itself to death.

"Feed it Ex-Lax so it will sh*t itself to death" - neighbour from hell

And also, the animal hater has told them that they need to stop feeding the stray cats because they scratched his car (probably a lie). The neighbour said that unless they bring the stray cats inside, he is going to kill them.

When they told him that they've been feeding the stray cats for years he said that he didn't care.

As a consequence, they called the police non-emergency number, but they said that there is nothing that they can do because the cats are stray and also because the neighbour from hell hasn't actually done anything yet. Typical police, negative response. They could have at least spoken with the man.

Then they decided to bring one of the stray cats inside, but this made her miserable and the resident cats were also unhappy as expected. The other stray cat gets into fights with other cats and is a genuine feral and they can't get near him.

They want to protect the two stray cats but don't know how to do it except to keep an eye on them. The trouble is that he works and can't protect the cats 24/7.

To sum things up, the man (65 years of age) is seeking advice and has been living in a property for five years and his new neighbour hates animals and is threatening to kill stray cats that he feeds.

My advice

My advice on social media was very negative advice and one that I feel that many people would reject but I think it's the right one and it is this: to move home. I know that sounds awful but when you live with a neighbour from hell you can't beat them. 

Well, you can probably beat them in the end after an awful lot of argument and possible litigation but when you have achieved that you've actually lost because you are then living next to a person who hates you and will probably do all they can to make your life miserable for years.

As soon as you enter into a major dispute or long-term disputes with your neighbour even if that dispute was caused by their bad behaviour, there is no reasonable answer to the problem except to get out and move on.

In fact, my experience tells me that under the circumstances you should not complain about your neighbour from hell's behaviour. You should not talk to them. We should not do anything other than move home quietly.

If you complain about them and put in formal complaints to the local authority or whatever it has to be declared when you sell your home, and it will put off potential purchasers.

Neighbours from hell are irrational. And therefore, it's impossible to deal with them rationally. It's impossible to make progress with them. It's impossible to negotiate or discuss things with them because they want to dictate terms from the onset. Therefore, you either accept what they say, or you get out.

I guess there is another outcome which is to let the madman kill the cats but that is probably less acceptable than moving home. And in any case, you are left with living next to a neighbour who is a complete nuisance and likely to be a nuisance about something else in the future.

How do I stop my neighbour feeding my cat?

The best idea that I can think of to stop your neighbour feeding your cat is this one. You fit a dietary alert collar to your wandering cat. The collar has the following message on it: PLEASE DO NOT FEED ME and on the buckle, there is a medical warning sign. If you can buy a customised collar whereby the manufacturer allows you to choose your own words then you could put something like the following on it: I'M ALLERGIC TO CERTAIN FOODS - PLEASE DO NOT FEED ME! This is better.

Dietary alert collar

Alternatively, you can buy a collar with the above words on it and with a tag attached to the collar which certainly can be customised on which you can put a warning about your cat being allergic to certain foods but don't tell them what foods, obviously. This might frighten your neighbour to stop feeding your cat.

Dietary alert collar for a cat who is being fed by a neighbour and becoming obese. Screenshot.

I think the best way to stop your neighbour feeding your cat is through fear! That sounds a bit harsh but I don't think you will succeed by simply talking to your neighbour.

Clearly, you can put on the collar's tag the name of your cat and the phone number which would allow your neighbour to telephone you and discuss the matter and then you could ask them to stop feeding your cat but, as mentioned, I think this has a high chance of failure.

I say that because when a wondering cat constantly visits a nice home occupied by a nice person, they will enjoy the experience and come back. This is not a criticism of the home in which they live. It is just that some domestic cats don't feel attached quite so strongly to their human caregiver. All domestic cats have this slightly loose relationship in any case.

It doesn't matter how good a caregiver you are; some cats are going to wander and it doesn't matter how sensible the neighbour is. If they have a nice cat constantly visiting and they enjoy their company they might be tempted - even if told not to - to feed them.

But a stern warning which sends a message that if they feed your cat, they might harm them would, I believe, have a greater prospect of success.

This perennial problem is being faced by Fiona Keddie Ord who lives in Amersham, UK. The city has a Facebook page and her two cats, Simba and Arlo, wander off regularly. She lives in a nice part of the country and she does not want to keep them inside permanently because they enjoy the outside which is apparently pretty safe.

Arlo (right, white socks) & Simba (left, no socks). Image: FB.

RELATED: Woman issues flyer asking neighbours to stop feeding her cat. Who’s at fault?

But her neighbour feeds them and she is concerned about them putting on weight. She posted on the Amersham Facebook page a polite request saying:

“A gentle and polite request. These are our beloved cats, Arlo (right, white socks) & Simba (left, no socks). Simba often wanders from home for days because we suspect he is being fed treats from other homes. If so, please do not.

"He is fed the correct amounts of healthy food and additional food is not good for cats. We have to take him for his yearly health check and can’t because he is irregularly home. These cats are well looked after.

"You should never feed other owners’ animals. They may need specific foods, they may become overfed. If you come across an animal that seems mistreated or not looked after, take to a local vet to track owners or report. Do not assume and feed treats. Thank you.”

I don't know whether the post succeeded but she received lots of comments from other members of this Facebook page, one of whom suggested that she keeps cats indoors full-time, which she rejected.

Another queried why neighbours sometimes feed other neighbours' cats. They know it's not a good thing to do and they know it might upset their neighbour and cause a health problem in the cat because they might become obese. This is because cats will eat even when they're not angry sometimes. But they still do it. It's human nature.

What they should be doing really is discourage their neighbour's cats coming onto their property by gently shooing them away or making it clear to the cat that they are unwelcome. A gentle person might find this hard to do particularly when they are an animal lover. Punishment should not be involved. It should be 'divine intervention'.

RELATED: Cat punishment versus divine intervention.

But it clearly is the best thing to do unless the cat is in a bad way and underfed. Under these circumstances the neighbour's reaction should be entirely different. They have a duty to care for that cat and if necessary, take them to the local veterinarian for a checkup and treatment if they can't contact the neighbour and even if the can because the neighbour will probably be irresponsible.

Home owner loves to feed birds but their neighbour's cats attack the birds

There is an interesting post on the Reddit.com website which in a way encapsulates the "war" between bird lovers and cat lovers. It seems that it is impractical for people with these diverging views to live close to each other in suburbia.

An ultrasonic cat deterrent recommended by the RSPB. Image from the RSPB. They are moderately successful. Click this link for more. 

In this instance, the bird lover who has "tons of feeders, lots of activity" in respect of birds coming to their property, is complaining vociferously on the Reddit.com website because one of their neighbours (and this is in America) "has a couple of free-range cats". These cats are indoor/outdoor cats which is fairly typical although there is a drift towards keeping cats indoors which is exactly what this person wants their neighbour to do.

They're complaining because despite their efforts he blames one or both of the cats for killing a phoebe nest with three little eggs which were "up in the rafters of our covered porch". This species of bird is medium-sized and insect-eating. They are in the "tyrant flycatcher family" of birds.

They say that in the past "we found piles of feathers around our yard, little corpses left on the porch, and now our little phoebe family that we've been watching and caring about like our own little reality TV show are GONE because of someone's irresponsibility in letting their cats run free". 

I left a comment on that post to say that clearly the prime responsibility is that of the cat owner but bird lovers also take some responsibility in feeding their birds in their backyards in the knowledge that close by are a couple of free-roaming indoor/outdoor domestic cats who are likely to prey upon the birds. This is a scenario of human making and both parties are ultimately responsible in varying degrees.

It is very difficult to keep domestic cats out of backyards but I do have a page on cat deterrents which features two particular deterrents that are probably the most effective - click link below.

RELATED: 2 devices I would try first to keep cats out of your backyard plus alternatives.

So, what could this person, the bird lover, have done? I don't think it would have helped in the slightest to have talked to the cat owner. They don't take kindly to suggestions that they should keep their cats indoors. I would sense that that would simply produce an argument, plenty of heat but no light.

I sense that if the bird lover who wants to feed birds is going to do it really seriously, they could have built some sort of protection around the garden against the cats which would entail building a high fence with an overhang pointing outwards.

As I commented on the Reddit page, I think the only really genuine way to keep domestic cats out of a backyard is to build a cat containment fence which you can purchase in America and in the UK designed to keep cats in but you turn the fence around so that the overhang at the top points outwards and prevents cats coming in. 

A physical barrier like this is 99.9% effective. Very few cats can get through it and over it. And that is peace of mind. It may cost several thousand dollars but as I say it's peace of mind which is worth the money anytime. 

Woman allowed 6 cats under a rental agreement but keeps 11 and is now in trouble

WEST BROMWICH, UK-NEWS AND COMMENT: Midland Heart is a company providing affordable rental housing in the Midlands, UK. It seems to me that they have generous rental agreements because they have allowed this mother, Lindsay Simcox, 43, to keep six cats in her home. I don't think many housing associations would allow that, normally. To get permission to have one cat is pretty generous and six is exceptional. Despite those terms and conditions, Simcox kept 11 cats in her home with her autistic children.

Lindsay Simcox and cat. Photo: Birmingham Live.

When I read these stories, I become very cynical. It is hard for me to adopt a generous spirit because I think this woman is playing the system. I don't think she works and she gets benefits which probably includes housing benefit. She is clearly very obese and has breached the terms of the rental agreement very conclusively. I also think that it is impractical to have 11 cats in a small home. However, despite the large number of cats, she keeps the home clean which indicates that she is making real efforts to look after them properly which is commendable.

She says that her children benefit greatly from the presence of the cats. And it is known that autistic children can benefit from interacting with animals. The point is this: she's been told by a representative of Midland Heart that the cats have to go because he has four dogs as well! Can you imagine? She has 15 animals in what must be a small home. It is just not viable.

The housing company has threatened legal action unless she gets rid of the cats. She is desperate because her children love the cats and she doesn't want to tear them away from her kids. She is not under threat of eviction but she is under threat of legal action for an injunction i.e. a court order which states that the cats must be rehomed.

Simcock said that she was ratted-on by a neighbour who probably doesn't like her or took offence to the fact that she has so many animals in her home. They might cause a nuisance to neighbours which is likely because it is very difficult to keep 15 pets in the home without affecting neighbours in terms of smells and noise.

Comment: the cats will have to be rehomed and it probably will do them good because I don't think it is a good idea to have 11 cats banged up together in a small home like this. They may be well looked after or at least to a reasonable standard but in terms of the amount of space they have it is unsatisfactory. Although domestic cats are of course very adaptable.