Neighbor Upset About Cat Poop In Yard.

DreamerRose said:

Maybe it's not the neighborhood cats leaving the poop. Other animals leave it, too, like skunks, opossums, and raccoons. Cats usually cover up their poop, so if it's left in the open, it's probably not a cat. I've seen people mistake Canada geese poop for dog-do. They look very similar. You might point this out to the unfriendly neighbor.

Click to expand...

That's EXACTLY what my husband said! Cats don't just drop and poop in the middle of the yard. This neighbor said they've found poop in their planters even! Sorry, but none of our cats have ever gone to the extreme of climbing into a planter to poop!

This guy is a bodybuilder at about 6'3 250 lbs and he can't manage to pick up some cat poop (or whatever kind of poop!) without whining about it to all his neighbors who have cats! The guy has spoken to me once, and that was when I dared bother to introduce myself to him and then has no issue coming over and complaining about cat poop. Same with our neighbors. He talks to them once when meeting them on a walk and simply says "Pleasure" when introduced and nothing else and then has the nerve to come over to them to complain about their cat and saying that "This one is a freebie warning, next time I'll have animal control issue a ticket". I need to send an email to the city asking what the whole deal is with having evidence of a cat pooping in your yard and fines.

M mapper : I feel for you, with having issues with your neighbours. It's always preferable if everyone can get along.

Did want to add my comments to a couple things...

mapper said:

Cats don't just drop and poop in the middle of the yard.

Click to expand...

Actually, that's exactly what the cat that poops in my backyard does. I know, because I've seen him. And it's extra frustrating, because I have lots of border gardens with lovely, soft soil, but this super cute tuxedo cat seems to have never gotten the memo that cats dig a hole and poop, and just goes in the middle of my backyard.

mapper said:

This neighbor said they've found poop in their planters even! Sorry, but none of our cats have ever gone to the extreme of climbing into a planter to poop!

Click to expand...

Apparently, some do.
Cat won't stop pooping in the plants!

rubysmama said:

but this super cute tuxedo cat seems to have never gotten the memo that cats dig a hole and poop, and just goes in the middle of my backyard.

Click to expand...

LOL. This made me laugh. Not to hijack the thread, but I have mine also that does not dig a "hole" and poop. My Barley just does his thing, and leaves his poop for all the world to smell and see. It is funny because my other cats do the "covering" for him.

Your best bet would be to build a catio or put up a "cat-proof" fence.

As far as cats burying their poop, it's not my experience that they do that outdoors when there's competition from other cats. There are several indoor/outdoor cats on our block, and they leave their poop in exposed places in everybody's yards as "calling cards". Luckily there aren't too many complaints, though when we got new next-door neighbors two years ago, they couldn't understand why I advised them to get a cover for the sandbox they got for their little boy and to pooper scoop before he plays in their yard. Our cat only goes out on a secured balcony, and the cat on the other side of them is geriatric and now only ventures outside the front door, so they didn't think about feline visitors. The cover was on within two weeks!

I contacted the city to see what their response was on the poop issue. I had an officer respond to me saying that all pets are required to be on leashes. Well good luck with getting a cat on the leash. I have yet to see one! If we get ticketed then the whole neighborhood gets ticketed and the rest of the city! And yes it is required to pick up your pets poop, which I will happily do, but he said that an officer has to witness the incident happening. We can’t be ticketed even if the neighbors have a video of it. Well an officer is never going to witness a cat pooping in someone’s backyard! So it is HIGHLY unlikely that we will ever get a ticket. He said that the neighbors could detain the cat and take it to the shelter where we’d have to pay a fine, but once again, I highly doubt they are going to catch a cat, at least not ours as they don’t go near strangers.


I spoke with my neighbor again who the people across the street threatened with animal control if they see the cat there again and she said they said that “all the cats” are spraying their front door and it smells horrible. On top of that they are finding piles and piles of poop in their yard. Now why is it that all us owners of the cats don’t have cats spraying our doors or pooping “piles and piles” in our yards but they get it all?

From the standpoint of the law then, your neighbors have the it on their side. Whether there is poop or spraying in their yard is beside the point. They could if they choose use a trap to pick up your cat or any others that run free and they strike me as people who well might do it. If you don’t want this to happen you may need to keep your cat indoors. Cats can get trained to walk on leash.

I personally don't care if I find animal waste in my yard, except if it is in a bag that was very obviously thrown there!

Your new neighbors don't sound very nice and volatile. Maybe you will be stuck with them for awhile. It's best to try to get along, swallow your pride and be amicable for your sanity and the safety of the cats and compromise on something. Talk with them. Hear their frustrations and react calmly. They are new and probably shocked at animal waste in their yard.

This Reminds me of something that happened last summer.
My kids who are homeschool never play with the neighbor kids except one day on a special occasion I let them play ball (a flimsy bouncy ball) in the caul de sac with the other kids. I was the only adult supervising and making sure the ball doesn't go in the neighbors yards. Maybe 5 minutes into playing, my neighbor, who I have never seen or met comes out to scold me about not letting the ball hit her cars. While I was out, no ball came close to her cars.

Not an introduction, nothing. I tried explaining I came out to supervise and everything gonna be cool. She was Not having it.

So I was like "come kids, let's go back in the house."

And the other kids didn't have any supervision and the neighbors cars had no protection. And I learned my lesson. No more playing out with the neighbor kids for mine.

My boy takes a short 15-20 minute harness walk on a leash every day..... he would stay out longer but he likes to drag me around and won’t just let me sit while he wanders (my feet hurt.) His brother and sister also are harness trained.

My boy struts with his tail up, all brave most of the time. He leads me around. If he gets nervous he quickly leads me back home... as he approaches his tail goes back up.

In your case I really just recomend the fencing that you put on top of your fences, to keep cats in your yard.

I also have had a cat that walked on a leash. I got a good secure fat strap harness that he couldn't wiggle out of at Petco and got him used to it and the leash, and he loved it. While I was doing yard work I'd also have him outside with me, having him in the harness and secured on a long leash and he'd have himself a good time.
I also really liked that Catio picture posted. Idea for me for future for my indoor cats to have yard space.
Anyway, I've never had a problem with having outdoor cats in my yard so I would not act like your new neighbors at all- but likely they will be there for years and any way you can find to avoid a problem would be good. It's probably not worth the hassle in your life to have them go off on you more.

Yikes. There goes the neighborhood...and not in a good way. It seems horribly unfair that all of you long term neighbors have to bend over backwards while this couple does nothing but create chaos in what was Peaceful.

I wonder if they are even aware of the reaction they are causing. Some people are truly oblivious when it comes to anything outside of their pedantic landscapes.

I’m not saying I disagree with the many suggestions, but I do believe peaceful cohabitation is Both parties ( and in this case several parties ) equally contributing, compromising, seeking solutions.

My biggest red flag is the behavior pattern that is being set up with this couple. If all of you are constantly bending over backwards to appease them while they sit back spewing complaints and accusations, it’s bound to escalate into other issues.

To begin with, they moved into the situation. You and all of your neighbors did not purposely go out of your way to make their lives miserable. Prior to their entrance, life was peaceful. It is they who are the instigators of discord.

If they plan on living there for years, decades, they also need to step up. If they don’t like cats in their yard, fine, as one neighbor above suggesting a cover for the sandbox, maybe They need to do something similar like a cat proof fence and kitty detractant on their front door.

It’s great to have lovely neighbors. And those occur starting with a mutual respect. None which has been offered by this couple with their miniscule snippy arrogant stercoraceous attitudes.

Sorry for the rant. I simply abhor people being steamrolled.

Scurrying off soapboax....

And we are back to my saying they need motion activated sprinklers .... and it is their problem not yours.

*I use the kitty holster harness. If you get the right size the Velcro vests seem impossible to escape.

danteshuman said:

And we are back to my saying they need motion activated sprinklers .... and it is their problem not yours.

*I use the kitty holster harness. If you get the right size the Velcro vests seem impossible to escape.

Click to expand...

My bad for rushing through reading, human of Dante. Your suggestion was brilliant.

So when my neighbors two goats would regularly escape, cross the street, and eat my plants I was wrong to complain?

catapault said:

So when my neighbors two goats would regularly escape, cross the street, and eat my plants I was wrong to complain?

Click to expand...

Each situation is unique. It really depends on how both communicate. Complainants can be presented aggressively or with the notion of working together to solve the problem.

The thread starter’s new neighbors sound like spoiled children who couldn’t be bothered to take the time for anything but their own agendas. They live in a community, yet act above it instead of with it.

I do hope you’re having better luck with your neighbors goats. Goats can be far more rambunctious than Cats. Out here I call them natural lawn mowers, but I do know I would be equally upset if they chowed on prizes loved plants. There is a herd of about thirty who typically go on walkabouts during the summer.

I don't know - I understand that this is frustrating and maybe your neighbours aren't the nicest people, but I think they have the right to be upset about this. They are property owners on the street, the same as everyone else. Living there less time doesn't make them any less equal, in terms of what they want. And it's their property. They don't have pets for a reason, probably because they are highly uninterested in dealing with pet waste. They also aren't obligated to work with the community, though that would be much nicer.

I have a cat who I love, and I'd still be angry about finding someone else's pet waste in my yard on a regular basis. My motto is this; you can't control other people, you can only control yourself. So you can't stop them getting upset and you can't stop them from calling animal control. But you can decide to limit your pets to your own backyard so that you don't have to deal with people you find unpleasant. They aren't asking for all cats to eradicated from the neighbourhood. They are asking that the cats don't use their yard as a litterbox, and while they may have gone about it in a rude way, that is a reasonable request.

FeralRussian said:

Yikes. There goes the neighborhood...and not in a good way. It seems horribly unfair that all of you long term neighbors have to bend over backwards while this couple does nothing but create chaos in what was Peaceful.

I wonder if they are even aware of the reaction they are causing. Some people are truly oblivious when it comes to anything outside of their pedantic landscapes.

I’m not saying I disagree with the many suggestions, but I do believe peaceful cohabitation is Both parties ( and in this case several parties ) equally contributing, compromising, seeking solutions.

My biggest red flag is the behavior pattern that is being set up with this couple. If all of you are constantly bending over backwards to appease them while they sit back spewing complaints and accusations, it’s bound to escalate into other issues.

To begin with, they moved into the situation. You and all of your neighbors did not purposely go out of your way to make their lives miserable. Prior to their entrance, life was peaceful. It is they who are the instigators of discord.

If they plan on living there for years, decades, they also need to step up. If they don’t like cats in their yard, fine, as one neighbor above suggesting a cover for the sandbox, maybe They need to do something similar like a cat proof fence and kitty detractant on their front door.

It’s great to have lovely neighbors. And those occur starting with a mutual respect. None which has been offered by this couple with their miniscule snippy arrogant stercoraceous attitudes.

Sorry for the rant. I simply abhor people being steamrolled.

Scurrying off soapboax....

Click to expand...

And the thing is, the guy can't be bothered to even talk to any of us or look our way when we're outside. Yet he came over to both our house last summer and my neighbors house last weekend to complain about the poop in the yard. It just seems a lot more volatile when he can't be bothered with us except when he needs to complain. She always comes across as a chatty, happy person, but she even had the following conversation with our neighbors. The neighbors had their car parked in front of the complaining neighbors house last month for 2 days when the roof repair guys had their truck in their driveway and they had nowhere else to park it. They were out shoveling snow around it and she came out to chat with them. She eventually said "Do you know who's car that is"? They're like "Well duh, we're shoveling it out so it's ours". She goes "Oh okay. It's parked in the street so I GUESS it's ok". So she was going to complain about that when they've had several parties over the past year and all their friends park in front of our houses.

They are both super into fitness and they've posed for magazine covers and are both in bodybuilding competitions so I don't know if they look down on us who aren't super fit or what. They just had baby so I'm sure soon we'll get "Our kid can't even go out and play in the yard because of all the poop." Well their whole side yard and half of the backyard is dirt at the moment so I'm sure that may attract the cats. They have even said that "all the cats" are spraying their front door and the smell is horrible. So why is it that the people who have cats aren't finding "piles" of poop in their yard and the cats aren't spraying their own houses? Why is apparently every single cat on the block going to their house??

In the United Stats we do not have right to roam. Private property is just that, private. In the UK there is a right to roam. People can cross farm fields that have livestock, with their dogs. I read of a recent case where someone with a dog, on leash, entered a field with longhorn cattle. A cow with calf became aggressive. The dog owner complained. The family must now get rid of their herd. Here's the link: Dog row forces out Peak District herd

My neighbor has sheep. They refer to their sheep management technique as "hands off." The ram is in with the ewes year-round. The flock is inbred. All the ewes seem to have twins or triplets every year. Some lambes die. The sheep are, I guess, pasture ornaments. The pasture is chewed down - except for thistles. Periodically some are taken to the auction in PA to thin the excess numbers.

They got the two goats for the daughter as a potential 4-H project. She never handled them. Wild as the wind. They kept getting out, I'd call up, they'd retrieve them. Again and again. Eventually I called and asked if she wanted an invitation to a goat barbecue. They gave the goats away.

The new neighbors have the right to peaceful enjoyment of their property. If that includes no cat poop, so be it.

Oh no wonder they are using it. If their yard is all dug up that would be like a giant sand box to the neighborhood cats and any strays that lived around there.

I feel bad that your peaceful collaborative neighborhood is ruined by one unpleasant set of neighbors. It stinks but my first priority would be the safety and health of my cats.
Cat pee and spray does stink and no one wants to deal with it on their door or belongings. Cats have a great instinct for approaching people who don't like them. I don't want to have to clean poop in my yard not should I have to if it's my private property
It's very easy to set up a trap with tuna fish in it and catch a cat and do anything to it, kill it, torture it, call animal control and lie that it attacked their baby. It's easy to also put out poison in cat food or tuna and kill all the cats and say it was just herbicide. They can put out anything they want on their pricate property.
I'd stop worrying about fair and rights and train my cat to stay on a harness or build a secure fence or catio to protect my cats from these people. You're not going to change them. You can vent and complain but prioritize your cats' safety first as that should be the too priority
Even if he just takes them to the shelter they can still be euthanized without you be called first. Mistakes happen all the time. Now that they've clearly let you know how much they hate cats and don't want them there it's your responsibility to both protect your cats physically and respect their property and wishes.

How would you feel if they had a large dog that kept barking non-stop and running around your property, digging, peeing and pooping everywhere, destroying your yard, chasing your cats and breaking your things? And they said they'd been there longer and all the neighbors loved the dog and he didn't bother anyone else.
.

Case 1: dogs poop in the small flowerbed filled with hard dirt and gravel on top (because it was our garage entrance from the alley.) Someone kept letting their dog poop there ..... and didn’t pick up after their dogs. I got annoyed and talked to two neighbors on my street .... month later dog poop was still being left. I started sprinkling chilli powder on the ground. I warned my one neighbor next to me, who were nice, to keep their dogs from that area because of the chili powder. I few days later I heard a yelp and voila no more dog poop.
Case 2: my mom had a dog pooping in her yard. Her semi feral Burris’s his poop in her backyard so it wasnt him. She got fed up and used chilli powder.
Case 3: our neighbors dogs yelped/barked loudly non stop almost all day long. It drove me nuts. I talked them repeatably and after 6 months if I didn’t love animals I would have broken in their yard to let their dogs get loose! My solution? I called animal control a few times about noise complaints about barking dogs! If I hadn’t moved I would have bought a thing that makes that high pitched noise if they bark.... and hung it in my yard right by there fence.

* our semi-feral almost died from kidney failure no idea why. I think he was fed or accidentally ate some antifreeze or poison. He is fine now.

I think the safest bet is to completely ignore your neighbors and to get fencing that keeps your cats inside your yard.