Help! Neighbour Throwing Rocks At My Kitten!

Hi,

I have a 19 week old kitten who for the last few weeks has been going into our garden with me, in order to explore and prepare her for when I let her out at 6 months. (she is vaccinated, spayed, microchipped etc.)

She has been really good and keeps to her little garden but in the last day or two has started to realise that if she takes a running leap, she can scale our fence. She is naturally inquisitive.

I am always on high alert and try to pluck her off, so she doesn't stray where I can't see her. (although we live in a very safe area, no roads and just little terrace gardens.)

However, I am 8 and half months pregnant and today, she managed to scale the fence and get into the neighbours garden. I called her, watched her from the top of the fence - but alas she was having to much fun, exploring new smells. After five minutes, I went to get my boyfriend to ask him to go round to the neighbours, when I heard loud banging.

I ran back and the neighbour, a middle aged woman, was throwing rocks at my kitten, who was cowering in the corner of the garden. (she even hit her with a rock in her side - just where she has been spayed.)

I shouted to the neighbour saying she was my kitten, to which the neighbour said 'but its a horrible big cat' I explained she was only a baby and had strayed. Apparently, the neighbour is scared of cats but who the heck throws rocks at a little kitten!

I'm fuming and need help. How can i stop my kitten from going into neighbours garden when i finally let her out?? I don't want her to be a house cat as she adores running around the garden and her mum lives with the neighbours on the otherside  and they love playing. I hope now the horrible neighbour knows she is mine that she won't be so cruel but I'm worried as next door have high fences and it isn't easy for her to escape quickly if the woman chooses to do it again.

Any advice would be appreciated as i'm distraught that anyone could try and harm a little defenseless kitten

thanks in advance.

Short of building expensive specialized fences designed for the purpose, you can't keep your kitten in your own yard once you let her out-she'll go where she pleases, whether the humans want her there or not. If the neighbor is throwing rocks at her as a kitten, you need to consider whether it's safe to let her roam. She could suffer injury if she strays into the neighbor's yard.

That doesn't mean you'r little one can't go out in the yard -you could harness train her, so that you can keep her safely within your own reach at all times. Once the initial training phase is done, cats quite enjoy going out on harness. My own Matt is a former stray who is harness trained so that he can enjoy the outside. I was warned by police not to let him into the neighbor's yard last spring after he went under the fence (she's afraid that he might damage her flowers) so I keep him on-harness during his outside time.

I agree. IF you are going to allow her out, she should be supervised or you could build her an enclosure where she can enjoy being outside; but, is safe from predators (this includes other animals and people who do not like cats or want them on their property.) I believe this is the ONLY way "pets" should be allowed outside.

Just like people do not want dogs wandering around unsupervised, lots of people do not want cats wandering around either. I work for a rescue and see the results of what happens when a cat gets our of their yard.

1. You should confront the old brat with your boyfriend.
2. Threaten to take legal action
3. If the rock throwing continues call the police. Even if they can’t do anything they will scare her enough to leave the kitten alone
4. If it still continues, defend your cat! If she’s harming her protect her!

First you should take your kitten to the vet to see if she has internal injuries from the rock. If you let her out you'll need to put a little money by regularly to cover the increased vet bills. She will be hurt by either your neighbor or someone else either by accident or intentionally. Dogs, foxes and other animals will attempt to kill her. She will fight with other cats so be sure to get her checked for Felv and FIV regularly. If she contracts these illnesses she will need special care, and will be more suspectable to other illnesses.

I have to agree with the others. At first I was reading their posts and thinking that their suggestions were a bit drastic. But Then I remembered there's a reason I don't let my cats outside. Actually it's multiple reasons. Other people were certainly factored in. Keep your cat indoor or on a leash so you can supervise. Or arrange a secure enclosure like a catio or netting on fences 6-8 feet to safely enclose the garden. It's really easy to think Oh well my neighbor allows free reign for their cat so why shouldn't I?

I updated my insurance recently for them to be "outdoor" even though they are strictly indoor because I've recently turned my hand to growing veg and I'm in and out the house a lot. If they bolt and are hit by a car or a kid on a scooter or bike, the vet bill would be higher and I can't stand the thought of putting down my pet because I hadn't thought about risk. This is probably OTT but comes from me having an insurance background.

What I'm about to say probably comes across as drastic or OTT too.

Whilst you're pregnant, please make sure you're not cleaning the litter, even if the cat is supervised outdoors. Whilst the risk of toxoplasmosis is minimal, since you would have to handle the litter and then touch your mouth and then your cat would have to have it in the first place, it's not worth any risk. So get someone else to change the litter. Please, check out this link.

I would put her on a harness. it would solve a lot of problems. I don't have a fence so I have to supervise my cat very closely if I take him out for a walk without a harness. And even then, 2 seconds is enough for him to jump after a chipmunk into a bush I can't access. since you're pregnant it's even less likely you're going to be willing to go running after your cat. put her on a leash, so you can pick her up conveniently whenever. 19 weeks is a great time to start her on leashes.

Just pointing out that this thread was started in 2013 and the OP has not posted since then .

LTS3 said:

Just pointing out that this thread was started in 2013 and the OP has not posted since then .

Click to expand...

We'll lock this thread.