Hello,
We received a complaint from a neighboring party that our cats are defecating on their property—directly in front of their front door and next to their car. They say there is now a constant smell of feces, which wasn’t the case before we moved here.
I actually like these people, but in this situation, I don’t know what to do. We have been asked to stop this or take action against it. However, I don’t know what I could do about it. The cats (two of them) have been outdoor cats for over 10 years, and I can’t suddenly keep them indoors. They are offered a litter box (also outside), but they obviously prefer not to use it. I also can’t imagine it was our cats in this specific case. The area in front of their door and next to the cars is covered with gravel and is right next to the street. Cats don’t usually behave that way, do they? Our cats have always preferred to do their business somewhere secluded where they can bury it in soil or gardens. The neighbor claims to have seen our cats doing it. I have received no proof of this. Even if it were our cats, I believe legally this wouldn’t be relevant.
Now, to make matters worse, they have dumped a large amount of feces directly in front of our garage on the driveway. We are really upset about this. First of all, there is no evidence that it was our cats. What is on the board there, in my opinion, doesn’t even look like cat feces, at least not like those of our cats. It’s far too much, the color is wrong, and it looks too large. I also find it really disrespectful to take such a passive-aggressive measure based on pure assumptions.
The legal situation seems pretty clear here. We live in a rural area; various cats roam freely in this neighborhood (including on our property) and defecate wherever they want. There are numerous court rulings stating that this kind of behavior must be tolerated in rural areas. I believe this applies up to two cats per property.
I have now asked them to stop dumping feces of unknown origin on our property in the future. Of course, if it happens again, I could potentially take legal action with a cease-and-desist letter. However, that would certainly not be good for the neighborly relationship. Unfortunately, we have had problems with this party before. Back then, we decided to let it go for the sake of peace. They complained that our construction workers had blocked their parking. I passed this on to my site manager, who was very upset since it apparently was an exaggeration—I wasn’t present that day. Anyway, this was stopped, and the issue ended there. What I found interesting even then was that shortly after their complaint about the one-time parking incident, they placed a pallet on our property without asking, which stayed there for several weeks. I said nothing—I didn’t want to cause trouble with them—but given their own petty complaint, I found that quite cheeky. I thought that was behind us and that we would always greet each other politely. Then today this complaint about the cats arrived. How would you handle this?
Edit: Here is a photo – Exhibit A:
What I do not want:
- Them to continue dumping feces of unknown origin on our property
- To destroy the neighborly relationship
- To have to keep or give away my cats
We received a complaint from a neighboring party that our cats are defecating on their property—directly in front of their front door and next to their car. They say there is now a constant smell of feces, which wasn’t the case before we moved here.
I actually like these people, but in this situation, I don’t know what to do. We have been asked to stop this or take action against it. However, I don’t know what I could do about it. The cats (two of them) have been outdoor cats for over 10 years, and I can’t suddenly keep them indoors. They are offered a litter box (also outside), but they obviously prefer not to use it. I also can’t imagine it was our cats in this specific case. The area in front of their door and next to the cars is covered with gravel and is right next to the street. Cats don’t usually behave that way, do they? Our cats have always preferred to do their business somewhere secluded where they can bury it in soil or gardens. The neighbor claims to have seen our cats doing it. I have received no proof of this. Even if it were our cats, I believe legally this wouldn’t be relevant.
Now, to make matters worse, they have dumped a large amount of feces directly in front of our garage on the driveway. We are really upset about this. First of all, there is no evidence that it was our cats. What is on the board there, in my opinion, doesn’t even look like cat feces, at least not like those of our cats. It’s far too much, the color is wrong, and it looks too large. I also find it really disrespectful to take such a passive-aggressive measure based on pure assumptions.
The legal situation seems pretty clear here. We live in a rural area; various cats roam freely in this neighborhood (including on our property) and defecate wherever they want. There are numerous court rulings stating that this kind of behavior must be tolerated in rural areas. I believe this applies up to two cats per property.
I have now asked them to stop dumping feces of unknown origin on our property in the future. Of course, if it happens again, I could potentially take legal action with a cease-and-desist letter. However, that would certainly not be good for the neighborly relationship. Unfortunately, we have had problems with this party before. Back then, we decided to let it go for the sake of peace. They complained that our construction workers had blocked their parking. I passed this on to my site manager, who was very upset since it apparently was an exaggeration—I wasn’t present that day. Anyway, this was stopped, and the issue ended there. What I found interesting even then was that shortly after their complaint about the one-time parking incident, they placed a pallet on our property without asking, which stayed there for several weeks. I said nothing—I didn’t want to cause trouble with them—but given their own petty complaint, I found that quite cheeky. I thought that was behind us and that we would always greet each other politely. Then today this complaint about the cats arrived. How would you handle this?
Edit: Here is a photo – Exhibit A:
What I do not want:
- Them to continue dumping feces of unknown origin on our property
- To destroy the neighborly relationship
- To have to keep or give away my cats
C
chand19868 Oct 2023 21:40OWLer schrieb:
All attempts in this direction we end with: species-appropriate husbandry. What does that specifically mean? Species-appropriate in the sense of "as in nature" is not something we do with pets at all—regardless of whether they are prey or predators.
chand1986 schrieb:
What does that mean exactly? There is nothing we do with pets that can be considered natural in the sense of "as in the wild"—whether they are prey or predators. Hold on, I’m grabbing the popcorn... because this discussion might take a while.
Let’s start with: “the cat domesticated itself,” which sets it apart from many other pets. Does that mean the symbiotic relationship with humans is not natural in terms of being species-appropriate?
C
chand19868 Oct 2023 21:54K a t j a schrieb:
Wait, I’m getting the popcorn... because this discussion might take a while.
Let’s start with: “the cat domesticated itself,” which sets it apart from many pets. Doesn’t that mean the symbiotic relationship with humans is natural in terms of their species-specific needs? No.
And my follow-up was meant to provoke a completely different response.
I’m waiting for the answer, but I’ve already started the popcorn machine.
B
Buchsbaum8 Oct 2023 22:16Do cats actually poop?
I think it’s best to call things by their proper name. It’s simply cat feces.
I would never build in a new development area. Exactly because of nonsense like this!
They don’t run around anymore because of such a pile.
Who am I supposed to hold responsible if a fox, a marten, a raccoon, or something else poops in my garden? Last spring, I had a raccoon family living in a tree on my property. What are you supposed to do about that? I have a shepherd dog with a strong hunting instinct. Then there aren’t any problems.
I would politely but firmly tell the neighbor, if they are interested in a peaceful and cooperative neighborhood, that they should please refrain from such games in the future. If they want escalating trouble, they can certainly have it.
It is always important to make things clear right from the start and resolve them. Otherwise, the provocations will only increase, leading to unrest and dissatisfaction. Don’t get involved in a petty conflict—it doesn’t help. Better to be proactive than to give in.
I think it’s best to call things by their proper name. It’s simply cat feces.
I would never build in a new development area. Exactly because of nonsense like this!
They don’t run around anymore because of such a pile.
Who am I supposed to hold responsible if a fox, a marten, a raccoon, or something else poops in my garden? Last spring, I had a raccoon family living in a tree on my property. What are you supposed to do about that? I have a shepherd dog with a strong hunting instinct. Then there aren’t any problems.
I would politely but firmly tell the neighbor, if they are interested in a peaceful and cooperative neighborhood, that they should please refrain from such games in the future. If they want escalating trouble, they can certainly have it.
It is always important to make things clear right from the start and resolve them. Otherwise, the provocations will only increase, leading to unrest and dissatisfaction. Don’t get involved in a petty conflict—it doesn’t help. Better to be proactive than to give in.
B
Benutzer 10018 Oct 2023 23:14The neighbor’s cats also used our sandbox as a litter box. I had some success keeping them away with a powder. Maybe you could try spreading that near your neighbor’s property.
However, what is unacceptable is their reaction and throwing things onto your property. I would only expect that after conversations have failed.
In this case, I would make a clear statement.
However, what is unacceptable is their reaction and throwing things onto your property. I would only expect that after conversations have failed.
In this case, I would make a clear statement.
P
Pinkiponk9 Oct 2023 08:01Fuchsbau35 schrieb:
If this has already escalated to the point that they’re simply throwing feces in front of your door, I would probably do the following: have the foreign feces and samples from your own cats genetically tested in a lab. That was also my first thought.
@kati1337: If you/your husband are willing and able to handle this emotionally, you could directly tell the neighbors to please inform you if there is feces on their property again. You would then pick it up, bag it, and send the feces to a lab. This way, if the neighbors have lied (about seeing your cats), they will know their lie will be exposed and will likely refrain from making such claims in the future. Depending on what your cats look like, it could also simply be a case of mistaken identity.
Otherwise, I agree with you that animals like martens, hedgehogs, etc., are more likely to leave feces in the described spots rather than cats.
However, I would still have the feces left on your driveway tested in a lab first, without communicating it initially.