ᐅ Garden and Cat Waste (Property / Legal Issue)

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

If this has already escalated to the point where they are 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 laboratory. That shouldn’t be too expensive. However, I would clarify whether your cats are the culprits or if the feces even come from a cat at all. With people who react like that, I always imagine that poison baits might soon be found around...

Before I would have written such a long post, the mess would have been cleaned up faster.

Actions lead to reactions.

kati1337 schrieb:

What I do not want:
- Unknown waste to continue being dumped on our property If YOU demand this in any way, it is:
"- Destroying the neighborly relationship"
- Locking up or giving away my cats: there is no legal basis for this.

Fuchsbau35 schrieb:

When people react like that, I always imagine that poison baits will be left around soon...

I wanted to mention that too. Thanks.

hanghaus2023 schrieb:

Before I had written such a long post, the mess would have been cleaned up faster.

Removing the mess this one time doesn’t solve the problem that they will probably continue to dump various animal waste on our property and, in my opinion, unfairly blame us for it.
They said in a message that I should make sure this stops—that there is no longer a smell of feces in front of their door or on their car. But what am I supposed to change about that? I not only doubt that their problem is (exclusively) caused by our cats, but also whether what they threw at us is actually cat excrement.

Fuchsbau35 schrieb:

If this has already escalated to the point where they just throw feces in front of your door, I would probably do the following: have the foreign feces and samples of your own cats’ waste genetically analyzed in a laboratory. That shouldn’t be too expensive. It would clarify whether your cats are the offenders or if the feces even come from a cat at all.

I also find it unfortunate that this escalated so quickly, but the “delivery onto our property” happened simultaneously with the very first message at all that they have this problem—which they attribute to us.
If it were tested, it might be shown in that one case that our cat(s) are not responsible—although that does not prove that they never go there. At the same time, proof that the waste dumped on our property came from our cat is pretty irrelevant, since besides our cats, there are 6–7 other outdoor cats roaming around here, and trash or feces that accumulate on one’s own property must be disposed of there. In other words: even if it’s my cat that defecated there, they need to put it in their own trash bin, not mine.
Just as I would have to clean up cat feces of other pet owners if I were bothered by it on my property.

kati1337 schrieb:

I also think it’s unfortunate that this escalated so quickly, but the “droppings on our property” coincided exactly with the first message at all about this issue—which they are attributing to us.
If it were investigated, it might show that in this particular case our cat(s) were not responsible—but that wouldn’t prove they never do it there. At the same time, proof that what was left on our property came from our cat would be fairly irrelevant, since besides our cats, there are 6 to 7 other outdoor cats roaming around, and any waste or mess that occurs on one’s own property should be cleaned up there. This means: even if it were my cat doing it, he should put it in his trash bin, not in my garage.
Just as I would have to dispose of other pet owners’ cat waste on my property, if it bothered me.

Well, I have a strong sense of justice myself, I have three cats who will soon be allowed outside, and as a scientist I rely on objective facts. Before getting involved in a strange neighborhood dispute, it’s personally important to me to know whether my cats are actually responsible for the mess in front of the neighbor’s door. Anyone can make claims all day long. But if the waste isn’t from your cats, you could take away your neighbor’s main argument. If it was your cats, then at least you have a basis for discussion that’s grounded in facts rather than speculation. Just my two cents...

And yes, I completely agree with you @kati1337!
Talk first, then act. The neighbor surely hasn’t found animal droppings on their property for the first time, especially if they live in a rural area. But most likely, they saw one of your cats curiously sniffing at the (other) pile, and just like that, they have found the scapegoat, especially if they were already keeping an eye on you.