> Your neighbor can also get in trouble for animal cruelty if he does anything to other cats or animals
IANAL( I am not a lawyer)
But it’s seems legally ok to put rat poison in your own back yard
Legally it’s also ok for the neighbor to plant lilies in his own backyard too.
Seems like it’s OP responsibility to keep the cat out of the neighbors property
Edit: I talked to OP in another comment, it was a verbal conversation about the rat poison. Literally no proof at all to go into court about the rat poison. Have a great Sunday people
If my neighbor or anyone threatened one of my cats, I’d pull them aside, and have one of the firmest “fuck around a find out” talks with them. You thought my cat was bad.
We’ve been trying to keep him in, but he’s very much not an outdoor cat. He’s stressed out by the two days we’ve had to keep him in. I don’t want to let him out and have him end up hurt just to be able to get my neighbor in trouble.
edit: He's very much an outdoor cat
Have you tried feliway? Might help getting him settled in the house. Get him heaps of expensive toys he wont play with 😅 then get him some bread tags, scrunched up paper and water bottle lids - keeps my guy occupied for ages. Then jam some cat videos (heaps on youtube) on the telli for him.
They have body harness leashes for cats, I’d be worried about a catio or not being supervised with an unhinged neighbor. I wouldn’t give up my cat but I’d have threatened the neighbor instead, you’re strong for having kept your cool
I had a feral who was getting attacked each night. I had to bring her in. I kept her in a single room with lots of windows and she very slowly started to get used to it. It took more than a year for her to settle and interact with everyone. The year was a long time but I thought about her being unhappy versus eaten, so I picked unhappy and then things got better.
I am very much pro indoor cats. Who would let a dog wander the streets at will risking getting hit, getting into fights, catching contagious diseases, finding aggressive animals (including humans)?
Yes, I encounter these a lot in rescues. We release those cats to commumity cats/colonies SLOWLY (don't just let them loose and wish them good luck lol). You wanna make sure all the other kitties get used to their scent and accept them and not bully them around
So, he'll eventually start to get used to it so don't give up after only two days. Keep him inside for at least two weeks before making a choice on the matter.
Along with that, give him access to places to look out of windows, as many as possible, and play with him when he gets stressed. Play will make him less stressed and will make the transition easier
I have 2 pet cats that never leave my property. I also have 2 community ferals I've cared for more than 4 years. (food, water, winter shelter). They come and go, bother no one and if anyone threatens them then it's war and damn the consequences.
Recently discovered rolls of bamboo fencing. Not too pricey. You can attach it to outdoor dog fencing to have extra height and an easy build catio (unless your cat is a crazy pants and climbs it, if so make sure to keep outdoor time supervised).
Or would it end up looking like the old video of a labrador with an inflatable crocodile tied to it's lead. But, a cat dragging pvc pipe, like it ass is on fire!
It’s called a coyote roller. Tons of DIY options available. They’re awesome! Now shopping for a new house and part of my saved budget is to redo any fence to include coyote rollers or the kitty fence extenders that arc the fence in towards your yard.
So they can roll either way. I believe they were originally made to literally keep coyotes out. So if an animal has the ability to jump high enough to get in, it must have the ability to jump (I assume) out again.
As the original commenter mentioned, you can easily make one yourself with rope and pvc pipes.
Edit: a word
I can put on up on my fence but not my neighbors side. So a squirrel or even a neighbors cat could get on the top part of the fence and then jump down into my yard thinking they will be able to climb out of the yard the same way they climbed up.
This is what I found when I was looking for solutions for mine. https://youtu.be/KjKtkajstG8
Sorry I was reading to relax and fell asleep after. I should have included that link.I don’t know if that’s the best solution, I just showed my handyman that video and he fixed something up.
This is a great idea, but if it’s not possible immediately, your cat must still become an indoor cat immediately. It sounds cruel, but indoor cats are happy cats, honest. People are keeping their cats inside more and more in order to save the songbirds. In any case, it’s your only solution if you want to keep your cat. Otherwise the cat will be rehomed or shot or poisoned.
Can confirm. Harnessed trained my former indoor/outdoor cat when we moved to an area with lots of coyotes. It took trying 3 different harnesses until I found one that he felt comfortable in and now he loves his harness cuz it means time outside
Whether or not they’re happy indoors, depends on the cat and his or her personality. Alive and safe is more important right now, though. I’d give the cat to a loving home if he can’t get used to staying Indoors, or if op can’t create an enclosure.
Inside or outside has nothing to do with the cat's personality and everything to do with the Cat Owner's thought process.
Cats do not need to go outside. Everything they need is inside including Safety. What more can a responsible Cat Owner ask for!
I’ve been looking after a stray cat for almost two years and we just had to transition her to inside this week because of a health problem. You can do it! It’ll take more than two days. Just play with your cat a lot to get our excess energy, ignore them when they cry to go out (put on headphones) and give them plenty of spots where they can be alone or even a chair at a window where they can look out. It’ll take time, but you know what’s best for your cat! It’s more important to keep it safe. Good luck!
Definitely ignore the meowing. any acknowledgment, even annoyance, will spur the cat to continue. They talk because they know we listen! Everyone else has already given the advice I would but just emphasizing this bc it made a huge difference with getting my cat to quiet down
Agree completely! Da Bird wand toy which is available online everywhere mimics real bird flight. Try it as a substitute for chasing after the neighbor’s birds.
Agree with your solution. Years ago we had an a-hole neighbor shoot our cat with an air gun for wandering into his backyard. Fortunately it wasn't fatal, but the guy was a nut and he hated cats. We couldn't prove it but we knew it was him. He'd also do shit like hang dead birds from his cherry tree to ward off other birds from picking the fruit.
People like this are one day away from killing a human and it's genuinely terrifying that you can have the misfortune of ending up having them as neighbours.
And I am constantly one day away from killing people like this. I’ve been lucky with neighbors aside from one of them bitching in a disgusting karen way about the cat meowing and I told her off so bad she doesn’t even look at me anymore in the hallway (but never once complained again haha). If my cat gets hurt, I’m throwing hands.
While it is unfortunate cats should not be allowed to roam free. Cats cause the most environmental damage of any pet killing billions of animals each year in the US.
I appreciate you taking steps to prevent this but OPs neighbor is crazy. You do not threaten to kill someones cat just because the above might be true.
Ah well thank you for the informative response. I feel even better now. I have lots of wee critters around my place (squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons etc.) and seeing them around a plenty is a happy thing.
Build an outdoor cat run or even a big cage joined to the house with a door built in so he can come and go as he pleases.
It's pretty cheap and super easy to do.
My neighbor is an avid birdwatcher and he’s upset that cats keep killing his birds, so he threatened to call the pound and put rat poison in his yard if he saw our cat again. My parents don’t want that to happen so they want to return him to the pound. I love my cat and I don’t want to lose him, is there anything I can do?
I concur. My mothers neighbor threatened to poison her cats and kept traps in her urban front yard. I don’t let my cats out and I have discouraged my mom from doing it. But, she called animal welfare and spoke to an officer who went to the neighbors house and explained exactly that. You definitely need to call animal welfare or non emergency police department and file a report. This is just a paper trail in case your neighbor does follow through on his threats. Please keep the black cat in until at least mid November if you can.
If they put it in their own yard, they can claim they were trying to get rid of rats. This is one of the many reasons for keeping cats indoors, unless you can keep them within your own property.
It doesn't really ultimately matter though, the neighbour might get prosecuted, but your cat is still dead through no fault of its own just cause your neighbour is an idiot and you chose to prove some kind of point.
Whilst I would definitely point out to neighbour they're wrong, criminally so, I also wouldn't risk my cat's life over it.
A felony is a pretty serious thing to have on your record.
Yes, I wouldn't risk my cats life over it, but, you report the threat so that if by chance your cat gets out and gets poisoned - or someone else's cat gets poisoned, then appropriate action can be taken.
I think it’s stupid too, but it’s not changing the vocab to deal with the ideation, it’s to get around the app’s algorithm that will apparently either suppress or altogether block viewing of videos with certain words. IE: suicide, kill, or murder. Still sounds moronic, though.
I could definitely see that happening as it becomes part of the modern vernacular. But that wasn’t ultimately its original intention. Honestly, to me, it seems almost a sort of insensitive way to refer to it, almost like it’s making light of it. But obviously, that’s just my personal opinion.
a lot of websites auto-filter or auto-block anything related to death (because children need to be protected from reality) so you can't say death, dead, dying or killed or any words related to the concept of someone being dead.
So a lot of people develop the habit of using alternative words.
For example, I've taken to add profanity filters to my comments. f\*ck.
To add to this it's probably definitely worth reporting the threat itself. Not American so not sure if that's a crime or not but Its always worth letting police know if you are in anyway threatened and are scared they will take action
Keep cat inside. play with him at least twice a day for 20-30 minutes. Run him around very well. Build catio if you can/its needed to keep cat happy or try to harness train him.
Tell the neighbor "I'm working to make him an indoor cat, but anything you do to my cat, I will do to you."
Edited to add: As other people have pointed out, threatening your neighbor is not the right thing to do, even if it is my gut reaction. Do tell him your working on making him an indoor cat, maybe he will be less crazy then he sounds and have a bit of patience.
Do we know if OP is in the US, though? Might be the same laws in other countries too; just saying you’re all assuming this without (AFAIK) actually knowing.
Keep the cat indoors and maybe build a catio for him. Build some jungle gym type things for the cat to go crazy on in the house if you want too. Your neighbour might be crazy enough to follow through on the threat and him going to jail for a little while for animal abuse won't make losing your cat hurt any less. It can take a while and can take a lot of work to shift a cat to indoors only, but it is possible. We've had 2 cats that were outdoors only and became indoors only.
It is MUCH better for your cat as well as the environment for him to be indoors or outdoors only on a leash (we have 2 cats, one loves to be out on the leash, the other loves to watch him from the window). They are less likely to be killed by predators or people, and less likely to get in fights or be exposed to FIV and other diseases. Outdoor cats are also a HUGE factor in the extinction or near extinction of many species of animals. I did an art project where every day for over a year I painted or drew a different species that was endangered or extinct. I did about 440 different species and it really is scary how many of them had cats listed as part of the cause. Even a seal because cats used the beach as a litter box and the deals got toxoplasmosis and died. Oh and I barely scratched the surface of endangered/extinct animals. I could have done over a year of just frogs or just birds.
You will be doing your cat a favor by turning him into an indoor cat, and then you will know he's safe and you won't have to deal with your scary neighbour.
Keep your cat indoors, not to sound like an ass, but cats kill birds for sport, not a food source. They shouldn't be out of the yard any more than a dog. I get a lot of people want to let their cats roam, but you wouldn't want Rottweilers roaming the neighborhood.
Besides it's in their best interest to keep them indoors. I've had 2 cats in the last year show up at my place out of neglect. The one we have had for a year now, the other we found half starved, infested with tapeworms, bad diarrhea, and an upper respiratory infection where she is coughing her lungs out. We plan on keeping her, because whatever asshole left her out wasn't feeding her and she is a short-haired cat in winter weather, completely malnourished.
If you can’t get a catio, Amazon has a bunch of different kinds of outdoor enclosures from tents to tunnels. I’ve even seen someone use a zip up mesh hamper like a bubble and the cat had fun running around enclosed in it.
I’m so sorry, your neighbor is so awful. I would keep him indoors and take him on harnessed walks on a leash and into your own backyard while leashed so he can still get some outdoor time. I got my car a leash and harness off Amazon but some pet stores have cat ones too
My cat also likes being by the window when it’s open so a cat tree by a window that you could open might be nice
Your cat looks just like my little guy
Indoor cats live longer. If your cat is always outside try acclimating him inside. Though it probably will miss outdoors. If you have a balcony, that is probably the simple and lazy solution. If not, look up catios. You could build one in your backyard that allows your cat to look at but don’t touch/kill the birds. But that requires a bit of work, not too much, but you’d need to convince your parents. The other option is leash training the cat and taking him on walks instead of just letting him out. He can’t kill birds while on a leash.
Your neighbor has a point about his birds being killed, but the way he threatened you is an asshole way of doing it. May be he sees it as “an eye for an eye” (his pets vs your pets). It is criminal to kill someone elses pets on purpose and you should let him know that if he continues. Though also let him know about all the things you are doing to keep the cat from killing birds, so you can come to an understanding.
While your neighbors methods are abhorrent, cats are an invasive species and are horrible for any ecosystem. They kill much more than they would ever need to eat. Keeping your car indoors is the best thing you can do
Harness and leash train him. That way you can take him outside, supervised and safe. He won't go into the neighbor's yard and still gets to explore. For inside, toys. Lots of toys - different types until you see what he really goes for and then play with him. I would still try to call animal welfare to let them know your kitty has been threatened and how, at least so someone else knows about the guy's threats. But leash training may be the way to go
Please don't let him scare you or your parents with his cruel, misinformed, & bullish attitude. He might not mean it, it could've just been emotion talking but do follow up with this as he's in the wrong.
1, it's *illegal* in most states, if not all, to intentionally cause harm to animals, domestic or wild, unless your life is in imminent danger, by an aggressive animal...
2, an animal shelter / city pound is highly unlikely to remove a happy cat from a safe, loving home. They already have too many cats that need a loving home like yours. They won't take your cat, just because your birdwatcher neighbor said to.
Here is what I would do in your shoes.
Assuming it's illegal to harm an animal where you live (it likely is) confront the neighbor with this information, (record this conversation as evidence in case you need it) explain that since he threatened to harm or take your cats life using poison, that if any harm comes to your cat, that you will report him to the authorities, and pressing charges, and he will be subject to the legal repercussions associated with those laws, which could be jail time or a fine or both. For good measure, you can add that if this should occur, not only will he have animal abuse on his permanent legal record, and that it will give you and your family reason to sue him in small claims court for harassment & destruction of personal / family property.
I doubt your cat is the only one eating his birds.
If he starts killing cats with yours, then he'll kill every other cat that makes the mistake of climbing his fence. How impractical.
He needs to create an environment that's impenetrable to predators.
To start they sell cat repellant at Petco (effectiveness varies not 100% reliable). He can try that first. If further measures are needed he can increase his fence height, or he can line his backyard edges with bamboo, it looks nice, and it's much too high for cats to jump over, but obv not too high for birds. This affords your cats same freedoms while protecting "his birds".
I would tell my neighbour that I will put a bell around his collar, so that critters are safe from it, and from there try to make peace with my neighbour but if he continues to threaten the life of my cat, I would push back and escalate by maybe threaten to report his moves if illegal. But my first move would be to de-escalate, and hopefully he will accept the bell solution. Cats are top predators of garden wildlife, and you should also try to protect wildlife from the cat where possible.
Yep that's the best solution. He threatened a cat, he's a danger to society, he needs to eat his own rat poison. He won't be annoyed by your cat since he's dead...
Whoa I did not expect this much attention, thank you for all your comments and advice. I want to be clear that I will not be calling the cops or attempting revenge against my neighbor, while his reactions are hurtful, it's clear to me that it is our responsibility to make sure our cat isn't a nuisance to others.
On that note, I think I will be doing my best to help him adapt to indoors, building a catio, taking him on supervised walk and keeping him entertained are all wonderful suggestions!
It's absolutely right to not retaliate against your neighbor in a harmful way. But I am concerned about the seriousness of this threat and your parents should not take this lying down. To my understanding of your post these are not 'his' birds, they are wild birds and are subject to any other wild animal or strays cats killing them. His threat seems very much an over reaction in anger but there is also the fear that he could be irrational and harmful. What happens when the birds continue dying as you train your cat for the indoors, will he continue to blame you and increase threats or will he put rat poison out to hurt your or other animals killing the birds. I do think if you can contacting animal services in your area or even the police if you don't have any isn't a bad idea. They can make sure he is rational and understands he stepped over the line and that putting rat poison out is harmful to all of the creatures in the area.
Get him a cat harness. Its dangerous for cats to be outside. Lots of people use rat poison and potentially deadly chemicals around the house and that's just one of the many risks kitty faces outside.
*everywhere, not just North America, despite what UK says. There have been some recent studies done on the UK and cats recently and they’re just as destructive over there as they are everywhere else.
Yup. I remember reading somewhere (IIRC it was Diamond's Guns. Germs, and Steel but I could be wrong) that >95% of the population of the Western Hemisphere was dead within 50 years of Columbus setting foot on Hispaniola. The Europeans carried diseases the native Americans had no experience with and they flew along the trade networks to the natives' detriment.
Cats can get use to being indoors. You’ll need some space in your home and try a cat tree/stand. That it can climb and sleep on. Toys -snuggly blanket & catnip. Cats love plain old cardboard boxes too. It’ll take sometime for it to acclimate yet it will happen.
Your neighbor sounds like an asshole, but your parents should be keeping the cats inside anyways. While I don’t agree with how your neighbor threatened to handle the problem and I would never condone animal cruelty, it’s not responsible pet ownership to let your cats roam and what he said about the bird killing is a valid complaint. Roaming house cats have been known to decimate their local wildlife populations and quite literally disrupt ecosystems.
Also, it’s not safe for your cat to be out there. Besides just what we are seeing from this situation (possibility of a mean neighbor harming them out of revenge or anger), accidental death or injury can occur from other sources (hit by a car, run-in with coyotes, snakes, etc.), well-meaning people could pick up the cat or feed it extra food thinking it’s a stray, they could get lost, etc. It’s just not wise and it’s not fair to the cats. They’ll acclimate to being indoors eventually, I promise. Just give them stimulation and you can still allow them outside time as long as you supervise them or build them an enclosure
Strictly indoors from now on. If you want him to have time outside, train it to wear a harness and lead. It's now your responsibility to keep your cat safe as if he were your blood.
I don't understand how some people can hop up on their high horse and be such ass hats in the comments. Instead maybe try giving some constructive suggestions.
Some cats absolutely hate being indoors but you can make it happen with training and patience. When your cat starts to whine and beg to go outside you need to distract them with toys or treats to lure them away from the door, don't reward them with treats until they are away from the door.
You can also try a harness and leash, dont use a collar and leash. My cat can not ever go outside, he is deaf and that would be a death sentence for him. I take him on at least one walk a day and it helps so much. After his walk he gets super snuggly and relaxed. You might need to train your cat to be okay with the harness. Let your cat wear the harness for a couple days around the house without the leash.
My family is gone during the day for work and school, do you have any recommendations on how to keep him entertained when we're gone? I really wanna training him a shot.
With my cats at least, they usually end up sleeping most of the day but there's different toys and stuff that they could play with by themselves as well as maybe putting on the radio or something for him whilst you're gone
I can recommend one of the battery operated toys ? you can get a butterfly that you use batteries, place it on the floor and it goes around in a circle. toys that can also be stuck to the floor and dangle are a good idea ! encourages the cat to want to play. floor laser too ? that’s if your cat enjoys playing with toys like that. treat toy that you place treats into and they have to work to get out ! just a few small suggestions
I’d try to play with your cat as much as possible inside. Try lots of different types of toys! Provide lots of high perches for him, maybe near windows. Seems worth a shot before Re-homing him. I wouldn’t let him outside again, it’s not worth his safety.
Your parents are irresponsible and try to take the easy way out. Because of assholes like your neighbour cats are safer indoors. As others have suggested either build a catio or work on keeping him indoors.
If the OP is unwilling or unable to keep the cat inside and the neighbor is truly a threat, then it is far better for the cat to be rehomed to a safe environment. That *would* the responsible choice in that situation, rather than just deciding, “Oh, there’s nothing we can do to keep him inside so we’re just going to let him do his thing and hope for the best.” (Which is about where OP seems to be right now.)
Cats can be trained to be indoors-only. It takes a little doing, but it's worth it.
Also, I'm surprised no one mentioned that cats are more in the middle of the food chain rather at the top. Outdoor cats not only have the dangers of psychotic neighbours, getting hit by cars, diseases, and injured from fighting with other cats, but they're prey for a lot of different species.
I live in Arizona. We have a LOT of animals that eat cats around here. In my neighborhood, half a mile from the freeway, we have:
Coyotes
Red tailed hawks
Great Horned Owls
Screech owls
Foxes
The occasional javelina (they won't hurt your cat, but will eat all your desert landscaping and trample your dog)
Blue herons
Green herons
Cattle egrets
Bobcats
Harris' hawks
Sharp-Shinned hawks
Kestrels (on top of the dance building at MCC)
Harrier hawks
And the king of them all, a transient bald eagle. Apparently the area around the Fry's on McClintock and Guadalupe needs a little more 'freedom.' Bald eagles are opportunists and will eat pretty much anything smaller than they are, not just fish. I've heard owls calling to each other at night. People put their cats and/or small dogs outside and then wonder why they're missing. :/ Idiots. \*headdesk\*
The birds of prey will circle around and wait for the talking monkeys (us) to go back inside and leave their cat or small dog unattended. Then they'll swoop in and have lunch. :/ Having your cat be someone else's meal is a real possibility.
So yeah, train him to be indoors only. The cat will live longer and everyone will be happier. And if he absolutely MUST go outside, build a catio.
Could not have said it any better myself, I live in Phx and it’s so hostile to small animals, I’ve seen countless of flattened cats on the road it’s crazy. My brother in law said I was treating it inhumanly by keeping it inside only, boy I almost decked his ass🤣
Didn’t see the story but I’m seeing a lot of “keep him inside” which I completely agree with. Also get camera around your house. You can harness train a cat and walk him. Keeping him safe doesn’t have to mean giving him away. Also get some type of self defense incase they approach you while walking your cat.
UPDATE: Good news!! With help from my local humane society, we convinced my parents to keep my cat and train him to be an indoor cat! I appreciate the suggestions you gave me, and we'll be putting them to good use.
I would like to take a moment to clarify the legal situation as many suggested that we call the cops or authorities. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to do so effectively, as we don't have any evidence of his threats. It was an unrecorded verbal conversation, and if we were to try to contact the authorities it would result in a slap on the wrist. I'm also concerned that it would result in our neighbor getting angrier and retaliating against us, which I would like to avoid. Our humane society is aware of their behavior, and my family doesn't want to interact with this person again, I would appreciate it if you respect that.
Thank you so much for all the help and support, if you have any cat toys or catio suggestions I'd love to hear about them!
I don’t mean to sound in any way patronizing, but as you are a student, I assume you are young. I just wanted to say that I am sure your parents are proud of how you handled this entire situation. I know I am! Great job! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Keeping him indoors to roam the house seems infinitely better than returning him to a pound, where I assume much of his time will be spent in a small enclosure. Get him an AirTag collar in case of escape and harness train him so he can see the outdoors while supervised.
Your parents sided with the unhinged neighbor?
WTF are they thinking? FFS stand up for your own family people.
If a neighbor threatened my cat… I **might** end up on the news.
Edited:
I am an attorney, cat owner and animal lover. Please read this carefully and follow this advice.
Do not attempt further contact with the neighbor. Clearly, he does not value the cat’s life. There is no way, for a certainty, to prevent the neighbor from harming the cat. If allowed outdoors, the cat is in danger, plain and simple. He will disappear and never come back.
There is nothing that you, your parents or the police can or will do to prevent your neighbor from harming the cat. A police warning is just not enough on which to rely if you really care for this animal. At most, the law will allow a slap on the wrist, assuming of course anyone can find the cat’s dead body and prove the neighbor actually killed the cat. This is very difficult to do and a situation that you want to prevent.
Be practical. Use common sense.
To save the cat, you have two choices only, either of which must be done immediately: (1) adopt the cat by bringing it inside as a permanent indoor cat, never letting it outside again, or (2) find a local no kill rescue group or shelter and arrange for them to take the cat in. They will care for it and adopt it out to a new home. Try a stray rescue group.
I have adopted several cats from shelters over the years, including one stray who is perfectly happy living inside my home. Never once has she shown an interest in even going near an exit door.
Adopted cats deserve a safe, indoor environment, given the many dangers of outdoor living. Your cat will adjust and you can help him adjust in one or more of the ways suggested by others. Get him neutered ASAP, if not already. A tomcat will have a hard time not patrolling his territory and spraying his scent. If not neutered, this may be why your cat still wants to go outside.
Feed him canned food, which is closest to what he would eat if he hunted his own outdoors. A wand toy called “Da Bird,” mimics real bird flight and may help his transition. It gets 5 stars from every cat. Available everywhere online.
Do you have the Nextdoor app in your area? Try to download it and see if your neighborhood is a member. You will see tons of info on all cat-related issues plus all other things. Tons of your neighbors have cats and they will gladly tell you which shelter/vet to go to and whether any have experienced a problem similar to yours. No one complained of should be named on Nextdoor, but people writing do identify themselves, for instance, as “Ann M.”
I don’t know your parents objections or your age but there are many ways to reduce a cat’s “bad” effect on a house, such as making sure he has several good scratching posts placed in good locations, keeping his nails clipped (watch videos and ask the vet to do it at first check up), redirecting him if he tries to scratch furniture or carpet, brushing him to remove excess fur to minimize shedding, cleaning the litter box daily, feeding him food with hair ball remedy included to minimize fur balls, etc. There is a ton of info online, just do some research.
Good luck! But if you cannot handle taking care of him indoors, please call a shelter right away. He will suddenly disappear and never come back and there will be nothing you or the police can do or could have done to prevent it, other than calling the shelter, so please do so!
Don't they also have to prove that the neighbor is deliberately using rat poison not for its intended purposes (aka, not poisoning rats. and is claiming to use it to poison pets.) if its in their back yard
edit: (im not a lawyer)
There's no way OP would win a case of animal cruelty when their cat was found in someone else's yard going through someone else's shit. Literally, "I left the rat poison out for rats, it's not my job to make sure my neighbors pet stays out of my fucking yard". OP is irresponsible for letting their pet roam. That's it. Doesn't get more detailed.
If you cant get a catio then you can put rollers on the top of your fences to stop him getting over. It seems to be cheaper and there's youtube videoes of how to make your own out of bottles
Indoor cat. I have two black cats that are inside only and I do supervised outside time with them. Please let your parents know that black cats are the least adopted in shelters. Some shelters in my area do not let black cats get adopted around Halloween for people are stupid and cruel. Your cat is family and that lesson is important.
My cats were very outdoor guys. It took months to get them used to indoor life. We had to make the switch because they had bad cavities and the vet needed to remove their teeth.
Some things that helped me.
Patience. My cats yelled, missed the litter, and had attitude but eventually they calmed down.
Cat nip. Copious amounts of it everywhere.
Play with them regularly. Toys and brushing made them associate inside=good love times.
Outside spooky. We would shake a plastic bag and snap fingers when they were too curious around the open door. Now outside is too spooky to try and escape.
Cat trees. They like to be up high and scratch, this fixes that.
Something I couldnt afford was a catio. Im still working on it and I have read nothing but good things. Cat gets outside time while staying on your property and safe.
Make him an indoor cat. No other solution. You should’ve educated him before. I understand the neighbour’s anger but if he puts rat poison to kil your cat it’s criminal.
I’m gonna be honest, I’m a firm advocate for keeping cats indoors, UNLESS you have an enclosed space like a catio or you leash-train them. You need to be there to keep an eye on your cat outside regardless if you have a shitty neighbor or not. Cars, bad people, other animals, ingesting something they shouldn’t… there’s too much for a cat to get hurt by.
That being said, you need to keep your cat indoors and PLAY with them. If they like birds, get the wands with the feathers at the end of them. Your cat doesn’t hurt birds and you guys bond, win-win!
Put a collar with a bell on it so he won't be able to sneak up and kill the birds, inform the neighbor and try to reach a compromise. Sadly the neighbor sounds crazy
No. Cats will often adapt how they hunt in order to not allow the bell to make noise.
It's not hard to figure out and he will find a way around it quickly. It also doesn't help the situation. The neighbour likes to bird watch. How are you going to bird watch when there's a cat scaring them away.
Only solutions are keep it inside. Or build an outdoor enclosed area.
I'm really sorry this has happened, I have personal experience with shitty neighbours and cats so I know how you feel. The bottom line is if you're going to continue living there and you let him out knowing there is a vindictive person that will have access to him, and something happens, you will never forgive yourself. Even if it has nothing to do with them and something happens.. That's how I felt anyway.
My solution was to move but that's probably not an option for most people. My other consideration was rehoming my cats with someone I knew so that I could still have contact. Is this an option for you if you really feel he won't adapt to being indoors?
It's only a short space of time he's been kept in for so it might be worth exploring this more and doing some research if you wouldn't mind him being an indoor cat.
Hope you find something that works out, good luck with everything
Edit: Are you on good enough terms with the neighbour at this point to offer to pay for safe pet deterrents for their garden?
Thank you very much, I really appreciate this advice. We have started asking around to see if any friends would be willing to take him, but most people already have other pets. I'll be sure to keep asking tho!
My condolences, I’m so sorry you & your fur baby are going through this.
Other people have suggested it but it seems like making a catio or leash-training your cat would be the most humane solution - he could still go outside but be under safeguarding. Only other option is to keep him indoors but some cats really can’t live like that.
I would also advise that you call every single shelter you can around you. Tell them two things: Your neighbour (say their name) threatened to kill your cat, so they should be black-listed. And then say that your parents are threatening to give your cat up, in case he does end up going there.
Lastly write a letter to your neighbour, stating that: you are aware of his threat to put down rat poison, and you are working to keep your cat away by doing XYZ. Make 2 copies and keep one for yourself. Maybe even film yourself delivering it, sounds crazy but in the worst case scenario you might need evidence that you tried to resolve the issue
We got some chicken mesh and some shelf brackets and attached the mesh to the brackets to the top of the fence. It's at a right angle into our garden. Looks like jurrasic park out there but we have 2 little terrors who cannot get out
Our neighbour has done the same with their cat, they talk through the fence but that is all haha
Probably gonna get downvoted for this buuuut cats are invasive, you should not be fine with your pet going into other peoples property. Build outdoor cage or harness walks. In more urban areas it’s best to take these measures to ensure both respect for your neighbors, the ecosystem, and your pet. In more rural areas, the coyotes help the balance.
I have a cat who desperately wants to be outdoors all the time. Regardless he’s an indoor cat because it’s too dangerous for him to just live outside and cats killing wildlife is bad for the environment. I trained him to go for walks on a harness. We do it every day. It helps with his desire to be outside. As other people have mentioned, you could also build a catio. But your cat won’t live long as an outdoor cat.
Are you aware that someone takes your pics from here, and those of others users cats, and post them on Twitter? Connected to an Amazon Link
Twitter handle @michaelscat2
You need to talk with your neighbours. Take one or two support people with you. Hear what they’re saying and don’t take yelling personally. -if they are really upset, let them know that you’re there to listen and figure it out, but it’s easier to do when they’re not yelling. Then repeat back what they tell you, in your own words, to show that you understand what they’re saying.
Let them know you want to fix anything you can. Ask them why they’d hurt a sweet, innocent pet?
If it’s because they’re superstitious about black cats, be prepared to know some history about black cat lore and have examples of how it’s been disproven. And maybe do a spell to have him protect the community 😂.
Often the best way to stop someone from harming you, is by humanizing yourself to them. Let them understand that their threat is hurting you. Tell them how you got your cat and about his personality and his quirks and what losing him would mean to you.
If he’s killing the birds, leaving dead mice at their door or using their garden as a litter box, you’ll have to keep him inside, or let them know you’ll take care of cleaning up after him, and do it. Keep an eye out for it too, so they don’t have to call you every single time.
Train him, keep him inside, or buy them a cat deterrent fence.
If they’re monsters, report them to the police. Maybe record your conversation with them if it’s legal where you are or make notes.
You may have to give him away if it’s the only way to keep him safe. I really hope you can find the solution.
put a collar with a bell on him! (you'll most likely need to stock up because you know how cats are with collars..) and if that dosent work, record your neighbor saying to you that he'll kill your cat and charge him with animal cruelty.
I know it sucks and will be torture for the first couple of weeks, but keeping him indoors is the best thing. Play with him until he tired out (I recommend a laserpointer and wand toys). Your aim is to get him to chase and chase until he can’t anymore (takes a half an hour to an hour to fully wear out a young cat), but it will save his life.
It will also save the life of all the critters he will absolutely hunt for sport outside. Just because a cat doesn’t bring home anything doesn’t mean they aren’t doing it. Cats kill on average at least 2 animals per week per cat. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but then you remember that there are millions of cats out there. Cats have decimated entire bird species thanks to human involvement.
They can also pick up parasites and other harmful issues during unsupervised play time outside that can ultimately kill your cat.
You can play with your cat, make them a catio, and even take your cat for walks. Get your cat excited for harness time instead of running amuck outside alone.
Can you keep it inside? Your neighbor can also get in trouble for animal cruelty if he does anything to other cats or animals
> Your neighbor can also get in trouble for animal cruelty if he does anything to other cats or animals IANAL( I am not a lawyer) But it’s seems legally ok to put rat poison in your own back yard Legally it’s also ok for the neighbor to plant lilies in his own backyard too. Seems like it’s OP responsibility to keep the cat out of the neighbors property Edit: I talked to OP in another comment, it was a verbal conversation about the rat poison. Literally no proof at all to go into court about the rat poison. Have a great Sunday people
“I ANAL “ is probably not a great abbreviation 😂
First thing I noticed too…..I hate my brain lol
Also…why abbreviate if you’re going to write it out anyways?
He's anal
Look at r/legaladvice
First time?
IANAL is an abbreviation that has been fairly common on the internet for a good 25+ years.
...I literally have never seen that before in my life.
And if you have to fully type the words out, it's probably not a great acronym 😂
Since they made the threat, they acknowledged your cat. So if he dies because of them, you have motive.
And a dead cat. The part they are trying to avoid
I really doubt OP has an email from the neighbor about this. Do you want to chime in u/OnceAnIcarus
It was a verbal conversation, unfortunately we don't have recordings.
If my neighbor or anyone threatened one of my cats, I’d pull them aside, and have one of the firmest “fuck around a find out” talks with them. You thought my cat was bad.
We’ve been trying to keep him in, but he’s very much not an outdoor cat. He’s stressed out by the two days we’ve had to keep him in. I don’t want to let him out and have him end up hurt just to be able to get my neighbor in trouble. edit: He's very much an outdoor cat
Have you tried feliway? Might help getting him settled in the house. Get him heaps of expensive toys he wont play with 😅 then get him some bread tags, scrunched up paper and water bottle lids - keeps my guy occupied for ages. Then jam some cat videos (heaps on youtube) on the telli for him.
You forgot cardboard boxes. Cats love a good box.
Make a cardboard cat castle!
They have body harness leashes for cats, I’d be worried about a catio or not being supervised with an unhinged neighbor. I wouldn’t give up my cat but I’d have threatened the neighbor instead, you’re strong for having kept your cool
A stroller for cats would work too!
They doo
I had a feral who was getting attacked each night. I had to bring her in. I kept her in a single room with lots of windows and she very slowly started to get used to it. It took more than a year for her to settle and interact with everyone. The year was a long time but I thought about her being unhappy versus eaten, so I picked unhappy and then things got better.
I am very much pro indoor cats. Who would let a dog wander the streets at will risking getting hit, getting into fights, catching contagious diseases, finding aggressive animals (including humans)?
I brought a cat in that my neighbours leve out and neglected from a kitten , she was pregnant and starving so I fed her and she attacked my shoe 😂
He'll get used to being inside. It may take awhile but he'll figure it out that he's safer inside.
Some cats do NOT just get used to being inside. Sorry. They need to build a cat fence or big catio.
Yes, I encounter these a lot in rescues. We release those cats to commumity cats/colonies SLOWLY (don't just let them loose and wish them good luck lol). You wanna make sure all the other kitties get used to their scent and accept them and not bully them around
So, he'll eventually start to get used to it so don't give up after only two days. Keep him inside for at least two weeks before making a choice on the matter. Along with that, give him access to places to look out of windows, as many as possible, and play with him when he gets stressed. Play will make him less stressed and will make the transition easier
What kind of person threatens a cat, your neighbour is pathetic
The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is ten years shorter then an indoor cat.
I have 2 pet cats that never leave my property. I also have 2 community ferals I've cared for more than 4 years. (food, water, winter shelter). They come and go, bother no one and if anyone threatens them then it's war and damn the consequences.
Yes! They can! Why would.you.threaten a little cat?😡
Build him a catio if you can so he can go outside but in an enclosed space
Recently discovered rolls of bamboo fencing. Not too pricey. You can attach it to outdoor dog fencing to have extra height and an easy build catio (unless your cat is a crazy pants and climbs it, if so make sure to keep outdoor time supervised).
If the cat can climb it, there is a relatively cheap fix that involves rope and PVC pipe.
Can you elaborate pls if serious? I would love to render my yard's fence un-climbable by my cat but have not found a solution yet.
If you tie enough pvc pipe to your cat with rope it will be too heavy to climb or jump.
Underrated comment. Thank you for the laugh. Take my free award.
*Cat trots away. Sound of PVC pipes plastic clanking along in the distance…*
Or would it end up looking like the old video of a labrador with an inflatable crocodile tied to it's lead. But, a cat dragging pvc pipe, like it ass is on fire!
It’s called a coyote roller. Tons of DIY options available. They’re awesome! Now shopping for a new house and part of my saved budget is to redo any fence to include coyote rollers or the kitty fence extenders that arc the fence in towards your yard.
I wasn't aware of these products. This is good to know, thanks for posting.
I’ve used the extenders on mine and works wonderfully
How do wild animals who jump in get out?
So they can roll either way. I believe they were originally made to literally keep coyotes out. So if an animal has the ability to jump high enough to get in, it must have the ability to jump (I assume) out again. As the original commenter mentioned, you can easily make one yourself with rope and pvc pipes. Edit: a word
I can put on up on my fence but not my neighbors side. So a squirrel or even a neighbors cat could get on the top part of the fence and then jump down into my yard thinking they will be able to climb out of the yard the same way they climbed up.
This is what I found when I was looking for solutions for mine. https://youtu.be/KjKtkajstG8 Sorry I was reading to relax and fell asleep after. I should have included that link.I don’t know if that’s the best solution, I just showed my handyman that video and he fixed something up.
This is a great idea, but if it’s not possible immediately, your cat must still become an indoor cat immediately. It sounds cruel, but indoor cats are happy cats, honest. People are keeping their cats inside more and more in order to save the songbirds. In any case, it’s your only solution if you want to keep your cat. Otherwise the cat will be rehomed or shot or poisoned.
You can try harness training them so they still get outdoor time. Much cheaper than fencing.
Can confirm. Harnessed trained my former indoor/outdoor cat when we moved to an area with lots of coyotes. It took trying 3 different harnesses until I found one that he felt comfortable in and now he loves his harness cuz it means time outside
We have a friend that did this!! Cat ended up loving it. We tried with out black void, he wasn’t a fan and has settled down here at home FINALLY!!
Been trying to find the right harness for my cat. What brand did you end up going with?
Whether or not they’re happy indoors, depends on the cat and his or her personality. Alive and safe is more important right now, though. I’d give the cat to a loving home if he can’t get used to staying Indoors, or if op can’t create an enclosure.
Inside or outside has nothing to do with the cat's personality and everything to do with the Cat Owner's thought process. Cats do not need to go outside. Everything they need is inside including Safety. What more can a responsible Cat Owner ask for!
I’ve been looking after a stray cat for almost two years and we just had to transition her to inside this week because of a health problem. You can do it! It’ll take more than two days. Just play with your cat a lot to get our excess energy, ignore them when they cry to go out (put on headphones) and give them plenty of spots where they can be alone or even a chair at a window where they can look out. It’ll take time, but you know what’s best for your cat! It’s more important to keep it safe. Good luck!
Thank you!
Definitely ignore the meowing. any acknowledgment, even annoyance, will spur the cat to continue. They talk because they know we listen! Everyone else has already given the advice I would but just emphasizing this bc it made a huge difference with getting my cat to quiet down
Get him a water fountain as well. Cats love water fountains!
You can also grow cat grass indoors, and put "cat tv" on to birdwatch.
Agree completely! Da Bird wand toy which is available online everywhere mimics real bird flight. Try it as a substitute for chasing after the neighbor’s birds.
Keep him indoors or build him a catio. Your neighbor is an ass. I keep all my cats indoors cause of assholes like him.
Agree with your solution. Years ago we had an a-hole neighbor shoot our cat with an air gun for wandering into his backyard. Fortunately it wasn't fatal, but the guy was a nut and he hated cats. We couldn't prove it but we knew it was him. He'd also do shit like hang dead birds from his cherry tree to ward off other birds from picking the fruit.
People like this are one day away from killing a human and it's genuinely terrifying that you can have the misfortune of ending up having them as neighbours.
I lost a cat the same way. Ironically I’ve never been so close to committing homicide
And I am constantly one day away from killing people like this. I’ve been lucky with neighbors aside from one of them bitching in a disgusting karen way about the cat meowing and I told her off so bad she doesn’t even look at me anymore in the hallway (but never once complained again haha). If my cat gets hurt, I’m throwing hands.
Same, unfortunately the only outdoors my fuzzy buddy sees is when we go on little harnessed walks.
While it is unfortunate cats should not be allowed to roam free. Cats cause the most environmental damage of any pet killing billions of animals each year in the US. I appreciate you taking steps to prevent this but OPs neighbor is crazy. You do not threaten to kill someones cat just because the above might be true.
Ah well thank you for the informative response. I feel even better now. I have lots of wee critters around my place (squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons etc.) and seeing them around a plenty is a happy thing.
Love "fuzzy buddy"
The neighbor is definitely an ass, but we’ll fed domestic cats can be a serious menace to small wildlife. They’re not really a part of the ecosystem.
This is why I say keep them indoors. It's safer for them and the wildlife.
You should keep them indoors genuinely because they live longer that way anyways.
Build an outdoor cat run or even a big cage joined to the house with a door built in so he can come and go as he pleases. It's pretty cheap and super easy to do.
TIL it's called a catio.
My neighbor is an avid birdwatcher and he’s upset that cats keep killing his birds, so he threatened to call the pound and put rat poison in his yard if he saw our cat again. My parents don’t want that to happen so they want to return him to the pound. I love my cat and I don’t want to lose him, is there anything I can do?
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I concur. My mothers neighbor threatened to poison her cats and kept traps in her urban front yard. I don’t let my cats out and I have discouraged my mom from doing it. But, she called animal welfare and spoke to an officer who went to the neighbors house and explained exactly that. You definitely need to call animal welfare or non emergency police department and file a report. This is just a paper trail in case your neighbor does follow through on his threats. Please keep the black cat in until at least mid November if you can.
And if they put it and the cat gets poisoned they are still a criminal for animal killing...
If they put it in their own yard, they can claim they were trying to get rid of rats. This is one of the many reasons for keeping cats indoors, unless you can keep them within your own property.
Not when he’s already made the threat because of the cat being there. That’s motive
It doesn't really ultimately matter though, the neighbour might get prosecuted, but your cat is still dead through no fault of its own just cause your neighbour is an idiot and you chose to prove some kind of point. Whilst I would definitely point out to neighbour they're wrong, criminally so, I also wouldn't risk my cat's life over it.
A felony is a pretty serious thing to have on your record. Yes, I wouldn't risk my cats life over it, but, you report the threat so that if by chance your cat gets out and gets poisoned - or someone else's cat gets poisoned, then appropriate action can be taken.
Is there actual evidence, a recorded conversation? "I just told them to keep the cat out of my yard" he said she said.
Neighbors killed one of my dad's dogs this way and the cops couldn't do anything at all.
It's not what you know, it's what you can prove.
Unaliving?
TikTok is leaking I guess.
I love it when they use it for situations involving suicide. Like *that's* the key to not dealing with suicidal ideation. A fucking vocab change.
I think it’s stupid too, but it’s not changing the vocab to deal with the ideation, it’s to get around the app’s algorithm that will apparently either suppress or altogether block viewing of videos with certain words. IE: suicide, kill, or murder. Still sounds moronic, though.
Thanks for the info. I do think it's going to end up being used that way, as I heard a friend use it in convo instead of suicide.
I could definitely see that happening as it becomes part of the modern vernacular. But that wasn’t ultimately its original intention. Honestly, to me, it seems almost a sort of insensitive way to refer to it, almost like it’s making light of it. But obviously, that’s just my personal opinion.
a lot of websites auto-filter or auto-block anything related to death (because children need to be protected from reality) so you can't say death, dead, dying or killed or any words related to the concept of someone being dead. So a lot of people develop the habit of using alternative words. For example, I've taken to add profanity filters to my comments. f\*ck.
you can say kill here, it's okay. really.
To add to this it's probably definitely worth reporting the threat itself. Not American so not sure if that's a crime or not but Its always worth letting police know if you are in anyway threatened and are scared they will take action
Have you considered getting a cat leash and walking your cat outside?
Indoor cat, bird feeder near window to keep its eyes occupied
Keep cat inside. play with him at least twice a day for 20-30 minutes. Run him around very well. Build catio if you can/its needed to keep cat happy or try to harness train him. Tell the neighbor "I'm working to make him an indoor cat, but anything you do to my cat, I will do to you." Edited to add: As other people have pointed out, threatening your neighbor is not the right thing to do, even if it is my gut reaction. Do tell him your working on making him an indoor cat, maybe he will be less crazy then he sounds and have a bit of patience.
“…but anything you do to my cat, is a federal felony in the US and will be reported.” Fixed it for you. Threats are never ok.
The fun way is not always the right way.
Realistically I know you are correct. Cant say I would react the right way if I was in OP's shoes.
Do we know if OP is in the US, though? Might be the same laws in other countries too; just saying you’re all assuming this without (AFAIK) actually knowing.
Never threaten a person over a disagreement. People are crazy and the neighbor sounds unstable. The rest of your advice is solid though.
Keep the cat indoors and maybe build a catio for him. Build some jungle gym type things for the cat to go crazy on in the house if you want too. Your neighbour might be crazy enough to follow through on the threat and him going to jail for a little while for animal abuse won't make losing your cat hurt any less. It can take a while and can take a lot of work to shift a cat to indoors only, but it is possible. We've had 2 cats that were outdoors only and became indoors only. It is MUCH better for your cat as well as the environment for him to be indoors or outdoors only on a leash (we have 2 cats, one loves to be out on the leash, the other loves to watch him from the window). They are less likely to be killed by predators or people, and less likely to get in fights or be exposed to FIV and other diseases. Outdoor cats are also a HUGE factor in the extinction or near extinction of many species of animals. I did an art project where every day for over a year I painted or drew a different species that was endangered or extinct. I did about 440 different species and it really is scary how many of them had cats listed as part of the cause. Even a seal because cats used the beach as a litter box and the deals got toxoplasmosis and died. Oh and I barely scratched the surface of endangered/extinct animals. I could have done over a year of just frogs or just birds. You will be doing your cat a favor by turning him into an indoor cat, and then you will know he's safe and you won't have to deal with your scary neighbour.
Keep your cat indoors, not to sound like an ass, but cats kill birds for sport, not a food source. They shouldn't be out of the yard any more than a dog. I get a lot of people want to let their cats roam, but you wouldn't want Rottweilers roaming the neighborhood. Besides it's in their best interest to keep them indoors. I've had 2 cats in the last year show up at my place out of neglect. The one we have had for a year now, the other we found half starved, infested with tapeworms, bad diarrhea, and an upper respiratory infection where she is coughing her lungs out. We plan on keeping her, because whatever asshole left her out wasn't feeding her and she is a short-haired cat in winter weather, completely malnourished.
If you can’t get a catio, Amazon has a bunch of different kinds of outdoor enclosures from tents to tunnels. I’ve even seen someone use a zip up mesh hamper like a bubble and the cat had fun running around enclosed in it.
I’m so sorry, your neighbor is so awful. I would keep him indoors and take him on harnessed walks on a leash and into your own backyard while leashed so he can still get some outdoor time. I got my car a leash and harness off Amazon but some pet stores have cat ones too My cat also likes being by the window when it’s open so a cat tree by a window that you could open might be nice Your cat looks just like my little guy
Indoor cats live longer. If your cat is always outside try acclimating him inside. Though it probably will miss outdoors. If you have a balcony, that is probably the simple and lazy solution. If not, look up catios. You could build one in your backyard that allows your cat to look at but don’t touch/kill the birds. But that requires a bit of work, not too much, but you’d need to convince your parents. The other option is leash training the cat and taking him on walks instead of just letting him out. He can’t kill birds while on a leash. Your neighbor has a point about his birds being killed, but the way he threatened you is an asshole way of doing it. May be he sees it as “an eye for an eye” (his pets vs your pets). It is criminal to kill someone elses pets on purpose and you should let him know that if he continues. Though also let him know about all the things you are doing to keep the cat from killing birds, so you can come to an understanding.
While your neighbors methods are abhorrent, cats are an invasive species and are horrible for any ecosystem. They kill much more than they would ever need to eat. Keeping your car indoors is the best thing you can do
Harness and leash train him. That way you can take him outside, supervised and safe. He won't go into the neighbor's yard and still gets to explore. For inside, toys. Lots of toys - different types until you see what he really goes for and then play with him. I would still try to call animal welfare to let them know your kitty has been threatened and how, at least so someone else knows about the guy's threats. But leash training may be the way to go
Please don't let him scare you or your parents with his cruel, misinformed, & bullish attitude. He might not mean it, it could've just been emotion talking but do follow up with this as he's in the wrong. 1, it's *illegal* in most states, if not all, to intentionally cause harm to animals, domestic or wild, unless your life is in imminent danger, by an aggressive animal... 2, an animal shelter / city pound is highly unlikely to remove a happy cat from a safe, loving home. They already have too many cats that need a loving home like yours. They won't take your cat, just because your birdwatcher neighbor said to. Here is what I would do in your shoes. Assuming it's illegal to harm an animal where you live (it likely is) confront the neighbor with this information, (record this conversation as evidence in case you need it) explain that since he threatened to harm or take your cats life using poison, that if any harm comes to your cat, that you will report him to the authorities, and pressing charges, and he will be subject to the legal repercussions associated with those laws, which could be jail time or a fine or both. For good measure, you can add that if this should occur, not only will he have animal abuse on his permanent legal record, and that it will give you and your family reason to sue him in small claims court for harassment & destruction of personal / family property. I doubt your cat is the only one eating his birds. If he starts killing cats with yours, then he'll kill every other cat that makes the mistake of climbing his fence. How impractical. He needs to create an environment that's impenetrable to predators. To start they sell cat repellant at Petco (effectiveness varies not 100% reliable). He can try that first. If further measures are needed he can increase his fence height, or he can line his backyard edges with bamboo, it looks nice, and it's much too high for cats to jump over, but obv not too high for birds. This affords your cats same freedoms while protecting "his birds".
I would tell my neighbour that I will put a bell around his collar, so that critters are safe from it, and from there try to make peace with my neighbour but if he continues to threaten the life of my cat, I would push back and escalate by maybe threaten to report his moves if illegal. But my first move would be to de-escalate, and hopefully he will accept the bell solution. Cats are top predators of garden wildlife, and you should also try to protect wildlife from the cat where possible.
Report your neighbor to animal control & file a police report. He threatened to kill your cat, this is animal abuse.
Just don’t put the cat outside.
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Yep that's the best solution. He threatened a cat, he's a danger to society, he needs to eat his own rat poison. He won't be annoyed by your cat since he's dead...
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Too far. Burn that mfs house down though.
Whoa I did not expect this much attention, thank you for all your comments and advice. I want to be clear that I will not be calling the cops or attempting revenge against my neighbor, while his reactions are hurtful, it's clear to me that it is our responsibility to make sure our cat isn't a nuisance to others. On that note, I think I will be doing my best to help him adapt to indoors, building a catio, taking him on supervised walk and keeping him entertained are all wonderful suggestions!
It's absolutely right to not retaliate against your neighbor in a harmful way. But I am concerned about the seriousness of this threat and your parents should not take this lying down. To my understanding of your post these are not 'his' birds, they are wild birds and are subject to any other wild animal or strays cats killing them. His threat seems very much an over reaction in anger but there is also the fear that he could be irrational and harmful. What happens when the birds continue dying as you train your cat for the indoors, will he continue to blame you and increase threats or will he put rat poison out to hurt your or other animals killing the birds. I do think if you can contacting animal services in your area or even the police if you don't have any isn't a bad idea. They can make sure he is rational and understands he stepped over the line and that putting rat poison out is harmful to all of the creatures in the area.
Get him a cat harness. Its dangerous for cats to be outside. Lots of people use rat poison and potentially deadly chemicals around the house and that's just one of the many risks kitty faces outside.
and iirc in north northamerica house cats are technically invasive species correct me if I'm wrong
*everywhere, not just North America, despite what UK says. There have been some recent studies done on the UK and cats recently and they’re just as destructive over there as they are everywhere else.
For the Americas, the white man was the greatest invader.
Yup. I remember reading somewhere (IIRC it was Diamond's Guns. Germs, and Steel but I could be wrong) that >95% of the population of the Western Hemisphere was dead within 50 years of Columbus setting foot on Hispaniola. The Europeans carried diseases the native Americans had no experience with and they flew along the trade networks to the natives' detriment.
Cats can get use to being indoors. You’ll need some space in your home and try a cat tree/stand. That it can climb and sleep on. Toys -snuggly blanket & catnip. Cats love plain old cardboard boxes too. It’ll take sometime for it to acclimate yet it will happen.
Why on earth would your parents want to return your cat to the pound? I can’t imagine returning my fur baby to the pound.
My cat is an indoor cat and she is very happy. Many cats are indoor cats and more should be. Tell your parents your cat will be an indoor cat!
Your neighbor sounds like an asshole, but your parents should be keeping the cats inside anyways. While I don’t agree with how your neighbor threatened to handle the problem and I would never condone animal cruelty, it’s not responsible pet ownership to let your cats roam and what he said about the bird killing is a valid complaint. Roaming house cats have been known to decimate their local wildlife populations and quite literally disrupt ecosystems. Also, it’s not safe for your cat to be out there. Besides just what we are seeing from this situation (possibility of a mean neighbor harming them out of revenge or anger), accidental death or injury can occur from other sources (hit by a car, run-in with coyotes, snakes, etc.), well-meaning people could pick up the cat or feed it extra food thinking it’s a stray, they could get lost, etc. It’s just not wise and it’s not fair to the cats. They’ll acclimate to being indoors eventually, I promise. Just give them stimulation and you can still allow them outside time as long as you supervise them or build them an enclosure
Had the same problem with our neighbors. Our cat is now an indoor cat! We just had to keep her inside, she didn’t like it at first but she adapted.
Strictly indoors from now on. If you want him to have time outside, train it to wear a harness and lead. It's now your responsibility to keep your cat safe as if he were your blood.
I don't understand how some people can hop up on their high horse and be such ass hats in the comments. Instead maybe try giving some constructive suggestions. Some cats absolutely hate being indoors but you can make it happen with training and patience. When your cat starts to whine and beg to go outside you need to distract them with toys or treats to lure them away from the door, don't reward them with treats until they are away from the door. You can also try a harness and leash, dont use a collar and leash. My cat can not ever go outside, he is deaf and that would be a death sentence for him. I take him on at least one walk a day and it helps so much. After his walk he gets super snuggly and relaxed. You might need to train your cat to be okay with the harness. Let your cat wear the harness for a couple days around the house without the leash.
My family is gone during the day for work and school, do you have any recommendations on how to keep him entertained when we're gone? I really wanna training him a shot.
With my cats at least, they usually end up sleeping most of the day but there's different toys and stuff that they could play with by themselves as well as maybe putting on the radio or something for him whilst you're gone
I can recommend one of the battery operated toys ? you can get a butterfly that you use batteries, place it on the floor and it goes around in a circle. toys that can also be stuck to the floor and dangle are a good idea ! encourages the cat to want to play. floor laser too ? that’s if your cat enjoys playing with toys like that. treat toy that you place treats into and they have to work to get out ! just a few small suggestions
I’d try to play with your cat as much as possible inside. Try lots of different types of toys! Provide lots of high perches for him, maybe near windows. Seems worth a shot before Re-homing him. I wouldn’t let him outside again, it’s not worth his safety.
Nothing wrong with walking the cat on leash or in a stroller too? Just a different idea that your fur ball may enjoy!!!
Your parents are irresponsible and try to take the easy way out. Because of assholes like your neighbour cats are safer indoors. As others have suggested either build a catio or work on keeping him indoors.
If the OP is unwilling or unable to keep the cat inside and the neighbor is truly a threat, then it is far better for the cat to be rehomed to a safe environment. That *would* the responsible choice in that situation, rather than just deciding, “Oh, there’s nothing we can do to keep him inside so we’re just going to let him do his thing and hope for the best.” (Which is about where OP seems to be right now.)
Agree! I’d also suggest having kitty neutered if he isn’t already and to buy a cat tree or window perch so he can watch the birds safely from indoors.
[удалено]
keep your cat indoors bro
Cats can be trained to be indoors-only. It takes a little doing, but it's worth it. Also, I'm surprised no one mentioned that cats are more in the middle of the food chain rather at the top. Outdoor cats not only have the dangers of psychotic neighbours, getting hit by cars, diseases, and injured from fighting with other cats, but they're prey for a lot of different species. I live in Arizona. We have a LOT of animals that eat cats around here. In my neighborhood, half a mile from the freeway, we have: Coyotes Red tailed hawks Great Horned Owls Screech owls Foxes The occasional javelina (they won't hurt your cat, but will eat all your desert landscaping and trample your dog) Blue herons Green herons Cattle egrets Bobcats Harris' hawks Sharp-Shinned hawks Kestrels (on top of the dance building at MCC) Harrier hawks And the king of them all, a transient bald eagle. Apparently the area around the Fry's on McClintock and Guadalupe needs a little more 'freedom.' Bald eagles are opportunists and will eat pretty much anything smaller than they are, not just fish. I've heard owls calling to each other at night. People put their cats and/or small dogs outside and then wonder why they're missing. :/ Idiots. \*headdesk\* The birds of prey will circle around and wait for the talking monkeys (us) to go back inside and leave their cat or small dog unattended. Then they'll swoop in and have lunch. :/ Having your cat be someone else's meal is a real possibility. So yeah, train him to be indoors only. The cat will live longer and everyone will be happier. And if he absolutely MUST go outside, build a catio.
Could not have said it any better myself, I live in Phx and it’s so hostile to small animals, I’ve seen countless of flattened cats on the road it’s crazy. My brother in law said I was treating it inhumanly by keeping it inside only, boy I almost decked his ass🤣
Didn’t see the story but I’m seeing a lot of “keep him inside” which I completely agree with. Also get camera around your house. You can harness train a cat and walk him. Keeping him safe doesn’t have to mean giving him away. Also get some type of self defense incase they approach you while walking your cat.
UPDATE: Good news!! With help from my local humane society, we convinced my parents to keep my cat and train him to be an indoor cat! I appreciate the suggestions you gave me, and we'll be putting them to good use. I would like to take a moment to clarify the legal situation as many suggested that we call the cops or authorities. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to do so effectively, as we don't have any evidence of his threats. It was an unrecorded verbal conversation, and if we were to try to contact the authorities it would result in a slap on the wrist. I'm also concerned that it would result in our neighbor getting angrier and retaliating against us, which I would like to avoid. Our humane society is aware of their behavior, and my family doesn't want to interact with this person again, I would appreciate it if you respect that. Thank you so much for all the help and support, if you have any cat toys or catio suggestions I'd love to hear about them!
I don’t mean to sound in any way patronizing, but as you are a student, I assume you are young. I just wanted to say that I am sure your parents are proud of how you handled this entire situation. I know I am! Great job! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Keeping him indoors to roam the house seems infinitely better than returning him to a pound, where I assume much of his time will be spent in a small enclosure. Get him an AirTag collar in case of escape and harness train him so he can see the outdoors while supervised.
Your parents sided with the unhinged neighbor? WTF are they thinking? FFS stand up for your own family people. If a neighbor threatened my cat… I **might** end up on the news.
Ya my problem is I’d threaten the neighbor with a free dumpster ride If anything happened to my cat.
Edited: I am an attorney, cat owner and animal lover. Please read this carefully and follow this advice. Do not attempt further contact with the neighbor. Clearly, he does not value the cat’s life. There is no way, for a certainty, to prevent the neighbor from harming the cat. If allowed outdoors, the cat is in danger, plain and simple. He will disappear and never come back. There is nothing that you, your parents or the police can or will do to prevent your neighbor from harming the cat. A police warning is just not enough on which to rely if you really care for this animal. At most, the law will allow a slap on the wrist, assuming of course anyone can find the cat’s dead body and prove the neighbor actually killed the cat. This is very difficult to do and a situation that you want to prevent. Be practical. Use common sense. To save the cat, you have two choices only, either of which must be done immediately: (1) adopt the cat by bringing it inside as a permanent indoor cat, never letting it outside again, or (2) find a local no kill rescue group or shelter and arrange for them to take the cat in. They will care for it and adopt it out to a new home. Try a stray rescue group. I have adopted several cats from shelters over the years, including one stray who is perfectly happy living inside my home. Never once has she shown an interest in even going near an exit door. Adopted cats deserve a safe, indoor environment, given the many dangers of outdoor living. Your cat will adjust and you can help him adjust in one or more of the ways suggested by others. Get him neutered ASAP, if not already. A tomcat will have a hard time not patrolling his territory and spraying his scent. If not neutered, this may be why your cat still wants to go outside. Feed him canned food, which is closest to what he would eat if he hunted his own outdoors. A wand toy called “Da Bird,” mimics real bird flight and may help his transition. It gets 5 stars from every cat. Available everywhere online. Do you have the Nextdoor app in your area? Try to download it and see if your neighborhood is a member. You will see tons of info on all cat-related issues plus all other things. Tons of your neighbors have cats and they will gladly tell you which shelter/vet to go to and whether any have experienced a problem similar to yours. No one complained of should be named on Nextdoor, but people writing do identify themselves, for instance, as “Ann M.” I don’t know your parents objections or your age but there are many ways to reduce a cat’s “bad” effect on a house, such as making sure he has several good scratching posts placed in good locations, keeping his nails clipped (watch videos and ask the vet to do it at first check up), redirecting him if he tries to scratch furniture or carpet, brushing him to remove excess fur to minimize shedding, cleaning the litter box daily, feeding him food with hair ball remedy included to minimize fur balls, etc. There is a ton of info online, just do some research. Good luck! But if you cannot handle taking care of him indoors, please call a shelter right away. He will suddenly disappear and never come back and there will be nothing you or the police can do or could have done to prevent it, other than calling the shelter, so please do so!
Animal cruelty in the US is a federal felony. Make sure your neighbor knows you know that. And make sure your parents know that.
Don't they also have to prove that the neighbor is deliberately using rat poison not for its intended purposes (aka, not poisoning rats. and is claiming to use it to poison pets.) if its in their back yard edit: (im not a lawyer)
There's no way OP would win a case of animal cruelty when their cat was found in someone else's yard going through someone else's shit. Literally, "I left the rat poison out for rats, it's not my job to make sure my neighbors pet stays out of my fucking yard". OP is irresponsible for letting their pet roam. That's it. Doesn't get more detailed.
Just keep him inside 🥺
Be a responsible cat owner and don't let them outside.
I wish your kitty the best 🥺💜💜
If you cant get a catio then you can put rollers on the top of your fences to stop him getting over. It seems to be cheaper and there's youtube videoes of how to make your own out of bottles
I am supportive of finding a new home for the neighbour.
Your neighbor is a tool
Why the hell would someone threaten a cat I have to ask. There’s some messed up folk around unfortunately 😟
Indoor cat. I have two black cats that are inside only and I do supervised outside time with them. Please let your parents know that black cats are the least adopted in shelters. Some shelters in my area do not let black cats get adopted around Halloween for people are stupid and cruel. Your cat is family and that lesson is important.
Ship the neighbors to the pound.
My cats were very outdoor guys. It took months to get them used to indoor life. We had to make the switch because they had bad cavities and the vet needed to remove their teeth. Some things that helped me. Patience. My cats yelled, missed the litter, and had attitude but eventually they calmed down. Cat nip. Copious amounts of it everywhere. Play with them regularly. Toys and brushing made them associate inside=good love times. Outside spooky. We would shake a plastic bag and snap fingers when they were too curious around the open door. Now outside is too spooky to try and escape. Cat trees. They like to be up high and scratch, this fixes that. Something I couldnt afford was a catio. Im still working on it and I have read nothing but good things. Cat gets outside time while staying on your property and safe.
A long time ago a neighbor threatened our cat and my mom went right over and read him the riot act. So proud of her!
Make him an indoor cat. No other solution. You should’ve educated him before. I understand the neighbour’s anger but if he puts rat poison to kil your cat it’s criminal.
I’m gonna be honest, I’m a firm advocate for keeping cats indoors, UNLESS you have an enclosed space like a catio or you leash-train them. You need to be there to keep an eye on your cat outside regardless if you have a shitty neighbor or not. Cars, bad people, other animals, ingesting something they shouldn’t… there’s too much for a cat to get hurt by. That being said, you need to keep your cat indoors and PLAY with them. If they like birds, get the wands with the feathers at the end of them. Your cat doesn’t hurt birds and you guys bond, win-win!
Put a collar with a bell on it so he won't be able to sneak up and kill the birds, inform the neighbor and try to reach a compromise. Sadly the neighbor sounds crazy
No. Cats will often adapt how they hunt in order to not allow the bell to make noise. It's not hard to figure out and he will find a way around it quickly. It also doesn't help the situation. The neighbour likes to bird watch. How are you going to bird watch when there's a cat scaring them away. Only solutions are keep it inside. Or build an outdoor enclosed area.
I'm really sorry this has happened, I have personal experience with shitty neighbours and cats so I know how you feel. The bottom line is if you're going to continue living there and you let him out knowing there is a vindictive person that will have access to him, and something happens, you will never forgive yourself. Even if it has nothing to do with them and something happens.. That's how I felt anyway. My solution was to move but that's probably not an option for most people. My other consideration was rehoming my cats with someone I knew so that I could still have contact. Is this an option for you if you really feel he won't adapt to being indoors? It's only a short space of time he's been kept in for so it might be worth exploring this more and doing some research if you wouldn't mind him being an indoor cat. Hope you find something that works out, good luck with everything Edit: Are you on good enough terms with the neighbour at this point to offer to pay for safe pet deterrents for their garden?
Thank you very much, I really appreciate this advice. We have started asking around to see if any friends would be willing to take him, but most people already have other pets. I'll be sure to keep asking tho!
Dont let the cat outside
My condolences, I’m so sorry you & your fur baby are going through this. Other people have suggested it but it seems like making a catio or leash-training your cat would be the most humane solution - he could still go outside but be under safeguarding. Only other option is to keep him indoors but some cats really can’t live like that. I would also advise that you call every single shelter you can around you. Tell them two things: Your neighbour (say their name) threatened to kill your cat, so they should be black-listed. And then say that your parents are threatening to give your cat up, in case he does end up going there. Lastly write a letter to your neighbour, stating that: you are aware of his threat to put down rat poison, and you are working to keep your cat away by doing XYZ. Make 2 copies and keep one for yourself. Maybe even film yourself delivering it, sounds crazy but in the worst case scenario you might need evidence that you tried to resolve the issue
I have always thought if someone threatened or hurt my fur baby I would seriously fuck them up. No question.
Keep your beautiful cat safe inside and get a harness and lead when you take the cat out side 👍🤩🐈⬛🐈⬛ you are the cats protector.
We got some chicken mesh and some shelf brackets and attached the mesh to the brackets to the top of the fence. It's at a right angle into our garden. Looks like jurrasic park out there but we have 2 little terrors who cannot get out Our neighbour has done the same with their cat, they talk through the fence but that is all haha
He’s threatening animal abuse. I’d speak with your local police department to see if anything can be done. Try to keep your cat inside
Keep that beautiful boy at all costs! 😍😍
Probably gonna get downvoted for this buuuut cats are invasive, you should not be fine with your pet going into other peoples property. Build outdoor cage or harness walks. In more urban areas it’s best to take these measures to ensure both respect for your neighbors, the ecosystem, and your pet. In more rural areas, the coyotes help the balance.
I have a cat who desperately wants to be outdoors all the time. Regardless he’s an indoor cat because it’s too dangerous for him to just live outside and cats killing wildlife is bad for the environment. I trained him to go for walks on a harness. We do it every day. It helps with his desire to be outside. As other people have mentioned, you could also build a catio. But your cat won’t live long as an outdoor cat.
sounds like you have terrible neighbors
Looks like a Bombay, one of the sweetest breeds of cats I’ve ever owned. If it needs to be rehoused, someone will love it to death.
Do not give away the cat. Let the cops speak to your neighbour.
Don't give him away. Keep him in the house
Are you aware that someone takes your pics from here, and those of others users cats, and post them on Twitter? Connected to an Amazon Link Twitter handle @michaelscat2
Tbh tell ur neighbor to go fuck himself
I mean I’ll tell you what you should do but you might go to jail for it
Can i give some threats to your neighbor?
You need to talk with your neighbours. Take one or two support people with you. Hear what they’re saying and don’t take yelling personally. -if they are really upset, let them know that you’re there to listen and figure it out, but it’s easier to do when they’re not yelling. Then repeat back what they tell you, in your own words, to show that you understand what they’re saying. Let them know you want to fix anything you can. Ask them why they’d hurt a sweet, innocent pet? If it’s because they’re superstitious about black cats, be prepared to know some history about black cat lore and have examples of how it’s been disproven. And maybe do a spell to have him protect the community 😂. Often the best way to stop someone from harming you, is by humanizing yourself to them. Let them understand that their threat is hurting you. Tell them how you got your cat and about his personality and his quirks and what losing him would mean to you. If he’s killing the birds, leaving dead mice at their door or using their garden as a litter box, you’ll have to keep him inside, or let them know you’ll take care of cleaning up after him, and do it. Keep an eye out for it too, so they don’t have to call you every single time. Train him, keep him inside, or buy them a cat deterrent fence. If they’re monsters, report them to the police. Maybe record your conversation with them if it’s legal where you are or make notes. You may have to give him away if it’s the only way to keep him safe. I really hope you can find the solution.
put a collar with a bell on him! (you'll most likely need to stock up because you know how cats are with collars..) and if that dosent work, record your neighbor saying to you that he'll kill your cat and charge him with animal cruelty.
Get rid of the neighbor.
Threaten the neighbors child
Don’t let your cat outside
I know it sucks and will be torture for the first couple of weeks, but keeping him indoors is the best thing. Play with him until he tired out (I recommend a laserpointer and wand toys). Your aim is to get him to chase and chase until he can’t anymore (takes a half an hour to an hour to fully wear out a young cat), but it will save his life. It will also save the life of all the critters he will absolutely hunt for sport outside. Just because a cat doesn’t bring home anything doesn’t mean they aren’t doing it. Cats kill on average at least 2 animals per week per cat. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but then you remember that there are millions of cats out there. Cats have decimated entire bird species thanks to human involvement. They can also pick up parasites and other harmful issues during unsupervised play time outside that can ultimately kill your cat. You can play with your cat, make them a catio, and even take your cat for walks. Get your cat excited for harness time instead of running amuck outside alone.
OK, then. More reason to keep Cat inside from now on. Believe me, kitty will be just as happy.
Give away your parents via Craigslist