Quality of Life

[Timbo1]

Has anybody taken a Civil Action against neighbours impacting on their quality of life?

Its 6am and the police have just left my home. We were woken at 04:50am by our neighbours cat crying under our adjoining bedroom windows yet again and banged on the adjoining wall as I figure if I'm woken up, they can be too. I have had this problem for the last few years and have been through the Neighbourhood Policing Team, Environmental Health, Citizens Advice to no avail. We have written polite letters to our neighbours, kept a log of all the times it has woken us up but nobody seems able to help as they just take no notice whatsoever.

We both work full time and this is impacting on our health due to sleep deprivation. Does anyone know if it is an expensive process? What might the outcome be? I am told I could get done for harrassment if I continue to bang on the wall when I am woken.

 

[Philspadders]

its a cat,so banging on the wall will only result in you being prosecuted.

Get some cat repellant from your local diy store and spread it liberally all over the ground outside your window.

Also have a bucket of water handy and douse the thing in it.After a few wettings the cat will not come back... i know ,i had the same problem.

 

[sarah647]

They are probably so used to hearing their cat they are imunne to it, bit like people who have dogs which bark all day long.

Think Phil's advice is best. If repellant does not work then try water as I know from experience that does stop cats returning to your garden.

 

[LMH]

Throw water over the cat each time it annoys you.

Am I right, you called the police out because of a cat crying?

 

[Steve L]

Sounds like a "reality check" is needed here.

Get a water pistol, the cat won't like getting wet.

Your probably lucky the police haven't prosecuted for wasting their time.

Sorry to sound so abrupt Timbo, but cat's will be cats, we have a dog but have trained him to behave.

Why not buy your neighbor a cat flap. Or buy some ear plugs.

I used to work shifts and live next to a 1000 pupil comprehensive school, I didn't expect the school to be quiet for me.

It might not even be their cat.

If you don't like it, why not move house?

Steve L.

 

[Rita1]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Bucket of water for cat

Ear plugs for you two

Or move

 

[Rita1]

Oppps for got to add lucky he does not live next to me as hubby is a severe asthmatic and often wakes at 2 ish and 4 ish coughing not just a heckle but a couching session lasting anything up to 10 mins

Yes the neighbours hear him but we did warn them when they bought the property

Not had a complaint yet

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Get a dog that likes cats.. preferably with gravy.

I sympathise with you Timbo but somehow I doubt if you can do anything legally. Unlike dogs, there are no control on cats.

sarah647 says 'it's like people who have dogs who bark all day long' but at least it's within her means to do something about it where if it's a moggy caterwauling all night long there's not much you can do about it.

Another example is if their cat keeps dumping in your garden. If you had a dog and it dumped in their garden you could be prosecuted. If there was a law that cat owners had to keep them in at night, when they do their dumping in others gardens, caterwauling and killing, it would a pleasanter experience for all, including the birds.

I do hope Steve Leo takes a reality check if he expects you to move home because of this moggy or to buy them a catflap. I'm sure that if they can't even respond to your concerns or lack of sleep they wont be bothered about even fitting it let alone being grateful for your expense of buying it ;O).

We have two small dogs Timbo and although there are a couple of cats by us they never come into our back garden, even at night. Unfortunately the dogs don't go out the front so the said moggy's dump on the border by our front door, and no, they don't bury it as most cat lovers would like people to believe.

Ban catflaps is the answer or keep a dog and train it to bark when it hears the caterwauling. It might not scare the cat or stop it but you'd have the satisfaction of your dog barking waking your neighbour up. Just make sure the dog is in the next room to your neighbours bedroom :O)

 

[LMH]

You could always get a cat yourself. I find semi frerral cats from farms to be quite territorial and scary.

You could get an older male tom which might see the oppostion off. We have Staffordshire Bull Terriers (and a cat) and the neighbours on the other side have two cats. Their cats still come in our back garden despite both dogs chasing them out of the garden.

What did the police say to you this morning?, just out of interest.

 

[NigelHutson]

You could always do as a work colleague of mine did with a neighbours cat that was a real pain one way or another, and that was take it on a holiday! (With one way travel of course!). I don't think it found its way home from about ten miles away.

Naughty, but sloved a problem.

 

[MichaelE]

Wouldnt recommend the last comment!!!

The poor cat would have be frightened and who knows what would have happened to it?

Also the owners worrying what had happened to their beloved pet!

Would you like it done to you?

 

[Surfer]

I am not sure where you live and the advice I am giving you is not joke and a google will confirm this.

If there is a zoo near you, ask if you can have some lion droppings. Put these in your garden where the cat normally crosses the fenceline and udner the window. You will not have the problem any more guaranteed. When we lived in Africa we used to do this to stop the cats digging in the garden and it worked extremely well.

I am also aware that you can now buy some repellent which has lion odour in it and this is supposed to be just as effective. Might scare off all the cats in the neighbourhood.

 

[NigelHutson]

Wouldnt recommend the last comment!!!

The poor cat would have be frightened and who knows what would have happened to it?

Also the owners worrying what had happened to their beloved pet!

Would you like it done to you?

I wouldn't be so selfish as to have a cat that was allowed to roam around, deficating in other peoples' gardens, or make a nuisance of itself as per the OP.

I do like animals generally (have owned dogs amongst other things), but I believe that owners must take responsibility to keep theirs under control, or accept that others may "take them on holiday" if they can't do so.

 

[MichaelE]

I wouldn't be so selfish as to have a cat that was allowed to roam around, deficating in other peoples' gardens, or make a nuisance of itself as per the OP.

I do like animals generally (have owned dogs amongst other things), but I believe that owners must take responsibility to keep theirs under control, or accept that others may "take them on holiday" if they can't do so.

Good answer, i suppose you could apply that too everything

 

[davidnewname]

There's nothing you can do about the noise, the birds wake me up in the morning, but it's just nature. The annoying thing is the neighbour next door who puts enough food out to feed an entire flock of starlings and the birds foul on our washing and cars, but it's just life. The funny thing was last year when a sparrowhawk ( I think) took residence and swooped down to kill a wood pigeon feeding....A magnificent sight, but the neighbour was most upset, very strange, I thought for a nature lover.

Regarding the cats, we have a house in Spain and the 3 cats from across the road use the rear garden as a toilet, I asked them to kindly remove the mess weekly at least and they did not, so when I'm over I fill the water pistol with orange drink concentrate to shoot them as it sticks up their fur, that's the only deterrent I've found up to now. On advice I've tried most of the proprietory brands of cat repellent, including chilli powder, the theory behind that I was told is that they get it on their paws, then lick them and get a surprise, but it did no good. I'm told that the sonic scarers from B & Q work so I'm taking one over in August.

It may well be OK now, though because the last time over, I collected it and dumped it on their drive. I don't want to be a nasty neighbour, and I get on with anybody, but I don't think it's too much too ask for them to pick it up, do you?

My dog doesn't crap in anyone's garden and if I'm out with it I pick it up, Why should I have to put up with other peoples pets mess!

 

[Steve_374341117]

We have a sonic scarer which works perfectly - no cats since fitting it. I don't think Timbo answered this point but I suspect he didn't call the police but that the neighbours did because he was banging on the wall causing a nuisance. I sincerely hope he didn't call the police under such circumstances. At the most it's a local authority environmental health matter, certainly not police.

 

[GeorgeandAde]

Timbo.....I sympathise with you 100%.

I have to be up at 4.30 each morning,I work a 10-12 hour day,come home,have shower,have tea,watch a little TV then im in bed by about 10ish.

I need 6-7 hours sleep to be able to stay awake at the wheel of my lorry travelling approx 250-400 miles a day.

Why should I have to put up with any sort of disturbance that is going to affect my health,or when im driving,affect the health of an innocent motorist/pedestrian because of sleep depravation.

I agree totally with the other posts on here that theres not much you can legally do about a cat.

I do hope you resolve the problem soon.

 

[Timbo1]

Hi all,

Sorry to have taken a while to get back but as I say I work full time!!

To set the record straight as I didn't make it clear in the first instance - it was our neighbours who called the police, not us. They called the police as they were aggrieved we had woken them by banging on the wall and say its harrassment!!!!! We have driven down to the station before on a Sunday morning at 5am to see if there was anything they could do to help but no, wouldn't dream of calling them out to a cat waking us up.

The fact is the cat does not enter our property. It sits literally the other side of the fence - ours and our neighbours bedroom windows and patio doors are divided by the fence and butt up against it. I have had a fairy liquid bottle on my bedroom windowsill filled with water for months. A regular dousing does absolutely nothing whatsoever.

Believe me, if I was in a position to move I would though I adore my house. We have one teenager at uni who travels in and one at 6th Form, my wife works locally and financially it is a no no at the moment. Anyway, why should we move because of someone's inability to take responsibility for their animal?

The irony is I used to look after their cat when they went away on the strict instruction it is fed indoors, then put out again. If the thing comes in for food why not shut the door behind it and keep it in overnight? Its done for devilment I can assure you.

 

[Damian]

There have been a number of posts advocating the illegal capturing of another persons pet, and ways of "getting rid" of the problem.

These have been removed as this forum can not condone any ill treatment of animals, or be seen to be condoning any such treatment.

Please refrain from posting such "helpful" advice, or it will be removed.

 

[602]

Hi,

A Maine Coons (Google) are reputed to see off foxes, but I don't know about other cats. Just in case the word above is censored, its short for racoon. I think there are breeders in UK.

602

 

[sarah647]

Get a dog that likes cats.. preferably with gravy.

I sympathise with you Timbo but somehow I doubt if you can do anything legally. Unlike dogs, there are no control on cats.

sarah647 says 'it's like people who have dogs who bark all day long' but at least it's within her means to do something about it where if it's a moggy caterwauling all night long there's not much you can do about it.

Another example is if their cat keeps dumping in your garden. If you had a dog and it dumped in their garden you could be prosecuted. If there was a law that cat owners had to keep them in at night, when they do their dumping in others gardens, caterwauling and killing, it would a pleasanter experience for all, including the birds.

I do hope Steve Leo takes a reality check if he expects you to move home because of this moggy or to buy them a catflap. I'm sure that if they can't even respond to your concerns or lack of sleep they wont be bothered about even fitting it let alone being grateful for your expense of buying it ;O).

We have two small dogs Timbo and although there are a couple of cats by us they never come into our back garden, even at night. Unfortunately the dogs don't go out the front so the said moggy's dump on the border by our front door, and no, they don't bury it as most cat lovers would like people to believe.

Ban catflaps is the answer or keep a dog and train it to bark when it hears the caterwauling. It might not scare the cat or stop it but you'd have the satisfaction of your dog barking waking your neighbour up. Just make sure the dog is in the next room to your neighbours bedroom :O)

It may be within my means to do something about a dog barking but you try getting the person who owns it to admit its barking all day. They just don't seem to hear it anymore.

 

[Steve_374341117]

As I previously stated this IS an environmental health issue - if this was constant dog barking the local council would have to take action - serve an enforcement notice on the owners. This is really no different - I appreciate that cats seem to be more ferel than dogs but I would persist with the local authority.

 

[Timbo1]

Steve,

its not, cats are classed as "wild" animals and as such in law are not the responsibility of their owners. I have also been told if I kill it I will be done by its "owners". Ridiculous situation. Due to it being a "wild" animal I have been told it is within my remit to capture it and drive it miles away and release it (!).

However, it may be microchipped - doubtful but it may be. Petrol is expensive these days!

 

[Zafiral]

While you are responsible for damage / nussiance caused by a dog, in the eyes of the law, cats are a law unto themselves and the owner does have to take responsibility. You do not have to control a cat.

This is reciprocated that if you run over a dog, you have to report it to the police or the owner, if you hit a cat, there is no comeback (unless you are driving over your neighbours back garden at the time that is!!!).

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi Timbo.

sleep depravation is no joke, I know as a person who spent most of his adult life working rotating shifts, the lawn mowers, school holidays, the car tinkeres, dogs barking all day, cats wailing all night, the list is endless. but one has to take a reality check now and again and realise that others who are not in your position just don't understand.

oh how I used to pray for rain the week I was on nights it kept the buggers indoors??. but there are things one can do to make life more bearable, ear plugs of the industrial type work reasonably well for low level noise, selecting a spare room "as a bolt hole" away from the major sources of noise also helps as does extra sound insulation in bedrooms and of course after a long while certain noises no longer bother you as you get used to them (ask anybody who lives near a railway line).

it may sounda bit extreem to take such mesures just because of a cat" but it is your sleep that is being interupted not theirs. after all we are all guilty of this to a certain extent "and I dont mean by banging on their wall" when was the last time you considered the guy across the road that may have been on "nights" when you fired up the mower on a sunday morning or let the kids play out on the trampoline in your front garden.

not often I'll bet.

colin.