You people seem to have your heads on straight and there are many of you who love cats. I enjoy cats too. I love to watch them sneak around. But.... I have a situation...I live in a "cat litter box". I have no cats but my neighbor has 4 or 5 of them. My neighbor tells me their cats don't come to my house to do their "business". So, I got a cat trap from our local animal control officer thinking that for sure the cats coming to my home were strays. I caught a cat and the officer took it away. The cat turned out to be my neighbors cat. Now my neighbor has put up a big 5 foot square sign in front of his house with an arrow pointing toward my house saying that I am a cat trapper! He also has positioned cameras on top of his house pointed toward my house to keep an eye on me. Thank you for any and all comments!

WHAT?! He is watching YOU and not his cats?! Oh, I would be very mad! I have 2 cats, and I do NOT like strays because they attack my cats and Lord only knows what disease they would have. My cats are fixed and strays will spray to mark their territory. How were you to know the cat was a neighbors? I would call the police and have him remove ths sign. That is harassment. I am sorry this happened to you. Good luck!

That sounds like harassment to me. Start by talking to the police. If they can't help you, surely they can tell you what to do next.

Sorry for the duplicate. I think Joan and I were typing at the same time. She is faster than I am.

Wow, that sounds pretty extreme. I'm surprised you didn't recognize your neighbor's cat once it was in the trap.
This happened to my friend and while her cat was at the pound it got very sick and in lots of pain and all her other cats (5) got very sick, cost her over $1,200 to cure the cats.

I understand the situation from both sides and hope he doesn't keep the sign up very long. As far as the cameras,
consider it extra security. He'll be able to see if someone is snooping around your house.

Good Luck :thumbup:

some people are just crazy

No one who lets their cats outside to roam freely can guarantee where they do and don't go. Cats allowed outside will roam and sometimes farther then the owners have any clue about. I live out in the country and shockingly have no strays that live in my neighborhood. My neighbor behind me lets her cats out but they tend to stay off our property because our dog would chase them. In all the years I have lived here I have only had one stray show up and she was a kitten and got added to my current crew. She has no desire at all to go out. My other cats are strictly indoors and the only outside time they ever get is strictly supervised by me.

Do you know if your area has any kind of leash law or ordinance about free roaming cats? Not many do but if yours does at least you have the law on your side. Regarding the sign on his property, not sure if there is anything you can do about that either as it is his property and even though the sign is rude and intimidating the wording is not libelous. It is unfortunate that the situation has escalated to this. I am sorry you are having to go through this. As a cat lover I would be very upset if neighborhood cats were frequenting my property and using it as a litter box. They can also endanger my house cats by spreading disease. I don't think I would have handled it any differently then you did. You spoke to your neighbor prior to trapping and he told you they didn't go on your property. Obviously they did. Ultimately, if your nieghbor does not want his cats trapped and picked up by animal control, or hit by a car, or mauled by a stray dog he should make them inside cats. It is his responsibility, not yours, to keep his cats safe and under control. You could try speaking to your neighbor again, reminding him you asked if his cats were coming on to your property and he said no so you thought you were trapping stray cats that could be spreading disease. Good luck, I know it is awful to be at odds with your neighbors.

I'm ornery enough I would put a sign up in MY yard saying, D**n right, keep your animals home.

And I have 3 dogs and 5 cats.

My friend had stray cats around her place. She was gone on vacation and I was watching her place. A stray cat scratched me and I had to go through the rabies series. NOT FUN! I have indoor/outdoor cats. I also live in the country and have 3 acres of land. My animals are vaccinated and are treated for ticks/fleas.

I do not like stray animals on my property! I had a rabid skunk around a few years ago and was so thankful my animals are well taken care of.

Sorry, as a pet owner, if you do not watch you animals and they cause damage to someone else on their property, then you have to pay the price to get your pet back and endure the costs. That is just my opinion on it.

I wouldn't let my kids just roam wild so why should I let my pets? JMO

What did you use to bait the trap? I tried, but wasn't successful. We don't have too many strays because the coyote population is in an upswing, but the ones we do have are aggravating. One very large one tried to attack my 34 pound dog. Another spends the night in my carport to get out of the cold and wind. That'd be okay if it'd go out to urinate, but it doesn't.

It's hard to have problems with your neighbors, but I agree with posting your own sign. My last cat was an indoor cat.

depending on where you live, (small town or city) the sign may be a violation. I know larger towns have rules about signs. Call city hall if you have one. Good luck.

On a more devious note, I would do things in front of the cameras that would make him call the police. For instance, get a dozen potted plants all alike that look similar to marijuana. Take them out of the house once a day and water them in the back yard. Then, looking all around, bring them back into the house. Leave them in a room in sight of the camera with grow lights on day and night.
or go out at night and dig a hole in the back yard, put a "bundle" of something in there. Cover it up, look suspicious.

After a few false alarms to the cops, HE will look like a kook.

It would make you want to put up a sign of your own. Check out what the police say about it. Otherwise "kill" 'em with kindness. Smile and say hi to them if you see them.

This made me laugh like crazy! It actually sounds like it might work! My cats go in and out of our house in our fenced in yard. Only one will jump the fence. I told my neighbors to please squirt her with water if they see her in their yard so she will think our yard is the only safe place and it has worked for all but one of mine over 20 years! I have had bunches of rescues and they will stay in our yard. My 2 dogs keep stryas out of the fence. I did have a feral cat in the front yard for 2 years that I fed but she became aggressive and we had to drug her and have her put to sleep. I cried and cried over that but I can't save them all! Sorry bout your neighbor. They sound pretty unreasonable!

My first thought is to get that cat trap back and keep trapping them unashamedly...with cameras on and sign a-pointing!

I have a cat, and there is no way I can control where he goes when he's out. It's absurd for someone with four or five cats to assure you that his cats never go in your yard.

Second thought is to borrow a dog for a week or so...that will discourage the cats from coming around!

How about you put up a sign on your yard, pointing to him, that says, "Irresponsible Pet Owner."

And maybe "Peeping Tom" too! That SPYING on your yard has got to be against some law...

For instance, get a dozen potted plants all alike that look similar to marijuana. Take them out of the house once a day and water them in the back yard. Then, looking all around, bring them back into the house. Leave them in a room in sight of the camera with grow lights on day and night.
or go out at night and dig a hole in the back yard, put a "bundle" of something in there. Cover it up, look suspicious.
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Oh, I LOVE this one. It sounds like something my family would do, and has done in the past!!!

And I would add a cardboard fence on his side of them so that his cameras couldn't quite get a good look at the plants. Then rush out after bringing in the plants and carefully fold the cardboard and put it under cover!!

Oh, we are a wicked bunch aren't we!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

I think it's terrible that your neighbor does not take repsonsibility for his animals. That being said, I think you should have taken the trap with the cat in it over to his house to make sure it wasn't one of his. Then you are sending a message that you plan to trap any stray cats. It may have avoided the sign (which is just childish) and have resulted in him keeping a closer eye on his cats.

I love these answers. It means I'm in good company. All these are good answers, if not hilarious, but you might also try moth balls in the litter box. They stopped my cats from getting into my house plants. Now I have one that just tries to climb the "tree". I have 2 cats and 1 dog and don't let the cats out at all and the dog is supervised. I had a cat before that got out accidently - he'd never been outside before - and an owl got him. Now, I understand the circle of life, but they can stick with the field mice and leave my kitty alone. But . . . . I still miss my buddy. Anyway, back on subject, try the mothballs. It may just help and they kill bugs that may be in the plants.

Sounds like your neighbor is mad because he was proven wrong-some people just can't handle being wrong and must take it out on others. I have two indoor cats and stray cats are around all of the time-I've seen a cluster of feathers at the bird feeders :(. It is very inconsiderate of anyone not caring for their animals. Usually cats do not "go" in their own yards. I just hate mowing the yard and finding "treasures". If you fix a nice flower bed, that is the most popular place and tending the garden is unsanitary. I have tried a lot of things, moth balls, orange peels, even little stakes about 3" tall about every 5" in flowers. BUT this makes you place look untidy and at your expense!

This sounds like the best answer although not the most funny :)

there are some cats in the area and they are strays, some beautiful ones.
some have had babies, and guess who gets them and takes them to a shelter! Me and do the neighbors look at me. I don't mean just a few cats/kittens, I mean a bunch. So I decided to do this cause its not good for them to run around the neighborhood. I'd rather put them in a shelter than they come begging at my door for food. which I now have about 6 that do that now. I think you did a good thing, oh and did the cat have a collar with name , date of shots etc? if its his cat he should have .... I hate it that these strays aren't taken care of, so I occasionally feed them, especially when it was deathly cold this past month. Which of course that was a big no-no. the owner of the trailer park won't do anything about it either, and I sure hate something to happen to them!

Yep - they don't belong out on their own. He doesn't deserve to have pets IMHO

I love the idea of borrowing a dog!

We have 2 female indoor-only cats, both spayed. They don't go into heat. But we had a problem with male cats coming up on our front porch and spraying the walls and door, and sometimes the back door on the deck. The smell seeped into the house, clung to our shoes and got tracked into the house and car. One morning when I got to work I had to straight to the restroom and wash the bottoms of my shoes because I reeked. They ruined the rugs on my porch and a large wicker basket. We were constantly washing the porch and siding off with bleach water. DH was fed up and got traps from the pound. He caught 3 and took them to the pound. One belonged to next door neighbor -- DH said he didn't recognize it, but I think he was just so fed up he didn't care. That cat was neutered and I actually don't think he was the problem. They apologized for the inconvenience to us and I offered to help pay for the $200 fee they had to pay to get the cat back. They declined, and things felt uncomfortable between us for a while but it all settled down.

Another cat was a huge ratty male with a torn-up ear and in very bad shape. The pound put him to sleep because he was so unhealthy. A few days later a lady we didn't know stormed into my husband's office and threw a fit about him being a cat hater and killer. She lived down the alley behind us and had been feeding that cat, along with several other feral cats, which were likely the ones we were having problems with. She said she'd heard we were trapping innocent cats and hauling them into animal control and she was livid when she found out the cat had been put down. She was totally unreasonable. DH told her in fact we love cats, but we are responsible for our animals. If she's feeding them and encouraging them to hang around, she's part of the problem. And he said if cats continued to spray our home, he would continue to trap them. Animal control would figure out what to do with them. Once that ratty cat was gone, we had only a few isolated incidents of spraying.

If the problem continues in your yard, continue to trap the cats. You might want to try the mothballs or other repellants as well to keep them out. If you want to take the high road, call your neighbor to identify the cat and give him an opportunity to reclaim it before you take it away, but he sound totally unreasonable. Document any harassment as well as every time you catch a cat and what you did with it. You are within your rights to take care of your own property.

I love cats. I own a cat, she is my 3rd one, the other 2 I have had to have put to sleep. My cat is an inside cat as I think all cats should be. There is a leash law for dogs, why not a leash law for cats. I do not like my neighbors cat or any stray cat coming into my yard and doing their business, it stinks and when I work in my flower bed I always get into a mess of it. I say keep your cats inside or on a leash.

I know in Canada the cameras pointed at your house and not anywhere else is considered harassment and punishable under the criminal code.

I think it would be a very good idea to look at the codes for your city/county/state and see what's legal.

My husband once trapped 64 cats in a four-month period because of our neighbor taking in strays yet letting them run the neighborhood. I have a horrible fear of animals - cats being the worse fear. I just cannot even stand to see a cat on the TV. It bothers me so much. So you can imagine how I felt with all of the neighbor's cats in my yard plus they were sleeping on our new Tahoe and could have possibly scratched it. She called the police. The police came and looked at the trap and said we were not doing anything wrong. He told her to keep her pets in her yard. It was a huge problem for years until she moved. - Cynthia

LOL! I would send my kids or geandkids out there to put on a play! Or, a BIG sign on the property line high enough to fill his whole lens w/ a sign of my ownLOL. I do admit cats from the area can be an issue, esp if you live in a town and the houses are close. I feed everyone and mine are neutered so they dont fight so much, plus I have a dog that keeps them at bay.
What I hate are DOGS! We have a leash law in town, and I have a large dog. He is w/ me at all times, is in the house w/ me and when he has to go out he has a fenced in yard. He is NEVER ever loose outside. However! every one else in the 'hood w/ any amt of dogs thinks that law must be for someone else cus ALL the dogs use my yard as a potty. when I see someones dog going on my lawn, I just go out and clean up a bunch of piles by taking the freshest and dumping it in the persons yard who owns the last dog who went, then for good measure I dump a little more. Most of the neighbors have managed to curb their dogs, except for one, who gets a pile a week (they hire someone to clean it up!!!) share t

my goodness, cats roam. it's natural. if he lets them outside, they will roam. period.
i have 3 and they are all inside cats. my neighbors have cats and i would never catch them and have them taken away.

What does Animal Control saw about this irresponsible cat owner? If the neighbors want pets they have to care for them, not you!

I would post a sign, just as big, with the words 'Irresponsible cat owner' and an arrow pointing to their house. What's good for the goose...! Yes, this is a childish response, but it would show them that they will only make things worse by continuing.
If you go to your local big box grocery and buy the big containers of black pepper, and pepper your yard, you will be cat free.

Hmmm well he is the one that said the ones in your yard were not his cats. Cats will go every where and they especially do their business not at their own property unless you use a cat littler box. I think there is stuff you can put in your yard to deter cats from going there. Good luck I think your neighbors cats are the least of your worries.

Cats are a very touchy subject for cat people. We have several bird feeders and love to watch our birds. Our neighbor got 2 cats last summer and they have terrorized the birds since then.We don't have any pets and really have had trouble with people that can't or don't control theirs. We are still trying to figure out how to keep the cats where they belong and that would not be at the feeders in our yard !!

Your neighbor sounds like a nut case! Like it's YOUR fault her cats come and crap in your yard? Geesh. She's lucky all you did is trap them. I'd call law enforcement about those cameras. If they're really operational, it's probably illegal for her to do that.

What an interesting thread. I like cats but don't currently own any and have had some litter box action going on in my yard and garden. I bought some spray in the garden dept. of the hardware store that is really stinky (smells like onion and camphor, but all natural) - you just spray it around the yard perimeter and it deters the cats. It smells a little for a day or two and says you can apply it weekly but I only had to do a couple applications. Another deterent for cats is to put chicken wire under the mulch because the cats don't like the feeling of it when they scratch around to dig their hole.
I believe you were within your rights to trap the animal, but I also know from experience how unsettling it is to be at odds with a next door neighbor. Hang in there.

We have 5 feral cats who make our yard home. In the spring, the feral cat group is going to help me trap them. They will be neutered, get shots and a physical. I will pay for this at a greatly reduced cost. Then they will be turned back out. Two are tuxedos and 3 are torties (one a huge male Manx). I feel them Iams and they are looking good and have very shiny coats.

Put the signs away and take out the gun!! Cat lover or not, get rid of the strays!!

Exactly! Our cats are indoor cats, but I love seeing the neighborhood cats come around. We have had far more problems with human neighbors trespassing onto our property.

lol... me too.. the new neighbor's hadn't even moved in yet, when their dog got in my flower bed & dug up several new rose bushes i had just planted.

i caught the dog, brought her back to the neighbors... told them the next time the dog dug up my garden, i would be serving her from my crock pot w/bbq sauce...

so, they came over, helped me replant the roses, replaced the 2 that didn't make it.. and we are the best of friends... and, we dog sit when they go out of town.

just depends on the pet owner, and unfortunately they are alway people... lol