Posted on 05/21/2012 6:12:05 PM PDT by Zionist Conspirator
Last year our little household was forced to move from its home of 28 years to a new one. One thing we're having to deal with now that we've never had to worry about before is neighbors.
We have cats. Two of them are fairly settled, but one (the sweetest one of course) is a little spitfire who enjoys going to the neighbor's house and getting on his cars. One of these cars is very rare (only so many were made), and apparently this little cat has been getting on it.
Now our neighbor has no desire to be unpleasant or demanding, but he has told me that he has a live trap set for the cat and will only return it to us once. He will not harm it (or any animal, since he is an animal lover himself) but has said on catching him the second time in the trap he will simply carry him off.
You may perhaps imagine what this did to my day.
I am at my wit's end. The little fellow is running all over the house now crying and we're afraid to let him out. We're afraid to let the other two out to make him feel worse. I've offered the man a tarp to cover his car but he says a tarp can damage a car as well.
What do we do? It would take time and a great deal of expense to build a fence, and even then the cat could simply go around it. Keeping him in the house is the simplest solution, but it's very painful to hear him begging to be let out. I have no idea why he insists on going over there and getting on that car when he has a front and back yard (and a car) here.
I've been doing some research online about keeping cats off cars and have read conflicting claims as to whether cats can even scratch a car at all. I've read that citrus odor will keep them off a car.
Does any FReeper have any advice as to how our neighbor (who has never caused us any trouble whatsoever) can keep our cat off this particular car and solve this problem? Right now I am terribly upset.
Please help if you can.
.
Wanna pay for a new custom paint job -
- to original equipment specs
- after the car is completely sanded and primed and resanded again
- it is not your car
- it is not on your property
- civil court can be so much fun
- why are you acting as if you are the injured party?
- you may end up facing your neighbor’s new GS when you attempt to gain access to your own car or house
- you obviously have no legal experience
.
One thought - if the kitty really likes the smooth metal of the car, put a hunk of smooth metal in the enclosure that you build. One good thing about a back-yard enclosure, you can start small and temporary, and build a better one more suited for all of your cats to use.
Yeah, it'll take a bit of time, and some money - but, I'm sure you'll have fun with it, and bet your kitties would really love it.
“...on catching him the second time in the trap he will simply carry him off.”
BTW, I have to say, this is simply beyond the pale.
If he wants to be drastic, he could send the cat to Animal Control. Gets the idea across without being truly cruel to either the cat or the owner.
That threat is akin to all the big-talkers here who say they’ll shoot any cop (or FR dealing with like) who shoots at their dog. If they do, it’s stupid and asinine.
I called our neighbor and didn't get to speak to him but spoke to a member of the household and I'm feeling much better.
This neighbor, like myself, used to live way out in the country with wild animals, and he loves them as much as I do. Furthermore he was the first person to live in this former cow pasture and used to let his put bulls run free, but he fenced in his entire back yard when other people started moving in so they wouldn't harm anyone or anyone else's pets.
He seems like a pretty nice guy.
There are stray cats around here, and there's nothing I can do about them. I have two older cats, but neither he nor I think they're ever over there. That just leaves the one little fella whom we know goes over there and causes trouble. I have to find a way to keep him from damaging my neighbor's property.
He doesn't have a garage to put his car in or he would do so. He lives in a double wide and the best he can do is a portable carport, which has been fine until this little fellow started going over there and causing mischief.
The person I talked to said the neighbor would appreciate the fact that we're trying to solve this problem; that he has absolutely nothing against us or animals. He's simply worried (quite justly) about a very rare car he owns.
The little dickens is inside tonight, and that's good. However, it's going to be very hard to keep him in 24 hours a day, especially when the other cats go out because they don't cause trouble. I have been unable to reach the former vet I mentioned earlier, but will call our current vet tomorrow and ask for advice from that angle.
Our neighbor has no wish or intention to harm the cat. he just wants his car left alone. And I want his car left alone also.
I told this particular member of the household that if he catches that cat on their property at any time of the night or day he has my permission to scare the blazes out of him and make it so unpleasant that he never wishes to go there again. And they put live traps out at night, so that angle is covered as well.
We're doing what we can (which isn't much tonight other than just keeping him in) but I am determined to solve this problem somehow.
He seems like a reasonable fellow and a good neighbor (even by simply speaking to another member of the household who was very polite and understanding).
I have a problem to solve. But I like to think that at least now I will be able to get some sleep tonight.
My apologies for disturbing the forum. I'm simply not used to dealing with people. Wild raccoons yes; people no.
Ours are all fixed.
“...on catching him the second time in the trap he will simply carry him off.”
BTW, I have to say, this is simply beyond the pale.
It certainly shook me up.
I must say, however, that he made it clear to me that he would never harm any animal. He seems like a genuine animal lover and nice guy, but he's quite understandably worried about a very rare car that he's caring for in the best manor he can.
I spoke with another member of his household tonight and he seemed very nice and understanding. We're going to come up with something. In the meantime the live trap is set and I told this young man that they have my permission to make the cat afraid to ever go there again.
Right now I'm just glad to think I'll get to sleep tonight after all.
ping
I can’t say that I blame your neighbor a bit. Any animal carries sand/dirt on its feet so when it jumps onto something with a fine finish, the finish is going to be scratched.
I would never declaw a cat and then expect it to survive outside. It’s not a reasonable solution.
I see cats in our neighborhood who haven’t been neutered, and oh my gosh do they stink! Virtually everything gets sprayed from fences to tires, to lawn chairs and tables. Lavender neutralizes it.
I personally prefer birds to cats and so I sympathize with the neighbor. Echoing the others, it IS your responsibility to contain and control all of your pets. They depend on you for their lives and safety. If it doesn’t want to stay inside, that’s too bad (as in tough sh...). It has to be done unless you’re willing to construct a safe structure which allows the animal to enjoy sunshine and fresh air, safely and contained with plenty of places to safely hide and escape from any direction. Some dogs DO tear into a cage with teeth...lost some rabbits like that once.
I hope you are able to settle in on a reasonable solution for you, your cat, and the neighbors. It’s good that he’s willing to talk and set limits. Not everyone would do that. In some areas, cats are fair game 24/7 x 365 so please, if you actually do love your kitty with something more than just warmth and affection, PLEASE take care of it.
Sorry, people who let their pets roam at will piss me off, and I’ve had cats all my life.
...in other words, how about if the ‘stranger’ was an aunt who was completely phobic about dogs? Would your dogs have known that after she crapped her pants? I’ve seen dogs who their owners I’m certain thought were perfectly trained dart into the street and get hit by a cat. That pisses me off.
soak its paws in brake fluid? coca cola works the same/ sc
I still want to know what car this is that OT1H needs to be protected from a cat, OTOH isn’t worthy of protection from corrosive elements. A temporary carport ain’t going to protect it much. He at least needs a good car cover to boot.
You’re kidding, right!?? This is a problem worthy of JimRob’s bandwidth??
My wife and I currently have 9 cats and 7 dogs . . . . . . and a fish. ALL are rescues and ALL are indoor animals. We’ve lived in subdivisions and currently live on acreage. No matter where a we live, our animals are indoor animals. It’s for their protection and our peace of mind.
We always know where our animals are and, when the dogs have to take care of business, they go outside into a fenced backyard. All in all, it’s better for them, better for the neighborhood and better for us.
If you love your cats, show them by keeping them safe from dogs, cars, angry neighbors, animal control and sickos who would perform unspeakably cruel things to your cats. Buy some litter boxes and keep them inside.
I apologize for wasting bandwidth.
I thought FReepers would have advice on how to handle this problem, since they seem to be the most well-informed people online.
I apologize to anyone who feels insulted. I've never had to deal with this problem before and it shook me up.
“The solution seems straightforward: spray lemon juice all over the car.”
Coating the entire car with a layer of grease would keep the kitty from climbing up.
“a very rare car he owns.”
I’m still dying to know just what this car is.
I’m a car nut. I love old cars, in particular. We use that term generally for only a few cars.
I seriously doubt it’s a Duesenberg. Not with a double-wide next to it.
A canopy carport is sort of cheap (doesn’t protect from any direction but the top), but moreso is a good car cover. I can’t believe if this car is so important it wouldn’t have a cover. A good 1 would protect from cat scratches. Done.
How about those cat runs? They’re made of sturdy screen material, and the cat can run around outside, but he’s contained. I think you can add on segments to make them as big as you want.
If I were you, I’d take the neighbor seriously. If the cat ends up over there again, it might be the last you see of him. But please, please don’t have him de-clawed. They remove joint bones as well as claws, and some cats never walk properly afterward. You’d also be making him defenseless against other animals.
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