Adnil444 Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Hi, I have 3 dogs only one which is cat friendly. My issue is that the new neighbours (they have been there for about 5 months - lovely people) have a cat and a dog. The dog is no problem at all and gets on with my 3. The issue is their cat. He is only about 1yr old, but keeps coming into my backyard recently. Out of my 3 dogs, only one is cat friendly. The other 2 - mini schnauzer and dobexrottie are not. The mini schnauzer is nearly blind and is deaf so her reactions are no longer the same as if she had all her faculties!! The dobexrottie though is not cat friendly and will chase and if she caught the cat, I'm not sure what she would do, but certainly don't want to take the risk. I have spoken to my neighbours, they understand totally and we do get on well and they do try and keep the cat away from jumping the 7 foot fence. We were away for a week (with the dogs) and perhaps the cat thought it was ok to come over now as the dogs were gone. But now we are back. I have managed to chase it away and hopefully give it a really good fright a couple of times and I'm hoping that it will get the message (none of the other cats surrounding my house ever come into my backyard as I suppose they know that there are dogs there and it is possibly not safe). My question is, if the cat did get attacked on my property, would I be held to blame? I never let my dogs out of the yard/house unless they are on-leash and always obey the leash laws (I consider myself a bit anal about obeying the laws with dogs as I don't want to give the councils any more reasons to ban dogs from certain areas). If dog owners have to contain their dogs, are cat owners supposed to do the same? I know that they keep the cat in at night. If I were ever to get another cat (my last cat was put down before I got my last rescue dog, he was 15 and was in ill-health), I would get a cat run built. I feel that I shouldn't have to worry about my own dogs in their own yard because of a neighbours cat. My dogs can't get out, are only out when exercised or taking them for drives etc. Should I stop worrying about it? I will speak to the neighbours again about it, but I worry that if the cat was injured I would be held responsible. Has anyone else been in this situation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Adinil444: My question is, if the cat did get attacked on my property, would I be held to blame? Legally? No. That's hardly likely to solve the issue with your neighbours though. I suggest you talk to them about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Are the neighbours aware you have dogs which may kill their cat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adnil444 Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 Are the neighbours aware you have dogs which may kill their cat? Yes they are. I have already spoken to them several times about this. I'm hoping these recent visits by their cat is because we were away and it thought it was safe to venture over here. Before this, the cat didn't come into the yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adnil444 Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 Adinil444:My question is, if the cat did get attacked on my property, would I be held to blame? Legally? No. That's hardly likely to solve the issue with your neighbours though. I suggest you talk to them about it. Thanks. I have already spoken to them several times. I suppose they are in a situation as well as how to contain their cat, or how to allow their cat freedom, but not on my side of the fence. Hopefully the frights I have given the cat will deter it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keira&Phoenix Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Hi Adnil, If you look up your local council laws re: cats it general has a clause that says "You must ensure your cat does not interfere with the peace, comfort or convenience of any person in any other premises" which basically means if a person does not want your cat in their yard that you need to ensure it is not there, so legally you are NOT in the wrong they are if they continue to let their cat wander onto your property especially after you have spoken to them. So legally your fine. I am sure you want to maintain friendly relations with your neighbours though so maybe go over and have another nice chat, just stress that you are worried about their cat and would hate for anything to happen to it. Hopefully the cat will get the message soon enough after being constantly chased out by you or the dogs and will take it upon itself to avoid your backyard. I know how you feel though as I have a dog who is not cat friendly either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adnil444 Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 Hi Adnil,If you look up your local council laws re: cats it general has a clause that says "You must ensure your cat does not interfere with the peace, comfort or convenience of any person in any other premises" which basically means if a person does not want your cat in their yard that you need to ensure it is not there, so legally you are NOT in the wrong they are if they continue to let their cat wander onto your property especially after you have spoken to them. So legally your fine. I am sure you want to maintain friendly relations with your neighbours though so maybe go over and have another nice chat, just stress that you are worried about their cat and would hate for anything to happen to it. Hopefully the cat will get the message soon enough after being constantly chased out by you or the dogs and will take it upon itself to avoid your backyard. I know how you feel though as I have a dog who is not cat friendly either Hi, thanks for this. It does put my mind at peace somewhat, but being an animal lover I would hate to see anything happen to their cat. He is lovely, but a bit too curious. I will have another chat with the neighbours and as I've said, they understand and are doing their best. I'm sure it will work out and the cat will soon learn not come over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Buy yourself one of those water cannon things the kids use- put it on full.. and give the cat a good squirt....not just a spray.. he needs soaking and shocking!Better than dog jaws ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melzawelza Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I would draw their attention to this product: http://www.oscillot.com.au/ This is what I plan to use when I own my own home to keep my cats on my property and stop other peoples cats entering. If it's only your yard they're worried about they could just do your side of the fence although it would be much more preferable for them to just keep their cat in their yard by doing the whole fence line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAAM Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) Buy yourself one of those water cannon things the kids use- put it on full.. and give the cat a good squirt....not just a spray.. he needs soaking and shocking!Better than dog jaws ..... I agree with the water theory or a good hose when you catch it. I agree, cat owners need to be more responsible. I love cats and have 4, but would hate them to bother neighbours. I had a neighbour that had free range chooks once and they kept coming over to my yard, dogs caught one once and I felt awful, she loved them like i love my dogs, it got ugly as it started to encourage my dogs to try toget over the fence to the chooks, something they never did before, In the end I had to make my fence higher to stop her chooks getting over - but it worked, I think keeping harmony between the 2 of you is important, try the water and then maybe you could discuss putting some sort of deterrent on the fence, something awkward for the cat to get over, lattice? However, she would have to pay, and maybe she wont want to do that. Not much help I know. Just saw previous post, I really love that idea, have seen it before, trouble is will she pay for it. I know I would. Edited January 6, 2011 by SAAM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animal House Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 They could always keep it inside, or build/buy a cat run, safest way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkycat Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 You could try spraying your fence with citronella as cats don't don't like the smell of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundyburger Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Call your council. they can give you a trap, set it up in your yard then when the cat is caught it can be impounded for roaming depending on the council.. that happened to mums cat.. then finally she learnt to leave him inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineX Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 On my experience last year, legally if the cat has entered your property, in the words of the ranger "its a tradgedy, nothing more". Of course,the neighbours were a different story and spent quite a bit of time trying to get a petition up to have Duke put down. Consensus from other cat owners in the street - I'd done everything they would have wanted done if it had been their cat. Very happy when neighbours moved out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adnil444 Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Thanks everyone for your suggestions, these are terrific and I hope one of these or a combination of them works. Thanks everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodoggies2001 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Call your council. they can give you a trap, set it up in your yard then when the cat is caught it can be impounded for roaming depending on the council.. that happened to mums cat.. then finally she learnt to leave him inside. That's a good idea. In Victoria, I believe it is the responsibility of the owner to keep said cat from roaming and technically, the cat should not leave the owner's property. Personally, I can't see why cats should be different to dogs. If a dog is caught roaming, the owner is most likely fined, so why not cats? Another way to confine them to their own property is for the owner to nail chicken wire to the top of the fence at an angle as the cats don't like walking on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Shepherd mom Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 my neighbour seems to have a new cat and it started appearing on my shed roof. If the dogs get hold of it it's probably history. I've shooed it a couple of times but it's always come back. One day I had a bucket of water I was going to give to the herbs and I saw the cat and he copped the water instead. Now I only see him on the neighbour's shed roof. I hope it stays that way. Apart from anything else, I don't want my dogs attacking anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernym Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 It sounds like you have done all you can. The cat is only young, so unless he becomes injured he should probably be agile enough to escape the yard if your dogs decided to chase him. If he is a smart cat he will only do this a few times and not come back again. I recently discovered a cat in our backyard, sunning itself in an area of the yard that our dogs can't get into unless we open the gate. I thought it must be a pretty smart cat to have worked out it could go in there and be safe from the dogs. It is the first time I have seen another cat in our yard since we got our dogs 7.5 years ago. I think you can safely stop worrying, I am sure it will be fine and as you have spoken to the owners about, and they seem friendly, if the worse case scenario did happen, they don't sound like they would hold you responsible anyway (and you wouldn't be responsible either). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpotTheDog Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 ...as you have spoken to the owners about, and they seem friendly, if the worse case scenario did happen, they don't sound like they would hold you responsible anyway... Just a note on that part - you should never assume that the only animal that'll be injured will be the cat and your dog may have a few scratches on his nose and that's it. My neighbours dog dug my fenceline a few months ago and my DA cat (yes, yes I have a dog aggressive cat) went under her fence. He had a spat with her mastiff x bitch, a dog who appears around 40kgs. My cat had a deep but clean puncture in his groin, extensive bruising and a scalped patch on his outer thigh - but I can tell you his back claws were *thick* with congealed blood when he came home, and it wasn't his. I'm pretty sure the dog caught him and he ripped her up so she let him go, he sprinted under their raised pool and hid from her until 11pm, then came home of his own accord. I'd called into the neighbour saying I was worried he was in her yard, so she penned the dog and once it was about an hour past bedtime, home came the cat. My cats don't roam - I've a cat-proofed yard and oscillot on order to be installed to further cat proof it, so the cat wouldn't have been out if her dog hadn't dug the fence line. The cats have escaped my yard three times in two years, and each time it's through an under-fence hole dug by my neighbours' dogs twice and my own dog once. Next day when the neighbour and I spoke again I told her the cat was home and asked her to check her dog over for injury, explaining what happened. However I think she may have thought I was looking for money for vet bills and denied there was a mark on her dog (who's all black and I worry may not have been checked all that thoroughly). In fact I was going to offer to pay a vet consult for the dog because judging by the cat's back claws, he would have bunny kicked in with them repeatedly and potentially really torn the dog up and after all it was my cat on her property - and you can damn sure if her dog broke into my yard and attacked my cats I'd be screaming blue murder over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundyburger Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Call your council. they can give you a trap, set it up in your yard then when the cat is caught it can be impounded for roaming depending on the council.. that happened to mums cat.. then finally she learnt to leave him inside. That's a good idea. In Victoria, I believe it is the responsibility of the owner to keep said cat from roaming and technically, the cat should not leave the owner's property. Personally, I can't see why cats should be different to dogs. If a dog is caught roaming, the owner is most likely fined, so why not cats? Another way to confine them to their own property is for the owner to nail chicken wire to the top of the fence at an angle as the cats don't like walking on it. In mums council you could only get fined if they were out after 'curfew'. However i still think it's a good idea to trap it and call the council, it might make them think a little ;) We can't do that here, the cats woud be dead before they made it to the ground... luckily they don't come near our house Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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