Nasty neighbour.

We had a cat but it used a litter tray. Don’t cat owners have litter trays these days? I think it’s perfectly reasonable to object to cats coming into your garden. We have two visiting cats that like to sprawl in the sun in our garden,one’s a marmalade and one’s definitely a witches cat,black fluffy and mysterious. I’ve never seen them use our garden for toileting. We do have badger and fox leavings occasionally and the fox does stink.
My nightmare though is squirrels drowning in the water butt. That is so horrid.

Our fences are now high enough to allow.me and neighbours to enjoy our respective gardens in peace even if we are out at the same time.
Be glad it's not a question of foxes. You block their underfence tunnel and they just dig another one. They can bring the whole fence down.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable for him to block a hole in the fence, to be fair.
My neighbour’s cat insists on using my lawn as a litter tray, which is annoying.

albertina Ican really sympathise with you about a nasty neighbour. I suggest you get a diary and record everything that happens from now on, Hopefully there will be no more trouble, but it helps to have written evidence if necessary. Photographs too if you need to, but keep it secret if you can.

He hasn’t said hello and has blocked a hole in his own fence, that does not make him nasty nor is it trouble where more of would need recording.

I love cats and usually have quite a few rescues living with me and the dogs, however I would understand if a neighbour objected to them using their garden as a toilet or digging up plants. Luckily I have no near neighbours and only fields between us, but I am on the side of this poor chap!

I have huge window boxes on the front of my house and previous neighbours had two young cats. I came home one day to find all my freshly planted bedding plants scattered around, soil all up the windows, cat poo in the window boxes. You have never seen such a mess.

I would block the hole up too.

I wonder, do people who live with their own cats find others’ cats coming to poop and dig up plants etc? I never remembered this happening at home when we had a number of cats. I think they just went to others gardens 🫢

kircubbin2000

I hadn't realised gransnet was an anti cat zone. Sorry I posted.

Don’t take it personally kircubbin2000. I was a besotted cat person when I married but never had any since getting married as my husband really dislikes them, a lot. One old lady actually poisoned one of our cats for ‘piddling on her petunias’ when I was about 10. The vet said she’d died of aspirin poisoning, probably crushed in some cat food, but we couldn’t prove it was her, although she complained non stop. I still love them but I do not love the many local cats ruining my garden regularly, and now have some sympathy for her. I have one spot in my garden that has been known as cat poo corner for over 45 years, I can’t get rid of the smell, you can’t sit anywhere near it. And it doesn’t stop there. One beautiful cat, jumps onto my plant stands and knocks the china flower pots off breaking them and the plants. But I know it’s not the fault of the owners, that’s just cats.

I can really sympathise with you about a nasty neighbour. I suggest you get a diary and record everything that happens from now on, Hopefully there will be no more trouble, but it helps to have written evidence if necessary. Photographs too if you need to, but keep it secret if you can.

I won't go into detail about what happened to me save to say I was about to call the police and get them involved when I heard this nasty neighbour was now terminally ill.
Over the 18 months before this he had made my life hell. I ended up confronting him over his behaviour and had my phone in my pocket recording our words. It had a small effect on him, and made me feel powerful. He already had an ASBO for the misery he inflicted on the people who lived here before. The policeman involved with the case reassured my family that it was unlikely he would try to bully a woman, so the house was bought and I moved in, soon after the nonsense started.

If it gets really bad involve the police and make sure your friends and family know what's going on. Good luck.

Hmm I don't think the nasty neighbour is the man in this post!

He probably doesn’t want Cat defecating in his garden. It certainly doesn’t make him a nasty neighbour.

Maybe he's deaf and poorly sighted, or unwell so simply ignored you due to other circumstances in his life.

Dingleberry

I don't blame him for blocking the hole, cats are a darned nuisance, digging up everything in your garden to poo. People own cats but open their doors and let them out to do whatever damage they like.

Yes - much better to have a Bully XL!

Our neighbour's cat used to come into our house when we left the doors open and hide under our bed. One night he jumped out in the middle of the night and frightened the life out of me!

Sounds like he doesn't want to have any conversations with you.. and he has every right to block up the hole.. I also don't like cats in my garden

Probably just socially awkward.
If it’s your fence he shouldn’t touch it.
I bet the gap is used by other wildlife too. That’s a shame.

grannymags

I think you are the nasty one here I don’t blame him for blocking the hole not everyone likes cats

Let’s not get personal. Misguided is a much nicer word than “nasty” (yes I know she used nasty, but I’m assuming her neighbour is not on GN!)

I think you are the nasty one here I don’t blame him for blocking the hole not everyone likes cats

kircubbin2000

I hadn't realised gransnet was an anti cat zone. Sorry I posted.

And therein lies the problem. Cat and dog-lovers simply cannot conceive - or accept - that may people don't feel the same. I wouldn't stop anyone having a pet - and I would not harm the animals. But we do have the right to deter those animals encroaching on - and fouling - our property.

I think living next to others is very much give and take. None of us are perfect but it’s well worth the effort to try to get on with them. It can be very difficult at times but once animosity sets in it’s a difficult road back without moving.

I couldn’t feel happy in a place where I had neighbour issues, and feel sorry for those stuck in such a situation.

I have cats and love them dearly.

As for the fence I don't see why he shouldn't block it up. It's a barrier between your homes and I think it's a bit rich you establishing a pussy/hedgehog highway without checking first.

Leave him alone. The cats will manage just fine.

But if no other gaps are available, a cat-sized one is helpful for hedgehogs.

Yes Bluebell, hedgehog gaps don’t need to be cat-sized. In my experience cats are more likely to jump up and over fences than crawl through gaps. They can usually find a way to go wherever they want to go.

Don’t count me as a GN cat hater I don’t mind cats at all and loved mine when I had one BUT I do not necessarily like other peoples cats, digging and pooing in my garden.
I think as far as the neighbour goes if he’s not a conversationalist (or in your words ..grumpy) why worry just nod a hello if you meet and get on with your day
A hedgehog hole would not be the size to accommodate a stream of local cats and yes it would be mended straight away if I moved in there

As you’ve known him for 30 years why has this latest, normal non communication irked you do much? Surely you’re used to it now, or is it really the blocking up of the hole in the fence? Which I think is reasonable of him to try and keep cats out.