neighbours cat driving my dogs totally mental

Kitiara

Ace,

this is becoming a discussion about who's responsible, not about a solution. Let's focus on the solution.There were a few

- bring the dogs in at night (good one and certainly the cheapest)
- cover the kennels
- build a fence

Yes, i agree these are all actions to be taken by YOU. But, I don't think there is any other choice. if your neighbour gets annoyed with you all she has to do is involve the dog warden and make more trouble for you than you have bargained for.
So, you need to take action. Or, live with it.

Coeurdepirate

Zulu wrote: »

I would call over to the neighbour and explain to them that you have a solution for the barking. Advise them that you have put poison down on your property to deter "stray" cats. Tell them that you wanted them to know as you'd hate if their cat got ate some of the poison.
Wheither or not you actually put down poison is your call.

Then, anytime the cat comes into your garden, try to capture it. If you are successful call the councel and tell them you've caught a feral cat that's causing your pets trouble. Tell them the animal is a stray (as, it is, if it's freely coming and going) and you want them to remove it.

Fair is fair, if your dogs could freely roam your neighbour garden & terrorise their cat, what would they do?

How dare you even suggest that.

shinikins

OP, I would definitley consider trying to cat-proof the fence yourself, this may be one cat causing the dogs to bark at the moment, but there may well be more cats visiting in the future.

Its been suggested that you place nails and other sharp objects on the top of the wall-your leaving yourself open to person injury claims!! I lived (many years ago)in a estate where some of the houses sided onto a pub and to stop people fro hopping the wall as a short cut, glass, nails and ceramics were cemented on top of the wall. The obvious happened, someone injured themselves and the Gardai were called and the residents commitee recieved a hefty fine(as they could not prove who had placed the items on the wall in the first place) Some bright spark thought axle grease was a good solution, cue visit number two from the gardai. In short, NOT a good idea.

Your options are pretty much to set up a camera to catch the cat in the act and approach its owners again with evidence, or invest in cat proofing your fences. Alternatively attach a sprinkler sytem to the top of the wall and turn it on when the cat is there.

chicken fingers

OP youre not taking any advice on board.

I am saying that barking dogs can annoy many neighbours, and that to an outsider YOU are the one who is annoying your neighbours. Not everybody will be able to see that its actually the sneaky ol cats fault. Its gotten to the point where you have been approached and spoken to about this issue by a neighbour. Its time to rectify the situation. Either cat-proof your garden or keep the dogs inside.
You mentioned at least 3 times about how much money you spent on your dogs, well the solution costs almost nothing.
Dogmatically saying "its not my fault she has no right" is crap TBH and you know it because at the end of the day, its your dogs barking at night in the neighbourhood and this is not acceptable.

Zulu

Coeurdepirate wrote: »

How dare you even suggest that.

I dared, & I'd happily do it for the OP. Problem?

shinikins wrote: »

Its been suggested that you place nails and other sharp objects on the top of the wall-your leaving yourself open to person injury claims!!

actually what was suggested was carpet runners. Do you know what these are? The 'tacks' are no more than 1mm. Carpet runner They wouldn't injure a person or a cat, they would however act as a deterrent as the cat wouldn't find them comfortable to walk across.

shinikins

Zulu wrote: »

actually what was suggested was carpet runners. Do you know what these are? The 'tacks' are no more than 1mm. Carpet runner They wouldn't injure a person or a cat, they would however act as a deterrent as the cat wouldn't find them comfortable to walk across.

You yourself suggested 'a board with a load of nails'. Nails or carpet tacks(which can cause a lot of damage to the hands btw-ever noticed how scarred and calloused a carpet layers hands are?), either way it would be viewed as the OP wishing to cause intentional damage to a person or property. And I'm sure the OP doesn't wish to further antagonize their neighbour by physically harming their cat.

The Sweeper

Choices:

Keep the dog indoors at night.

Befriend the cat - feed it at your house in the evening, bring it indoors at your house and let it spend the night in your house since its owner can't be arsed to keep it indoors at night. Seriously, putting the cat out at night? What is this, 1986?

Call the council and tell them there's a nuisance cat entering your property every night and winding your dogs up - and ask them what they think you should do about it. Document your own dogs barking and record whether or not it's because of the cat. If your dogs really bark at nothing except the cat entering your property, then the cat really is the problem.

If the neighbours cat is completely removed from the equation, there's still a chance that other cats will enter your garden unless you cat-proof your boundary walls - use plumbing fixtures and piping to create an inclined netting all around the top of the walls, it's a way to do it cheaply.

Cats will be cats - except that's total bollocks and dogs would be dogs and worry sheep and harass livestock if we put them out at night, except society has recognised that people are responsible for their dogs, at least, so we have to keep them under control.

The Sweeper

PS: board of nails / tacks whatever won't work. Nearly 20 years ago we had a cat who was outdoors during the day, and would lie on the neighbour's flat roof and sleep in the sun all day. He put up a double barrier on either end of the roof, of concrete in which he sat broken glass in multiple rows to what must have been 6-inches-wide.

She used to tiptoe through it daintily to get to her sleeping spot. Cats are very resourceful. They'll manage spikes in ways you never thought of - but they don't like loose, unsecure things under their feet - so loose netting, loose hanging chicken wire, a circular roll of chicken wire (bends too easily under foot) and so on.

The success of makeshift solutions is also dependent on the determination of the individual cat.

kylith

OP, I feel for you as I have exactly the same situation. when my dogs are barking I can be 90% guaranteed that it's because a large ginger cat is sitting on the roof of my shed taunting them. To the people who say that the cat doesnt' know what it's doing, anyone who has been in this situation knows differently; there is no reason for the cat to sit on my roof as opposed to my neighbours, it just likes to annoy the dogs.

After complaints from my neighbours I started to keep my dogs in at night, but there's nothing I can do about during the day. I'm looking into those anti-pigeon spikes, they're not injurous, but they're long and the cat can't walk on them comfortably. I'm also looking at turning my shed roof into a giant planter and sowing something like Hen And Chicks, or training a rose over the roof so that it's prickly to walk on.

In the mean time I keep a super-soaker loaded and as soon as the cat shows up it gets a soaking.

I've considered trapping and even, at about 4am, shooting the blooming thing, but figured that it'd probably be cathartic, but more troublesome in the long run.

Cat owners know that dogs bark at cats, and then some of them have the gall to complain when that's exactly what the dogs do, and the affrontery to claim that their cat is somehow blameless. I do wish that the law for cats was the same as for dogs; if it's straying then you risk it ending up in the pound.

Discodog

Quite some interesting solutions. Stealing someone's pet, putting down nails that could not only hurt an innocent animal but other animals as well, soaking it, & all made by people who might claim to be animal lovers !.

If your dog barks, especially at night, it is totally your responsibility. There is no law governing cats, rats, squirrels & umpteen other things that might make a dog bark. Any one of your neighbours could rightly complain about your dog. You have chosen to keep a dog outdoors where it is subjected to lots of stimuli that it would not have if indoors.

As a dog owner you have a duty of care, not just to the dog but to the public. If you can be 100% sure that you can keep the cat out by fencing, your only real option, then go ahead. But you can't stop the cat from sitting somewhere outside of your property but in view of the dog.

Many of us have experienced the situation of the dog barking at night & waking the neighbourhood, whilst the owners sleep through it. If anyone complains the Council or Dog Warden will not be interested in why the dog barks - they will just tell you to stop it from barking.

Alun

Discodog wrote: »

As a dog owner you have a duty of care, not just to the dog but to the public. If you can be 100% sure that you can keep the cat out by fencing, your only real option, then go ahead. But you can't stop the cat from sitting somewhere outside of your property but in view of the dog.

I agree, MY cats sit on the roof of MY shed in MY garden and that also annoys next door's dogs enough to bark at them like crazy.

TooManyDogs

kylith wrote: »

I do wish that the law for cats was the same as for dogs; if it's straying then you risk it ending up in the pound.

I think this is the crux of the matter, cats don't fall in any category in the law so people fed up with the behaviour of a local cat take the matter into their own hands. I've seen threads where cat owners want their cats to have the rights of wildlife to wander and often say well 'you don't get upset if a bird poo's in the garden so why get upset if a cat does', but at the same time get really upset if people treat their 'pet' as a pest because of that wandering.

The law needs to be cleared up and I think people should have to get licenses for their cats too, and preferably make it law to ensure cats are microchipped. That way cat owners can be held accountable for their pets behaviour and also cruelty to cats can result in a case being brought to justice more easily because the cat is a documented pet and as such will fall under legislation exactly like a dog.

hamsterchen

TooManyDogs, how many people have to get licenses for dogs?
The problem with dogs barking at cats is, they'd bark at anyone and anything. When I'm in the garden in the evening, I hear constant yapping and barking of dogs. I know these dogs and know that they'd bark at everything that moves, every noise, they'd bark because other dogs are barking, they'd bark because there's people on the street, because birds just flew over the garden, because they are closed in their kennels and want to get out etc. etc. This whole cats blaming business is simply ridiculous. Where I come from, in villages, just about every house has a dog. There's almost constant barking in the evening and it has nothing to do with cats. One dog starts because someone just passed the gate of the garden he lives in and the rest follows. I wonder if the OP neighbour's really manages to restrain the cat from entering the garden or sitting at OP's wall if the barking will stop. From the way I know dogs are, there's a good chance it won't. They will simply find another way of fighting their boredom.

seamus

hamsterchen wrote: »

TooManyDogs, how many people have to get licenses for dogs?

Everyone, legally. For every dog you own, you need an individual licence (unless you buy a licence for multiple dogs @ €250/year or something).

The problem with dogs barking at cats is, they'd bark at anyone and anything.

That's not necessarily fair. Some dogs will bark at everything. Many dogs only bark when they hear other dogs barking or when they see an animal worth barking at.
My dog doesn't really bark at all. But she does go a little bit crazy about cats and I'm sure she'd be barking her head off if she was stuck in a garden with a cat wandering around above her. Luckily the opportunity for cats to taunt my dog is nil.

The issue here is that the cat sets off the dog. If there was no cat, there'd be no trigger and therefore no barking.

TooManyDogs

hamsterchen wrote: »

TooManyDogs, how many people have to get licenses for dogs?

ehhhh everyone who has a dog has to get a license, not sure what you're getting at

The point behind cats being licensed would be to have legislation in place to control them. Cats don't have a clarified place in law so it's really difficult for people who's property gets damaged by cats or who's aviaries are being stalked by cats to be able to do anything about it. This results in those people getting really hacked off, cat owners don't have to keep cats on their own property by law so the people decide to deal with the cat problem them selves. Result - cats are the one to suffer when its not their fault but their owners fault.

Because of the control of Dogs act you can do something about the barking in your village if you want to, contact dog warden and council. Horses now have a passport and are microchipped and that in part is to control the problem of horses being dumped on other peoples property. All I'm saying is that we need some form of legislation for cats too.

hamsterchen

seamus, the day people have licenses for their dogs will be the day i will get one for my cat.
about setting the dogs off - i'm a dog person just like am a cat person, i grew up with dogs from a very young age and i'd beg to differ on them being the calm sweet creatures until they see a cat in their garden. while i believe that it's the cat's owner duty to do something about his cat entering the neighbour's garden if it disturbs him /raise the wall etc/, i don't surbscribe to the general view that there's 100% something you can do about it. and in all honesty, while i don't enjoy the background noise generated by barking dogs, i prefer it to finding their feces everywhere on the street.

hdowney

ok well i have two licences for my two dogs so......:rolleyes::rolleyes::cool:

hamsterchen

hdowney, i asked some dog people around on the licences and the answer was : hoe? so well, clearly, not everyone has a licence. in that sense, my cat with a microchip, vaccination book and health insurance is better off than most pooches around

ISDW

hamsterchen wrote: »

hdowney, i asked some dog people around on the licences and the answer was : hoe? so well, clearly, not everyone has a licence. in that sense, my cat with a microchip, vaccination book and health insurance is better off than most pooches around

I have licences for my dogs, as do most of the people on here, judging by past discussions. So I don't really know what point you're trying to make.

hdowney

i agree some 'irresponsible' dog owners don't have licences. they can't be arsed. but those who genuinely care, and most of those with 'breed' dogs do have them

Zulu

What has dog licences got to do with a "stray cat causing a dog to bark?"

hdowney

it doesn't. it came up with people saying cats should b licenced. that cat owners get away with more and it always gets blamed on the dogs

Ken.

Who was there first op, your dogs or the cat?

Zulu

what does that matter?

endabob1

Discodog wrote: »

If your dog barks, especially at night, it is totally your responsibility. There is no law governing cats, rats, squirrels & umpteen other things that might make a dog bark. Any one of your neighbours could rightly complain about your dog. You have chosen to keep a dog outdoors where it is subjected to lots of stimuli that it would not have if indoors.

As a dog owner you have a duty of care, not just to the dog but to the public. If you can be 100% sure that you can keep the cat out by fencing, your only real option, then go ahead. But you can't stop the cat from sitting somewhere outside of your property but in view of the dog.

So as a dog owner you have a duty of care because there is a law that says so, but as a cat owner you can do what you like because there is no law to say so, welcome to modern Ireland

Discodog

endabob1 wrote: »

So as a dog owner you have a duty of care because there is a law that says so, but as a cat owner you can do what you like because there is no law to say so, welcome to modern Ireland

Not just Ireland. Most countries legally recognise a dog as an animal that can & should be controlled unlike a cat.

Dogs that bark at cats generally bark at birds or anything else for example other dogs barking. You will often hear one dog bark & then more join in. When I walk my dogs I can always hear a dog barking somewhere. When I lived in the UK it was much quieter because the majority of dogs live indoors.

There are so many valid arguments for dogs being kept inside & noise nuisance is just one of them. I have three dogs & my neighbours comment that they never hear them barking.

kylith

Discodog wrote: »

Not just Ireland. Most countries legally recognise a dog as an animal that can & should be controlled unlike a cat.

Nonsense. Cats can, and should, be controlled. Either by keeping them indoors or by the owner cat-proofing their garden or building a run attached to a cat flap on the house.

There are so many valid arguments for dogs being kept inside & noise nuisance is just one of them. I have three dogs & my neighbours comment that they never hear them barking.

There are so many valid arguements for cats being kept inside & nuisance is just one of them. My friend's sister has 2 cats and my friend comments that they are very happy inside, and much safer from disease or death by accident.

My parents are currently at their wits end with cats going into their garden and digging up the flowerbeds burying their poo. They frequently have their 4 young grandchildren to visit and are greatly concerned by the huge health hazard that this poses. There are too many access points to the garden that it cannot be adequately fenced off. They have strung trip wires, put up crinkly foil, laid plasic bottles, and used pepper dust to no avail. The look of the garden has been ruined because of a forest of cable ties on wooden batons all around it to try stop cats coming over the walls. The only suggestions I can offer them is to either get a dog, which is unfeasible as they travel a lot, or, well, something illegal.

Are you really telling me that this is acceptable because people don't want to be responsible for their cats? If I came on here with a story about a roaming dog digging up flower beds and pooing all over the place you'd be telling me to call the dog warden.

ISDW

kylith wrote: »

Nonsense. Cats can, and should, be controlled. Either by keeping them indoors or by the owner cat-proofing their garden or building a run attached to a cat flap on the house.

There are so many valid arguements for cats being kept inside & nuisance is just one of them. My friend's sister has 2 cats and my friend comments that they are very happy inside, and much safer from disease or death by accident.

My parents are currently at their wits end with cats going into their garden and digging up the flowerbeds burying their poo. They frequently have their 4 young grandchildren to visit and are greatly concerned by the huge health hazard that this poses. There are too many access points to the garden that it cannot be adequately fenced off. They have strung trip wires, put up crinkly foil, laid plasic bottles, and used pepper dust to no avail. The look of the garden has been ruined because of a forest of cable ties on wooden batons all around it to try stop cats coming over the walls. The only suggestions I can offer them is to either get a dog, which is unfeasible as they travel a lot, or, well, something illegal.

Are you really telling me that this is acceptable because people don't want to be responsible for their cats? If I came on here with a story about a roaming dog digging up flower beds and pooing all over the place you'd be telling me to call the dog warden.

No, its not acceptable, but my parents live in the UK and are exactly the same with neighbourhood cats. The problem I think really is that people don't care, its not just cats is it, its a society problem, nobody wants to take responsibility for anything. Sorry, don't mean to sound all deep and meaningful, but some people will be responsible, some won't and without the law to back you up, what can you actually do?

endabob1

Discodog wrote: »

Not just Ireland. Most countries legally recognise a dog as an animal that can & should be controlled unlike a cat.

That's my point, as a pet owner & a human being you should not need the law to tell you that you are responsible for your pets actions.

Discodog wrote: »

There are so many valid arguments for dogs being kept inside & noise nuisance is just one of them. I have three dogs & my neighbours comment that they never hear them barking.

Just as it is for cats.

There are many bad dog owners, I lived next to one who had 3 dogs (including a boerboel) in a tiny courtyard garden. The owners had moved form a farm to the city & didn't want to give up their dogs. The poor animals were traumatised by the move and their new hugely restricted surroundings, so they barked and howled at every body/animal day & night, it was a nightmare & in my eyes the owners were 100% at fault.

In this instance however it looks like the OP has tried to do the right thing but the obvious solution is to speak to the cat owners and try to come up with a compromise solution. Unfortunately as the law stands he's not on solid ground because cat ownership clearly comes with a lot less social responsibility.

Discodog

It's no good shooting the messenger. Right or wrong the fact is that the law does not recognise the need to control a cat. The law doesn't recognise a cat as a nuisance in the way that a barking dog can be.

Either you break the law, by letting your dog bark, and or you try to change the law - good luck with that one

The cat will not annoy dozens of neighbours, any of whom could complain, whereas your barking dog will. If your dog barks repeatedly then it is not under your control.