Need some help, advice, please.....

I have a neighbor that is accusing my cats of peeing on her 11 year old truck and causing the paint to peel, crack, etc. She wants ME to pay to have the car painted.

The spots are on the top of the hood, and on either side of the roof above the windows. She says that she saw MY cat up there laying in those areas, and now the paint is cracking and blistering so he must have caused the problem.

I also have had cats pee on my car, but I never had any paint problems. Has anyone had these kinds of problems either with their own cars or with neighbor's complaints?

I just think she is trying to force me into paying for a paint job for her car. I have suggested to her that she get the cracks analyzed and she doesn't want to do that. Any help or advice will be gratefully accepted.

Thank you for your time.

Wow I've never heard of anything like this before. Sounds like your neighbor is trying to get a free fix job on her truck. I would ignore her, and probably keep my cats away from her.. she sounds like trouble!

Oh my goodness, there you are I hope everything is going well for you.

I have never heard of anything like that before, either, but she may legitimately believe it rather than trying to get a free paint job.

She cant force you to pay for it because I doubt she could ever prove that the ferals did it, but Im sure you dont want to cause any problems for the outside ferals, either.

Maybe you can research on the net cat urine and paint and see what you can come up with.

Thats just bizarre, let us know how it turns out.

Not sure what to say other then keep your cat in your yard. Build a cat enclosure or train to a harness/leash. That way you have total control over the cat and your neighbor cannot blame your cat.

IMO unless he/she actually sees the cat pee on the truck, how can it be proven. And why would a cat pee on a truck in the first place? They go on the ground, dirt, sand, etc. - not on a truck.

Cats will spray tires - much like how a dog will pee on them if given the chance. But I've never seen a cat climb onto a vehicle to pee.

The peeling areas actually sound like very common areas that peel...
Repainting is pricey and unless she can prove it, and be able to prove it in count, I sure wouldn't be offering to pay. Now if it were cat scratches, that would be a different matter. As advised though, your only way to prevent being blamed for such things is to have complete control over where your cats go.

Thank you all for your help and good advice. My insiders are NEVER allowed outside.

Unfortunately, these are what is left of my feral colony, and a prime target of this woman. She really hates cats.

However, I have picked up a one-use camera and as soon as I get a chance, I am going to take pictures of the damage and see if I can pick people's brains as to what it is.

She was very adamant yesterday in telling me that the car had NOT been repainted, except for the side that got bashed in when her daughter Jessica was driving. I think that there was some small damage done to the hood and the paint is lifting off because of that. The other thing is that there was a recall on the 1997 Tahoe for paint problems. I really feel that she is trying to get me to pay for a paint job for the car, by blaming the cats.

She couldn't even tell me yesterday, how long the truck had looked like this. Something here is not right.

Thank you all again, and if anything else comes to mind, feel free to put it in here. I am going the route that if she REALLY wants me to pay for the paint job, she is going to need to take me to court and at that point, I will demand an analysis of what is there (because she is refusing to do that) as well as a DNA test run.

I took the pictures yesterday and got the photos and cd this morning. I took the photos to the vet's and she told me that the marks, if they are marks and not just dirt, are dog scratches.

The cats had nothing to do with the rust on her car or hood. I floated home.

The next time I see her, I will explain that we are NOT going to discuss the car again. If she chooses to go further with this, she won't get anywhere because she has no proof.

Needless to say the next time she tells me how terrible my cats are, I am just going to walk away. Thank you all so much for your support.

You guys are the greatest.

I would be so POed if my neighboor sugested something so stupid. I'd probably tell her to stick it somewhere. I hope everything works out for you.

The car is the least concern since she can't prove it. However, if she hates your cats then its very likely for her to put out poison for them. I'd be careful. How many cats are left in this feral colony?

That, GoldenKitty45 has been a major concern for me from the beginning.

I know that about three years ago, Junior was trapped and killed.

Patches has disappeared, let's see now, about 4 months ago.

MotherCat and DaddyCat come home about every three to four weeks, eat up on food and rest and then take off again. This time both DaddyCat and MotherCat have stayed for a week.

I still have Princess, Lyssa-Lyssa, Sicorro as the basic three.

I had a nasty neighbour who insisted that my Tobes had scratched her hire car. She wanted us to pay. We looked and the scratch marks were wide and consistent with someone polishing the car while it had grit or some dirt on it. She took a photo of our cat sat on her car (he did look sweet!). Anyway, she was shouting at me like a mad woman and I realized I wouldnt be able to reason with her. Her husband came over and apologised later, but she ran after my cat throwing stones at it. I still let them out the back, but only let them out the front if I was in and watched continuously out the front window while they had a walk around, then called them in. I did this for two years until the woman fortunately moved away. Be on your guard and keep your cat safe.
Best Wishes
Chris