neighbor problems

We have four indoor cats, and a slew of ferals that live in and around our front and back-yards; there are about a dozen of the feral cats, and we (my wife and I) have been feeding/caring for them for years now. I was approached by our neighbor this afternoon, and she told me of one of the cats has an injured, possibly broken, hind leg, and that we were "gross" for continuing to feed this cat. I have tried to catch the cat to get it seen to by our vet, but I have had no luck. Anyways, this neighbor then proceeded to harangue me that I should never have started to feed the ferals in the first place (even though I have been doing so since long before she moved in), and she also pointed out that the ferals use her back-yard to do their business, which seems unlikely because I have litter boxes for them to use, and the neighbor has two HUGE rottweilers in her back-yard, so I doubt that the ferals could even get into her back-yard without the dogs going crazy. Also, her live-in has run over two cats, which he proceeded to pick up and toss into his trash bin (on two separate occasions).This has got me really upset and I don't know what to do, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Send them a Christmas card telling them what wonderful neighbours they have been this year!!!

Get them feeling REALLY GUILTY!!!
I'd kill them with kindness - There isn't really much more you can do!

Originally Posted by jane_vernon

Send them a Christmas card telling them what wonderful neighbours they have been this year!!!

Get them feeling REALLY GUILTY!!!

I'd kill them with kindness - There isn't really much more you can do!

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That would probably not work, though; I have tried to be nice to this couple ever since they moved in, but they are loud, fight frequently in their drive-way, have dogs that howl incessantly, have deliberately broken one of our sprinklers, and are a general pain in the a**. I am simply going to ignore 'em, and continue to feed the ferals, who are, at the end of the day, harmless, as they have (through the good graces of AzCats) been spayed/neutered, and don't bother anyone, so far as we know, it's just the ghastly neighbors who have complained. They are incapable of feeling guilt.

Maybe they just don't realize how important it is to help take care of ferals. Teach her about them. Some people are just stupid and need to be informed. How are the dogs treated? When they fight in the driveway call the cops. If anything you would get a great show. You know COPS Live.

In my experience it is very hard to get anywhere with neighbors like that, and if you do anything at all, they might retaliate. You know, if there are 12 ferals in your yard, they might trap them or call animal control or something.

Some people just don't like cats. I suppose they must be allowed to have their opinions. In my town, they could get you on the leash law if they complained about their garden, or footprints on their car or something.

Anyway, be carefull and good luck.

Originally Posted by therealshell

We have four indoor cats, and a slew of ferals that live in and around our front and back-yards; there are about a dozen of the feral cats, and we (my wife and I) have been feeding/caring for them for years now. I was approached by our neighbor this afternoon, and she told me of one of the cats has an injured, possibly broken, hind leg, and that we were "gross" for continuing to feed this cat. I have tried to catch the cat to get it seen to by our vet, but I have had no luck. Anyways, this neighbor then proceeded to harangue me that I should never have started to feed the ferals in the first place (even though I have been doing so since long before she moved in), and she also pointed out that the ferals use her back-yard to do their business, which seems unlikely because I have litter boxes for them to use, and the neighbor has two HUGE rottweilers in her back-yard, so I doubt that the ferals could even get into her back-yard without the dogs going crazy. Also, her live-in has run over two cats, which he proceeded to pick up and toss into his trash bin (on two separate occasions).This has got me really upset and I don't know what to do, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

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From Best Friends:

Question from a member:
There are stray cats living in the woods across the street from my house. I wanted to try to catch them, spay/neuter and release them back. My neighbors are against this. One says they are urinating on her porch and the other says they are using her garden as a litter box and killing birds at her feeder. What do you do when your neighbors won't wait to give you time to show TNR works, or find alternatives, and call animal control that euthanizes the cats? The cats are being euthanized immediately so I don't have time to do much.
Response from Nathan:
As an animal control facility, we field neighbor "nuisance" complaints on a daily basis - both sides, the neighbor doing the complaining and the person who is the subject of the complaint. My first question is ALWAYS, "Have you sat down and talked to your neighbor yet?" I am amazed at how often the answer is No. They are your neighbors. You have to live next to each other. So we need to go over, knock on the door, bring a cup of coffee, and sit down and talk. Sometimes our neighbors are nut jobs and that isn't possible. That is the extreme. Once again, we cannot let extreme scenarios dictate policies for groups.

So with neighbors, it is important to listen closely and ask questions. In one case, a neighbor demanded, without explanation, that a caregiver stop feeding cats in the neighborhood! After asking several questions, she discovered the neighbor was upset because he didn't like cat footprints on his new car. To keep the peace, the caregiver bought her neighbor a car cover and he never complained again. By asking questions and offering solutions, it becomes possible to focus on the person's specific concerns rather than their generalized objections to feral cats.

Sit down and talk. Calmly share your concerns with the goal of amicably resolving the problem. It can be a good idea to prepare a small packet of written materials in support of caring for feral cats. If relations are seriously strained, community mediation services may be beneficial.

Offer concrete solutions! Once you have determined what the person's specific complaints are, you can address them. If you haven't had the cats neutered yet, do so, and let your neighbor know how much it will improve the cats' behavior while gradually decreasing the size of the colony. Offer to keep litter boxes in your backyard for cats to use, or put a cat fence around your yard.

Explain the value of TNR. TNR is the most humane and effective way to control feral cat populations and minimize the most common concerns people raise about feral cats. Be sure to explain the ramifications of trapping the cats and taking them to an animal shelter: most will be killed since feral cats are not candidates for adoption. In addition, more cats-probably unneutered-will move back into the area starting the cycle all over again.

Here are suggestions for more specific concerns:

Wild animals: Feed cats during the day and pick up any leftover food once the cats have eaten. Other humane deterrents are described in our fact sheets on "Living with Wildlife".

Kittens: Spay/neuter will prevent more kittens from being born. In some cases, feral kittens can be socialized and adopted.

Spraying, fighting, howling: Neutering quickly reduces or eliminates these behaviors. Regular and sufficient feeding will also prevent fighting.

Cats using yard as a litter box: Caregivers can place covered, sand-filled litter boxes in their yards, and/or offer to periodically clean the neighbor's yard.

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Also..this is from Alley Cat Allies:

http://www.alleycat.org/tools.html

Katie

Katie's article raised some good points. If you do sum up the courage to attempt to reconcile with your neighbors, you might add that cats curb the mice population, thus reducing the risk of the dreaded "hanta virus", which is most common in AZ, NM, CA & NV. Also, they keep down the scorpion & vinagaroon populations, as well as snakes. www.alley-cat allies.org has some good literature on how to address this problem, too - prayers & vibes for success in this situation. Bad neighbors are such a bummer! They sound like good candidates for "dumpster living". Please keep us updated!