What to do when neighbours kicks/harms my cats!?

Question

I am after some advice. We have new neighbours (next door -but-one to be precise) who have only been there a month.

Last night, I witnessed him, quite late at night, KICK my cat (who is 12-13 yrs old, breathing problems weight loss, suspected cancer which we cannot treat and have been advised to keep him comfortable for as long as we can & when we feel the time is right take him back to the vet for the final time....so you get the picture, old frail cat ) so hard that he seriously FLEW across our driveway and hit the car.

He then assaulted my husband (ie, punched him) twice when he asked him what the problem was- and also pushed his way into our home (around midnight and we have 3 young children) and was verbally abusinve in addition.

Aparantly one of the problems is that our cats (3 of them) are doing their business in the gravel in his driveway.

I don't really know what we can do about this. He clearly hates cats, and made many sttements of kicking them and threatening to kill them etc etc (he has a small aggresive dog)

We asked why on earth he hadn't knocked on the door in daylight and politely expressed his concerns with us, but he clearly has no brains and seems very rough- if you know what i mean, thus making him much harder to deal with.

So whilst i would love to now move this is not an option for us!

Any USA readers please note that keeping cats enclosed inside isn't really something we do in the UK, it would be considered quite cruel...i know it is quite common there but our cats come & go as they please and love being outside.

I do appreciate that he shouldnt have to put up with cleaning cat mess off his driveway, but what should we do about this? I also think we should not have to put up with being abused in our own home, and having our pets abused!

Answer 1

omg    i would like to show that guy he sounds like a criminal   ok well call spca       asap      and if that doesnt work call the police  but the spca usually has police come with them im pretty sure

and im from the us and i let my cat out to but that is just the cruelest thing u need to get this fixed well i would put up a fence and i would call a lawyer or anyone who u think could help   if i was u i would just be about ready to punch this guy sry i kno that sounds really cruel but i cant belive anyone would kick ur cat      i just cant belive anyone would do that     ill say a prayer that evrything goes well and good lukc giveur cat a hug from me    

Answer 2

At the very least this is animal cruelity and should be reported. However I personally feel my pet (small daschound) is a part of my family in fact she is treated as one of our kids. That being said if a adult male or female were to kick one of my kids, had better hope I call the authorities because if I take care of the matter myself it's going to be very very painful. My point is contact your local law enforcement DON'T ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE THE NEXT TIME MIGHT BE THE LAST TIME FOR YOUR CAT.

Answer 3

call PETA asap.

Answer 4

What your neighbour did was not only cruel but illegal as well.  I understand your reluctance to involve the police for fear of worsening relations with this neighbour, but you should at least report his actions against your cat and husband to the police so at least it goes on record.  Collect as much physical evidence against the neighbour as you can and speak with other cat owners locally to see if he has made threats or harmed their pets.  The more support that you have, the easier it will be to take legal action if it comes to it, and it may also help you to feel that you're not alone in dealing with this nasty piece of work.  It might be worth having a word with your local RSPCA or Cats Protection for their advice on how best to handle the situation. Sometimes you need the assistance of a professional body like them to get the police to take complaints seriously.

In the meantime, purchase a sonic cat deterrent and give it to this neighbour to put in his driveway.  They're relatively inexpensive, won't harm your cats and hopefully will keep them safe from harm by keeping them away from his driveway.  (I'm surprised his dog doesn't scare off cats).

http://www.deteracat.co.uk/

I'm sorry that your family and your pets have to deal with someone like this.  I had a neighbour from h**l and appreciate how stressful and upsetting it can be.  If he continues to be unreasonable or make threats, then you can have him done for harrassment under the laws they use to protect people from stalkers.

I really hope you find a solution as no-one or their pets should be treated this way by a bully - and that's basically what this man is.

Answer 5

I am pretty sure you can have an assault case filed against him if he punched your husband. I'm not sure what you can do to keep your cats away from his gravel driveway, which keeping it enclosed is definitely not an option.

Actually, going back on my previous statement, maybe you could let it out at certain times and monitor him/her? If the cat is getting older they may be much less mobile and need less time to roam and p**p.

I agree cats doing their business in front yards is annoying but that gives that man no right to assault your husband and verbally abuse you. You should not have to deal with that.

Maybe suggest you will scoop up the p**p daily if he were so kind and restrained to allow it?  

Answer 6

yup u have to report him; his behaviour is absolutely unacceptable. Even if it were not an animal but just your property. You should not be intimidated like this. Less drastic solutions like offering to pay for cat repellant/repelling devices for your neighbour would clearly not be enough or effectual in this situation, due to the attitude of your neighbour. Get him reported (whether it be to PETA as suggested above, or the police, especially due to his attack on yoyur husband) and get it sorted! good luckX

Answer 7

kick/harm their cat

Answer 8

I certainly hope you called the police and filed a report on that man! I don't have an answer about the cats being outside I'm afraid. I would never let my cats outside. They could get hit by cars, attacked by wild animals or stray ones...I can't say I blame the guy for being mad your cat is using his driveway as a litterbox. Although he clearly isn't right in his head. Good luck, and hope your kitty is doing ok.

Answer 9

Yes, definitely call the police before the situation becomes worse and let them sort it out for you. You should place charges on him for assaulting your husband because your neighbors actions are definitely not acceptable and it is punishable by law. Family and safety always comes first, and strangers should never be allowed into your property without permission, causing your family to feel unsafe, so definitely call the police and place charges on your neighbor. Animal cruelty can be another charge if things get worse.

Your cat should be allowed anywhere indoors and in the backyard, maybe not the front. Perhaps each family member could spend a little bit more time with your cat so that it doesn't spend too much time outside at the front, but that's just a suggestion.

Take Care and remember family and safety always comes first.

Answer 10

If you want this to stop, you have to report him to the police. This guy sounds like a psycho. Before you do so, get solid proof of his actions - videotape, photograph, even an eye witness if you can... take pictures of any bruises or scratches on your husband and any damage he's done to your property or your pets. Also, a simple audio recording of him threatening you and your family could be good proof.

With the right proof, you can have this guy charged with assault, trespassing, animal abuse, possibly even breaking and entering. The police may even be able to charge him with few other things, too. I do live in the US, but I doubt things are too much different where you are, in terms the law. All the things he's done are pretty much illegal everywhere.

As long as you have solid proof, report the guy! You may have enough evidence to get a restraining order against him or put him in jail. You could probably sue the pants off of him, too. Perhaps even get him kicked out of the neighborhood.

Also, I know that you said keeping your cats indoors is seen as 'cruel' over there, but for the time being, please consider keeping your cats indoors. At least until the situation blows over. If the guy has no problem kicking an innocent animal for something as stupid as pooping in his driveway, I doubt he would think twice about doing worse next time. You'll be kicking yourself if the worst should happen.

Call the police, report the guy, get a restraining order, and keep your animals inside. Good luck and I hope things get better for you and yours.

Answer 11

video this man so you have  proof what the man does and report him to the police ..... im sure what he dose is agenst the law