Thanks everyone for your wonderful support and experiences. I feel much better. The neighbour has anxiety and I understand that but now I feel stronger after reading your messages. I will be pleasant and perhaps offer the rsbp cat deterrent for peace of mind someone mentioned. But I’m just going to draw back and offer her reassurance and ask if she’s ok. And basically move on. I love ❤️ cats.
Plus her cats like to use my garden as a toilet. But I have been generous about that and thinking practically because their animals and it natural they would do this...
That’s terrible about the antifreeze, I didn’t know that.
My cat is a chewer and does eat different plants — I grow a steady supply of cat grass for her indoors which she eats everyday like a little sheep. But in the garden she often eats the lawn grass, ophiopogon, pennisetum and carex, so there’s definitely a grass theme going on. Also sometimes eats a few new bamboo leaves, a leaf or two of pittosporum and has nibbled a hebe once or twice. However I’m not worried at all about her eating something truly poisonous or mildly toxic in large amounts. I’ve got hellebores, spurge, euonymus, box, tulips (and probably a load of other things that I haven’t researched in terms of toxicity) in the garden plus peace lilies — said to be mildly toxic — in the house and she’s not interested in those at all. Curiously she’s not into catnip or catmint… doesn’t touch my catmint.
Anyway what I mean to say is just plant what you like in your garden, it’s not your responsibility to manage your neighbour’s unrealistic worries.
I agree with @Liriodendron, she's very lucky. However, you shouldn't have to tolerate your garden being used as a toilet. I hope the sonic device helps. Many of us are using the Voss 2000 one to good effect. It's around £25. https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/ I've just had a look and they have an offer just now - 2 for £40
Good luck
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
What a nice neighbour you are! And I agree with you, her excessive anxiety might be a mental health issue to be met with kindness rather than belligerence.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
What a nice neighbour you are! And I agree with you, her excessive anxiety might be a mental health issue to be met with kindness rather than belligerence.
Anxiety can make you fixate on things you’d never normally think about for more than half a second; seemingly random things.
Been there many times. Your patient and kind approach would be most welcome if she’s stuck in an anxiety spiral.
So many hateful comments here. You are a lovely person to not have the reaction of most of the commenters here. I did have a a cat get so severely sick from my own garden, which was mostly daylilies. Once I found out what almost killed her, I tore them all out, and planted my garden full of cat friendly plants. And, as someone else pointed out, it was likely the pollen falling onto her fur, which she, then,licked. On the other hand, I have a huge euonymous, which I've had for years. No cat of mine has ever wanted to eat it. Although it would be poisonous to a cat who ate it, cats are just not interested in doing so. Thank you for caring about your neighbor. ❤️
Welcome to the forum Do you care enough about your neighbours to keep your cats off their properties if they don't want them there? Caring work both ways after all.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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My cat is a chewer and does eat different plants — I grow a steady supply of cat grass for her indoors which she eats everyday like a little sheep. But in the garden she often eats the lawn grass, ophiopogon, pennisetum and carex, so there’s definitely a grass theme going on. Also sometimes eats a few new bamboo leaves, a leaf or two of pittosporum and has nibbled a hebe once or twice. However I’m not worried at all about her eating something truly poisonous or mildly toxic in large amounts. I’ve got hellebores, spurge, euonymus, box, tulips (and probably a load of other things that I haven’t researched in terms of toxicity) in the garden plus peace lilies — said to be mildly toxic — in the house and she’s not interested in those at all. Curiously she’s not into catnip or catmint… doesn’t touch my catmint.
Anyway what I mean to say is just plant what you like in your garden, it’s not your responsibility to manage your neighbour’s unrealistic worries.
However, you shouldn't have to tolerate your garden being used as a toilet. I hope the sonic device helps.
Many of us are using the Voss 2000 one to good effect. It's around £25.
https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/
I've just had a look and they have an offer just now - 2 for £40
Good luck
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...