Car Scratched/Angry Neighbor...Please HELP !

My upstairs neighbor moved out a year ago and couldn't take her 2 cats
with her, so I agreed to take care of them, as I was always just fine
with them here, especially since we used to have a huge rat problem and
I haven't seen (or even heard of one) around here since.

These are both very much outside cats and are not very friendly towards
humans at all, but after 3 years seeing me, they finally are to the
point they actually come up to me and they have become my little
'Buddies.

Okay...Fast forward to now...I live in a duplexe and now have a new
neighbor who is complaining about the cat scratches to his semi-new
Mercedes Benz, and I cant say that I blame him.

He hasn't told me flat-out to get rid of the cat, (I have 2 but only one
likes to lounge on cars) but he gave a strong enough hint. He says he
knows this 'Nice, Old, Kindly Lady' who just LUVs cats, but I somehow
don't believe this is true, I think he would just dump it off
somewhere...I.E...After 5 months of noticing that although his
Rottweiler pup (in the back-yard) is well fed etc...I cant remember him
(or ANY one) EVER going back there to spend time with her (besides me) i
finally asked him..."So, how do you like having a Rotty ? "...to which
his reply was..."Oh Yeah, soon as she's old enough I'm going to start
breeding her, cause I can get big $$$'s for the puppies ! "

Oh Well...his business, but there you have it..I really have become
rather fond of these cats, and this one in particular, so if there is
ANY advice you can offer I would (and I am sure little Lucy, the cat) be
extremely grateful !

Is this a lost cause ? I know of (actually just seen it advertised) the
spray stuff to keep animals off the furniture or away from plants etc,
but what about automobiles ?

I hope one of you can help me out or I don't see things ending up well
for this cat. I would like to keep her and I don't think she adapts to
change very well...I.E...before this guy moved in Lucy had run of the
whole backyard to herself, then came the dog and I didn't see her for at
least 2 weeks. She must have been under the house or something, and to
the dogs credit, it seems to be more of a 'Pussy-Cat' than both cats are
put together...LOL

Feel free to e-mail me direct.

Thanks in advance.

Chris Mc 3

Chris Mc 3 wrote:


My upstairs neighbor moved out a year ago and couldn't take her 2 cats
with her, so I agreed to take care of them, as I was always just fine
with them here, especially since we used to have a huge rat problem and
I haven't seen (or even heard of one) around here since.

These are both very much outside cats and are not very friendly towards
humans at all, but after 3 years seeing me, they finally are to the
point they actually come up to me and they have become my little
'Buddies.

Okay...Fast forward to now...I live in a duplexe and now have a new
neighbor who is complaining about the cat scratches to his semi-new
Mercedes Benz, and I cant say that I blame him.

He hasn't told me flat-out to get rid of the cat, (I have 2 but only one
likes to lounge on cars) but he gave a strong enough hint. He says he
knows this 'Nice, Old, Kindly Lady' who just LUVs cats, but I somehow
don't believe this is true, I think he would just dump it off
somewhere...I.E...After 5 months of noticing that although his
Rottweiler pup (in the back-yard) is well fed etc...I cant remember him
(or ANY one) EVER going back there to spend time with her (besides me) i
finally asked him..."So, how do you like having a Rotty ? "...to which
his reply was..."Oh Yeah, soon as she's old enough I'm going to start
breeding her, cause I can get big $$$'s for the puppies ! "

Oh Well...his business, but there you have it..I really have become
rather fond of these cats, and this one in particular, so if there is
ANY advice you can offer I would (and I am sure little Lucy, the cat) be
extremely grateful !

Is this a lost cause ? I know of (actually just seen it advertised) the
spray stuff to keep animals off the furniture or away from plants etc,
but what about automobiles ?

I hope one of you can help me out or I don't see things ending up well
for this cat. I would like to keep her and I don't think she adapts to
change very well...I.E...before this guy moved in Lucy had run of the
whole backyard to herself, then came the dog and I didn't see her for at
least 2 weeks. She must have been under the house or something, and to
the dogs credit, it seems to be more of a 'Pussy-Cat' than both cats are
put together...LOL

Feel free to e-mail me direct.

Thanks in advance.

It's a difficult situation Chris. If your neighbour isn't suing you for
damages to his car, I'd say he's a pretty nice guy. I've seen cats who
liked to sleep on cars, but never one that actually put scratches in the
finish. The worst I've had was muddy footprints, which I rather liked.
The rott may be pleasant now, but after a while being tied up with little
socialisation, it is likely to turn ugly,... I would. Under no
circumstances would I give the cat to this fellow, however, and I might
keep a close eye on it. If things get tense, you might even want to try
to keep the cat inside. I know it's hard on the cat, but things might be
unsafe out of doors. You know your neighbourhood best, but it's something
to consider. Try to stay on good terms with the neighbour if possible. It
pays not to make enemies, but of course don't let him walk all over you.
Are you sure the scratches on his car were made by your cat? That's
possible I suppose, but unusual.

--
Peace,
Fred
(Remove FFFf from my email address to reply by email).