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#11
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Aaargh - busybody neighbor! :(
tanadashoes wrote:
"Sharon" wrote in message ... Don't let your cat outside. *************** This is not very practical in this case. Smudge gets out no matter what. LOL, and when she is unable to get out, she's miserable, and she makes sure everyone within earshot is also miserable. -- Joyce ^..^ To email me, remove the XXX from my user name. |
#12
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Aaargh - busybody neighbor! :(
Marina wrote:
I don't know what I would do, but wanted to send purrs and don't-feed-Smudge vibes to your neighbour. Thank you! One good thing: the neighbor also told me she would be going out of town for a while. I think she was telling me this as a way of warning me that Smudge would not be getting her meals from this woman while she's away. Like, this would be a problem for me?? She really doesn't get it. And she will be back home again at some point! I once caught a glimpse of a little girl who was throwing something into the enclosure, and Caliban was eagerly jumping on whatever she was throwing and gobbling it up. The girl ran away when I came to the door. I caught Caliban and put him inside and went to investigate. I found some sort of cat treat (I assume) scattered on the ground. No harm came to Caliban, but I'll admit I was really angry at that girl. I never saw her again, though. The treats were such a disgusting bright purple colour, I can't understand why anyone even would give that to their pet. I could only hope Caliban didn't eat many of them. That's gross. I can understand you being mad. She probably thought she was doing a nice thing for the cute kitty, but how frustrating for you. Here you are trying to train Caliban to live with less food than he would like, and she's throwing him treats. Yucky purple treats at that! Are you sure it was even a pet treat? -- Joyce ^..^ To email me, remove the XXX from my user name. |
#13
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Aaargh - busybody neighbor! :(
MaryL -out-the-litter wrote:
I don't know where you live or what your financial resources are, so this may not be very practical. However, some people have fenced their back yard with an extension on the top that prevents cats from escaping. Other than keeping your cat indoors as much as possible, I don't know of any other steps to take. You have already spoken to the neighbor (more than once), and she sounds like someone who will ignore what you say and go right on doing what she wants to do. I don't have a yard - I live in an apartment building. It's in a nice residential area where most of the homes are private homes, with a few small apartment buildings (mine has 4 apartments). It's a quiet neighborhood with curvy side streets and not a lot of traffic. But I don't have an outdoor area where I could build an enclosure, unfortunately! I might have to start forcing Smudge to stay inside until I've gotten up and fed her. I keep a late schedule and don't get up until about 9:30 or 10 AM. When I get up to pee in the early morning (around 5), Smudge runs to the door to go outside. If I don't wake up on my own, she will wake me up to be let out. I don't feed her before letting her out. That might be something I could try doing. -- Joyce ^..^ To email me, remove the XXX from my user name. |
#14
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Aaargh - busybody neighbor! :(
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#15
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Aaargh - busybody neighbor! :(
wrote in message
... "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote: wrote: What would you guys do about this situation? For now, I don't have to do anything since she said she would stop again. But I have a funny feeling this isn't over. I'd like to be ready with a strategy for dealing with it if it comes up again. Is there any way you can confine Smudge to her own yard, so the neighbor doesn't get the chance to interfere? I don't have a yard - I live in an apartment building. I used to keep Smudge tethered to the railing in the stairwell (the stairs to my apt. are outdoors), so she could go down and hang out in the bushes. But (1) she almost died when dogs attacked her and she was unable to run away, and (2) I would never have left her like that when I wasn't home, anyway. I agree you don't want to antagonize your neighbor without cause, but you are more forbearing than I. If I were in your place, once she was aware Smudge had a home but continued feeding her, I would start talking about forms of legal recourse, such as "restraining orders"! ;-) I was wondering if I had any legal recourse, but I don't believe this woman is breaking any laws, and she certainly isn't harming my cat. She's causing more inconvenience for me than for Smudge, although I think the food I give her is better quality. I know the woman means well, but she's very pushy and she seems to have an attitude about me, that I'm not taking care of Smudge properly or something. I guess in her mind, that justifies what she's doing. -- Joyce ^..^ Do you suppose you could get your vet to write a letter, stating that Smudge is in good health, and that what you are feeding her is exactly what and how much she should be fed? Maybe you could even draft such a letter, and ask if it could be put on the vet's stationery and signed by the vet. If you gave that to your neighbor, she wouldn't have any excuse to continue feeding her. I don't know if this is possible, or if it would really help, but it's the only thing I can think of. Joy |
#16
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Aaargh - busybody neighbor! :(
wrote in message
I have this neighbor who seems to be convinced that I'm starving my cat. Her concern was touching at first, but now it's just getting annoying. *snip* What would you guys do about this situation? For now, I don't have to do anything since she said she would stop again. But I have a funny feeling this isn't over. I'd like to be ready with a strategy for dealing with it if it comes up again. I can see two solutions to the problem. 1) Get up that hour earlier and feed Smudge before she does (or let him free feed), or, 2) Let the silly woman feed Smudge out of her own pocket. For option 2, If Smudge needs a specific sort of food because of a medical problem, then take some to the woman and explain how much he needs and when and what will happen to him if he doesn't get that particular type of no doubt very expensive prescription food (feel free with the 'artistic licence' with that). Give her some of it, but not alot, so any further feedings she will have to pay for herself (nothing is more discouraging for most people than a large out of pocket expense for what is someone else's problem). If Smudge doesn't need prescription food, I'd be tempted to just let him enjoy his 'sneaky' snackings - if he doesn't get them from that neighbour then there are no doubt other neighbours who will fall for his poor half starving waif act. Just make it very clear to all and sundry that Smudge is *your* cat and the poor half starved waif thing is truly just and act and that they are under no obligation to feed him whatsoever. A collar and tags (if he doesn't already have them) go a long way in identifying a 'wandering' cat from a 'stray'. Despite your feelings towards the woman, Smudge is obviously OK with her and enjoys her company, and her food! Personally, I'd trust Smudge and let him do what he clearly enjoys. He does come home to you, after all! Yowie -- If you're paddling upstream in a canoe and a wheel falls off, how many pancakes can you fit in a doghouse? None, icecream doesn't have bones. |
#17
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Aaargh - busybody neighbor! :(
"Yowie" wrote in message ... wrote in message If Smudge doesn't need prescription food, I'd be tempted to just let him enjoy his 'sneaky' snackings - if he doesn't get them from that neighbour then there are no doubt other neighbours who will fall for his poor half starving waif act. Just make it very clear to all and sundry that Smudge is *your* cat and the poor half starved waif thing is truly just and act and that they are under no obligation to feed him whatsoever. A collar and tags (if he doesn't already have them) go a long way in identifying a 'wandering' cat from a 'stray'. Despite your feelings towards the woman, Smudge is obviously OK with her and enjoys her company, and her food! Personally, I'd trust Smudge and let him do what he clearly enjoys. He does come home to you, after all! Yowie -- The problem with this solution is that we should always be aware of exactly how much our cats are eating (not just prescription diets). This woman probably has the best of intentions, but her actions mean that there is no way to know what Smudge is eating or how to describe it to a vet. Here's an example from my personal experience, but it involved a pony instead of a cat. When I was a child, we had a Shetland pony that suddenly did not act right. I was pretty young and don't remember all the details, but one thing I remember is that she seemed to look a little bloated and was walking with some stiffness. My parents had the vet come out to check her--and she had foundered. Everyone was puzzled and distressed. They finally learned that our neighbors had been throwing corn stalks (from their corn field) over the fence for our ponies to enjoy. They would pick some corn and then toss some stalks over the fence. It was a large pasture, and we didn't often get to that back area. Here, again, the neighbors thought they were doing a good deed but they actually caused severe physical problems. Our pony recovered, but there were lingering effects for the rest of her life. MaryL |
#18
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Aaargh - busybody neighbor! :(
wrote in message ... I have this neighbor who seems to be convinced that I'm starving my cat. Her concern was touching at first, but now it's just getting annoying. A bit insulting, too. Be very careful. You know what happened to KFC, I wouldn't like it to happen to Smudge. You've had a warning about what your neighbour thinks, so although it will be difficult and not ideal, I'd be inclined to keep Smudge inside for now. Tweed |
#19
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Aaargh - busybody neighbor! :(
About a month ago, a neighbor of mine came over to my house to inform
me that Smudge has been getting fed by several neighbors, including herself, and she seemed extremely hungry. [...] I told my neighbor about this, and I asked her to stop feeding Smudge so I could control what she ate. For one thing, I get very good food for my cats - Wellness brand canned food, which has almost no grains, no additives, junk fillers, etc. It's healthy food. Maybe the neighbour might get the point if you offered her a supply of the food you give Smudge, so if she was going to feed her at all she'd get what was appropriate? (I doubt she'd actually take you up on it; the point is the implicit message). ==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === http://www.campin.me.uk ==== Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557 CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts ****** I killfile Google posts - email me if you want to be whitelisted ****** |
#20
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Aaargh - busybody neighbor! :(
wrote in message ... I have this neighbor who seems to be convinced that I'm starving my cat. Her concern was touching at first, but now it's just getting annoying. A bit insulting, too. If you've followed my story about Smudge conning the neighbors out of food and treats, In a perfect world you wouldn't have to deal with this. As I see it there are three unsuitable options. 1. Keep Smudge in. 2. Convince others not to feed him when her when she is out. 3. Live with it. You might have some success in convincing her that if Smudge isn't coming home for breakfast, she isn't getting the aspirin she needs. Or not. Heaven forbid she get into her head to try to give Smudge aspirin herself. Sounds like, like it or not, you may be stuck with 'accept the things you cannot change' Jo |
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