Cat spikes

[Fair Justice]

Our garden is being visited by a neighbours Tom cat who fouls in our garden. I want to fit cat spikes to our 6ft wooden fence to deter the cat.
The neighbour the other side of the fence is not the owner of the cat but has asked me not to fit the spikes as he does not want his children to injure themselves on the spikes (plastic and legally compliant).
However I feel I have a right and a duty to ensure our garden is a safe place for our grand daughter to play
What are my rights/options?

thanks - Fair Justice.

[Wylderose]

Rather than use something that although made of plastic is designed to injure, why don't your try some of the more ethical repellents such Coleus Canina or an Ultra Sonic repellent. If you add spikes on top of your fence, then you would be deliberately placing something there that could injure another person or an animal. I am sure there are other ways of deterring the cat that would not end up antagonising your neighbours

[Fair Justice]

Thank you for your comments.
To be honest I have tried a variety of deterrents including ultrasonic scarers, sprays, powders etc.
I just want to be able to provide a clean safe garden for my grand daughter to play in!
That I believe is not just my right but also my duty.
I find it strange that in this country that the cat owners can be completely indifferent to the mess that their pets cause in other peoples gardens.
Surely cat owners should be more responsible!
Especially when they know their cat is a nuisance and a health hazard to others.
Last year I removed approx 70 cat foulings from near our front door.
Since then we have had the lawn and earth border removed and pebbles and slabs have replaced them.
In spite of the controversy about cat spikes they do work.
The tom cat in question is very determined to use mainly our back garden as its personal toilet.
I think just like a farmer has to use barbed wire not because he wants to hurt his animals but because it works keeping them contained where they should be!

[des8]

If you fit plastic cat deterrent spikes to the top of a 6' fence how are your neighbour's children going to hurt themselves.?
If they are too young to understand the possible problem they will be too small to reach the top of the fence.
If they are tall enough to reach the top of your fence they are old enough to be taught not to grab the top of someone else's fence

Tell the neighbour that if he has concerns he should educate his children to respect other peoples property!

[Captain Haddock]

I fail to see how the rubber/plastic climbing deterrent spikes can harm animals or children as they should be savvy enough not to grab/step on them. They are a deterrent and only the foolish would attempt to traverse them.

Sadly, I know of someone who was at one point pestered by children climbing her high garden wall and crushing her garden plants and flowers in an attempt to retrieve footballs. To prevent this she installed the rubber spikes and smeared them with anti-climb paint. This did not solve them problem but actually exacerbated it, with various male parents levelling abuse at her over the installation of these deterrents. They suddenly started to disappear from the wall and some were contemptuously thrown back into the garden.

I would tread wearily as your neighbour has already fired off a salvo about his kids' well-being and on this issue I wholeheartedly agree with Des on this.

As to the cat, you're entitled to try keep it out and I'd personally fit the rubber spikes. But I'd let that neighbour know so that he can school his kids into keeping away from that 6 foot fence! ;-)

[tungiiq]

This is an option, I also had a similar situation, but I solved it in a completely different way. I have long wanted a cat or a cat, so I decided to just feed him when he climbed over to me. I poured him Blackwood Chicken Meal & Field Pea Recipe Grain -Free Dry Dog Food and after that I tamed it and he lived with me. It's pretty good, because now I have a favorite pet without which I can’t imagine my life. I advise you to just look at this situation from the other side

[des8]

Briilliant! I haven't a cat, but if I did I sure would feed him dogfood from the states!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!