I need a diplomatic soltuion to a little problem

lumberjim · 10-09-2005, 10:59 AM

Our neighbor's cat keeps ripping my trash apart. Even in the frigging rain last night, it was out there. fucker. I like my neighbor. They're very nice and accomodating, and I don't wan't to piss them off by killing the little bastard, or offend them by insinuating that they don't feed it. I suppose I could go buy a couple more extra large trash cans, but I don;t really have a good place to keep them. So, what would miss manners do? do they make a gentle cat poison that will just make it sick? Should I get a BB gun and wing the cat?

elSicomoro · 10-09-2005, 11:02 AM

Have you brought the problem to their attention yet?

lumberjim · 10-09-2005, 11:26 AM

no. part of me says that they should be aware of it by the little scraps of trash that are visible in our shared driveway. And, obviously, I need to tell them about it, it's just a matter of how to phrase it so that I don't create angst. They're simple blue collar types, so I'm not worried about them taking offense easily, but they let the damn cat out all the time. How could they stop it from getting into my trash even if they wanted to, apart from keeping it indoors?

tw · 10-09-2005, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lumberjim

I suppose I could go buy a couple more extra large trash cans, but I don;t really have a good place to keep them. So, what would miss manners do?

Miss manners would do what is required even by law in most towns. Trash must be in trash cans. If your trash was in the cans, then problems solved - both legal and feral.

Undertoad · 10-09-2005, 11:50 AM

After taking the bags to the curb, urinate on them. Or for the sake of your trash guys, urinate *around* them.

Make a moat. Be creative.

lumberjim · 10-09-2005, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tw

Miss manners would do what is required even by law in most towns. Trash must be in trash cans. If your trash was in the cans, then problems solved - both legal and feral.

I don't think there is any law about the trash having to be in trash cans in my town.

xoxoxoBruce · 10-09-2005, 12:02 PM

Dog. Hide it in the bag.
Be sure to retrieve it before the trash man comes.

or
Hi neighbor.
Hi Jim, how's it going.
Cock. Something is tearing up my trash bags every week. I'm going to start putting poison in the bags so keep your cat in on trash nights. Wouldn't want the little darling to get some by accident.
OK, thanks for the heads up.

wolf · 10-09-2005, 12:42 PM

Cayenne Pepper. Won't kill the cat, but it should only take a sniff or two at the bags before the cat figures out they are fun any more.

Radar · 10-09-2005, 01:23 PM

Hello Neighbor, I don't know if you've noticed the scraps of trash between our houses lately, but they are the result of your cats ripping through and digging through my trash. I'd prefer not to put your cats into a burlap bag with a few stones and throw it into the river. Can you help me think of a solution where I wouldn't have to take such drastic actions?

10-09-2005, 01:48 PM

Have you actually seen the cat doing this? In my area we have raccoons that pull this stunt. Dogs will, too. Everyone around here just deals with the problem by using trash cans bungeed shut.

Pouring moth balls and ammonia into the bag might give whatever critter is pulling the trick pause - at least for a while until you stop doing it.

Elspode · 10-09-2005, 03:55 PM

Buy an enormous jug of sudsy ammonia at the Dollar Store. Pour some in/on the trash bags before leaving them at the curb. *Nothing* will screw with them.

elSicomoro · 10-09-2005, 04:54 PM

I'd go with Bruce's idea. You could say something like, "I think raccoons might be getting into my trash cans."

jinx · 10-09-2005, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce

Hi neighbor.
Hi Jim, how's it going.
Cock.

Tonchi · 10-09-2005, 08:27 PM

A 32-gal plastic trash can on wheels with a twist-lock top is available at Walmart for $12.00 or thereabouts. If you have a garage or carport they fit just fine out of the way, otherwise keep them on the other side of the gate leading to your back yard until time to roll them to the curb. No cat or any other critter can get into these, even if they knock them over it will not cause them to spill. The only down side is the sealed can standing in the sun creates a miasma which may knock you senseless when you open it to add another donation. This was my solution when I lived in Tucson, where the coyotes are so daring they will even walk into the kitchen and ask what's for dinner if you leave the back door open.

Not so sure about the amonia. When I lived in Albuquerque in the 70's, the City got the brilliant idea that they could save money by going to once-weekly trash collection and requiring the residents to put all trash in those big ol' brown trash bags and leave them curbside. In addition to the 100+ degree temperatures in Albuquerque, the leash law was barely enforced in those days and packs of mutts roamed down the residential streets on collection mornings, ripping open all those piles of bagged trash and strewing it everywhere. Threats to use shotguns on the dogs and mobs of furious residents in the municipal offices had no effect, as far as the City of Albuquerque was concerned we only had to sprinkle the bags with a little amonia and that would solve any problems. NOT. Absolutely. No. Effect. A whole bottle didn't even phase them. After a miserable 6 months of this I moved into an apartment complex with dumpsters and was able to stop dealing with City utilities, so I don't know if the dogs got the best of the residents or not.

The only things I have ever seen stop cats were pinecones on the ground or mousetraps, although I imagine homemade nail strips might work also. Somehow I can't imagine somebody laying out this kind of barrier around their trash 24/7, and besides, the little buggers can jump amazingly if they put their minds to it. I adore animals, but if ANY stray cat comes around spraying on my patio or pooping in my flowers, they will be greeted with violence. Strays can spread diseases, and I don't want the area contaminated where T'Pau, Queen of the Universe, might pick up something.

seakdivers · 10-09-2005, 08:51 PM

Garbage is a tricky issue up here. We have been told that if we have *anything* stinky in our garbage cans or outside our homes, then we can be ticketed with baiting bears. God forbid we shoot one for being on our porch.
They want us to freeze our "stinky" garbage until pickup day, then put it out. Our garbage can is plenty scarred from bears, even with nothing "stinky" in it.
Cats - hmm...... I have a few, and yes, they will get into anything, but frankly the responsibilty lies with the owner.... do you know if this (or these) cats are always outdoors?

Here's what a friend of ours did.... he got a live trap, and once he had the cat, he sprayed it down with some kind of non-toxic neon paint, let it go, and whaddya know - it never came back.

10-09-2005, 10:59 AM	#1
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	I need a diplomatic soltuion to a little problem Our neighbor's cat keeps ripping my trash apart. Even in the frigging rain last night, it was out there. fucker. I like my neighbor. They're very nice and accomodating, and I don't wan't to piss them off by killing the little bastard, or offend them by insinuating that they don't feed it. I suppose I could go buy a couple more extra large trash cans, but I don;t really have a good place to keep them. So, what would miss manners do? do they make a gentle cat poison that will just make it sick? Should I get a BB gun and wing the cat? __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

10-09-2005, 11:26 AM	#3
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	no. part of me says that they should be aware of it by the little scraps of trash that are visible in our shared driveway. And, obviously, I need to tell them about it, it's just a matter of how to phrase it so that I don't create angst. They're simple blue collar types, so I'm not worried about them taking offense easily, but they let the damn cat out all the time. How could they stop it from getting into my trash even if they wanted to, apart from keeping it indoors? __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

10-09-2005, 12:02 PM	#7
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Dog. Hide it in the bag. Be sure to retrieve it before the trash man comes. or Hi neighbor. Hi Jim, how's it going. Cock. Something is tearing up my trash bags every week. I'm going to start putting poison in the bags so keep your cat in on trash nights. Wouldn't want the little darling to get some by accident. OK, thanks for the heads up. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

10-09-2005, 12:42 PM	#8
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Cayenne Pepper. Won't kill the cat, but it should only take a sniff or two at the bags before the cat figures out they are fun any more. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

10-09-2005, 01:23 PM	#9
Radar Constitutional Scholar Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Ocala, FL Posts: 4,006	Hello Neighbor, I don't know if you've noticed the scraps of trash between our houses lately, but they are the result of your cats ripping through and digging through my trash. I'd prefer not to put your cats into a burlap bag with a few stones and throw it into the river. Can you help me think of a solution where I wouldn't have to take such drastic actions? __________________ "I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death." - George Carlin

10-09-2005, 11:02 AM	#2
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Have you brought the problem to their attention yet?

10-09-2005, 11:50 AM	#5
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	After taking the bags to the curb, urinate on them. Or for the sake of your trash guys, urinate around them. Make a moat. Be creative.

10-09-2005, 01:48 PM	#10
marichiko Guest Posts: n/a	Have you actually seen the cat doing this? In my area we have raccoons that pull this stunt. Dogs will, too. Everyone around here just deals with the problem by using trash cans bungeed shut. Pouring moth balls and ammonia into the bag might give whatever critter is pulling the trick pause - at least for a while until you stop doing it.

10-09-2005, 03:55 PM	#11
Elspode When Do I Get Virtual Unreality? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Raytown, Missouri Posts: 12,719	Buy an enormous jug of sudsy ammonia at the Dollar Store. Pour some in/on the trash bags before leaving them at the curb. Nothing will screw with them. __________________ "To those of you who are wearing ties, I think my dad would appreciate it if you took them off." - Robert Moog

10-09-2005, 04:54 PM	#12
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	I'd go with Bruce's idea. You could say something like, "I think raccoons might be getting into my trash cans."

10-09-2005, 08:27 PM	#14
Tonchi Victim of gravity Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hiding in plain sight Posts: 1,412	A 32-gal plastic trash can on wheels with a twist-lock top is available at Walmart for $12.00 or thereabouts. If you have a garage or carport they fit just fine out of the way, otherwise keep them on the other side of the gate leading to your back yard until time to roll them to the curb. No cat or any other critter can get into these, even if they knock them over it will not cause them to spill. The only down side is the sealed can standing in the sun creates a miasma which may knock you senseless when you open it to add another donation. This was my solution when I lived in Tucson, where the coyotes are so daring they will even walk into the kitchen and ask what's for dinner if you leave the back door open. Not so sure about the amonia. When I lived in Albuquerque in the 70's, the City got the brilliant idea that they could save money by going to once-weekly trash collection and requiring the residents to put all trash in those big ol' brown trash bags and leave them curbside. In addition to the 100+ degree temperatures in Albuquerque, the leash law was barely enforced in those days and packs of mutts roamed down the residential streets on collection mornings, ripping open all those piles of bagged trash and strewing it everywhere. Threats to use shotguns on the dogs and mobs of furious residents in the municipal offices had no effect, as far as the City of Albuquerque was concerned we only had to sprinkle the bags with a little amonia and that would solve any problems. NOT. Absolutely. No. Effect. A whole bottle didn't even phase them. After a miserable 6 months of this I moved into an apartment complex with dumpsters and was able to stop dealing with City utilities, so I don't know if the dogs got the best of the residents or not. The only things I have ever seen stop cats were pinecones on the ground or mousetraps, although I imagine homemade nail strips might work also. Somehow I can't imagine somebody laying out this kind of barrier around their trash 24/7, and besides, the little buggers can jump amazingly if they put their minds to it. I adore animals, but if ANY stray cat comes around spraying on my patio or pooping in my flowers, they will be greeted with violence. Strays can spread diseases, and I don't want the area contaminated where T'Pau, Queen of the Universe, might pick up something. __________________ Everything you've ever heard about Fresno is true.

10-09-2005, 08:51 PM	#15
seakdivers Icy Queen Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southeast Alaska Posts: 700	Garbage is a tricky issue up here. We have been told that if we have anything stinky in our garbage cans or outside our homes, then we can be ticketed with baiting bears. God forbid we shoot one for being on our porch. They want us to freeze our "stinky" garbage until pickup day, then put it out. Our garbage can is plenty scarred from bears, even with nothing "stinky" in it. Cats - hmm...... I have a few, and yes, they will get into anything, but frankly the responsibilty lies with the owner.... do you know if this (or these) cats are always outdoors? Here's what a friend of ours did.... he got a live trap, and once he had the cat, he sprayed it down with some kind of non-toxic neon paint, let it go, and whaddya know - it never came back.

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