Of Cats, Gardens, And Neighborly Peace-Making

--by cf, posted Oct 25, 2013

Yesterday, my older neighbor who painstakingly cares for part of our garden was in for a shock. Apparently, my cat, Rocco, had left a turd in his perfect flower beds.

Fortunately, I wasn't home when this happened, so he vented to my friend and neighbor, K. She was kind enough to listen to him and to go down into the garden with him to have a look. She even took a picture!

When I got home, she had left a message on my answering machine about the incident. Hearing it was about my cat again, my stomach turned. The year before, he'd gotten so upset that he had threatened to put rat traps on the premises, hoping that would intimidate me into keeping my cats indoors. So, I was a little apprehensive.

But I couldn't help but laugh when I heard K tell me what the whole fiasco was all about. I understand that gardening is important to my neighbor-- that the perfect order he keeps his patch in is soothing for his soul.

So when I saw him in the garden later on, I went to talk to him.
And lo and behold, it turned out quite nicely. I was really surprised to find that I had the wits not to answer his more negatively tinted comments.

Instead, I engaged him in conversation on the beautiful flowers he'd planted, the color combinations, and the care he took to create such a sense of order. I tried to convey my understanding and appreciation without sucking up or talking down to him.

I was really amazed by how that turned out. We haven't had a conversation like that for over a year!

Later on, when my cat Rocco came in, I cooed to him, "You flower-bed pooper! You poopy-peace-maker!" ;-)

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Posted by cf
Oct 25, 2013
Comments (12)

Readers Comments

jsmc10 wrote: oh my gosh, the neighbour sounds slightly horrid :/ a cat is a cat, it's what they do, it doesn't take much to clear it up, you can't control cats especially, I would've complained to someone, maybe the local rspca if someone had threatened to put traps out for my cat! :( I'm glad it worked out ok in the end though and you managed to steer the conversation into positive things, that's pretty amazing :)

Mish wrote: We had a cat-war on our block last summer...we have a large number of ferals & altho we did TNR on 14 of them to control the population, that does not help with poops...one garden-lover collected all the cat poop in her garden & tossed it on the porch of the neighbor who feeds many cats... nasty thing to do! I don't enjoy the smell or having to do daily poop checks/collections but I am an avid cat lover, so I pick it up & do not make a big deal. Civility is the way to go but some get "temporarily nutso" unfortunately. But if you are not a cat lover I guess you see things differently.
Great you were able to be proactive here... good on you! :)))

Dobby wrote: Well, I have 5 cats, all indoors, and I think cat boxes are the worst. Esp. with a bunch of cats who seem to have a contest as to who can leave the stinkiest one uncovered. LOL!

I had to laugh at this tho! Poopy peacemaker! LOL!

I'm really glad you had such a great talk with him and esp. that you resisted engaging in negative contact. That's not easy, so I cheer you for choosing the better path.

Now, is it coincidence that I'm typesetting a book on intestinal health and poo? Hmmmmm...

Dobby wrote: p.s. Here's one of 2 things I thought I'd never experience in my life time. A post called Cat Poo Peace. LOL!

And pulling socks out of my mastiff's butt. Never saw THAT coming!

princessliz wrote: The names you gave to the kitty are so funny! X)
Glad there's peace in the neighbourhood, and it came in the most unexpected way too.

cf wrote: I gave some thought to what someone suggested, namely that I offer to pick up the cat poop in my neighbor's flower beds. I ended up offering the deed to him, but he turned it down. He's put up two sonar repellents on his patch, and hopes that will keep the cats away. Me too - don't think I could have done that deed gladly! :-)

cf wrote: Haha - just laughed my ass off at reading Dobby's second "never thought that was going to happen"! LOL

Mish wrote: Cf, what are "sonar repellents"? Tx.

cf wrote: Hi Mish! That's a battery-driven device emitting high or ultra-high frequency sounds, which are supposedly a deterrent for mice and cats or some other animals. Humans usually can't hear the sounds (I was told teenagers do, and that you can use them to discourage teens from hanging out at places they're "not supposed to", since their hearing is more sensitive still).

The devices are coupled to a motion-detector: If an animal crosses the sensory field of the motion detector, the sound goes off. Some devices have a programm that will only have them go off at certain intervals, so that animals don't get used to the noise and it happening at a regular spot.
My neighbor bought another two now, to cover the garden patch with the most flower beds. I was upset at first, but my cats seem well, so I'm only sad he can't relax. At the same time I'm grateful, it's a relatively non-violent solution to his problem...

martha wrote: Being a cat owner who allows his animals to poo on someone else's flower beds is not an act of peace, it is an act of (passive) aggression.

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