Neighbor Demands Dogs Next Door Remain Inside Because His Outdoor Cat Doesn't Like Them
Sounds like a you problem, cat dude.
Alexander Varbenov | Shutterstock There are few things more aggravating than annoying neighbors, whether they're noisy, nosy, messy, or just plain old unfriendly. But there's annoying, and then there's what one homeowner on Reddit is dealing with: a level of audacity that would make even the most arrogant blush.
Her neighbor's completely unreasonable expectations have put her in a truly ridiculous conflict over her dogs and the neighbor's cat, which pretty much nobody has any patience for.
The neighbor demanded she keep her dogs indoors because his cat doesn't like them.
Okay, right out the gate, we're already done here: No, bring your cat inside your own house if it's this big of an issue. Problem solved! But, of course, it's never this simple with these kinds of people.
The Redditor wrote in her post that after spending tons of time and money making her backyard exactly the way she wanted it for herself and her dogs, she's spent the last four years using it as a workspace for her job and a place for her pooches to laze around nearby during the day.
But now the neighbors have decided to let their cat become an outdoor cat. And the feline does not approve of what's going on next door. She loves to explore the lady's yard but hates the lady's dogs. That sounds like the cat owner's problem to pretty much anyone not insane, but that is, of course, not how this story goes.
The neighbor insists that walks are enough outdoor time for her dogs and is threatening to call animal control.
Now, in what world is it this woman's responsibility to accommodate the neighbor's cat in her own yard? Nobody sane's, for sure, but that is precisely what the people next door are demanding: They left a nasty note on her door informing her that since their cat likes to hang out in her yard, they insist she keep the dogs away because they scare the cat.
Mind you, her dogs have been trained not to chase cats. All they do is look at the cat and sniff around, which they're allowed to do since IT'S THEIR YARD IN THE FIRST PLACE. (This story has made me feel insane.)
Tamhasip Khan | Pexels | Canva Pro
When she went next door to tell them to get bent, they protested that since she walks her dogs two times a day and takes them on hikes on weekends, that is more than enough outdoor time, and "it's cruel of me to deprive their cat from going in my yard especially since it likes lying down in some of my plants."
When she told them that literally none of that is her problem, they told her they would call animal control on her dogs the next time they saw their cat bolting from her yard and slammed the door in her face. These people are absolutely unhinged.
The woman dug into it and found she is under no obligations whatsoever to accommodate these demands.
Oopsie! Turns out the local laws are on the dog owner's side. Municipal ordinances require cats to be contained to their owner's own property and no further. So the homeowner has begun fighting fire with fire by reangling her security cameras toward the neighbor's house and documenting each and every time their cat "trespasses" on her property.
At commenters' suggestions, she is also planting flowers and plants that cats hate, like geraniums and rosemary, and is adding non-toxic essential oils and things like orange peels and pinecones around the area that cats supposedly dislike the smell of.
Still, she remains worried that her neighbors will retaliate in a way that will hurt her dogs. Commenters called out stories about people throwing poisoned treats into the yards of dogs they don't like, for example. "The escalation is actually my worst fear," she wrote, though thankfully, she's trained her dogs from the beginning not to accept treats or food from strangers.
Regardless, this story is insane, and it is unconscionable that someone has to live like this simply because her neighbors think the world revolves around their cat. Keep those cameras running, lady, and call a lawyer if you must. Because sometimes that's the only thing that works with people this entitled.
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
