Cat Attacking My Fly Screen + Ban Cats?

My neighbour's cat has a habit of jumping up and holding onto the fly screen… presumably to get some sort of gecko that's there.

This happens most frequently right as I'm trying to fall asleep (at first I thought it was someone trying to break in lol).

Issue is… the fly screen is now damaged.

I'm not necessarily worried about the cost… but I'm curious… if I were to ask my neighbour to pay for the damage…is that reasonable? I mean, it is his cat. I think it's really ridiculous cats are allowed to roam and kill native animals anyway…

P.S.

Title is partially click bait… but… full disclosure I really dislike cats (to the point I'm willing to entertain the suggestion they should actually be banned in Australia)

Comments

  • +3
  • Cat is probably doing it so it for it's claws because it has nothing else to scratch.

  • I used to have a similar problem with neighbours cats. At the time I found Gel gun was the answer, only took 3 times before it never came back on our property. I don't hate cats or dogs, but so many irresponsible owners, so glad I am building in an area where cats are banned from roaming day or night.

    • so glad I am building in an area where cats are banned from roaming day or night

      OP lives in Brisbane where they are also banned from roaming day or night.

      • +2

        then the answer is definitely trap them and drop off at pound. Neighbours responsibility to make sure cat can't roam.

        • Yep used a cat trap here in WA, owner came over to get cat back before i took it to the pound though.

          Told them if i caught it again i would take it straight to the pound.

  • If people want to treat pets as humans, they should be subject to human laws otherwise, they’re just pests

  • -7

    Banning everything seems to be the Australian way. No vaping, no Airsoft games, no speech condeming the government, no riding a pushbike without a helmet… Even GHB is banned, which is ridiculous. It is a neurotransmitter, the endogenous ligand to the GHB receptor. It is in every human's brain, and probably every other animal species too. All taking endogenous GHB does is make you drunk.

    That said, I want a Savannah cat (a serval crossed with felix domesticus, sometimes half and half but many people in America purchase one quarter or one eight serval hybrid). Guess what - banned in Australia too.

    • +2

      Incorrect. You can own an Airsoft gun. Just need a firearms license. Why? Because people used them to rob businesses. The average person cannot tell the difference when they have it pointed at their face along with a demand for money.

      You can also condemn the government. Go on, give it a try. I hate Albanese. There. I didn't get arrested.

      • Aren't Airsoft still legal in Qld without a licence?

    • I'm guessing someone listens to a little too much JRE

  • Keep a spray bottle of water handy and also lay foil in front of your door. Cats hate foil. Check cat foil videos on YouTube.

  • Squirt the cat with a hose. Leaves no lasting damage, harmless to the cat, and kitty gets the message.

    I love cats, but I don't want other peoples' cats in my yard.

  • Cats are the mud race of pets.

    They have been disastrous for Australian wildlife.

    Kill them all. Let their god sort them out.

    • +2

      Cats don't maul posties to death though

  • This won't fix your screen, but once you do replace it, spray it with citrus oil. Cats really don't like it and it may deter the pest from damaging the new screen. At the same time it won't hurt the cat at all.

  • -1

    I say butcher those cats, skin them! Use their fur to keep hundreds warm.

    • +1

      Also a good protein source in these high-cost-of-living times.

  • Vinegar in a spray bottle. Job done and dusted. Cat won't be back.

  • Cats lick their paws… pepper spray the fly screen

  • +1

    Just ask neighbour to pay. If they bag you out and refuse then drop it off at the pound.

  • +2

    Ask the neighbours to replace the screen. If they say no, just mention you'll be hiring traps from the council and issuing a trespass notice

    That's what my council does

  • +1

    There needs to be tougher laws for cat owners who let their cat roam free killing native wildlife. My council has a fine of $180, which isn’t enough of a deterrent and I’ve never heard of anyone ever being charged. More people need to own cat traps. They’re easy enough to set up and when you catch the cat, the council come and collect it. Unless you want to give the cat back to the owner as a taxidermy pet.

  • +1

    Install a low voltage metal screen door and place a fake gecko

  • 22g lead aspirin fixes alot problems

  • +1

    Had a 12vdc 25Amp capable electric fence I engineered up to protect parents bird aviary based in NSW at the time.

    All the sides were grounded and the top of the cage was live.

    The cat that kept climbing on to the top of the cage to scare the birds in their boxes made its nightly visit just after install.

    That was the last time we saw it…… it even managed to take out the fuse i put in.

  • +2

    I have a cat but our cat is completely indoors. In my opinion every cat should be permanently indoors, both for their safety, and for the safety of birds etc that they may attack, and also because people like the OP think that cats should be banned who may well do harm to them if they got the chance. If a potential cat owner isn't willing to entertain a completely indoor cat, or aren't in a position to, then they shouldn't have a cat. That easy.

  • +1

    I love cats …. but fully agree that they need to be contained as they are dangerous to wildlife and flyscreens. You have any right to ask the neighbour to pay for the damage - for me this is just common sense (but so is keeping your cat contained :-). We built a catio outside for the cat so it still can enjoy the outside life.

Login or Join to leave a comment