A WOMAN has revealed that her neighbour put spikes on their shared fence to stop her cats from jumping up.
And not only do they look ugly, but she’s worried that her beloved furry friends could get really hurt too.
Clearly very frustrated, the angry woman took to social media to reveal all, leaving many open-mouthed.
Posting on r/mildlyinfuriating, the animal lover, who wrote anonymously under the username @MalloryWillow shared a picture of the spikes on her fence and titled her post ‘My neighbours put spikes on our shared fence to stop our cats from jumping up’.
She then revealed: “I didn’t even know they had an issue with our cats, we don’t know them and they’ve never said anything to us about them, these just appeared out of the blue today.
“I wouldn’t mind if they’d talked to us and we’d agreed, but it’s that they put up something that could injure our cats without any warning. We had no idea it was an issue.
“If they’d come to us we would have tried to find a solution, we definitely wouldn’t have just dismissed them.
“I don’t care that they didn’t want our cats in their garden, I care that they put up something that could potentially hurt them with no warning.
“And I change their litter trays every day so if my cats were s******g in their garden I would willingly clean up after if that’s what they wanted.
“I don’t know what we’ll do about it yet, talking to them sounds like a good idea though.”
The woman later confessed: “We don’t know our neighbours and have had bad experiences in the past, we don’t want to start a fight.
“The spikes aren’t likely to hurt them due to how spaced out they are, it’s just irritating that they did this without talking to us.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”I’m fed up with my trashy neighbours but can’t afford to build a privacy fence” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6361193973112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]She then added: “They’re quite spaced out and only a few so I doubt our cats will get hurt, but if they do then they will definitely be paying.
“We’ve decided not to do anything unless one of our cats actually gets hurt.”
Reddit users react
Reddit users were left stunned by the woman’s post and were keen to share their thoughts on the ‘ugly’ spikes in the comments.
One person said: “Please. Those are not going to stop a cat.”
[quote credit=”Reddit user “]Wow, that’s awfully aggressive. Why wouldn’t he just… leave a note?[/quote]To this, the Reddit poster replied: “That’s why this is only mildly infuriating, tbh I laughed when I saw them, they’re so pointless.”
[boxout headline=”Why fence spikes to stop unwanted cats is a good idea “]Associate Editor and keen gardener, Rebecca Miller, agrees with the naughty neighbour…
“Whilst my garden is somewhat of an eyesore (we only moved in two months ago, and the state of the house inside requires our full attention), it doesn’t mean every cat in the area can use it to congregate and catch up like mums after the school run.
Every day, several felines stroll amongst the grass, using the gaps under the fence as a bypass from one garden to the other. They’re brazen creatures – you must always close the back door otherwise a particular black and white cat likes to follow you inside. And mind where you step – both in the back garden and on the driveway, because they poo wherever they feel like it.
Frankly, I’m tired of picking up the poo of someone else’s pet! So I am actively on the side of the neighbour who has caused @MalloryWillow’s upset on Reddit.
I have researched fence spikes specifically for cats – and when I’ve built my Great Wall of China on all three sides of my garden to well and truly block out the neighbours, I will also install spikes to keep the cats out.
Before anyone panics about the welfare of the cats, the spikes are small cones made from plastic or rubber, so whilst they are sturdy, they do not cause harm to animals as they have a blunt tip. Similarly to a gardener using bark or adding stones to bedding to stop cats pooing there, they are just uncomfortable for cats’ paws and make it difficult for them to walk on.
And if that fails, it’s a good excuse to get a dog!”
Another added: “That’s more than mildly infuriating.”
To this, the Reddit poster wrote: “It would be if these would be at all effective, but there’s so few of them and they’re spaced so widely they’re unlikely to do any damage.”
[quote credit=”Reddit poster “]I don’t care that they didn’t want our cats in their garden, I care that they put up something that could potentially hurt them with no warning[/quote]Whilst a third commented: “Wow, that’s awfully aggressive. Why wouldn’t he just… leave a note? Knock on your door?”
However, at the same time, one user claimed: “As someone who has had to deal with neighbours’ cats, I can feel where they’re coming from.”
Meanwhile, someone else questioned: “Maybe they’re for birds?”
To this, the Reddit poster responded: “It’s unlikely, the birds prefer sitting on our roofs, I’ve never seen one on the fence (although tbf that doesn’t mean they don’t go on it) but our cats use it regularly.”