So aside from the joke frustration I posted last week - and yes, Xander does know/is learning how to better blow his nose - something else has been going on that's becoming mind-consuming.
Our neighbor hates our cats.
They apparently like to sleep in his yard. At least, that's what he's told the Homeowner's Association and the private security guards in our area; we've heard from the HOA twice, and the security guards have now come out three times. All of them are very apologetic, saying to our faces that the cats are very nice and that this is getting really overblown. But the fact remains.
The HOA statutes say that pets have to be contained in one's yard. Yet, there are lots of cats running around here. Sacramento City statutes say that cats are free-roaming animals, and are allowed to go wherever they want, whether they be house or stray. Jonathan and our landlord (who's a litigator) aren't too worried about this going to a lawsuit, but we are willing to if need be.
We've offered to clip their claws so they can't climb the fence, and to pay for that sticky stuff to put up all around his backyard fence to discourage them from getting in. To no avail. The neighbor made clear tonight that if any of them put one paw on his property, they're infringing on his rights and "are violating his world." To say that he's a little irrational on this issue would be putting it mildly. Jonathan's concerned that he would actually hurt the cats, to the extent that he wants someone else to take them for as long as we live here. I think that's excessive... but then I'm also more naive and trusting than he is, and I know that.
Any ideas?
Wow, that's really sad that your neighbor feels that way. :-( Depending on how athletic your cats are, I really can't think of anything except extreme measures (ridiculously high privacy fence, screened in enclosure area, etc.) to absolutely guarantee that they would stay out of his yard. If Jonathan feels the threat to the well being of the cats is that likely, how would your cats react to becoming indoor only?
ReplyDeleteWish I could offer some kind of advice. Rational solutions don't apply when the complainant is irrational. It sounds as if the City Statutes trump the HOA's regulations regarding pet cats so I can see a lawsuit in the future, but I do share Jonathan's concern for the physical safety of your cats.
ReplyDeleteAll of you are in my thoughts and I will keep on praying for Good Neighbors. I've been doing that for 25 years, since I moved into this apartment.
They would HATE being indoor cats, and would shred our furniture, poop on things... we tried it before and it sucked. And we can't make a fence because we rent. :( Even worse, the HOA just told us that we have 30 days to get rid of them - I'm seriously considering a lawsuit at this point.
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