Cat Felix
He upset the perfect world of the neighbours
Cat Felix upset the perfect world of the neighbours
When cats disturb the neighbourhood, it can happen that a court is charged with solving the animal problem. In the case of Felix, a 7-years-old tomcat, it was not quite that bad, but he did upset the neighbours' perfect world, and in the end he had to leave.
Cats - lovable pets for some, bird-eating monsters for others
For a long time, the cat has been a popular pet and for many people the only occupation they have left. Cats sense when humans are not feeling well - then they want to be our best friend and lie down next to the sad human. Almost nothing is more soothing than stroking a purring cat, feeling its warmth and seeing how it is happy about the attention.
The least problematic cats are those that live their lives as indoor cats. As soon as they are free-rangers, it may well be that people's minds are divided. Cats run through gardens, through flower beds, they catch and eat birds. They have cat parties in gardens and make a terrible racket during mating season and, of course, they leave their poop behind.
What does the law say?
Neighbour disputes over cats are rarely about noise pollution. In most cases, the cats' own urge to live a free and unbound life, which is only subjected to the influence of humans to a limited extent, is the trigger for disputes. Cats do not respect boundaries. You can call a dog back from a strange garden, but you won't succeed with a cat. In this case, it is about mutual duty of consideration. According to this, everyone should behave in such a way that coexistence is possible.
How do you protect your garden from the velvet paws of the neighbour's cat?
To ensure that a cat does not disturb nesting birds, for example, you can attach a small bell to its collar and the mother bird is forewarned.
Cats love catnip. So you can plant catnip along the stone bed and other types of mint in the herb beds. The velvet paws love to roll around in the catnip and the rest of the bed should be protected.
Cat Felix unfortunately didn't find any catnip and so roamed the gardens of the estate
The white and red tomcat caused quite a stir in the neighbourhood, and the mountain of complaints piled up at the property management. The dispute about the stray Felix even led to the cat owner being given an ultimatum: either Felix was no longer "present" from the 20th of June 2021, or her flat would be terminated along with him.
Thanks heaven for Gut Aiderbichl Teufen
The attempt at conflict-free coexistence had become impossible. It is actually interesting what a small, purring cat can achieve. Now Felix lives happily among his fellow cats in the beautiful cat house at Gut Aiderbichl Teufen in Switzerland.
What's really great is that cats come in all varieties. You can find them to suit every type of personality and mood. But underneath the fur lives, unchanged, one of the freest souls in the world.
Eric Gurney
