Hi,

A few months ago we bought a flat in CH and we informed the administration that we do have a cat and we need to do a cat stair for her. The administration said that was fine and I told them where the cat stair will be. However because of the hight of the flat we have been advise from the carpenters to do a cat flap in the main door of the building instead but because of the neighbours we were not allowed to do so.

We finally installed the cat stair yesterday and since then we have three people from the building complaining about it.... they said they think that our cat will jump into their balconies etc. and they are so scare of cats....because of their religion They ask me to do further work to the cat stair that already cost me more than one 1500 CHf and everyone pretends something different!!! how can I make everybody happy and why do I have to respond?

Thanks

A cat lover miauuuu

Forward their 'concerns' to apartment management. If the management already approved the cat stair, tell your neighbors politely that the stair was approved and to discuss it with the management. Let them know you will be responsible for your pet & if the cat does somehow get on their balconies, you will promptly come to collect the cat.

They are really scare of the cat, just the idea that the cat will be around make them not sleep anymore)

Do they sleep on their balcony?

If they lock their balcony doors, the cat shouldn't be able to get in...

I find the idea of such notions pretty intriguing - what religion is this which causes people to be so afraid of cats?


Meanwhile, as part of your solution, perhaps you can enclose the stair in some way so that the cat can only go enter and exit at appropriate places - the top (your balcony) and the bottom.

Maybe you can affix a mesh tunnel similar to this one to the cat stair.

The whole idea is so weird, I have been living in 4 different countries in my life but I have never seen how adults can be so scare of a cat.... ohh got how much this gonna cost me

And again, you have to train the cat to open the door...

I have 2 nieces who are scared to death of my very old cat.... They drive me mad when they act so scared and crazy. And next to them my 3 years old and my 7 months hug and kiss the cat...

Can't give any advice... but I too have met adults who are scared of cats, and who get very cross with those who encourage their presence. Or, to be precise, one adult.

I was in hopsital and there was a cat hanging around the building. Myself (and most of the other patients) loved the cat... who also loved us... but one man became frantic every time it came into the building (if he saw it). One day I had the misfortune to enter the common room at the same time as the cat entered (I hadn't let her in - she'd worked out how to use the automatic doors). I, being a cat lover, bent down and stroked the cat... this other patient became very agitated, started shouting for the nurses to take the cat away and shouting at me because I always let the cat in and cats brought bad luck and were dangerous...

I guess it takes all kinds to make a world...

In some very traditional Christian groups, as in the Middle Ages, cats are associated with the Devil, especially black cats. And in Saudi, the ownership of cats and dogs is strongly disapproved of.

I just love cats, but why should somebody have to close their balcony doors to stop a cat entering their apartment if they don't want them to?
Which floor are you on? A cat ladder beyond first floor is the cause of many accidents for cats.

The religion thing is utter bull*hit. I did a whole term of religions of the world type stuff and we covered about 120 of them - none had fear of cats. There was unclean dogs and pigs (but then Mohammed owned cats), holy cows, holy-all-animals-so-we-wear-special shoes, scared of sex with women (like REALLY scared) - none scared of cats.

But since you have to get on with the neighbours and you don't want your cat harmed when it picks their balcony, I'd go with something like PegA posted.

Yes I suppose that there is nothing that I can do to convince them to change their religion but the funny fact is that the cat does not seem interested in going to the cat stair) ....yes is quite high 3 floor but she uses to go on the cat stair in the previous flat and it was a second floor, she is a very sweet swiss cat is the only good thing that I have from CH

Totally agree that it is ******it - but a quick Google will confirm that some people do feel that way, some Christians, in voodoo and in Saudi (yes despite the fact Muhammad liked cats).

We once had neighbours with cats and it almost turned into guerilla warfare. They were also high off the ground but too high to do a stairway. This meant the cats had to use our terrace to get to the road. Unfortunately the people who had lived in the apartment before us used to feed the cats. We found the cats in our apartment and they regularly turned over our flower beds. At the time we didn't have dogs. Our relationship with our neighbour became so bad that we ended up having the landlord waive our notice period so that we could move out as soon as we had found something else. If I was in your neighbour's shoes and started having visions of your cats on my balcony, well I would probably start getting antsy too....

And why is it that cats are allowed to roam all over and do whatever business they have wherever they feel like it, but dogs are treated like the ultimate pariahs?

The Swiss used to butcher cats and serve them for lunch. I know at least two people who enjoy "cat food."

Maybe it's just a subtle warning?

I'd be surprised if the neighbours who say cats are feared for religious reasons are Swiss. What nationality are they by the way. It might help to understand.

Voodoo New Orleans is stock full of folk tales of Voodoo practitioners who can transform into animals or cause animals to invade others. Rather than transforming into wolves, the Voodouns are generally reported as becoming cats.

Because a lot of people try to guilt trip you into letting your cat out.

Mohammad also loved and respected women...

No kids ARE the ultimate pariahs.

LOL...funnily enough the neighbours who had the cats asked us what we expected them to do and what did we do with our children? (Seriously, I am not kidding ). I answered that I gave them a front door key...

I think that it was then that we decided we were not going to be able to reason with these people.