I need a diplomatic soltuion to a little problem
Our neighbor's cat keeps ripping my trash apart. Even in the frigging rain last night, it was out there. fucker. I like my neighbor. They're very nice and accomodating, and I don't wan't to piss them off by killing the little bastard, or offend them by insinuating that they don't feed it. I suppose I could go buy a couple more extra large trash cans, but I don;t really have a good place to keep them. So, what would miss manners do? do they make a gentle cat poison that will just make it sick? Should I get a BB gun and wing the cat?
Have you brought the problem to their attention yet?
no. part of me says that they should be aware of it by the little scraps of trash that are visible in our shared driveway. And, obviously, I need to tell them about it, it's just a matter of how to phrase it so that I don't create angst. They're simple blue collar types, so I'm not worried about them taking offense easily, but they let the damn cat out all the time. How could they stop it from getting into my trash even if they wanted to, apart from keeping it indoors?
I suppose I could go buy a couple more extra large trash cans, but I don;t really have a good place to keep them. So, what would miss manners do?
Miss manners would do what is required even by law in most towns. Trash must be in trash cans. If your trash was in the cans, then problems solved - both legal and feral.
After taking the bags to the curb, urinate on them. Or for the sake of your trash guys, urinate *around* them.
Make a moat. Be creative.
Miss manners would do what is required even by law in most towns. Trash must be in trash cans. If your trash was in the cans, then problems solved - both legal and feral.
I don't think there is any law about the trash having to be in trash cans in my town.
Dog. Hide it in the bag.
Be sure to retrieve it before the trash man comes. :lol:
or
Hi neighbor.
Hi Jim, how's it going.
Cock. Something is tearing up my trash bags every week. I'm going to start putting poison in the bags so keep your cat in on trash nights. Wouldn't want the little darling to get some by accident.
OK, thanks for the heads up.
Cayenne Pepper. Won't kill the cat, but it should only take a sniff or two at the bags before the cat figures out they are fun any more.
Hello Neighbor, I don't know if you've noticed the scraps of trash between our houses lately, but they are the result of your cats ripping through and digging through my trash. I'd prefer not to put your cats into a burlap bag with a few stones and throw it into the river. Can you help me think of a solution where I wouldn't have to take such drastic actions?
Have you actually seen the cat doing this? In my area we have raccoons that pull this stunt. Dogs will, too. Everyone around here just deals with the problem by using trash cans bungeed shut.
Pouring moth balls and ammonia into the bag might give whatever critter is pulling the trick pause - at least for a while until you stop doing it.
Buy an enormous jug of sudsy ammonia at the Dollar Store. Pour some in/on the trash bags before leaving them at the curb. *Nothing* will screw with them.
I'd go with Bruce's idea. You could say something like, "I think raccoons might be getting into my trash cans."
Hi neighbor.
Hi Jim, how's it going.
Cock.
:lol2:
A 32-gal plastic trash can on wheels with a twist-lock top is available at Walmart for $12.00 or thereabouts. If you have a garage or carport they fit just fine out of the way, otherwise keep them on the other side of the gate leading to your back yard until time to roll them to the curb. No cat or any other critter can get into these, even if they knock them over it will not cause them to spill. The only down side is the sealed can standing in the sun creates a miasma which may knock you senseless when you open it to add another donation. This was my solution when I lived in Tucson, where the coyotes are so daring they will even walk into the kitchen and ask what's for dinner if you leave the back door open.
Not so sure about the amonia. When I lived in Albuquerque in the 70's, the City got the brilliant idea that they could save money by going to once-weekly trash collection and requiring the residents to put all trash in those big ol' brown trash bags and leave them curbside. In addition to the 100+ degree temperatures in Albuquerque, the leash law was barely enforced in those days and packs of mutts roamed down the residential streets on collection mornings, ripping open all those piles of bagged trash and strewing it everywhere. Threats to use shotguns on the dogs and mobs of furious residents in the municipal offices had no effect, as far as the City of Albuquerque was concerned we only had to sprinkle the bags with a little amonia and that would solve any problems. NOT. Absolutely. No. Effect. A whole bottle didn't even phase them. After a miserable 6 months of this I moved into an apartment complex with dumpsters and was able to stop dealing with City utilities, so I don't know if the dogs got the best of the residents or not.
The only things I have ever seen stop cats were pinecones on the ground or mousetraps, although I imagine homemade nail strips might work also. Somehow I can't imagine somebody laying out this kind of barrier around their trash 24/7, and besides, the little buggers can jump amazingly if they put their minds to it. I adore animals, but if ANY stray cat comes around spraying on my patio or pooping in my flowers, they will be greeted with violence. Strays can spread diseases, and I don't want the area contaminated where T'Pau, Queen of the Universe, might pick up something.
Garbage is a tricky issue up here. We have been told that if we have *anything* stinky in our garbage cans or outside our homes, then we can be ticketed with baiting bears. God forbid we shoot one for being on our porch.
They want us to freeze our "stinky" garbage until pickup day, then put it out. Our garbage can is plenty scarred from bears, even with nothing "stinky" in it.
Cats - hmm...... I have a few, and yes, they will get into anything, but frankly the responsibilty lies with the owner.... do you know if this (or these) cats are always outdoors?
Here's what a friend of ours did.... he got a live trap, and once he had the cat, he sprayed it down with some kind of non-toxic neon paint, let it go, and whaddya know - it never came back.
There's a bit of a risk with Bruce's idea; if the cat ever turns up poisoned the neighbour is going to immediately suspect you and you'll have a hard time convincing them you never actually put poison in your bags.
I'd just go with the cans, just bought 3 plastic ones for C$30 total yesterday. Makes it easier on the garbage men too.
And everywhere I've lived that had city garbage pickup had a cans required law on the books even if they didn't enforce it. My cynical sides thinks mostly to prevent the city having to get involved in these kinds of disputes. But there is a bit of a public health issue if pests ripping open garbage and strewing it everywhere isn't handled by home owners.
But Jim would be warning the neighbor upfront about the poison. And though it's an easy solution, Jim and Jinx shouldn't have to throw money at the problem, per se...they're not the cause of it.
Jim, just make sure you talk to the neighbor first before taking any action.
Yeah, why waste a perfectly good opportunity for open warfare on the neighbors by going out and spending $12.00 on a garbage container from Walmart? Jeez, LJ ain't made out of gold! I suggest shoot the cat with a 12 guage in front of the neighbor's 8 year old daughter, TPing the neighbor's house, and getting a few spray cans of neon green paint and using them to write cryptic and nasty messages all over the sides of the neighbor's house and his car - like "CA(r)Thage must be destroyed, read your Cicero, Jerk!" or "So you think KATrina was a CATastrophe? HAH! You ain't seen NOTHING yet!" :lol:
Mari, what did I tell you about huffing spray paint?
Wow. Some animal is getting in the trash. Therefore it’s the cats fault. It’s the neighbors fault. This is justification for war. They are messing with my life. I have rights to use deadly force as necessary to protect my trash! This is a disaster and others are to blame!!!
Problem created by a homeowner who is too cheap to buy a trash can. Why so many posts? Homeowners take full responsibility for their own trash. Solution so trivial - a Walmart trash can.
"But my rights are at stake!" Get a life ... and a trash can. This whole thread is as comic as defendants on Judge Judy. Who is both the human and homeowner? 85% of all problems are traceable to top management - that is too cheap to buy a $12 trash can. As if we don't get enough of this 'blame others' nonsense from a lying president. So now it is acceptable from the neighbor?
This is why some towns had to even waste town council's time making laws that demand homeowners buy more trash cans. And even in the Cellar, some would actually condone this "only I am important" attitude.
Buy the trash can. All problems solved. All posts here then made completely irrelevant. I am embarrassed at how few posters even understood that basic homeowner responsibility. There is only one problem here. The homeowner who does not put all trash inside a trash can - and instead blames the cat.
Mari, what did I tell you about huffing spray paint?
Yeah! Its a blast, isn't it? :D
OK then, Jim, you've got your answer. Get a couple of those Walmart trashcans, borrow the spray paint from Mari, and write a big TW on them. That should help you take care of BOTH disturbing elements :D
Wow. Some animal is getting in the trash. Therefore it’s the cats fault. It’s the neighbors fault. This is justification for war. They are messing with my life. I have rights to use deadly force as necessary to protect my trash! This is a disaster and others are to blame!!!
Problem created by a homeowner who is too cheap to buy a trash can. Why so many posts? Homeowners take full responsibility for their own trash. Solution so trivial - a Walmart trash can.
"But my rights are at stake!" Get a life ... and a trash can. This whole thread is as comic as defendants on Judge Judy. Who is both the human and homeowner? 85% of all problems are traceable to top management - that is too cheap to buy a $12 trash can. As if we don't get enough of this 'blame others' nonsense from a lying president. So now it is acceptable from the neighbor?
This is why some towns had to even waste town council's time making laws that demand homeowners buy more trash cans. And even in the Cellar, some would actually condone this "only I am important" attitude.
Buy the trash can. All problems solved. All posts here then made completely irrelevant. I am embarrassed at how few posters even understood that basic homeowner responsibility. There is only one problem here. The homeowner who does not put all trash inside a trash can - and instead blames the cat.
fuck you, tw, and the high horse you rode in on. you assume too much and your reading comprehension sucks too .
~ I suppose I could go buy a [color=Red]couple [size=3]more[/size][/color] extra large trash cans, but I don;t really have a good place to keep them. ~
I have two 32 gallon lidded trash cans. the burrough requires that we us "keep Elverson Clean" trash bags to put the trash out in, or they won't collect it. This in lieu of a trash bill.... they soak you for $2 per bag. These bags happpen to be big enough that they usally get too big to put inside these big trash cans i bought. I don't have a garage. and even if jinx puts the bag right outside the back door before i get home to take it to where i keep the trash, the litte prick has already come up on the deck for a sample by the time i get home. THis is learned behaviour. he didnt use to do it. yes, i'm sure it;s the neigbors cat, i routinely catch it in the act when i pull into the driveway.
oh, and since you're(tw) too twisted and socially handicapped to pick up on sarcasm, i want to point out that i would never shoot a cat or poison it. I OBVIOUSLY need to talk to the neighbor about it.
ok. here's your solution. take a pine tree branch about a 1/2" thick, a coffee can with unleaded regular gas (supreme is too expensive), and a paint brush. coax the cat over to you then when it least expects it, take the branch and pull it along the cat's bunghole and then take the paintbrush soaked with gas and slap it on his ass. the cat will launch! probably won't stop until it hits Utah.
(j/k!!!)
As far as putting nasty stuff in or on the bags, remember that a person will be picking up the bag and putting it in the truck. So it is less garbage, more cans, a talk with the neighbor, or a burn barrel smoking away in your yard. Then again my father-in-law had a pellet gun that shot little felt projectiles...
a daisy red rider will just sting and not penetrate......
Everyone that suggested Walmart should get the Asian Flu. :p
Racoons and/or stray cats (saw both) kept ripping up our bags too. A can on wheeled cart with very tight lid worked well to keep them out. Definately talk to the neighbor first, let them know that since you have caught the animal several times now, it has become a problem that you thought needed to be brought to their attention. Check if there are ordinances/laws about animals out of their yards needing to be on leashes or something to that effect. You could suggest that if they feel the need to let their cat out, could they put it on a leash (per the ordinance). Several cats around our neighborhood are on this system. You could spin it with it would be a win win, the cat stays out of your trash, and since it's on a leash, safer because it won't get hit by a car (or stray BBs,) If this doesn't do anything, I say shoot it with a couple paintballs, it will stay out of your stuff, and you can get some practice in for the trick or treaters.
MMMMMMMMpaintballs. i love paintballs. always wanted one of them gizmos.
If you're gonna buy one, make sure you get a fully automatic paintball gun. You don't really need it per se, but who cares?
Maybe a lil somethin like this would do the trick ;)
fuck you, tw, and the high horse you rode in on. you assume too much and your reading comprehension sucks too .
So now it is the borough's fault for selling trash bags too big for your trash cans. And its my fault for seeing right through your entire story of woe. Amazing how it’s always someone else's fault. Why talk to the neighbor about a problem you have created - by not using trash cans? It's called being a decent American. One who is not decent will then post profanity only because one cannot deal with life. 85% of all problems are directly traceable to top management - in this case a homeowner who is more concerned about 'cat attacks' rather than solving the problem: buy a new trash can. It's so simple. Buy a larger trash can.
Please feel free to begin posts with 'inciteful' words of wisdom. It only demonstrates why the cat is taking revenge on you. Must be Catbert, the evil human resources administrator. Clearly the neighbor has put Catbert up to it. And the borough has conspired to also make life miserable by selling trash bags too large. And Walmart intentionally makes trash cans too small. Clearly more firepower and chemical weapons are necessary to defend the trash.
It's a trash can, Lumberjim. It's only a problem (and reason to post more obscenities) when you don't deal with the problem at its source: you. Simply get a trash can large enough for those overtly expensive trash bags. It's not complex. It demonstrates why everyone needs to be diplomatic - rather than honest - with you. Notice neighbors don't have a problem with that cat. Where did they get their trash cans? Can you ask them without using obscenities?
No, I am not politically correct - which is always why you have such hate for me. A politically correct person could not be this honest with you - for fear of starting World War III. My god. You did not use trash cans which could make you a star on Judge Judy.
... the burrough requires that we us "keep Elverson Clean" trash bags to put the trash out in, or they won't collect it. This in lieu of a trash bill.... they soak you for $2 per bag.
Oh Geeez! Some jerk from the City of Albuquerque has managed to get hired in your town's Utilities Department :smack:
Where is the trash before it's outside?
Around here if you don't like one trash collector you can call the competition. They all give out the big-ass plastic bins in competing colors. I dropped the expensive legacy trash people and their blue Tuesday night bins, and picked up the olive-green Wednesday night bin people.
man, if I only had an MBA, tw would just be a pig in shit, wouldn't he?
it's almost worth going back to school.
the borough has a trash monopoly. once a week tuesday at like 4 am. so i have to take it out monday night when i get home. most of the other neighbors put trash bags out. a few have trash cans that they evidently fill directy with trash, and tie the bags around the handle as payment. you could probably walk through late monday night and stock up on unused bags each week if you wanted to.
i was looking for a good way to broach the topic with my neigbor tw, you dickhole.
don't talk to me like i'm blaming the world for my woes. i'm not mari-stinking-chiko.
my life rocks.
It might not be a bad idea for Jim to get another trash can, but it's not been a problem prior to now, so...like I said before, why throw money (insignificant as it may seem) at the problem?
From what I recall, trash does not need to be in trash cans in the City of Philadelphia...you just have to make sure that recyclables have been removed and sorted properly.
In Philadelphia you just kind of throw trash into the street. Eventually it snows and they come by your house in trash trucks with big snowplows on the front. These trucks push the snow and trash into the Schuylkill River.
LJim, however, lives in one of the civilized areas of the state.
so....i bought a 65 gallon trash can at WalMart this morning. that's wrong on so many levels. first of all, it cost me $48 and doesn't solve the problem 100%. 2nd, I feel like i caved in to tw. (COCK!) and third, i bought the can at WalMArt. gah! i have no spine.
I may go get a paintball gun and take pot shots at that cat just to make myself feel better.
No, you did the right thing. Not buying a can because you didn't want to be on tw's side of an argument would have been ghey.
I kill animals for sport and food, and I say leave the damn cat alone. It doesn't know what it's doing wrong -- you're leaving out a buffet for it.
Buy a paintball gun, trap the cat, tape a headshot of TW to it's face, blast away at the just-released cat, release tension.
Everyone wins.
except, no one has ever seen tw. much less photographed him. he's like a yeti.
so....i bought a 65 gallon trash can at WalMart this morning. that's wrong on so many levels.
Well on the bright side if you ever need to dispose of a body you've got a suitable container.
except, no one has ever seen tw. much less photographed him. he's like a yeti.
I live in Elverson and own a cat. I give my cat chores everyday. Its a smart cat. Together we will own the town. Already we have everyone paying $2 twice a week for their trash bags.
I had to check twice to make sure that wasn't posted by tw., but by the real deal.
Good one. :thumbsup:
... cat... buffet...
Heh.
Weird tw fact: tw and the Cellar lived in the same apartment building for about a year. (We determined this after the Cellar moved.)
That is weird. I'm guessing trash bags next to lots of recycled Economist mags. Neatly tied. ;)
I have to admit, that getting another can was the best move. How much trash does the family generate? Do you compost and/or recycle? Are we talkin' poopy diapers?
no poop. 4 or 5 bags per week, it seems. i think we generate more than most. i dont know why......i'm pretty sure it can be blamed on the kids, though.
I live in Elverson and own a cat. I give my cat chores everyday. Its a smart cat. Together we will own the town. Already we have everyone paying $2 twice a week for their trash bags.
:lol2:
Is Walmart giving you two a percentage of their increased trash can sales as well?
My mom saves ziploc baggies. rinses em out, hangs em on the line like clothes. Usually no more than 1 or 2 at a time, but still.
We used to make fun of her for this, but I've gradually realized that she's saving a pretty substantial amount of pocket change by year's end, not contributing to our dependence on foreign oil, leaving a little space in the landfill, etc. etc.
My mom saves ziploc baggies. rinses em out, hangs em on the line like clothes. Usually no more than 1 or 2 at a time, but still.
Does she also iron them?
No, she keeps CAT FOOD in them! :lol:
No ironing. And she hates cats.
She's just a wee bit o/c. Not too bad, but a little. When a container of any food item drops below half-full, the contents are switched to a smaller-sized container. That and the baggie thing are her two idiosyncrasies.
Oh for hell's sake.
Just get a couple of bungie cords and use them to seal the lid on good and tight.
mrnoodle,
Get your mom one of these babies!!
(Don't hurt yourself realizing that I regularly buy stuff from that catalog.)
We used to make fun of her for this, but I've gradually realized that she's saving a pretty substantial amount of pocket change by year's end, not contributing to our dependence on foreign oil, leaving a little space in the landfill, etc. etc.
Why that's un-American. :lol:
wolf, your link's busted. Would you fix it please? I, too, have been known to reuse ziploc bags, even washing them. Drying is definitely a problem, though.
I, too, have been known to reuse ziploc bags, even washing them. Drying is definitely a problem, though.
I can help you on this one. First of all, it's only worth it to save the Ziplock and freezer storage ones, the others are too thin to mess with. Do not use hot water to wash the bags, it makes them turn milky colored. Wash inside and out with a soapy sponge and rinse carefully to get all the soap out, dry by putting a clean dishtowel inside the bag and pat the outside against it with a second clean towel. Then stand them upside down on the counter until they cool and air out thoroughly. Doing the bags last thing before you go to bed is best so they don't end up in the way when you need the counter to fix dinner.
Lest you wonder, I learned this from my o/c Momster, but if I do say so myself, MY bags look much better than hers when I get finished :p I will draw the line at washing the rubber bands from the newspaper before I'll use them, though. She puts hers in the dishwasher so they will be sterilized! And yes, she gets a Kleenex and wipes off the newspaper too before she will read it. I just wash my hands afterwards, good enough.
The link works fine for me ... the main site is
http://www.gaiam.com
try going there. Search for "countertop bag dryer"
Perhaps the problem is the site detects browser? I used Mozilla, and sometimes IE gags on links that were generated in Moz.
I clicked around in IE ... so here's another copy of the
link.
wolf, dar, thank you for the new links. The all work now, even the original link. I guess that gremlin has moved on to a different machine now.
I love seeing things like this, simple solutions to problems. I must say that the DIYer in me says, hmm half a dozen chopsticks, hey! I can use the collection of orphans, a base block, and 60 seconds with the drill and I can use the other $18.00 for a couple of large pizzas and some pop for movie night. But then I am a cheap b*stard after all.
Tonchi: Thanks for the tip. That's a good one. I like the idea of using two towels, one in and one out. I usually put hot/warm soapy water in, sometimes with the sponge, zip it shut and shake it. Then rinse with warm water shaking zipped the same way. I'm looking forward to trying the new drying technique.
Welcome :) I hope you're more efficient than I am because I usually don't get around to washing the bags until there is a pile of 20 on my counter so that they keep sliding into the sink and getting even grubbier. Drying them is the easiest part. Don't use PAPER towels, they scratch up the bags, but if you don't have any clean cotten ones handy you can use the VIVA kind in a pinch because they are much softer. I haven't bought a box of NEW plastic storage bags for years, not since I needed the really large ones to put the loaves of bread in when I was on a bread-making kick.
BTW, not a good idea to zip the bag up and shake it while filled with water. The combination of weight and heat can separate the sealed edges in one of these bags very easily after they have been washed a few times. You will end up in water from the knees down when it splits :blush:
YO! I just realized that here we are talking about plastic food bags, after a very logical segue from plastic trash bags, so I wanna go back to there again with a really helpful hint. Those monster leaf bags or the 32-45 gallon size trash bags are even more useful for storing stuff in your garage or rent-a-space. I put suitcases, kettle-corn or dog chow tins, birdcages, dog beds, kitty litter boxes/scoops, empty aquariums, waders, tents and posts, practically everything you need to get out of the way will fit nicely into a leaf or garbage bag. Seal down the edges with packing tape to mold the bag around your item, write what it is on a piece of masking tape, and stick it to the bag where you can see it easily, then toss the thing on the top of the pile in your garage. When you need the item again, it will be free of dust, spider webs, or small crawly things. You rotate that bag you just unloaded back to trash duty and repack the item in a fresh one if needed. Living in Fresno, everything is always covered with a thick layer of dust and the black widow is our State Bird, so this is an excellent solution :thumbsup:
so....i bought a 65 gallon trash can...
Well, any news? Is it helping?
well.......i filled it with so much heavy shit from my flooded basement that the trash men broke the damn handle off of it tring to lift it, gave up and left it full of trash......so, i'd say no. just wait till i get my hands on that cat. ....just kidding, tw, you cocksmoker.
Did they take the handle? Did it have the requisite bags tied to it? :question:
I was able to repair the handle, but they took the friggin bag, the jerks.
This is becoming high drama. So they broke your can, took the bag for payment, and didn't take the trash. That kind of idiocy takes hard work.
My current trash collection people are incompetent. At first they were incompetent because they couldn't remember to pick up my trash. Now they are incompetent because they remember to pick up my trash but forget to bill me. I like this second version of incompetence very much.
My recycling bucket disappears at least once a month. Sometimes I find it at a random neighbor's house halfway down the street, usually I never find it at all. The guys at the closest recycle bucket distribution place (the local firestation) think I'm a complete liar but there's nothing they can do but keep giving me buckets. None of my other neighbors seem to have this problem. I can't think what I ever might have done to piss those guys off...
I'm not all that pissed about the $2 bag. it's gonna suck splitting that big trash can down to manageable size, though
It would seem that my suggestion of peeing on the bag is now ideal.
yeah, but you know they wear gloves. I'm sure they hate me because all of my trash bags have holes in them from that cat. it's a vicious circle. i'm just a victim of circumstance, I tells ya. weep for me
My current trash collection people are incompetent. At first they were incompetent because they couldn't remember to pick up my trash. Now they are incompetent because they remember to pick up my trash but forget to bill me. I like this second version of incompetence very much.
My newspaper route person is incompetent in a similarly cool fashion. I've been getting the paper for over 12 years now without a single bill. I have decided to treat it as a littering problem which I choose not to report.
heh. i got free electric ( well, nearly free ( just the charge for off peak which i didn't have anything hooked up to) )for over a year. then one day they started charging me again. whew. then i moved. nyuk nyuk nyuk
We had accidental Cinemax for free for about 6 years when I was a kid. Not that I was ever allowed to watch it.
When I was a kid, I had a paper route. I gained a lot from that job, but it wasn't money. Mostly I gained self knowledge, especially the fact that I not a morning person and that I like an occasional day off. I also learned that at 13-14 yrs old, I had no head for business. I was in the postition of buying the papers wholesale from the Sun-Telegram for about a dime, and then selling them to my customers on my route for quarter. But it always seemed like my bill from the paper exceeded my collections each month (which I also hated doing, and the tips sucked.)
Without question, somebody is paying for that paper. Poor sap.
I've got free cable. I got fed up to here with Adelphia and cancelled the cable almost a year ago now. They stopped billing me, but I still get 100 channels that I never watch.
I didn't pay for any of my long distance phone charges when I lived in Maryland (one year). I even tried to fix the problem twice to no avail.