Just wondered if anyone has any tips - I've ordered a water pistol as my boys are being bullied, but would welcome any other ideas. They don't get much outside time as they are only allowed out when we're home and in daylight so I can keep an eye on them, but this morning they were too scared to go out again after I'd chased the cat from the patio.

This cat also sits outside the conservatory or patio doors and stares them out if they are indoors and I don't want them getting stressed or start spraying indoors. The cat chased Jagger through the conservatory window yesterday morning and only turned back when he saw me, and then Hendrix was chased in as well. He keeps doing his business on the front lawn too. Whilst I had seen this cat around before Hendrix and Jagger arrived, he is becoming steadily more aggressive towards them and seems to want to claim our garden as his territory. None of the other cats from the area come in our garden at all.

To stop any uninvited guests in the house, we will probably have to look at a cat flap that recognises their microchips so we don't need to leave the conservatory window open for them (this will involve cutting glass from the door so won't be happening overnight). I'd rather not as we have a cat flap from the conservatory to the kitchen and even when I lock it, they manage to break through if they really want to and I don't want that worry at night...!

At least they don't stick around to fight it even though it is on their territory - that is my other worry, I don't want them getting hurt...

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Cats don't know about human boundaries, your garden is that cat's territory and he is defending it. Your cats are not out often enough and not strong enough to claim the territory as theirs. NO other casts come to your garden because it belongs to this cat.
You can chase him off whilst you are there, but he has 24 hours every day to tramp about in HIS territory ie your garden.
If you want your cats to not be chased by this cat, who is only defending HIS territory after all, then you need to enclose your garden so that the cat can't get in.

Your boys may grow up one day and chase him off, but there may be a lot of fights before that happens.

Thanks Elaine. That makes perfect sense. Unfortunately its a large garden with long boundaries and lots of trees so making it cat proof will be an expensive business! I guess now we are spending less time in the garden as the weather isn't so nice is part of the reason he is upping the aggressive behaviour towards my two.

I will just need to keep shooing him off when I see him as I don't like him staring my two out through the windows - I'm concerned about it stressing them out and resulting in them spraying.

I thought it was bad enough the local fox population think our garden is theirs - I think where my other half was away a lot before I moved in, means the local animals think our garden is fair game as it was pretty much deserted before!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

I had a horrible problem with a neighbor's cat. Raiden has an enclosure on the deck and this cat would come around and just torment Raiden. I'd scare him off if I saw him. But he'd always come back and I could see him on the surveillance cameras at the house while I was at work and I could do nothing. A few times they would try to go at it, but the wire openings weren't large enough for that. We tried leaving citrus peels -- the cat seemed to love them. Spraying with water got him to leave, but he always came back. Then one Sunday afternoon, I was outside trimming shrubs and this cat attacked me. I went to the neighbor and asked him to keep the cat indoors. They tried for a couple of days and he was back. By this time, I had 5 trips to the doctor, 3 antibiotics to heal the infection, and I had HAD it with this cat. I sent them a letter stating if they did not keep their cat indoors, Animal Control recommended I trap the cat and bring him to them. Then they could call the owner and charge them a fee to pick him back up. Also, our Homeowner's Association bylaws state that all cats and dogs must be confined to the lot on which the owner resides. Ironically, the cat must have gotten out at some point as he was back on the deck and I took pictures off the camera, sent one more letter and said, "I just want you to know that I know when your cat has gotten out." I have not seen the cat since. I feel your pain as I went through this for over a year! A fence isn't going to keep a cat out of your yard. There are automatic sprinklers that you can set that detect motion from a cat or human. I have someone take care of our yard and I don't want them to get splattered with water unexpectedly.

Your cats' territory is being violated and that's what is causing their anxiety. I suggest talking with your neighbor. Most areas have laws against a nuisance pet. If that doesn't work, you can also buy air canisters that will puff air if the other cat comes around. They aren't cheap either and are only good for so many sprays. The sad thing is you are the one having to do all of this when if the owner of the cat would just keep the cat inside ... the whole thing would be solved.

I know you try to do the neighborly thing and I was really nice to this neighbor as I didn't even ask him to pay the doctor bills ... I just wanted them to keep their cat in their yard and not mine. I do have a smokey cat that comes around every now and then, but usually leaves within minutes. This other cat made home on my deck.

Hi Sherry

Thanks for your reply. I haven't even managed to work out who he belongs to yet. He lost his collar in our back garden recently so I had a look but there is no id or number on there as otherwise I would have returned his collar and had a chat then.

I don't think he lives down our road though, we live on a corner plot and have about 5 gardens backing on to us from two other roads and two from our road. Before we had our two, I had only noticed him on the fence passing by but now he seems to definitely like our garden as a toilet and to torment my boys by staring at them through the windows if he's not chasing them back indoors.

I will hate doing it, but I will be squirting him with a water pistol once it arrives and trying to make time in our garden a little less pleasant for him. I take on board though that it won't achieve much especially as I'm at work during the week and he is probably in our garden making it his own! Hopefully he won't be as aggressive towards me as your problem cat was though, he really put you through the wars. His owners must have realised how aggressive he was, surely?

It's so frustrating as whilst I do keep an eye on the boys as much as possible when they are out, I can't watch them all the time but now I'm also concerned this cat will chase them in and spray in our house. I haven't seen our boys spray ever so I'm hoping that even if this cat is spraying around our garden, they don't start doing it in retaliation!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

I'm afraid I'm on the other end of the leash, here.

My neighbour has accused my cats of beating up on one of his Abyssinians, causing a couple of vet visits.

We felt awful about this, and trying to come to some arrangement where we can compromise has been tough. Having sought advice, the only sensible thing was to try and instigate a Time-Share system, and I was happy to restrict when my boys could go out - to a morning or evening - my neighbour wouldn't budge on his cats having free and open access at all times.

We ran with this system for two months, and the arguments seem to have stopped.


Last year, before my boys started to go outside, though, we had the same problem as you - all the neighbouring cats sitting in our garden, making faces through the french doors - sending our two wild with anxiety. You could try Felliway or similar to reduce their anxiety, and also we then got walking jackets for our boys and walked them around the garden for two or three months, so they could mark the territory as their own, in the comfort and knowledge that their furry-parents were only on the end of the leash!

I'm happy to say my problem cat will be gone within a month. They have bought another house and will be moving! YAY! I spoke with his owner this morning after their cat got out and he was searching for it. Now that I know they will be gone by the end of November, I can tolerate the cat and assure them I would not trap the cat and take it to Animal Control. I understand a cat constantly crying to go out. Raiden does the same thing.

There is always an alpha cat -- the king of the outdoors. I had one of those and a neighbor's cat would not dare step foot in my yard. Then that cat vanished and I had 5 cats in my yard most of the time. Howling, fighting. Always one overly aggressive cat. You may not know who the cat belongs to -- and all you can do is protect your own cat.

I sympathize on both sides. Most cat owners want their cats to experience the outdoors, but you also need to make sure your cat is not a nuisance to your neighbors. You can try to work through things with your neighbor -- sometimes unsuccessfully. I've learned so much about taking an outdoor cat and making him an indoor cat. Well, Raiden does get to go for daily walks on a leash and he does have a 12'x12' enclosure on our back deck. It's balancing what your cat needs and I make sure he can't be a nuisance out there. We all have to live on this earth and while most of God's creatures can get along, there are times that we just can't.

While spraying water is a deterrent, I will caution you about one thing. I did that back in the '70s to a cat and as soon as I retreated, it attacked my leg. I carry a towel with me on our walks ... first, to sit on it in case Raiden decides he wants to rest, and second, to snap it at a wandering dog or cat that we might meet.

Hi Sherry

That's great news that your problem cat is moving on - you've been through hell with that one! You must be over the moon, I know I would be. I can also appreciate the cat crying to get out - mine are fine if they are both in, but if one is in and I'm waiting for the other, oh my goodness the racket! Once the one who has come back late is home, all is quiet again!

Strangely enough, I haven't seen the grey cat since I last posted, he used to be around all the time and I'm actually worried about him now! Maybe his owners are on holiday or he sensed my aggravation with him! I know all the places he hangs out and constantly check - but maybe he has found somewhere else more exciting to hang out now, or is staying in more now that winter is on its way. I can't imagine my two managed to see him off lol

I have taken on board your experience with spraying water though and thank you for the warning - I would only do it if I have to, ie he was being aggressive to one of mine or coming in the house again.

I hope my two aren't pests to anyone else, all the people who back on to us I think would mention it. I know there is an elderly tortoiseshell at the back where my two like to hop over the fence, but they would definitely let us know as they know they are ours, and I would sort out some sort of arrangement with them if that was the case. Like you say, we all have to rub along together!

Thank you again for your advice.

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

I'll reply to this as I believe the advice could still be helpful to some.

Quite simply, scatter some of your cats used litter around your properties perimeter.

Key benefits:

This can be done with your own cat safe and sound inside or in their enclosure.
Neighbouring cats will learn that theres a new cat on the block and they have lost territory to it (without a fight)
You can do this in your own time, over days or weeks, before letting your own cat out, having had time to observe if any neighbouring cats are keeping more of a distance, or continuing to encroach on your given territory.
Your cat will have to some extent, some form of safe area, with hopefully less stress than a full on interaction foe territory.

Hope this helps.

I'm guessing any rain would wash away the litter. I don't know that this would deter a cat and I'd need a ton of it for the perimeter of my yard. My problem cat was here three times yesterday, but I know he will be gone soon. Knowing him, he'll travel back to his old home.

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

You must be so relieved that the problem will soon resolve itself.

Just passing on a tip for this problem - if you cat(s) are indoors and you want to deter a visiting cat whilst you are out, you could try a water sprinkler on a timer. I used this once and it worked great - the sprinkler came on once every hour or so just for a minute. I wasn't there so don't know how many times it wet the visitor, but within a day or two, his presence was down markedly. And no harm done, just an active deterrent.

Well the huge grey cat is back, so clearly the owners were on holiday! Ho hum. My boys wouldn't go out this morning after they saw him. I will be out at the weekend with their clumped wee and put it in the areas he enters the garden and skulks and hope it makes a bit of a difference.

I contemplated dashing out in my dressing gown with the water pistol, but quite frankly it was way too cold this morning for that!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Sherry hopefully your neighbors will take their cat with them when they move. Some folks move and leave their cats behind, can you imagine? I live in a walled community within a city and someone left their pet bunny rabbit behind. The poor thing hops around looking for food all on his own, so sad. None of us have managed to catch him, but he does eat the food we leave out.