to want to frighten this cat to within an inch of his life

[littlemermaid80]

DH and I have two female cats (speyed and microchipped), one of them is very timid as she is a rescue cat, my other one is more confidant.

There's a tom cat in the neighbourhood, no idea who he belongs to. I've asked around but nobody seems to know. He doesn't have a collar but he's fat, well fed looking so not sure if he's a stray or belongs to someone.

For the past 2 months he's been waiting until we go to bed and then coming in through the cat flap, chasing our girls up and down the stairs, spraying all over our lounge, attacking them, obviously wants to have "relations" with them, or maybe just wants to harass them.
We wake up when we hear them fighting, our cats screaming, and DH and I get up and chase him out, but this is a pain in the backside, it's usually about 1am, sometimes later.

Sometimes we sleep through it and come down in the morning to a lounge stinking of cat spray, or his "stuff" or whatever the hell he does.
Last night we had literally switched off the bedroom light at 11.30 and snuggled down when we heard the cat flap go, DH scared him on the stairs and he raced outside, I was waiting at the bedroom window with a bottle of water and tipped it all over him sorry but it was very satisfying.
Didn't stop him coming back again in the early hours again though.

Magnetic cat flaps aren't really an option, we've had one before (expensive to install) and both cats have lost their special collars in about 20 minutes, leaving them unable to get in the door

At wits end. Anyone have any ideas?

[Chattymummyhere]

Microchip cat flap. No fancy collars and programmed to only your cats.

[WickedWax]

Get a Sureflap. It reads the microchip and only lets your own cats in.

[chemenger]

A microchip operated catflap will solve this. No special collars to lose. Sureflap is the make, I think. We got ours on Amazon, it fitted in the hole from our other cat flap and was easy to set up. I had a magnetic one for a while and either they lost the tags or they picked up magnetic junk on them and came home carrying assorted nails and hair grips.

[winetintedglasses]

Wait up and spray it with water a few times/make noise?

[Wolfiefan]

Can't you get catflaps that work with their microchips?
Or block catflap at night?

[Hihohoho1]

Personally never bothered with cat flaps for this reason. Had many cats over the years and never needed one.

Get rid or block it up at night.

[StarlingMurmuration]

YANBU! We had just the same thing, we eventually just started shutting our cats in at night. We're renting at the moment so we couldn't install a catflap - we used to leave a tiny window open for them to get in and out at night.

Do your girls usually stay in all night? Could you get a locking cat flap, and close it after they come in for the night?

[TychosNose]

Im not sure you'll be able to "train" him into staying away by scaring him. I don't think cats work like that. I think keeping yours in at night is probably the best option.

[lighteningirl]

We have a microchipped cat flap for dog who is tiny that would solve all your problems

[StillStayingClassySanDiego]

What a bastard!

I'd keep them in,block the flap and get a water pistol to spray the twat when he comes into your garden.

This is war!

I keep ours in at night because I don't want them out and getting into scraps with cats like this.

[Outfoxed]

We have sure flap for ours. Next doors rat still tries to get in when chasing and just smashes his face into it all the time, it's great! It think my cats lead him to the flap just to watch him...

[AnotherTimeMaybe]

What do you mean by 'spraying'? You mean 'weeing' or the other thing??

[Offler]

We had a Tom who kept coming in our cat flap as he wanted to be 'friends' with the cats in our house (not ours, but our neighbours - we had a cat flap due to previous owners). We made friends with him, took him to the vets and got his bits chopped off. He stopped spraying. He was a stray though as he had a nasty wound under his front leg so the vet sorted that out too (to the tune of £500+). He's been ours ever since 😁!

[AnotherTimeMaybe]

Ok I got what 'spraying' is by last PP's post!!!

I'd wait till he comes in and I'd kick off with some seriously loud barking noises!

[TattyDevine]

Barstard of a cat! I assume you cant get rid of the flap because you need it for your cats and don't want to have to keep them in or get a litter tray?

I'm not sure of a solution really, though the microchip flap sounds a good option if closing the flap at night isn't an option. He sounds pretty determined, I doubt he'd be easily put off

Got to admire his pluck

[Vinorosso74]

We keep cat flap shut overnight as I think that's when most kitty intruders are around. Alternatively as PPs have suggested microchip cat flap.

[Frostycake]

I got a water pistol for this very reason. Sprayed the cat drenching it

He never came back.

[SevenOfNineTrue]

I agree with the microchip cat flap.

I have to say that water does work on some cats. I had a bastard of a neighbours cat coming into my house until I drenched him with a jug water in the garden one day. If I see him try and come close, I simply walk outside and he hisses and runs. He remembers full well what he'll get if he comes too close again.

[hedgehogsdontbite]

We had a similar problem so invested in a microchip flap. Worth every penny.

[honeysucklejasmine]

Yy to sureflap. Our cats don't wear collars. There is another one in neighbourhood who occasionally clashes with them, but gets stuck outside whilst ours come hurtling through the flap. (Frankly impressed it reacts that fast)

I hear the yowling and run out the door hissing at the other cat and scare it out of my garden. It runs fast so I must be terrifying

[Becstarlenski]

We had the same problem a few years ago, it was horrid, we also had a new born at the time. My poor cat was terrified and constantly getting attacked in his home. Tried spraying water, noise etc. we had enough as it was always at night and you need your sleep with a NB !!
We got a microchip flap, not cheap but worth it. It's never been in the house since xx

[HermioneJeanGranger]

Microchip cat-flap, or lock the one you have at night. There's no other solution, he's doing what tomcats do!

[steppemum]

microchip flap is your answer

we had this with next doors cat, so we got a microchip flap. They aren't cheap, but they work very well, and we now no longer get any visitors.

The flap costs about £70 if I remember (sorry may be wrong) and if you have a normal flap, you can remove one and put the chip one in yourself, very straightforward.

You just press the button and put your cat through and it reads the chip. Then repeat for second cat, up to 20 chips can be read and stored.

It also means that when we are on holiday, no visiting cats.

You do have to keep an eye on the battery, and my cat had to change the way he opened the door as he likes to open it with his paw, but he has to get is nose in first.