to be upset cat attacked neighbours cat?

[Lostandlostsomemore]

Husband thinks this is what cats do and nothing you can do so don't worry but I am!
I have a 6 year old boy cat, very much an outdoor cat and pines when kept in for too long, although we do make him stay in at night as live on quite a main road.
He was my grandmothers cat before she passed and very used to being able to roam and he won't use a litter tray of any sort so can't keep him in.
He's been the only cat on the street since we took him in 4 years ago so no problems.
Anyway new neighbours moved in 2 months ago, 2 boy cats who are also very much outdoor.
She works full time as does her hubby so they are out all day and some nights.
They aren't like ours who will approach you / anyone to stroke them and when she moved in she said " mine hate other cats coming in their garden so I hope he doesn't push his luck! "
I've seen him try to sit on their shed and they his and him so he backtracks and I've seen him have a fight with the local ginger cat when he's come in our garden but morning major.
Tonight I can hear hissing etc and go out the front not the garden and they are pulling each other to shreds.
Our cat has a bleeding neck and hers has lost fur and his collar is broken.
I got our cat in but she was at work so waited until she was home then knocked and told her / made sure her cat was okay.
I said I didn't know what started it as wasn't in either garden so not territorial and she replied " yours probably attacked him. He sits on our windowsill pawing and hissing at the cats through the glass " I said I didn't realise and she went on to say that he has attacked her other cat a few weeks back the day after they moved in by going into her garden, her cat hissed and mine pinned him down and bit him :-(
She said since then he won't go in her garden ( which I'm glad about ) but that he is very boisterous.
I tried to keep it light saying it's worse than having a kid of 5 ( I have one! ) as I can't keep him in and she said no cats are cats what can you do and hers hate other cats etc etc but then dropped in that her cat hasn't eaten since she got home so might be in shock.
She's really hard to read, quite stony faced so hard to tell if she's joking even when she says things that sound like a joke.
Just feels awkward now :-(

[Gide]

Is yours neutered? Mine was a dreadful fighter til he was done. If she sees yours attacking hers and there are injuries to hers, she could ask you to pay the vet bills, that would be my only worry. As you say, cats will be cats, they're territorial, hers are recent incomers, yours is defending territory, but that won't wash of yours really hurts hers. No solutions, cats are impossible to restrain.

[wasonthelist]

YANBU to be upset. This does sound a bit like what cats do though. With a bit of luck they will have settled it now and both calm down a bit.

[Lostandlostsomemore]

He was neutered as a kitten
Really? I thought cats weren't property so couldn't be accountable

[dalmatianmad]

I can see why you're upset but not a lot you can do, is she being a bit over the top?
Yours attacked hers the day after she moved in?? Surely she wouldn't have let it out then for fear of it wandering off?
Yours sits on the windowsill hissing and scratching at the glass?? She sounds bonkers

[Wolfiefan]

Cat proof your garden?

[wasonthelist]

Cats are property in the sense that they are possessions and can be stolen - and such a theft would be illegal, but they aren't subject to a requirement that owners keep them under control like dogs and some other animals.

[Wolfiefan]

Wason have you got a link to that. A particular neighbour claims no one owns cats and that worries me.

[AliceInUnderpants]

She is being unreasonable to let her cats out the day after she moved in!

[wasonthelist]

Of course someone owns cats - (right at the bottom of this page)

www.inbrief.co.uk/animal-law/cats-fouling.htm

[NewLife4Me]

That's what they do, they aren't domesticated animals however many humans believe the animal belongs to them and they are their pet.
They wander. that's why people complain about their shit in their garden all the time.

[wasonthelist]

and here

thepetdetectives.com/investigations/current-investigations/what-is-the-law-in-relation-to-stolen-missing-and-lost-cats.html

[Wolfiefan]

Thank you was.
I have tried to offer a reasoned rebuttal and got nowhere. They have form for appropriating other people's cats.

[Lostandlostsomemore]

That's what she said
To be fair it was me who knocked on her door so wondered if she felt a bit defensive as didn't know if I was going round annoyed hers has hurt mine or something.
I'm just dreading letting him back out now, imagine if he killed her cat and then we still have to be neighbours :-(

[Lostandlostsomemore]

I just hate issues with neighbours
It makes me feel really on edge at home

[Clandestino]

My tomcat is very territorial even though he's been neutered 6 years ago. He gets into fights with every tomcat that approaches his territory.
Sometimes he'd be coming back bitten and scratched. I would never even dream about approaching other owners asking to pay for my cat's treatment or telling them their cats shouldn't be around our house and garden. They are cats, they roam, they are territorial, sometimes they will fight or get injured elsewhere. That's what I pay his health insurance for.
None of my cats fouls in someone else's garden so that's sorted out but I certainly wouldn't begrudge any of my neighbours because their cats come into our garden.

[GoudyStout]

You could try Feliway diffusers in the house to reduce his anxiety levels, or Zylkene tablets - we tried the Zylkene with our aggressive Tortie and it certainly made her a lot more relaxed.

[kali110]

My cats have been attacked loads in last year by new neighbours cats.
We'd never dream of going over there, it's what cats do.

[TheFuckitBuckit]

I have five cats and the eldest boy (12) is particularly territorial. It doesn't help that when we moved here we were the only cat owners for a couple of years until the other houses became occupied (new build estate) so he sees this street as his!!

Next door on one side moved in with 2 cats and there were a few scrapes and battles until they established themselves. Both neighbours and I took the stance cats are cats we have to leave them to it. Thier male spends a lot of time in our garden and mine just accept him now.

Another neighbour moved in with a cat, which my male took a dislike to. And again a few scrapes were to be had. They complained to me that their cat had got hurt and they would have to squirt him with water (almost like a threat) I agreed and I told them to put the hose on him and he wouldn't come back after being soaked a few times as he hates water!!

Next door other side moved in 2 years ago again with a male cat, he was only young and was trying to establish our back garden as his. He tried to attack all of mine in the space of 10 minutes. They all fought back and it took a few weeks but they all stay out of each other's way now. If he comes into the garden unexpectedly they chase him over the fence, especially the two (small) females that are half the size of him.
Again neighbour and I took the stance cats are cats it's what they do.

I have also had to treat many cat bites and abcesses due to fights but I wouldn't hold anybody accountable. It sounds like your neighbour has accepted this and I don't think she has a major issue. I think you are worrying for nothing if it was a problem she would have said surely?

[Lostandlostsomemore]

Thanks again for the replies, they've helped a lot as wasn't sure if this was a common problem or not.
She's quite stony faced so when she started saying he had attacked hers and he bit the cat when they first moved in and sits on their windowsill trying to attack through the glass it felt like she was having a go at me :(

[WhatALoadOfOldBollocks]

As Wolfiefan said, cat proof your garden so he can't roam outside of that? No idea why cat owners don't do this as a matter of course anyway because it would prevent their beloved pets getting run over, attacked by other animals, stolen, shitting in neighbours' veg patches, etc. Seems like a no-brainer not to at least try to keep your pet in your own garden. You can get strips of rubber spikes that go round the tops of walls and fences for example that are supposed to keep cats in/out.

[Littleorangecat]

I wouldn't have gone around, neither of you have any way of knowing which can started it so it's not helpful of your neighbour to suggest it was yours. It's very upsetting to see your cat fighting and injured but it is what they do unfortunately. What has happened in my street is; after a few fights one of them will be the alpha male and the others will avoid it from that point on. They literally fight it out. My cat used to be the alpha, now he's old & slow and can't be bothered so he keeps out if the way of the younger ones.

[StillYummy]

Is your cat insured? May be worth sorting out encase he gets an infection or something. My last bill for a cat fight would have been £250 if I wasn't insured!

[StillYummy]

I?! Yummycat! I don't go to the vet :)

[TigerPath]

We had a neutered Tom who was a fighter. He ruled the street and regularly got into fights with other cats. We let him get on with it. Cats are territorial and you can't do anything about it, they'll establish their territories anyway.

[MidniteScribbler]

She's quite stony faced so when she started saying he had attacked hers and he bit the cat when they first moved in and sits on their windowsill trying to attack through the glass it felt like she was having a go at me sad

Of course she's having a go at you! You bloody cat is being a nuisance to your neighbours. You may not give a shit that your pet is causing issues for your neighbour, but you can't get upset when they then get annoyed at your for your feral cat annoying everyone.