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Unneutered cats CONSTANTLY attacking my spayed female?

130 replies

LollipopsandWine · 20/06/2017 00:57

Someone is going to call me unreasonable here but I'm terrified/fuming right now.
My cat is tiny, the friendliest little thing ever. She is spayed, chipped and well cared for.
There are about seven un-neutered male pet cats in my area that I now recognise, as they are all in my garden at least once a day respectively. They harass my cat.


Last week she sustained an injury in the most unfortunate place; a nasty bite mark the vet says she will have gotten as she tried to escape "advances" from a larger male cat. I had her treated immediately and it was healing well. She has been allowed out for the past two days (waited for vet to say so) and then tonight I hear a cat fight.


I rush out to see my neighbours gathered in the road, DP almost crying, and one of the male "visitor" cats sloping away. He had attacked her, and the neighbours informed us that as she tried to run away she was clipped by a car.

It took us 25 mins to lure her out from her hiding spot under a parked car. The previously mentioned wound near her bits was torn from the male cat's attempt. No other obvious injuries but of course she has gone straight to the emergency vet.


Tomorrow I will be informing the owners of these unneutered males that if they do not go and get them neutered (it costs £5 ffs, I'm paying over £200 tonight just to be seen and we have money trouble) and they turn up in my garden again I will be calling the RSPCA. I think the owners are fucking irresponsible.


Anyone got a better idea of what to do? Not going to see my cat hurt like this again.

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MipMipMip · 20/06/2017 01:09

Nothing to suggest but sending Flowers. Hope she's OK.

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LollipopsandWine · 20/06/2017 01:31

MipMipMip thank you - I should update that the vet says she needs an xray and some stitches under general tomorrow - but so far she seems to be doing well all things considered!

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NeedATrim · 20/06/2017 01:44

I hate the mentality of people who believe there's no need to castrate their Toms. It makes me angry. I've a spayed girl, small and friendly like yours and ots a weekly occurance to hear her screaming at a tom who's cornered her in my garden. Horrible.
Although a fair few are strays, some no doubt aren't. I've no idea who they belong to especially as complete Tom's roam far from home.
Anyway it's absolutely lazy and shitty to not get them done. Toms spray - I really hope their houses and gardens stink.

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LollipopsandWine · 20/06/2017 01:58

NeedATrim I'm so glad someone agrees! It's sort of like they think if their cat can't actually carry a litter then it's not their problem, but it's the fighting and the spraying that are issues - especially when they wander into houses in this heat!

My lovely kitty is home now, all dosed up on painkillers and due back tomorrow. Me and DP are so shaken though. There's already so much done to encourage people to spay their cats, I find it hard to understand why they don't 😡

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Broken11Girl · 20/06/2017 02:00

Your poor girl Flowers
I'd be tempted to um, make neutering the bastards a moot point.
And I'd definitely invoice them for her vet treatment.

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CupOfTeaAndAGoodBook · 20/06/2017 02:03

Does it really only cost £5 to get a male cat neutered? Blimey, you'd be better off catching them and taking them to be fixed yourself OP. And sadly with your kitty around they'd probably be easy to catch. Sad

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LollipopsandWine · 20/06/2017 02:13

I am so relieved to hear that nobody thinks I'm being precious! There are loads of schemes around here to get them done for £5, I seriously did consider grabbing them tomorrow and taking them myself but since I don't know their health history/can't guarantee their lazy shitty owners will care for them properly afterwards, I decided that might not be best.

I feel awful too that if I do have to call RSPCA to get them I am using up their resources, but I'd prefer to give them the £ and know the cats are sorted than have to keep paying huge vet fees for my poor baby - not to mention seeing her like this!

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Allergictoironing · 20/06/2017 08:48

You may have to consider keeping her as an indoor only cat, if she would tolerate that - a large very aggressive local tom is one of the reasons why I decided on indoor cats.

You may have a problem getting the local toms trapped & neutered - if they are microchipped then the RSPCA will only return them to their registered owners, and won't neuter without their permission.

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LollipopsandWine · 20/06/2017 11:37

Allergictoironing she used to be an indoor cat as we lived near an awful road when I found her, but she was so stressed by not being able to go out that she started to overgroom :/ her bottom half was bald for quite a while.


I'm so angry that ignorant people can impact our pets, and I suppose their own are at risk too. I asked the vet, who obviously wouldn't touch the males without consent, but she suggested that the RSPCA would be happy to come door to door and offer to take the offending cats for "free" from the owners. Obviously I would cover the cost. Frankly we can't even nearly afford it but I feel my cat's welfare is far too important to not do it. Also emailed local MP and news re the situation, trying to get people to be aware/maybe donate a bit to the RSPCA.


Waiting for my lovely girl to come out of theatre 😩

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NeedATrim · 20/06/2017 11:46

Nah - I'm not as considering as other MN's and in the past I have arranged for the Cats Protection to put cages in my yard to catch whichever Tom is patrolling around. Owned or stray, history obviously not known, they were caught, had the snip, looked after for a day and let loose back here again. Things died down considerably after that. My kitty was happy and there were no more fights in the dead of night or the afternoons.
But that was nearly two years ago, and there's been new faces in my garden recently. I may arrange for the same again if they keep making a nuisance. 🤔

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Firenight · 20/06/2017 11:50

NeedaTrim: I am on the verge of doing this. My poor girl is constantly being picked on, we are woken at night by the fights (not ours as we bring her in before dusk) and the spraying round my doors has been horrendous.

I am as sure as I can be that the offender still has his bits - the challenge is catching him.

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ExConstance · 20/06/2017 11:53

Nothing constructive to say as I've never owned a cat, but just to say your story was so sad it made me cry, the other cat owners are very irresponsible.

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Wolfiefan · 20/06/2017 11:54

You can't neuter someone else's cat! They should be doing it themselves obviously but you can't force them to do so.
Many of the £5 schemes etc are for those on low incomes.
Can you cat proof your garden to keep the buggers out and allow your cat some freedom?
Poor girl. Hope she's ok.

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NeedATrim · 20/06/2017 12:18

This is what I'm saying, I can't guarantee a cat that looks raggedy, unkept and is in tact to be owned. But going by its appearance and temperament towards other cats and reaction towards humans, it points to being a stray. So I go by that - and the cats were caught, done and released.
If the cat was owned then it can or will be seen as (morally?) wrong by some, I know that and take it on board but I'm not sorry for doing it and I will do it again if perhaps things flare up again as it had a couple of years back.

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LollipopsandWine · 20/06/2017 12:23

I am honestly so relieved to hear that other people have the same issue I really am - as awful as that is and I wish all our cats could just get on. Still no news yet, I'm getting very very antsy waiting to hear back off the vet :(


ExConstance I'm sorry, please don't be too upset - the vets are really confident that she will be okay. I'm still shaken too tbh it was so scary last night :/ but she seems to have been very lucky and come out of it quite well.


W I know I can't, within reason, just neuter other people's cats, but there is no valid reason to not have it done and I can't seem to get through to these people how important it is. And I know some of the £5 schemes are only for low income but a LOT of people round here are low income (including myself) and if not the RSPCA will do it for an unspecified donation amount. Not to mention I certainly don't have the money to pay the fees today (now escalated to over £400 and counting) readily available, but I am paying them because I adore my cat and it's my responsibility to make sure that she is looked after. If they can't afford the snip they probably shouldn't have the cat - what if it needed urgent care? Would they pay for that?


I'm just really upset about how it happened. My poor cat was so scared and I'm on edge about ever letting her out again. All of this is without knowing how well she will come out of theatre and I guess I am looking to lay the blame somewhere.

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Wolfiefan · 20/06/2017 12:26

OP I think if they really can't manage neutering costs then they shouldn't have a cat! Or adopt an older rescue that is already done. I bet their cats aren't insured either? And an unneutered male is much more likely to get into scrapes. None of my cats have ever been allowed out unless neutered. Boys or girls.
Your poor girl. Sad

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LollipopsandWine · 20/06/2017 12:31

Cat proofing the garden crossed my mind but I doubt it. My garden is enormous and the property is only rented so I'd need permissions too. Plus my kitty is tiny and I reckon she'd still make a great escape! I have been trying to clean up and keep busy but I can't seem to get on with anything. Have to assume it's too early for a stiff drink and chain smoking isn't the answer... Sitting waiting is awful though.

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NeedATrim · 20/06/2017 12:35

We're low income too. If I had the means I would catch the (what I access to be) strays, take them to the vets myself and then give them the 24 hours after care in my house. Keep them in a spare room with food, quiet, fussing if they'd allow and a litter box before letting them off again. As much as I'm fond of the things. But I relied on the Cats Pro as I can't provide that.

A few years back a pregnant straw made camp in my back yard, literally a few steps from the back door. She had her litter there and was very skittish and aggressive towards me whenever I opened my back door. I phoned every single place to come and get her and everywhere was full to bursting and with waiting lists. Vets didn't want to know either. Those couple of months were frustrating as none of us could access our back yard without a furious cat launching itself at our shoes and legs. Its was warm as well. No washing on the line whilst it went on! No kids riding their bikes round the back, nothing. Just had to wait it out for her to move on.
So the problems of untended cats have quite wide implications, not just scrapping and spraying but have other knock on effects as well.

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dementedpixie · 20/06/2017 12:38

It cost about £50 each to get my 2 neutered. Don't know where would do it for £5. Can you squirt the intruder cats with water every time they come in the garden?

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Reow · 20/06/2017 12:46

Do they definitely all have owners?

Have all of the owners confirmed that they are not neutered? Just wondering as my tom is neutered but acts like he isn't. He doesn't harass females, he's just wild and bolshy.

I'm not sure the RSPCA would do anything about owners choosing not to neuter them. They would definitely take they strays though.

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LollipopsandWine · 20/06/2017 13:00

I know at least 3 of them are pets nearby, I even know a couple by name as I've heard various neighbours calling them - either to say hello or shoo them out of the garden. Have to assume a couple are stray but the ones in question are most definitely "complete" males, I've seen far more of their balls up against my living room window than I would have liked -.-

The RSPCA haven't gotten back to me as yet and I don't know if I expect a real solution from them. I feel awful asking them/maybe Cats Pro to use resources but this thread has confirmed that these unneutered cats are causing a lot of harm.


Can't imagine how frustrated I would be if a litter were in my garden and I couldn't put my washing out in this weather!! Plus I'd be worried for the kittens.


The cost of treating this handful of males, no matter who foots it or if it has discounts or not, is far less than treating the cats they injure/the kittens they will produce. And if for example the owners won't neuter them as they feel it is "morally" wrong, perhaps they should weigh it up against the thought of several unwanted kittens their cat may produce - who may be abandoned or even PTS if there are no homes for them. Surely that is a bigger moral issue? I really do think it's just ignorance and not morals stopping them doing it though.

Just hung my bedding out, had to wash blood off from when we got her inside last night :( Cannot bear this waiting game. I definitely think I should speak to local paper (or hope some lazy journo is reading this!)

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Reow · 20/06/2017 13:05

Could you pop a note through the doors of the owners you know and ask them to confirm? At least then you could narrow down which cats might be a problem.

They might not completely understand the trouble you are having. They might be happy to take them to be snipped if they knew.

Just coming at it from another perspective because I have had a neighbour knock on my door about her cat being impregnated. My boy is neutered and I own one of about 10 toms in my street. We even took him back to the vet to confirm as he was adopted! So it definitely wasn't him.

(You're not in a village starting with L near a city starting with C are you? Grin)

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LollipopsandWine · 20/06/2017 13:42

Reow I'm going to be speaking to all of the neighbours today yes. RSPCA have offered to come and speak to the owners and offer a free snip on the day, as well as getting Cats Pro for the strays. I'm sure these people have no idea that any of this is happening but it still makes me think ignorance a bit :/ and no I am not in that particular place - though I wish I was so I could come havw a cuppa with someone who understands!





The vets have called. She has just come round. The wound was much deeper than anticipated, the vets called it 'vicious', and may have penetrated from a sort of diagonal point through her vaginal wall. They have stitched it up but said they are concerned that she won't be able to urinate properly. They want her in urgent care but we can't afford it, so she will have to come home late and go back first thing, the vet said this is okay. She says the next two days are vital, and she is not out of the woods yet. I am sobbing. I just dont know what to do to help her now

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Reow · 20/06/2017 13:49

Oh no! Poor little girl. That sounds terrible Flowers

I think you should write all of this up in a letter and send it to the neighbours, and possibly post it in your local FB group.

I would be horrified if I was the owner of the tom. I'm sure they must not know how bad it has gotten or they would do something?! That makes me think maybe it is one of the strays.

Can you catproof your back garden for a bit to keep your girl in and the boys out until it's all resolved? Get netting or those roller things? www.catnips.co.uk/cat-proof-fencing.html

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Reow · 20/06/2017 13:49

I do agree, it is selfish to not have your male cat neutered. Unless you're on a farm in the middle of nowhere 10m from the nearest town.

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