with this cat/neighbour situation?

[sheneversaidit]

long story short, I have 2 cats who I let out for about 2 hours in the morning & 2 or 3 in the afternoon. They tend to come in for a long midday nap and we always have them in well before dark. My boy, has had a really terrible time, he has been really viciously attacked by another cat in the neighbourhood several times. He is 10 now and this cat is besting him. We have spent hundreds (and insurance etc) on him patching him up after this cat has done this, last time he had a heamorage (sp?! sorry!). Anyway this cat just never buggers off from our garden. He is put out of his house and just is never really kept in. My cats have had whole months spent inside because of my cats recovery time and us not wanting him to get hurt. When we keep our cats in the cat often paces up and down the roof of our conservatory yowling and making terrible noises through the windows at my cats.

We've talked to the owners several times, and they know all of this. Last time when the cat attacked my cat & he was so badly hurt the owners agreed they would keep their cat in til 5, at which point it would go out til the next morning, so ours could be out from 8-5 and they wouldnt kill each other. We have followed this faithfully. They havent. They did for a while but the last 2 weeks the cat has been back. I just dont know what to do. He is in my garden and yowling at my cats and I have had to bring them in again and close all the doors etc so they dont get into a fight.

I am upset because I want my cats to be able to go out and enjoy the garden and also I want the doors open etc so the family just goes back and forth etc but I love my cats very much and I do not want them to get killed like this. And it has already nearly happened.

I have the owners number, so I could ring her and ask why she has stopped her end of the bargain we made, but I just feel really cheeky doing this. She did offer to do it before, but it seems like I havent got the right. But her cat is really bloody aggressive. I dont think he has been neutered as he is always trying to mount my female cat. He is like something out of a stephen king novel, he's attacked me and DH as well. What do I do? My cats are miserable being kept inside all the time.

Sorry incoherently written am multitasking its taken me about an hour to type

I'd certainly keep a water pistol to hand and spray him every time he comes near (a hose is better but you can't always get to it in time !)

I know you can't be there all the time but this will at least deter him if he thinks he is going to get a soaking every time and associates your cats territory with something unpleasant.

I'm sure there is something else you can do but I can't think at the mo - will be back when I remember

I am spraying him with the hose and dumping a glass of water on him when I can - it doesnt seem to deter him much I have been doing it for about 6 months.

You need a super-soaker - one of those big pump action machine gun types of water pistol. You need to completely drench him.

Having said that, cats are territorial and if this younger cat reckons that your garden is part of his patch, he might just carry on fighting your old boy until your cat accepts defeat. I know it's shit but they're wild animals at heart

What an awful situation! I really feel for you. It is totally irresponsible of this other owner not to have had her cat neutered - I'm sure that that would help the situation.

She is basically causing you a public nuisance - the Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to help. Also, you might try the Cats Protection League for advice?

The super soaker is a good idea. A friend of mine had exactly the same problem, and when the nightmare got so bad she and her DH mnaged to trap the cat and drove it an hour down the M4 and let it loose in a wood near a housing estate!!

I couldn't possibly recommend that though and I'm sure you won't want to do that though, if you know the owner...

Kick a football at it.

I think you should talk to the owner again and try to sort it amicably.
Don't listen to the ridiculous advice about trapping it, letting it loose somewhere else or hurting it.

swift kick upt he bum methinks! sounds like a viscious little shite of a cat and whilst thats partly to do with the owners if it were attacking my cat, and water wasnt working a slight boot to bot isnt goint to hurt, or as i have with a nasty bugger of a cat in my garden picked it up and dumped it over the fence...but then im a bit mean i suppose...