Neighbour’s vicious cat

[Firsttimetrier]

Our neighbour bought a bengal cat which they started letting out this summer. It’s caused us and our other neighbours nothing but grief by attacking our cats resulting in vet visits due to bite wounds, coming into our houses, spraying urine everywhere in gardens and on back doors etc.

This afternoon, I had our backdoor ajar and our baby in the bouncer in the kitchen. Next thing I know, their cat comes flying into the kitchen trying to attack our cat right by our baby in the bouncer. I manage to break up the fight and their cat then goes towards the baby still in attack mode.

This has completely shaken me up and my husband has messaged the neighbour to discuss as their cat is starting to become nuisance.

We’ve offered them solutions in the past such as alternating days/times when each cat goes out, but they never hold their side.

Are we being unreasonable asking them to stick to a timetable?

Any tips welcome and greatly appreciated.

You need to step this up. The cat could have killed or seriously maimed your baby. Neighbours won’t take it seriously.
Rspca, council and the police. This is a serious issue and your baby is at risk. And next time the cat comes in go ballistic. Straight round to the neighbours and tell them in no uncertain terms their cat tried to attack your baby. This is no time for being nice.

Bengals have been bred to be loving companion cats-read anything about the breed on any reputable source and nowhere does it say they’re vicious, aggressive and wild. They are reputed to be alert, curious, active and intelligent. My feeling is that maybe because of their beauty, there are too many backyard breeders about who do nothing to socialise their kittens properly and take them from their mothers too early. That can cause the issues people seem to be having-in addition to not neutering them. Some of these posts are insane. Am not talking about the OP-but some of the responses are bonkers.

Also can anyone point to any documented source where a vicious cat kills an infant?

Also can anyone point to any documented source where a vicious cat kills an infant?

It doesn't even have to be actual killing. Everybody knows that cats can scratch and rip at people - would you really stand back and let one do that to your baby, in his/her own home?

Get screens for your windows so he can't get in. It will keep the flies out as well!

Unfortunately Bengal cats love water, but pp suggestion of filling a super-soaker with vegetable oil sounds good! You may have to lie in wait for him instead of just letting him catch you unawares.

Next time he comes into your house trap him in a spare room and leave him locked in there for a while.

Can you borrow an intimidating dog? (Not a Labrador!)

Cats are smart (especially Bengals) so once he learns that your garden is an unpleasant and potentially dangerous place he will hopefully stay away.

Next time he comes into your house trap him in a spare room and leave him locked in there for a while.

And have him p*ss all over everything, rip the place to bits and scream the house down?

Up to you OP, but I wouldn't follow this particular bit of advice myself.

@PurpleFlower1983 Unfortunately I don’t think they can keep their cat in as it’s too disruptive in their house. Which obviously not our problem to deal with.

We’ve had success this morning with them letting us know when he’s in, but we’re being chased after an hour to let theirs back out, although our cat has been kept in since yesterday because theirs has been out the whole time.

Oh, and this is advice from RSPCA
Try to remain hidden from view if you spray an unwanted cat in your garden; if they learn to associate you with the negative experience rather than the garden
itself they may simply wait until you are not around before happily entering.

I agree this is a serious problem; the cat could literally scratch your child's eyes out. Contact the council and your local councillor ASAP as the neighbours are clearly not taking it seriously if they are already lapsing on Day One!

If cat is aggressive entering your house attaching your cat in his own home and pees in your house after you've warned your ndn of this in writing then
You have a claim for damages against your NdN

That may focus your neighbours thoughts

There's a difference between a cat that roams and enters gardens and an aggressive cat damaging property

When my cat went into my neighbours house and stole their uncooked sausages I offered to replace or refund them as I'm not a dXck

They have a cat who pops into my house and garden too but if sugar if our cats was consistently aggressive or damaging property it does become more than just a roaming cat but a nuisance cat

Either not sugar

Of course not! But several posters on here talked about how the cat could kill her baby. That’s plain scaremongering. Cat bites have to be treated seriously as they can get infected easily. But compared to known cases of dogs seriously injuring and even killing people, equating a troublesome cat with that is ridiculous.
It’s a difficult situation and it’s no joke for the OP. Have well known cat deterrents been tried? Coffee grounds at the boundary, motion activated spray, etc? Could the neighbour cat proof her garden so it doesn’t leave-and better, neuter the bloody thing?

@Subbaxeo the cat is neutered already and this how aggressive it is! We have our own cat, so we’ve not tried cat deterrents as it would affect her.

Exactly!

This is a tiny, vulnerable infant - you take no risks with them.

Even a very gentle animal (of any type) needs to be supervised around a baby. It's just common sense.

They are pushing you after an hour and wanting it to go out as it probably drives them mad when its inside. It sounds more suited to rural or farm life. I would build a catio so my own cat will be safe, they dont sound like they really care.

At this point you really do need to get tougher. They're taking the piss.

Can they ask advice from their vet and maybe request medication to calm it down? No one wants to medicate unnecessarily, but as they don’t want to keep it in, what alternative do they have-they can’t just let it enter into neighbours’ houses and upset resident humans and animals. Have they tried Feliway? Would they put deterrents around their borders to keep it in?I know it’s putting the onus on you to ask these things but if they really are reasonable people they should be trying everything to keep their neighbours on side. I’d be mortified if this were my cat. If they won’t, then they need to know you’ll contact your council to report a nuisance.

I agree if everything has been tried and no success, it would be happier to re home to a rural area. People do like Bengals and someone living in a low density area might want to take it on. According to my breeder though, they mostly do better as only cats.

Of course not! But several posters on here talked about how the cat could kill her baby. That’s plain scaremongering. Cat bites have to be treated seriously as they can get infected easily. But compared to known cases of dogs seriously injuring and even killing people, equating a troublesome cat with that is ridiculous.

I don't know how many cats may or may not have actually killed people, but I'm astonished at your minimising as 'troublesome' an animal that is vicious and attacks/threatens other cats and very small humans.

It's irrelevant that there are far more dangerous/killer dogs out there than vicious cats - this isn't a dog that we're talking about here. If we were, you could just as easily minimise and dismiss all of the actions of dangerous dogs, just by saying "well, lions are much more dangerous".

OP,
go back around there or text them and say:

Look this isn’t working and it’s oboe been 48 hours. My cat is basically having to stay indoors 23 hours a day and when he can go out you want him back in after only an hour for yours.
I can’t open any doors or windows during those 23 hours either.
I can’t live my life like this indefinitely.
I’ve done my own research into bengals and it states they are not really suitable for neighbourhood living without a catio due to these exact issues.
I really don’t want to fall out with any neighbours but your cat is dictating our lives’.

See what they say. Don’t be afraid to get nasty or unreasonable.

Some people, even ‘lovely’ people, don’t listen to you unless you become a dick unfortunately.

Thanks @SunshinePlease101 that’s a great response which we will send to them.

I think we are too kind and hate conflict, so accepting of their shitty behaviour.

I would add that this informal arrangement isnt working and that you cannot put your family or your cat at risk of any further attack.

Their shitty behaviour? FML they are trying to help you out by keeping their cat in.

Put your big girl pants on. Cats fight!!