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.

Ffs you really can't do shit like this!!!

@MissMaple82 you are right, it didn’t attack our baby this time, but in the past it has challenged me when I’ve chucked water over it, so it’s not something can be risked. It looked like it was out to kill and pretty determined to get our cat.

Our neighbour wasn’t aware of the ongoing with our other neighbours, but he now knows. Hopefully his research he’s going to do into a solution will either lead to a catio being built, the cat being kept inside and walked on a lead, or being rehomed as I think it’s difficult for them to keep him indoors as he destroys their house.

Hate that Bengals are getting a bad press here. Positive confirmation bias at it's best.

Cats are cats. They will calm down once territory and hierarchy is established. Newbie has upset the balance.

YABU in thinking that the owners have responsibility for their cat while it's outside. It's not a dog.

YANBU OP, and I say that as a former (inherited) bengal owner. Our cat was lovely to humans but highly territorial and frequently beat up other cats, we spent a fortune on vet bills for the neighbours cat. He also loved water so water pistols were not much of a deterrent and he had always been neutered. We did keep him in at times so I don’t think yabu asking neighbour to do this.

@Forgottenmypasswordagain it’s awful. During the summer heatwave and heavily, heavily pregnant, I couldn’t even open the windows in our flat as he would run in. Once he came flying in and ran into the Snuzpod, but luckily the baby still hadn’t been born.
Sounds dramatic, but it’s sometimes like being a prisoner in own home as I’ve had to message them in the past to see if their cat is still out as we needed to have our backdoor open for an hour or two and couldn’t risk their cat coming in.

We were meant to move house, but sadly it fell through. Now with the stupid interest rates, we can’t afford to move, so stuck with this issue. Although their cat wanders so far (I’ve seen it a 5min walk away) it would have probably found us again as we were only moving a few roads over.

@WeebleGirl I understand it’s not a dog and completely understand that cats roam, fight for territory etc, but this has been ongoing for 6 months. We’ve had to pay £150 in vet bills, keep windows closed during a heatwave, can’t open our kitchen door, kept our cat in the majority of the time, and now my baby has been caught in the mix whilst their cat is in attack mode.

Their cat is aggressive and has gone for me when I’ve chased it with water, so where do we draw the line and ask them to provide a serious solution? Even with a timetable where we alternative our cats going out, it doesn’t solve the solution that we can’t open any windows or doors with the risk of their cat coming into our house.

I'd have to accidentally run it over 😳

This is what happens when people aren’t required to be responsible for their pets. This is a particularly aggressive cat but all cats torment people living nearby, either by damaging plants, shitting everywhere or going into houses, and owners don’t give a shit.

If you get a pet you shouldn’t inflict it on your neighbours. Keep your cats indoors.

I have no advice, but feel for you. Our old neighbour had two bengals that terrorised the neighbourhood. They were so powerful and muscles. The lady next door had a garden full of bird tables and they would sit under them and pick the birds off at an alarming rate.

They were always terrorising the lovely cat who lived on the other side of us and I would often have to get the hose out to save lovely cat. They had no qualms about marching into other peoples homes, lovely cat’s owner often had them coming in the cat flap and causing chaos. My cat refuses to go outside, but if she was an outdoor cat, she’s so small and feeble she wouldn’t have been able to defend herself from them.

We were all quite pleased when they moved out.

@Firsttimetrier The amount of neighbours' cats who have waltzed into our homes over the years. They're chancers! Normal cat behaviour!

Also, vet bills for fighting injuries - normal. All of our cats have had antibiotics of some kind over the years. Some have been fighters, some passive.

Sorry but if a neighbour came to me with the same concerns as you I wouldn't do anything.

In my mind your solutions are:

• Properly assert yourself when dealing with the Bengal. You're bigger and scarier. Make him know that. If you're panicking and fearful he will pick up on it. Don't be scared of being scratched. Be the fucking boss here.

• Make your cat a house cat.

• Get another cat.

• Re-home your cat.

Even if they’re ok with water a powerful super soaker water pistol should be effective.

Agree. How awful! Definitely speak to them and let them know, if I was the owner I would be mortified and ashamed that it went to attack a little baby.

My mums got a Bengal really aren't suitable for built up areas as a breed. Every time I went round it attacked me. It scratched my dc too so I stopped them going round. Anyone thinking they're 'just a cat' they really aren't. I love cats. Was so disappointed when that's what my mum ended up with!
I would keep a water gun around and I wouldn't not hesitate to get rid of it no matter how if it went for a baby!

Would not*

Dear God this thread not only has the usual crowd of sick sadistic cat hating bastards but now also has a bonkers Bengal apologist telling you to get rid of your cat.
I do agree that Bengal cats should not be out a
You get on well with your neighbour, and they need to act on this, realistically a catio is probably the only sustainable option. Short term a super soaker may help.

I do agree that Bengal cats should not be out and about in the outside world like normal moggies.

Wow what’s wrong with you?

WeebleGirl what a load of shit. The neighbours need to take responsibility for their aggressive animal.

Keep a long handled brush in the kitchen and shove the bloody thing out on its arse.

I agree, nobody should put up with someone else's pet terrorising them.

Op your neighbours need to do research.
poor thing is highly energetic and clever.
as someone mentioned up thread they can be walked on a lead, which would help your problem and de stress the cat.
if they can’t cat proof their garden then they need to look at something else ( catio) and making them an indoor cat with toys, runs, shelves etc.
it’s not fair on the cat nor on their neighbours.

It’s an individual cat problem and you’re handling it as I would’ve done. However, Bengals are not evil, wild or any of the other lurid descriptions I’ve read on this thread. Some may be monsters but that’s true of any cat. I have a Bengal- when I got her I was a bit worried as I’d read things about their being impossible, aggressive, destructive etc. She’s the sweetest, most gentle thing. Playful and very loving. She goes out but just sits and looks at things-including next doors cat who comes into our garden. I asked the vet about this at her check up- the vet said like any xat, you get excitable ones and chilled ones-you’ve got a chilled one. They’ve been bred for many generations now so not ‘wild’. But definitely try the super soaker and scare it off.

Some may be monsters but that’s true of any cat.

This is why the law regarding cats needs to be changed. It’s about fucking time cat owners took responsibility for their “pwecius likkle monsters” that go around killing wildlife, attacking humans, pissing and shitting everywhere and entering other peoples houses, attacking the residents.

Some of the replies might be harsh re kicking, running over etc but people who are being terrorised by this horrible little creatures are at the end of their tether and shouldn’t be subjected to worrying about their babies being attacked IN THIER OWN HOME by the feral beast that “lives” down the street.

Keep your fucking cats inside.

If a cat or any animal places a baby at risk and the owners won't act then the animal needs to go. Dogs would be euthanized if they are dangerous to babies, yet cats are fine?

And I could almost guarantee that if this was a dog who had entered someone's home and terrorised their own pet and risked their baby, every response would be to put the dog down.

You could cat proof your garden. Then your cat would have free run of it and other people's cats would be kept out. Really all cat owners should do this.