Neighbour's aggressive cat

[mimblewimble]

Our neighbours a few doors down have a very territorial and aggressive tom cat.

He was fighting with and injuring our cat so much that we had to speak to his owners. The owners are lovely so it's really awkward to bring up with them. The cats now don't go out at the same time any more - we have to coordinate with the owners on WhatsApp every day.

We also can't leave any doors or lower windows open if their is out, as he will enter our house, or fight our cat through the windows. Now this isn't ideal, but it's been workable.

However we now have the problem that he is attacking us. If he is in our back garden and we go out there he stalks and tries to attack us. DH, the kids and I are all scared to go out there on our own is we know he's out.

We have tried to shoo him from the garden, but he will either just stay put and stare, or if you get too close he turns on you. We have tried water pistols but he just moves slightly away and then returns.

It now seems to be getting even worse, as a couple of times recently he has actually chased me down the street. I have been scratched by him a couple of times, and he can't be scared off.

I'm worried he will cause one of us a serious injury, especially one of the kids.

How on earth do I go about raising this with the neighbours, and what can I reasonably expect them to do?

The cat is already neutered, and he's just a normal tabby as far as we know.

Another vote here for the pet corrector spray that u can get off Amazon. Much easier than a water pistol - it produces a sharp blast of air and a noise like the hiss of a goose.

our neighbours used to have a cat like this - a big aggressive brute that once chased me round the garden. But apparently at home he was utterly angelic, the cheeky bastard.

Yes I think he is mainly pretty soppy at home.

I'm not sure whether the spray would help any more that anything else we've tried, though it would be easier to carry when I leave the house than a full super soaker 🤣

Pit something foul smelling in the super soaker and make sure he gets drenched.

Use a small spray bottle out the front. I'd bevtempted to set some electric fencing up.

Obviously we've had those conversations 😉

He's lucky we're such animal lovers. We would never deliberately harm him but I think there are others who would in this situation.

wow!! I honestly didnt think cats behaved like this! does the cat pester other neigbours or is it just you and your family???

My daughter has a Bengal, which is a stroppy wotsit. Not with humans, just with other cats and dogs. However, daughter has managed to train her to stay in their garden.

They can be a handful...😳

Whatsapp cat schedule groups, water pistols, hose pipes, special amazon bought deterrents, home invasion, being chased down the street, being scratched and bitten, sounds painful and exhausting. A neighbours cat should not be taking up this much of your time. I think you are at kick the fuzzy cunt over the fence stage to be honest.

This cat needs to be put down asap. and you need to tell the owners this.

Cats like this can cause serious illness. my gran was attacked by a cat, the leg got infected and she died.

You can lose an eye if they attack your face, never mind the diseases they carry.

It needs to be put down now

As you say the neighbours have been good about it so far, you need to tell them just how awful it is being, each and every time it has been aggressive, and especially when it has actually bitten/scratched you. Say you are worried about not only you and DH, but especially the children’s safety. They will need to keep their aggressive cat in their own garden from now on by cat proofing it.
Photo and video evidence of any aggressive behaviour and injuries.

I think you need to accept you are not going to be able to salvage the relationship with this neighbour. You need to tell them things have now escalated and you are being constantly attacked by the cat and that you can no longer keep putting up with it. Then once you've been clear things are much more serious and you can't keep putting up with it, start reporting it to the local authority. If the cat is I deed becoming a danger in the community they will have to intervene and speak to the owners themselves.

with neighbour's monster bengal what worked (sadly only for a short while) was putting bathroom smellies christmas gifts from the back of the cupboard into the water pistol.

Speak to your neighbours and suggest they get meds for the cat. We had a cat like this who was prescribed something called clomicalm - a tablet you stick in a chicken flavoured pill pockets. Changed into the most affectionate, friendly loving cat ever within about 3 days. Thi k he was on the meds for about 6 months, then weaned off and no more problems afterwards

Yes they do. My parents had a Siamese who would follow the window cleaner from window to window baring his teeth, spitting and growling at him.

I absolutely adore cats but this has to stop, it's dangerous. If I owned him he'd be whisked off to the vet for a full health assessment and some kind of tranquilising medication at the very least. I'd also be discussing euthanasia as a last resort, even if it was heart-breaking to contemplate.

You need to put your foot down with your neighbours unfortunately.

And fill those water pistols with vinegar. Extremely unlikely to cause long-term damage but hurts like a bastard when sprayed at the face.

We currently have a somewhat aggressive bugger in the house. We also bought some Feliway. It's great for calming cats but terrible for humans with allergies or asthma.

Water pistol with a dash of lemon juice in it.

Definitely back to the neighbours and ask what they are going to do to sort this. Presumably you're not the only ones having issues with him. Even the most 'minor' of bites and scratches are painful and run the risk of infection/sepsis.

You need to speak to his owners properly. I’m sure they would rather know how much trouble he is and have the chance to keep him indoors rather than someone kicking him, which can easily kill a cat.

You shouldn’t be expected to put up with it though, as PP have said, cat scratches can turn really nasty.

Have all these posters saying "how can you be scared of a cat?" ever actually seen
a genuinely aggressive one?

They can do a hell of a lot of damage and once they're in fight mode there's very little you can do to stop them apart from barricading them/you away.

Kicking, soaking them with water or using a broom to hit them will only antagonise them even further - it won't make them back off.

OP are you sure you can't use wire mesh to cat proof your garden? You put it right across a bit like a large aviary.

An aggressive cat absolutely will bare its teeth - it will also hiss, spit and growl as well as physically attack.

Retired AE nurse here .cat bites are an absolute nightmare their mouths are full of bacteria. Film it speak to neighbours and the cats owners .what are they going to do with their cat .
I would using anything to show this cat who will come off worse when it attacks me ..This must be horrible

foot up it’s arse is also my suggestion, and I don’t mind cats too much as long as they aren’t shitting in my garden. They also don’t like being sprayed with lemon juice.

I'd give it a good boot up the arse. Essentially remind him whose territory he is on and that he's there on sufferance.

Pepper spray may be a good idea too. Obviously illegal in UK but I'd use it on a cat attacking me.

It's really unusual for a cat to be this aggressive to people. I think that the owners do have a responsibility to do something.