A complicated neighbour/cat problem!

[Happyharry2003]

Hi
my next door neighbour is an elderly gent who sees himself as the cat whisperer and feeds/tried to catnap all the local cats. He can easily afford his own but does want to pay the vets bills!

Neighbours at the bottom of the road have lost their cat to him. I have offered to intervene and help both sides but she refused. This cat has attacked my cat frequently (we are currently on £1500 of vets bills due to the one cat!) as it’s trying to get in my house/look for food when the catnapping neighbour is out.

Neighbour at the bottom of the road has bought two more cats to replace the cat napped one. Yes you’ve guessed it - he has cat napped them as well!

They are now hanging round terrorising my cat as well looking for food. Another large vets bill due to one scratching my cats eye ball yesterday.

i understand cats go where they like but these cats have no ‘owner’. The neighbour at the bottom refuses to speak to me, I’ve tried letters and texts - nothing.

The elderly man just carries on. He said he would stop feeding them but now entices them in with food when he feels like it.

I have just written again to the original cat owner asking if she is responsible for these cats or not. If she isn’t, I’ve said I will contact cats protection and get them rehomed as none of the cats including mine are very happy with the current situation!

What would you do? This has been going on over a long period of time (since 2021) and I’ve got to the point of having too many other life things happening to spend so much ££££ treating my poor cat through now fault of her own.

thank you!

I’d move or cat proof my garden so my cat couldn’t get out and others couldn’t get in

It would probably be cheaper to cat proof your garden than keep paying vets bills as well

Keep your cat indoors unless you have a catproof garden or catio. He’ll probably try to steal your cat too.

Get the other cats picked up by a rescue. It doesn’t sound like they’re having a happy life.

I agree with cat proofing your garden. You can't change his behaviour (or the cats). You can take measures to protect your cat so do that.

I'd get insurance and cat proof my garden.

sorry I should have added we have already cat proofed the garden but they are so hardy they just took one look at the spikes and walked all over them. We have a 6ft fence all round but they jump them (and the spikes).

https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/cats/environment/gardens Not a lot of help as it says don't feed them but there are various cat deterrents out there, such as sprays, sonic noise, spiky mats etc Any way you can use this to create an area your cat can stay in and stop the others?

Have a look at the cat fence rollers.

Realistic advice: these cats are strays (even though they did not start out as strays), so yea I'd contact a cat charity who will rehome them. Poor things. They are lucky to have you looking out for their best interests.

Cat spikes are not cat proofing. You need that netting at an angle.

Also get the now strays picked up by a cat charity.

Agreed, you need this

Try the rspca.
I know a few years ago we had someone local doing that the rspca went out and told them to stop and gave them advice on helping strays etc

The problem with that angled netting (and the rollers) is that it is intended to keep your own cats in, rather than other cats out. It's possible that the neighbouring cats could get in and then not be able to get out again which would be even worse.

The situation isn't fair on the cats who no longer have an owner and are clearly desperate for food and stressed, so I would get in touch with a cat welfare organisation so they can arrange to rehome them.

You say they try to get in to your house - do you have a secure cat flap like a Sureflap so they can't actually get in? If not, that would help.

Thanks yes - this is the problem that all the cat proofing stops my cat getting out rather than the others getting in. My cat doesn’t really go far from my patio. There is no way my neighbour (the cat thief) will allow the rollers/nets on his side of the fence.

we have a secure cat flap but they sit outside howling to get in.

we have tried everything. I will try calling cats protection but I imagine as the cats are probably chipped (originally before being disowned) nothing will happen as it will show them as belonging to the neighbour down the road who will just do exactly the same and do nothing about it

You seem angrier at the woman rather than the cat thief.

hmm not sure really. Im angry that she just replaced the cats that the thief stole without taking up the numerous offers of help to solve the situation. She has now made it worse by getting two more cats just for the same thing to happen. No doubt she will get some more cats soon to replace them!

Thing is op. Any new neighbour could move into the area and then get cats and cat thief feed them and then they become homeless again. The issue is that the neighbour tries to steal cats and that the original owners shrug and go meh.

If you want to keep cats out of your garden you will have to make it secure so yours cannot leave. You can do the tilted wire/net without his fence. Just put in your own posts next to it.

That’s a good idea.
I don’t think most cat owners would be quite so unconcerned that their cats were being continually stolen but maybe they would. The only other thing is this man is very elderly and talk of him moving to a home. It may force the other cats to go back to where they came from. Maybe!

Oh no I certainly wouldn’t be happy if mine got out and then became someone else’s cats 😅 it’s why we have a catio and harness “trained” ours.