What to do about local aggressive cat.

[Peonperfect]

My new neighbours have a cat. It hasn’t come into my garden yet thank goodness but it does a target me and my toddler every evening when we leave the house. I don’t seem to see it during the day but in the evening it sits on our front steps and displays quite aggressive body language and arches its back. If you try and shoo it away it comes at you. It has swiped at my toddler a few times and we’re now quite scared of leaving the house as we leave it always walks towards us and follows us away. It is entire and has gone after a few local dogs.

If it were a dog I could report it. Anyone got any ideas?

No the cat repeatedly approaches us, follows us when we leave and if we don’t move quickly it has swiped several times at my toddler, never at me. I’m also not the only one who has had a problem with it.

Fgs don’t throw dreamers at him!

He will always defend his territory from perceived threats, he is a male tom cat and his hormones and genetics control this. At the moment, anyone and everything is a perceived threat.

If you become non threatening (or even friendly) and he thinks his posturing is working he will feel less inclined to defend.

It might also lessen as he settles into his new area.
It is hard when they act so scarily but he will feel very vulnerable and acting on instinct.

Everything else is likely to antagonise him

Just ignore it 😂 It sounds like you don't want to back down to a cat so you're winding it up and making the situation yourself. It is a cat for goodness sake!

What else are you wanting to do? Call the police because you have an ongoing battle going on with a local cat and you don't want to just ignore him to solve the problem because then he would think he has won?

Personally I would find dive bombing seagulls absolutely terrifying and would seriously consider moving out of the area. But an arsey cat? Come on!

Might eat it.

whole.

I’d be banging on the neighbours door every time! Their bloody brat cat their problem! I’d be chucking a bucket of water at it anytime it came near.
If the cat is nasty it shouldn’t be let out. They should secure their garden and keep it at home

Its probably more scared of you

Stop being so pathetic, it's a cat, not a tiger!! Your toddler is scared because of your wet behaviour.
Get a water gun or a bucket of water and drench it, it won't hurt the cat but it will think twice about returning. If it does, then repeat. And grow up!

Water bottle or garden hose. Every. Single. Time.

Water pistol it when it approaches you (I say that as someone who loved her two cats). I'd probably give your neighbour the heads up that I was going to be doing that and why (swiping at your toddler). They should already be aware that their tomcat is aggressive.

Quite often an aggressive cat like this towards people is a result of being entire as well as being in pain or mistreatment by the owners. Hormones surging, esp after years can send a cat into a pattern of aggressive behaviour but that's normally aimed at other cats, not people so I think the cat may not be treated all that well. Depending on how the new neighbours are, would you be able to tell them what their cat has done to your toddler?

If he comes to swipe you when you shoo then don't do it. Ignore the best you can and as others say, when he does start coming into your garden, water pistols are your friend. Out the front you can use a combination of cat scarers and smells he won't like, as well as keeping any spray spots clean that you find with enzyme cleaner. Not bleach as cats like the smell of that.

If does get out of hand and owners unwilling to do anything, get in touch with animal rescue groups such as Cats protection. They're able to assess the home environment and are often willing to talk to owners about neutering. Some of the volunteers will even get them done for the owner and take them back.

Sadly it's probably the owners doing so expecting them to do the right thing in keeping him indoors would be fruitless.

Have you spoken with the owner?

to those who are saying ignore the cat, have you ever been clawed or bitten by a cat? if not, i’d suggest you dont post answers about ignoring it as you dont know how sore it is should it make contact!

A child’s skin is fragile and soft. A cat claw will easily sink in. it’s bloody sore. and when your instinct is to pull away their instinct is to claw even deeper. So do you really want to risk that happening to your most precious thing in the world, your child? If it damages the tendon it could affect the child being able to move his hand. permanently. hes just a toddler. why risk it for the price of a water pistol. a wee skoosh won’t hurt the cat, just make it stay back. plus if it keeps kitty out of the garden there is less chance of poo being in there that a toddler could touch.

See this would be how I'd die, I'd try and Boop it's little nose (and promptly lose a hand)

OP it is very rare for a cat to be human aggressive without being provoked even if it is a tom. We've had some gnarly stray tom cats I've had to chase away from my cats but apart from giving me the look of death they haven't gone for me directly. You need to speak to the owner asap because this is not normal, cat could have some serious behavioural problems.

If you're not able to speak to them and need to leave the house don't make direct eye contact with it (cats see this as aggressive) and water is a good deterrent as others have mentioned. If it does have behavioural problems and is in attack mode food won't distract it.

Do bears poo in the woods?

Of course I've been savaged by cats before - when did people become so fragile,

Bucket of water. Soak the bloody thing.

Tell the neighbours that it’s right to roam does not mean right to terrorise you or your child.

I’m not a cat person!

I do think of you stop reacting it will stop the behaviour. You don’t need to shoo a cat away that’s reaching its back protectively, you just need to ignore it so it learns you are not a threat. Your interaction with the cat makes it 100 times worse. Ignore.

Paper note or paper collar asking the owner to be responsible and have it neutered.

And yes, garden hose on full blast.

No, you're actually an animal abuser

Might have a word with the cat, see what he thinks about it

Toddlers tend to be fragile.

I've found if they grow up with cats they tend to be quite robust.