New cat on the block coming in OUR catflap!

[Milliways]

We have an 11yr old very laid back moggie. Our neighbours have 2 young large cats, and they all seem to co-exist with the youngsters a bit wary of my boy, but no fighting.

REcently a new HUGE leopard look-alike (some special breed with yellow eyes) has moved in. He started by sitting outside our patio doors and hissing at our cat (who sleeps inside this door) but twice now we has come in through the flap and eaten our cats food! He has run off as soon as we set eyes on him, and once DH chased him all the way up the (long) garden, but I don't know how to stop him coming in. Both times our cat has been out - our cat is large but no match for this thing in a fight as he is very young, lean & healthy - but strong & shows no fear of us! He is actually very beautiful and obviously expensive, but I can't have him just waltzing in our house.

Our cat has never worn a collar so we cannot use a flap that only one collar uses (he is micro-chipped but I think those flaps are VERY expensive.

Any ideas in seeing this new cat off?

Expensive, perhaps, but I think that may be your best bet. Now he knows there's food there, I doubt you've seen the last of him.

Water pistol for when you see him outside (perhaps not ideal to use indoors though!)

Water pistol!
Do you keep food down all the time? Perhaps you should only put food down at certain times and not leave 'spare' about for a while.

My mum has one of these cats, it is very annoying, it is scared of nothing!!! Brazen black cat!!

They are expensive but well worth it - our one cost £89 and has saved a fortune in cleaning supplies as the sodding cat from down the road would come in and eat our cat's food, then our cat would smell it and spray the kitchen and the door, then the other cat would come in and spray again because our cat had sprayed...

Best £89 I've ever spent!

DH has the hose ready for if he sees him in the garden (not to hurt him though). I have a water squirter (for ironing) so will leave that in the kitchen.

We never had this problem when we had the dog as well, but I will not give in to DH to get another dog yet!

Maybe an idea to lift the food up - by mine has always been allowed to "graze" on his biscuits - and he doesn't need an excuse to bring in any more pigeons

Thanks

When we woke one night to find a strange cat asleep on our bed, we invested in a microchip cat flap. Saves a fortune on food!

asleep on your bed? Oh the cheek!

Is it a Bengal? Mine used to go next door to beat their cat up and eat it's food.

Maybe. I googled an thought maybe an Ocicat or Ashera - definately a special breed.

Off to look at prices of posh flaps now.......

Our sure flap was 51 pounds. Much, much cheaper than a couple of vets bills.