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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

AIBU to want to bill this cat’s owners!?

21 replies

ziggiestardust · 21/09/2018 07:37

Firstly, I know I am being unreasonable; I just wanted to vent.

We moved in last year, with our rescue cat who is 11.5. We’ve had her for 4 years. She loves our garden, which has a hedge all along one side and a perennial border on the other. The garden is fully enclosed and she never roams far. However, there is a persistent cat that gets in via the top of the garage. It seemed friendly enough at first; so friendly in fact that I thought it was lost or homeless (very VERY skinny). It has a collar with a phone number on, but when I called the number it was disconnected. Anyway, my cat didn’t seem to mind it at first and they just ignored each other, and we ignored it too.

But the past few weeks, it’s been getting into the garden and cornering my cat and trying to bully her. I only let my girl out when I’m home during the day because she is reluctant to be out at night, which to be honest suits me. I caught my cat huddling under a garden chair with the other cat swiping at her with its paws. I chased it off quickly, and then whenever it came in after that, I’d turn the hose on it. It is very quick though!

Anyway, yesterday morning I let my girl out for a wee before work and I heard an ungodly ruckus whilst I was cleaning my teeth. By the time I got out there, the other cat had mine pinned down and it bit my poor girl! Right on the shoulder! It drew blood and my poor little love was really hurt! Of course I wrapped her up and took her straight to the vet. But as it was an emergency case, they saw her out the back room which I couldn’t go in, and she absolutely lost it in panic. They said they couldn’t listen for her heartbeat because no one could get near her (swiping and hissing) and they gave her painkillers and antibiotics which really sent her over the edge. By the time she was returned to me, she was huddled in the back of her carrier, shaking and panting. I think she thought she was being abandoned as I’m convinced she can remember when she was given away by her last family.

This morning she is much better, thank God... I won’t be letting her out until she’s fully healed, and I feel like following that cat until it goes home and billing them. I know that’s silly of course, but I am SO ANGRY. My girl loves going outside and now that’s ruined for her. She loves feeling the sun on her fur and jumping in and out of the hedge pretending to catch leaves.

What can I do? Nothing, I suppose. I just wanted to vent, I’m so annoyed for her.

OP posts:

MissHemsworth · 21/09/2018 07:46

Sorry about your cat OP, hope she makes a speedy recovery. Keep a loaded water pistol to hand, that should deter the other cat!

I probably wouldn't bill the owner but then again I have absolutely no back bone!

Fluffycloudland77 · 21/09/2018 07:46

I'd trap it and get it scanned for a chip. Skinny cats that are old look very different ime to skinny cats who are lost.

Give it a plate of food, if it wolfs it down there's your answer. Owners probably moved and didn't take it with them.

Original poster

ziggiestardust · 21/09/2018 08:22

fluffy it’s skinny, but in very good condition. Shiny fur and clear eyes/ears from what I’ve seen when it’s strolled past me, and quite vocal. The trouble is I don’t want to feed it and then have it coming back! I’ve seen it walking down our back lane and mewing at people until they stroke it, so it does love people. You have got me wondering if it could be a stray just being fed by several people now

misshemsworth no, I wouldn’t really bill the owners; I just feel like getting some kind of retribution! My mum always rolls her eyes with stuff like this and says ‘it’s just a cat!’ But she’s like one of my children to me, I love her so dearly.

OP posts:

Floralnomad · 21/09/2018 08:30

I agree with pp catch it and take it to cats protection or similar and tell them that’s it’s being a nuisance and that the number is disconnected and then they can check if it actually has owners . Hope your cat feels better soon .

Original poster

ziggiestardust · 21/09/2018 08:33

floral Oh would cats protection do that? I might give them a buzz this morning actually. I think I’d be able to get it in a cat box for sure.

OP posts:

KlutzyDraconequus · 21/09/2018 08:41

Just before the cats caught and carted away..

How would you like your cat being caught by some random person and taken away somewhere?
Disconnected number and no microchip doesn't mean they don't live nearby. You taking the cat away could leave someone wondering where their cat has gone.

brokenharbour · 21/09/2018 08:45

Don't steal the cat! The last thing cats protection needs is another cat to re-home, if it's likely it's got a perfectly good home already.

Some cats are just bastards. There's not much the owner can do. I hope they're feeding it properly though.

NoSquirrels · 21/09/2018 08:46

Can you put anything on top of garage to stop it coming in? There are cat proofing solutions to keep cats in (and out).

Branleuse · 21/09/2018 08:51

keep water pistoling it until it gets the message or run out shouting at it

SingingMyOwnSpecialSong · 21/09/2018 08:55

Put a paper note collar around its neck asking the owners to call you as you are worried about it possibly being lost. Cat proof the top of the garage so other cat can’t get in. You can buy soft spikes etc fairly cheaply that won’t hurt the cat but will discourage it climbing up.

I find it odd your vet took your cat to a back room for treatment. Mine has been at the vets as an emergency case in serious pain recently and they treated him with me holding him most of the time as they appreciate he gets comfort from me. They did take him through the back for blood tests, but only once he was calm in the environment.

putputput · 21/09/2018 09:11

For fuck sake DON'T STEAL THE CAT!
I have a very skinny, very well loved cat. If you offered it a plate of food it would wolf it down. It won't wear a collar. If someone was carting it off to the cats protection league I would be fuming.
Cats fight, some are complete bullies and your poor cat got the brunt of it. There's not a lot you can do short of keeping your cat indoors.
Water pistol is good for breaking up fights.

Original poster

ziggiestardust · 21/09/2018 10:30

singing that’s a good idea. If someone cared enough to put a collar on it, hopefully someone is caring enough to keep a roof over its head. Maybe they just forgot to change the number on its tag?

I’ll check out spikes on amazon and see if I can get something sorted this weekend. It’s a real shame if she can’t go outside anymore, she loves it so much and it really adds to her quality of life. I don’t want to be cruel to the other cat of course... but I don’t want my cat to have to have an indoor life because of it either.

OP posts:

Original poster

ziggiestardust · 21/09/2018 10:33

I must admit though, I am a bit at this cat’s owners not keeping the phone number updated. It’s not a quick release collar, either which I hate to see.

OP posts:

Floralnomad · 21/09/2018 10:33

If the cat is chipped to an address it will be returned , the OP has said the cat is thin and that the number on the collar is wrong so it could well be a stray , if it’s not then the owners will be notified and can collect him . If he’s not chipped then frankly they are not responsible owners and perhaps he’d be better off with someone who does care enough to chip him and keep his details up to date . It’s hardly going to do him any harm to be put in a cat box for a couple of hours .

multiplemum3 · 21/09/2018 10:35

Omg don't take the cat, I rescued mine and was just getting him back to good health when some busy body took it upon themselves to write on the buy and sell pages that if the owner doesn't come forward they're taking him to the local vet. Fucking idiot.

Original poster

ziggiestardust · 21/09/2018 10:35

The cat is thin, but looks healthy. I’m thinking it must be being fed somewhere... a bit like six dinner sid

OP posts:

Original poster

ziggiestardust · 21/09/2018 10:37

But multiple I’m assuming yours was chipped? Totally understand not all cats wear collars.

I think that person’s heart was probably in the right place, but maybe it came across badly?

OP posts:

Fluffycloudland77 · 21/09/2018 10:48

Ok if you don't want to scan it put a paper collar on it.

I'd ring sharpish if my cat came in with a paper collar on it.

Ixnayonthehombre · 21/09/2018 10:49

It's possible the last people who lived in your house abandoned it. So it is territorial about the garden? We'd lived in our house a year before we realise a car that frequented our garden often had been abandoned by the previous tenants. We took it in, and it looked in really good condition. She's a great hunter, so I think she sustained herself with hunting and possibly other neighbours. Did you change the house number when you moved in? It would also explain the number on the collar being disconnected.

Original poster

ziggiestardust · 21/09/2018 12:42

lxnay it’s a mobile number, not a landline. The people who lived here before us did have a cat, but he was a very fat, floofy old boy on his last legs. They didn’t refer to having another cat and there was only one food bowl, one litter tray, etc. The house also wasn’t vacant for more than a few days. But... it does really seem territorial over the garden!

OP posts:

KlutzyDraconequus · 21/09/2018 12:47

Have you asked neighbours?
Take a picture of the cat and ask. I think i remember a program that showed cats don't tend to wander all that far, or not as far as thought. So it might live quite close.

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