My cat is refusing to go outside

[ErnieAndBernie]

Hello,
My lovely 10 year old, slightly skittish female cat is refusing to go outside. The rare times she does she won't go much further than the patio. I've had problems with another cat, a tom, trying to get into our cat flap numerous times over the last week. I've bought a new microchip catflap which I am going to install this week as the current one isn't. I do lock it when I go out and at night.

The tom keeps spraying in my garden and hissing at my cat through the cat flap and my poor cat is now doubly nervous and skittish.
Any idea on what I can do to discourage the tom cat? No idea if its neutered or not or who it belongs too but its big and well fed looking. It keeps trying to actually get in as well.
Do I need to hose the sprayed area down with the hosepipe? I think I'd need to do several bits of my garden if so.

You definitely need to discourage the tom cat, I'd keep a water gun handy to spray it with if you see it but a microchip cat flap is really good. One of our cats used to torment the local tom by sitting by the cat flap and pushing it open slightly, The tom couldn't understand why he couldn't get in.
I'd use some ammonia neutraliser from the pet shop to get rid of the smell of him spraying and they maybe have some ideas of things to put up to spook him We had some old CD's on strings with shells strung on hem so hey made a noise but we had them up in the house first to get our cat used to the sound.

Thanks, I've never heard of ammonia neutraliser! I've got a plant spray thing that sprays like a water pistol by the back door until I get something a bit better.
My poor moggy though, I was wondering if a pheromone plug in might help her? She looks rather down at the moment.

My cat suddenly stopped wanting to go outside. A day later I found an injury on her. She had a nasty gash on her underbelly. Other than suddenly wanting to be inside she showed no other signs of being in pain or anything being wrong.
She's only 2 years old and already notorious at the vets for bumps and scrapes.
Your poor girl is most likely upset by the tom but it might be worth checking her over just in case.