HELP!! Being held to ransom by a stray cat

[Gatekeeper]

this sounds ridiculous but I don't know what to do. I'll start off by saying I have lived with cats on and off for last 30 years so am experienced cat wrangler

I have two cats who mostly stay indoors but like a bit sniff about every day in our garden . The last few weeks have seen a small entire tom visiting which they didn't like one bit- lots of stands offs in the garden. After lots of enquiries and he wasn't claimed we trapped him & got him neutered. Have done this many times over the years with strays.

Kept him in shed overnight to recover and after a feed took him to a farm several miles away- know the people there and they are willing to let ferals & strays live in barn etc

10 days later he turns up at the back door again!!!! However he is becoming increasingly aggressive and our cats are frightened to go out. They aren't the only ones as he also goes for me each time I'm out and has made a mess of my legs as he launches himself at me clawing away. My legs are terrible this morning as even with jeans on he's shredded them! Bloody hurt I can tell you

We still have the trap but even though he's been obviously very hungry he won't go inside.
He's there all the time

HELP

Crikey he looks really pissed off , balls off and a long walk obviously hasn’t improved his mood .

I'm not an expert by any means, but I've done TNR for strays/ferals for the past 7 years and have never had a cat be so proactively aggressive as such. Defensive and dramatic, for sure, but never had one the attacked unprovoked. Not that I'm saying you're provoking him! Could he be in pain or discomfort? Although quite how you can assess that, I'm not sure 😬

@Gatekeeper

Is cat hypnosis a thing?

I think he’s trying to hypnotise you

Oh he's lovely!

He clearly loves you, so I'd be tempted to try and distract him, have some Dreamies in a shakey pot and the minute you go outside shake the pot, say his name and throw him a Dreamie, and repeat (I've been doing similar with a recently 'adopted' reactive ex-stray and she's doing really well). He will probably have a better life living in your shed (can you fit a flap) than any alternative, if you can help him stop this behaviour.

I'm laughing at some.of these replies although I've had a gin now. Will update if I don't die of my wounds

I don't think he's feral but has been 'owned' and possibly mistreated and dumped. He wants to come inside and is quite frantic at times, meowing and pawing at the window. If I open the door to go outside he tries to get in, unless he is trying to murder me

This is my bestest boy..he is 14 and really can't be bothered. Don't want him getting pestled when goes for a sniff of the flowers

That cat has one intese look on his face, like he really did hunt you down for chopping off his crown jewels.
Has he ever got inside, what did he do if he did get in?

I’d go for scared cat rather than aggressive, you just never know what they’ve had done to them.

We have a visiting cat who attacks us (not always, but fairly regularly). I can confirm that he's definitely not scared or injured, he's just a thug.

I suspect yours may be the same - I think you'll just need to try to cultivate him, and perhaps start wearing cricket pads.

Ha love the name! Looks like he's your new cat.

Is he a good mouser? Could he live in your shed or garage?

What would happen if you let him in? Have you tried it?

He's a good looking boy.
Maybe you should just.... let him in... and see if that apoeases him.
The rest of you could move to another part of the house...

Another part of the house???? Another county I think

I'm beginning to remember that book OP.

The issue with letting him in is, presumably, the resident cats? Very hard on them if they can't get on. And one is quite elderly? I think the OP is probably prioritising them.

To be clear, I was joking about letting him in.

Oh this thread has made me laugh. He must love you in some weird kind of way ha ha. He looks like our cat Moriarty who sadly was pts last month. Maybe that could be his name. We have 5 cats now. I think he's your new owner now. To come all that way back to yours is either revenge or love 😅

Moriarty would be good as our ginger boy is Sherlock

Well if he’s desperate to come in and you an keep them separate while you slow intros it could work.

We introduced a cat when our oldest girl was 15 & she just pretended he wasn’t there. Mind you she’d had practice at that.

In British English, spook means "to alarm", "ghost", and "spy" No racist connection or use that I know of.

He's lovely.

@Gatekeeper oh wow how cool. See it was meant to be ha ha. His evil nemesis 🤣🤣🤣

Stuff and old sock full of nip and drug him into submission. Consider it a challenge to keep him and pet him and squeeze him

Be reasonable. You took away his manhood and banished him to the countryside. He wants you & no-one else will do.

Loving this thread & you might need a tetanus jab?