The interloper

[RosesAndHellebores]

During the night, usually as dawn approaches, so 4ish, we occasionally are woken to a cat fight or at least yowling. This happens about every two/three weeks

Somehow an interloper gets in through the micro-chip cat flap. This morning it was worse than usual. The fight was in our bedroom, there is fur left behind, there was a spray and two pellets of faeces. A huge black cat ran out and headed into another bedroom. I didn't see him leave but don't think he's here still.

I can't understand how the cat gets in. I certainly want to know how to prevent it and am coming to the view that I may have to lock the cats in at night but pointless if an interloper can get through a locked flap.

My cats are both female, about 20 months old. Both present and correct and from what I can see, unhurt. Both speyed.

Never in 40 years of cat ownership have I experiences rhus.

Is there a fault in your cat flap ?

If it's the one that only recognises registered chips then it's either on the wrong setting or it's faulty , or someone has registered this strangers chip ?
There is no way any other cat should be able to get through it , how stressful for your own cat and awful to listen to any cat fighting

Hope you get it sorted

How odd. Is it possible that the interloper chases one of your cats, they run through the cat flap & he is so close that he gets through before the flap comes down & locks?

If you don’t want to change the settings so that it prevents any cat from coming in, I would at least keep the door from that room closed, so that they can’t come upstairs.

If the other cat is hot on the heels of your cat, he's probably getting through when the flap opens for yours. They can be incredibly quick.

He's likely getting in immediately after one of your cats.

I'd close the catflap over night so your cats are in and the interloper doesn't get the opportunity to fight them.

Locking them in at night is probably the ticket. Getting them in at 10pm another matter altogether. I guess I'll have to put a litter tray down for them overnight!

Do they come in for dinner? Mine have always had the rule that after dinner, no more going outside.

They have dinner at 5.30 so a little early. They do appear at about 9pm having been out so could implement from then. It's perplexing that I haven't had this problem previously with other cats.

I realise this is an old thread, but I have the same problem, and I think in our case it’s because our cat flap only lets microchipped cats in, but there is free exit. We think one of the wily neighbourhood cats has realised that by hooking the door towards him, (i.e. the direction of exit) he can gain entry. When we used to have an ordinary cat flap, I remember my cat doing that himself, sometimes, because he’s never been over-fond of head butting the flap to get through!