Terror cat terrorising street and my cat

[Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain]

As it says in title.

In past week my cat has suddenly refused to go out, I posted about it here. In her soft bed upstairs, only out now for 15 mins max whereas before it was 2-3 hours at a time.

On posting about this on our WhatsApp apparently a big ginger and white tomcat think unneutered, has been terrorising the street cats, fighting, trying to get through others cat flaps. He’s well fed and clean so thought is he’s not a stray or feral.

What can we do? My cat is female about 12 and quite streetwise. She was out at all hours before as her previous owners didn’t have a cat flap and she adopted me, all above board with previous owners. Who’d got a dog which scared her and her sister who also moved out. Sister moved away think got on a bus! She tried to do this with a friend of mine, get on a bus. Old owners got a call from vet about 30 mins away saying they had her but she’d found a new home.

My cat is hiding inside now, but fine with me. Purring away, liking cuddles and eating well. I saw this beast cat for the first time yesterday at the back of the garden.

oh my cat is “hiding” in her cat igloo is what I meant to say. Poor love.

I'd catnap him and have his nadgers off. Worth every penny.

How?! He’s a huge beast! I guess he comes near people as in cat flaps so can’t be nervous.

I'm presuming he is friendly enough so I would see if I could pick him up. Then into a cat carrier and off to the snip - though you would need to time it for early morning. Alternatively if your cat is happy enough being indoors (and you are too) then I'd get a microchip recognising cat flap (or just shut it) so he can't come in and steal her food.

Though he could be a stray ... if he is getting into other cat flaps and is successfully stealing food that could be the reason he's looking well fed.

Do you live in my road in the West Midlands lol. We have a massive ginger unneutered tomcat terrorising our cats. It came in and attacked our nearly two year old tabby.

Can you get near enough to him to put a paper collar on him with a message on it saying he keeps getting into other people’s houses? If he has an owner they’ll pick it up next time he goes home and you’ll have a better idea whether he’s a stray and can contact a rescue to collect him.

It’s tricky because outdoor cats just make their own laws, even if his owner is embarrassed about being the minder to a thug they can’t do anything about it bar keep him indoors, which doesn’t suit many cats and isn’t really fair. Catflaps which only respond to individual chips are the best solution so your cat can flee when the thug appears and not risk him following them indoors.

There is an evil white cat with ginger patches in my street too. I had three myself and the two little ones only went out when my huge dog-sized cat went out with them to protect them.

He got into a fight with the white cat protecting them and ended up with a huge abscess. Until then growing at the white cat had been enough to keep it away. Huge cat died 6 months later (unrelated) so I keep the other two inside now.

The white cat attacks humans too. I threw something at it (missing deliberately) to scare it away when it was getting ready to attack someone and it spent the next two weeks sitting on the windowsill outside my window glaring at me - I felt like I was living in a horror film.

I tried contacting several places like the RSPCA and the dog warden and local vets for advice and they all said there is nothing I can do about it.

Replace your catflap with one that scans the chip so only your cat can get in and out. Then it will have a safe haven.

Aside from that there is nothing you can do. The fighting will stop once it has asserted its dominance. The other cats will realise it is the Top Cat and learn to stay out of its way.

I live in a village where all the cats have their preferred 'gangs' but there is rarely any fighting except at night.

Are you sure that it's the bully cat that is driving yours indoors, OP, and that she hasn't just (as cats will) decided that she now prefers to be inside? Have you seen them facing off?

At 12 years old your cat may he happy enough to mostly stay at home. Most cats have routines so she should know what times are safest to go outside to avoid it. Other than expensive solutions like cat-proof fencing to keep him out or a catio, I'm not sure there's much you can really do. As a PP said, once he's established his territory he may settle down a bit and become less of a menace.

This is a good point. Mine have all, at some point, suddenly significantly reduced their outside time due to age. 12 is old to be going out for hours at a time.

I'd still be trying to trap and neuter the tom for his own safety, and to prevent stray kittens being born.

not seen this no fights. But she likes her outside time and garden. Loves her garden is fairly territorial over it.

Even though she’s a little toughie there’s no way she’d fight a huge unneutered tom cat.

Oh he’s only been scaring her for a week or so. So either just moved in or as he’s been terrorising other cats very recently (unsure for how long) maybe he now sees our garden as his or wants it to be his! And is trying to scare her.

She loves her outside time though. Not huge amounts. 30 mins in morning and 2-3 hours afternoon. She caught me a rat the other day in the garden!

I bet if her sister was still here they’d see him off together (as I saw them do to my old cat when he moved in) although at 6 or so they were gradually going off and leading separate lives. Having been joined at the hip before.

I don’t use a cat flap anymore it’s back door French windows or not. Partly because cat brought in mice. Who then set up home in the house. Only just got rid of the mice in house after Covid. I don’t want this beast cat in my house!

I think I’ll try to get neighbours whose cat flaps he goes into to trap him. And then get neutered, and hope he calms down. I mean he could be a stray or feral, I have absolutely no idea! And don’t care tbh, sorry if that sounds harsh.

My stepdad when he came over suggested turning hose on him if I see him. Would that work?

What?? You would take somebody else’s cat and get them neutered?

pretty sure there would be a law against that

There isn't. And it's the responsible thing to do.

Even if he is neutered it won't stop him asserting his dominance. Cats have a hierarchy and if he is the bigggest cat around he is likely to still be Top Cat.

Will see if he’s friendly. Doubtful though. Crikey why do I get this?! Now I need to buy marigolds gloves or see if I have garden ones somewhere (in shed I think) in case I think of tackling him.

So what do I do? How do you stop a dominant male? He needs an ASBO!

If he's new to the area, fighting, AND stealing food I would bet my last penny he's been sniffing out unneutered females and could possibly not be in familiar territory and therefore lost.

Treat him as a stray/lost and try and get him scanned. Some places have kind volunteers who will come to you with scanners.

You can't. Cats are animals. They have a pecking order, territories and the biggest baddest cat will be the dominant one.

About 2 years ago a very sweet tomcat (feral or stray) came to my house for food originally and out front. I let him sleep in my porch a couple of times, fed him and was seeing who if anyone owned him. Someone local said they thought he’d been a pet but owners had moved away and left him! 😢 If no replies I was going to try and adopt him as he was so sweet. Very shy but would let himself be stroked. Not at all hissy or growly. Then he disappeared. He could’ve helped with this beast though if I’d adopted him. Wishful thinking maybe.

Will do. Thanks!

No not seen any facing off. Not with my fat cat anyway.

I would contact your local rescue organisation and explain he's unneutered, and likely stray. At worst, they should send someone out with a scanner to check if he has an owner. At best, they may trap him, check for owner, neuter him and look for a home for him if he doesn't have one.

It’s tricky because outdoor cats just make their own laws, even if his owner is embarrassed about being the minder to a thug they can’t do anything about it

Uhhmm, how about taking him to have his nuts taken off, that’s something they could do about it.

Collar on the tom? Prepare a note with your phone number on and ask them to call, then tie it on his collar.