We have a problem,,,,we have 3 cats that are being bullied and attacked?

Question

in their own garden by a new cat to the area.
Every night at around the same time as night falls this cat attacks through the cat flap.
One of our cats guards the cat flap every night and fights this cat off but he keeps coming back every night.
This pattern has been going on for 3 months now and we are sick to death of this cat.
All our cats are very nervous and edgy now .
This cat has even sneaked in to our upstairs bedroon on one occasion at 3am!
What the hell can we do?
HELLLLLP!!!!!

Answer 1

Well, if finding the owners and aking them to do something about it doesn't work, then there are a couple of alternatives.

1. If the cat doesn't run off when it sees you, then sprinkle chili powder and yell really loud at the same time. The chili powder won't hurt the cat and it will remember its experience of fear and uncomfortableness when it comes to your house.

2. Someone else mentioned throwing a bucket of water on it. But if you can't get close enough to do that then try a spray bottle filled with 1/2 water and 1/2 regular listerine. Not only do most cats dislike getting wet, they will also dislike the taste/smell of the listerine. Again, the listerine will not hurt the animal.

3. If you've tried everything and nothing at all works, then try spraying the cat with pepper spray. Also, you might want to consider closing your cat door for awhile at night. Your kitties may get a little frustrated by not being able to go out at night, but they'll adjust quickly.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

Since your cats are already edgy, don't do anything to scare them further. When you form your "plan of attack" you'll need to put your kitties away in a closed off room until "mission accomplished" happens.

Getting rid of the cat flap IS certainly an option, but why punish your cats for nothing they've done wrong? If your flap locks, you'll notice in short time that some cats are actually smart enough to unlock it, even from the outside (I've had this problem before and it does happen)!

Cruelty is out of the question so you need to figure out what you're going to do with the bully once you catch him. Taking it to the SPCA as a "stray" is an option which will allow the owners a chance to find him AND it may teach them to keep their cat contained indoors. Trust me, it's very inconvenient picking up ones pet from the local shelter, especially when you have to prove all their vaccines are up to date, etc.!

Here's my suggestion (and you may lose some sleep for one night, but everyone will sleep better from here on out)...

You will need to have heavy gloves, a blanket and a cage or a trap.

Put your cats away from the action area and patiently wait for the bully to show up. When he climbs in through the flap (make sure the room is closed off first!) block off the flap, throw a blanket over him and stuff him into the carrier or cage. Viola! One less bully coming through the flap!

Put the 'jailed" cat in the garage, basement or your car with the windows cracked open for the night (if it isn't too hot outside). Covering the carrier or cage with the blanket will help to keep the cat calm (make sure he gets enough air to breathe) and in the morning, bully cat goes bye-bye to the shelter.

Approaching the owners of the cat probably won't do a lot of good, because why should they lose sleep over a ticked off cat yowling to go outside? And you know by being a cat owner that they're pretty insistent... Not only that, but some people are literally crazy over their pets and if anything should ever happen to it, you'll be the first they one blame and possibly retaliate against.

All the owners will know is that a concerned citizen found their cat running loose, thought it was lost and tried to make sure it was reunited with it's owners by turning it into a shelter. No harm done and you'll look like a hero, too.

Dropping off the bully on the side of the road is unethical, illegal and cruel. Shooting the cat is just plain wrong and illegal, too. Putting out poison is illegal and cruel plus your own cats may get into the poison as well.

Answer 3

Hi there...surprising the cat when it enters is the easiest solution. Just be certain to make sure the cat doesn't suspect anything before surprising it. Usually a quart of water leaves a long enough impression that it hopefully will not return, however you may need to do a few more times so it learns to resigns itself as this is not worth another future attempt. If you use a squirt bottle/gun this may not be effectively strong enough to make an impact. The idea is to drench a cat as they truly dislike being very wet.

Leaving noxious substances such as pepper, citronella and the like will also affect your cats so this isn't a good solution as they would be affected by these deterrents.

Perhaps you may consider upgrading your pet flap door to the electromagnetic model (see weblinks below for examples) where you cats wear a collar magnet which opens the door flap just for them and keeps strays out.

Answer 4

Cat owners cannot be held responsible for their pets behaviour in this country, but you are responsible for your behaviour towards this cat. Don't go too far when deterring this animal.
Wait with your cat but out of site from the cat flap, just sit with a book until this cat appears.
You want a water pistol filled with cold water and you don't want the cat to see you do it. Animals are not that smart, if he doesn't see you he won't be able to figure out its you doing it. He will actually associate being hit in the face with cold water with your cat guarding the cat flap.
Another thing he wont like is a sudden loud bang against the door while he's got his head near the flap. A plastic bottle with a couple of stones will do the job nicely. Again, don't let him see you. He'll think your cat did it.
Also keep some bean bags around - small light ones, make them yourself out of socks stuffed with about 6 oz dried beans, and if you see this cat in the garden throw them at it. The hose pipe and a powerful water pistol is also a good thing to keep handy.
Get a lock for the cat flap door so when your cats come in at night they can't be harassed.

Monkeymoms trick of adding Listerine to the water is a neat idea!

Answer 5

If your cats are nervous right now, it won't hurt them to stay in for a few nights.

Lock or block the cat flap from the inside and put pepper or chilli powder on the outside of the cat flap door. It will soon stop the other cat from trying to get in. Remember to clean it off in the morning when your cats are going to come in and out.

Answer 6

You could get an electronically operated cat flap which will only let cats in wearing the actuator on their collar.

Other than that is to teach the other cat a lesson or even put a trap inside your cat flap once the cat is caught take it a long way off then let it go.

Answer 7

Have you tried to block the cat flap? Best thing to do maybe is to leave the cats in the house for a while until the other cat thinks that they have gone - with the other cat knowing their not there, may back off a bit, do you know who this cat belongs to? You could always call the RSPCA for advice

Answer 8

Make a trap. Here are some ideas: 1. Dig a hole (not too deep, you don't want to break its neck, or do you?) and cover it with sticks and grass, and wait untill it falls in. 2. Wait near the cat flap, when the cat puts its head through shout really loudly or throw a cup of water/water baloon at it. 3. Wait outside with a hose and soak it. 3. Arm your cats with machine guns, grenades, uzis, rocket launchers and sniper rifles. 4. Get a dog, train it to be nice to your cats but not to the other cat. 5. Eat it.

Answer 9

If you know who the cat belongs to, ask them nicely to help you figure out a way to resolve this. Let them know it has come into your house. They have traps you can rent to humanely catch it. Let the owners know if you know who they are, that you are planning on catching it. I know that you can spray your door and your yard with a product called keep away. But I am not sure how this would affect your cat. The traps can be rented and do not harm the animal.

Answer 10

If all your cats are in at night time, then how about it blocking the cat flap so the other cat enter

I agree with RedHeadPhred said