Intruder coming in and spraying. HELPPPPP!!!!!

[charliebubs]

I'm having a problem with an intruder tabby cat coming into my house. His visits seem to be getting more frequent and he's upsetting my other cats and starting fights with them. :(

The first thing I should say is that i have a cat-proofed garden. I bought one of the kits from Secure-a-Cat and installed it before I got my cats a couple of years ago. It consists of netting that comes in at an angle on metal brackets. I have never had any problems with it and my cats are unable to leave the garden and other cats are unable to get in.............until now!!

The tabby first came in a couple of weeks ago and I shooed him away to watch how he got out. There was a small gap between where the netting ended and the side of my house and he was getting through there. So, boyfriend came over and tried to fix the netting to the wall and eliminate the gap. (the trouble is that there is a window there, so it's not easy to do)

We thought we'd done it, but Tabby cat appeared again a few days later and the netting had come away from the wall. Boyf fixed it to the wall again with bigger hooks this time, but a few days later there was Tabby cat. :?

So, then boyf (not wanting to be beated by tabby cat!) came over with some wood which he drilled and fixed around the window on the wall of the house and then fixed the netting to that. There were no gaps and this seemed to be a success, until a couple of nights ago when I got woken up by hissing, turned on the light and there was Tabby cat on the landing!!

Whenever the cat sees me he runs away and won't let me anywhere near him. My cats don't seem to mind him, perhaps as they are used to living in a "pack" but if they get too close to him then he attacks them. This caused a problem the other night when Kuta got too close, he went for her and as she turned to run away, she ran into Bernard who then went for her as well, as he was frightened. :(

The other main problem with this intruder is that he's spraying. I can't even find where he's sprayed on his last visit, but my house is beginning to stink of pee.

The other problem is that I'm wondering if he's an entire male (as his spray smells?!) and I have Lily who is an entire female and the last thing I want is for him to have his way with her!

I just don't know what to do. I thought of getting some of those spike things that people put on the tops of their fences (plastic) but I don't want to hurt him. I've also thought about putting bells or a windchime there to try and scare him off, but would this work?

I'm at my wits end now, my cats are stressed and my house smells of pee. Please help!!!!!!!!!!!

[dinahsmum]

Could you change your cat door to a security one and give all your gang the collars with magnets? Wouldn't stop him coming into the garden but it would keep your house pee-free.
Otherwise I'd say discourage him from the garden with a water pistol or hand claps or pss, pss pss, but you have to see him to do that.
Good luck

[dinahsmum]

........... or maybe you should have kept that doggie! :lol:

[charliebubs]

I have thought about that too DM, but I don't think it would work. I have had to take the door out of my existing cat-flap as my little guys couldn't work it!!! So, I actually just have a cat-hole in the back door that they come and go through. I think if I fitted a door at all, then my lot wouldn't know how to get outside. :(

[charliebubs]

hahahaha - just seen your second post!!!! A guard dog in the garden!?!?! Hmmmmm. I wish I could!!!!!

[Fran]

This is a tough one. Other than restricting your cats access to the outdoors and removing your flap all together I am unsure what to suggest. I would say that there is every good chance that this cat is entire and the fact that Lily is entire too is the reason for his visits. Trouble is you will need to be vigilant when you let Lily out in the garden as he is obviously able to get into your garden by some means. I don't want to worry you but sometimes queens can have silent calls, be in heat but without calling, how old is Lily?

[charliebubs]

This is a tough one. Other than restricting your cats access to the outdoors and removing your flap all together I am unsure what to suggest. I would say that there is every good chance that this cat is entire and the fact that Lily is entire too is the reason for his visits. Trouble is you will need to be vigilant when you let Lily out in the garden as he is obviously able to get into your garden by some means. I don't want to worry you but sometimes queens can have silent calls, be in heat but without calling, how old is Lily?

I was going to speak to one of the other breeders at the show I'm going to tomorrow about this Fran - as she's 18 months old next month and hasn't called yet. I was wondering if she could have had a silent call. The last thing I need is half tabby kittens tho!! (although I'm sure they'd be gorgeous!) plus if he's a stray/feral he could have FIV or anything. I just don't know what to do.

I have thought about blocking the cat flap up at night, but he seems to come in during the day too. He was in at 10am the other day and goodness knows what goes on when I'm not at home. :cry:

[tilly]

Try putting some stone in a tin and shaking it to scare hi away. It might work. Or chick water at him.

Best of luck
Sally

[Fran]

she's 18 months old next month and hasn't called yet

All cats and indeed breeds are different, however, 18 months old does seem rather late to not have had a call at all. Bliss is just 8 months old and is just having her very first call at the minute. Have you noticed any other changes that might indicate that she has had a call. Rolling about the floor, extra loving, peeing in inappropriate places, extra cleaning of her vulva??
I'd be concerned r.e. this tom cat Charlie, do what you need to to keep him away from her because I feel almost certain that Lily is the reason for him visiting :?

[charliebubs]

All cats and indeed breeds are different, however, 18 months old does seem rather late to not have had a call at all. Bliss is just 8 months old and is just having her very first call at the minute. Have you noticed any other changes that might indicate that she has had a call. Rolling about the floor, extra loving, peeing in inappropriate places, extra cleaning of her vulva??
I'd be concerned r.e. this tom cat Charlie, do what you need to to keep him away from her because I feel almost certain that Lily is the reason for him visiting :?

I spoke to Lily's breeder and her mum didn't call for the first time until she was 14 months old, so I guess Lily isn't that far behind :?

I don't have any idea if she could have had a silent call, as she is always rolling on the floor and very loving, has never peed in anywhere other than the tray and I don't think has been overly cleaning her bits.

I just don't know what to do about this intruder. I will do anything I can. I can't stand his spraying and I can't risk him having his way with Lily.

I just don't know what else to do..... :cry: :? :(

[charliebubs]

Try putting some stone in a tin and shaking it to scare hi away. It might work. Or chick water at him.

Best of luck
Sally

In theory I can see that this might work, but he comes in at all times of the day and in the middle of the night and goodness knows when I'm not home.

Also, one evening when he came in my boyfriend tried to scare him off by rushing out into the garden clapping his hands loudly, this just caused the tabby cat to panic and try to run away, but in his panic he ran straight into the netting of the cat-proofing and got caught. He managed to get free in a few seconds and found his escape, but this trauma doesn't seem to have put him off coming back for more visits.

[alexgirl73]

I think you're going to have to block off your cat flap for a while Charlie or find another way of cat proofing your garden. Good luck!

[Donna]

I have this trouble too. Annoying as it has changed my two cats lives forever. They are terrified of the cats that come into the house. The cat flap cannot be used on a magnet as that was broken through too.

So now my cats are prisoners in their own home!

[catcarol47]

Hi Charlie

You have my full sympathy on this. I get intruders too but fortunately they don't pee in the house. They do eat my girls' food though which is a pain. I have tried throwing water over these intruders and clapping and making noises but nothing seems to work. As you know Molly is nervous anyway so this does not help. It does sound like he is after Lily as he is so determined to get in.

I hope you come up with a solution. I will keep watching this space so keep us posted.

Love
Carol
x

[charliebubs]

This tabby intruder is practically living with me now!!! He was in last night when I was sat watching TV and he just sat watching me. It was raining and I felt awful chasing him out, so I have to admit that I just let him sit there. My cats didn't seem to care!!
I woke up in the early hours this morning and he was sat out on the landing outside my bedroom door and then when I came downstairs this morning he was sat outside the kitchen window in the garden.
I just don't know what to do for the best. I get torn between chasing him out every time, or trying to be nice to him and catch him so that I can take him to the vets and see if he has a chip/owner. I really don't know if he's a stray or not - he's certainly very determined to get into my house and I watched him last night and he didn't seem very interested in Lily. He's not interested in the food either tho, so goodness knows what he wants!?!?!?!

What should I do?

[charliebubs]

I've seen these cat deterrent things on eBay. Does anyone think that they would work?? I'm also thinking of getting a windchime to attach to the netting at the area he comes in, as I thought the noise may put him off. any other suggestions would be fab pleaseeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=003&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=130064675850&rd=1&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=008&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=180071389255&rd=1&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=110075753916&rd=1&rd=1

[Fran]

The rods sound interesting? Not so sure about the other two items... Anything is worth a try I suppose. Let us know what you decide to try..

[Samz5]

I have the same problem, except I know my straying and spraying cat does have a home of his own, just not a very good one apparently (when he first turned up he had a bleeding open wound that stayed like that for 2 months, if I could have got near him I'd have taken him to the vet myself but his owner wouldn't do it).

Now he pretty much lives here, he stays away from my cats but he sleeps in the conservatrey all the time, he used to come into the rest of the house and spray but we decieded in the end if we couldn't stop him coming in the house We could try keeping him to one room only and thank fully he understands, but he still sprays :( at least its only one room though.

I did have another stray neighbours cat sneak in once, but I shouted at him and he legged it out of the cat flap so fast he somehow got his leg stuck and broke the cat flap into a hundred pieces trying to escape, that one never came back!

[charliebubs]

The tabby does seem to have stopped spraying now - probably because the whole house smells of him now anyway!!! lol
I still don't know what to do though. :?
I know that it's quite a common problem that other cats come in through the catflap, but I've paid to have my garden cat-proofed. He shouldn't be able to get in at all!!! Grrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!! :(

[alexgirl73]

Can you not contact the people you paid to cat proof the garden Charlie and ask them to come and sort it?

[charliebubs]

Can you not contact the people you paid to cat proof the garden Charlie and ask them to come and sort it?

I was just thinking about that Alex!! They don't have a website and I can't track down their details online. I'll have to wait until I get home. They didn't install it for me though, I just bought the kit from them and we installed it ourselves, but they may have some advice.

Whilst looking though I did find this webiste for the breeder that has the same catproofing system as me from Secur-a-Cat. Now you can all see what I've been going on about!!! lol

http://www.woodycoon.com/html/cat-proof_fencing.html