# Cat harassing neighbours



## Deusxm (Oct 8, 2019)

Recently I've found my cat leads something of a double-life. We live on a long country round and it's been brought to our attention that our cat has been terrorising almost every house in a half mile radius.

I first found it out after he went missing one evening and after putting up posters, a neighbour contacted me to say he was in their roof and apparently he'd been going in regularly for several months. They were very nice about it when I went to retrieve him, and a week later I had to do the same again. They have two cats and a dog and a lot of cat flaps. He also has been raiding their cat food covers and going into their bedroom at 5am and shouting at them.

Then today I got a letter through the door (complete with tuft of cat fur) explaining that he keeps coming in and attacking their cats and dog. He is a very, very large cat - approx 7kg and when fully stretched out he's easily 3ft long, so he is clearly the neighbourhood bully.

I totally understand my neighbours' position and have already offered to pay to get their catflaps upgraded to chip-reader ones, and I've adjusted his own cat flap so he can't get out early in the morning or after 7pm at night. However, I can't restrict him going out as he is a properly outdoor cat and is unbearable if he can't go out at all. The catflap angle is also a red herring as he sneaks in through open doors and windows.

What else can I do to stop him harassing my neighbours? He's neutered already, and as we live in a rural area, it's a place where we all have hedges rather than fences so it's basically impossible to restrict where he can go.


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## Jackie C (Feb 16, 2016)

Short of cat-proofing your patio area or garden, I think you've done almost everything you can. You've stopped him going out after 7pm, which I think is a good thing, so at least he can't disturb your neighbours early in the morning. I personally don't like cats out at night, anyway. You've offered to pay to upgrade your neighbour's cat flaps to chip one, which I think is great.
You could try blocking your cat flap, so he only goes out when _you_ personally let him, I know I don't like my Holly going out if I'm out.

I also understand your neighbours being rather fed up. Is your cat hungry when he goes out? Does he go looking for (and pinching) food? Could you feed him before he goes out? Sorry, I can't think of anything else you could do.

Your cat obviously enjoys going out, just be prepared, there may be some people who reply on here who are dead-set cats going out and will blame you. Hopefully, this won't descend into an outdoor/indoor cat debate.


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## Deusxm (Oct 8, 2019)

Thanks. Part of the problem is he was a stray cat for 3 months so he's very adept at stealing food - we've had to put the food cupboard behind a separate door in the utility room as otherwise he will break in, rip open a whole pack of Dreamies and then still demand more food. 

The neighbours have multiple cat flaps and food bowls everywhere so it's like an all you can eat buffet for him when he heads round - doesn't matter how much we feed him here. We've replaced their cat food but he's evidently wolfing it down as he's stopped eating anything we put out for him. 

It's extra-difficult because the neighbours are elderly and have been here for a very long time whereas we only moved in a few months ago, so I really do sympathise with how this is affecting them, but equally, I've lived with cats long enough to know you can't make a cat do anything it doesn't want to.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Deusxm - I honestly think for the sake of good neighbour relations I would try very hard to persuade the neighbour to install microchipped cat flaps in place of the standard type, and either offer to pay for them or to share the cost with them. You say they have "multiple" cat flaps, but I doubt it is more than 4 in total unless their house is the size of a mansion. 

You say your boy gets in through their windows, but that surely is only in the warm weather. I can't imagine an elderly couple having their windows open wide enough in cold weather for your cat to sneak through. Especially as he is a big cat.

But if the windows are a problem in warmer weather then you could advise the neighbour to fit Flat Cat Window net screens. These are fixed to the inside of the window frame with velcro and let daylight in but keep animals and insects out. I have them at my windows. The screens can easily be taken down in the winter when they are not needed, and put back up again in the summer.

https://www.flat-cats.co.uk/

Again the same applies to doors in the summer. If they really must have the doors open, then they could have door screens in place for the summer. If they don't want door screens then they need to keep their doors closed all the time to stop your cat getting in.

With all of the above measures the neighbour's home should be impregnable to your cat, and therefore he will have no choice but to come home for his food.

I am afraid nothing is going to change until these kind of measures are in place, short of you cat proofing your whole garden with special fencing to keep your cat in the garden.

Frankly it would be cheaper to buy the neighbours a few microchipped cat flaps and even buy the window screens if they are on a Pension and can't afford to buy them. It would be SO worth it, for the sake of your peace of mind. Disputes between neighbours can easily get out of hand if action is not taken quickly to resolve these kind of issues.


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## Deusxm (Oct 8, 2019)

Absolutely - I've already offered to cover the cost of getting and fitting microchip cat flaps, and that's a great tip about the window meshes, I'd offer to pay for those too. Thanks - I'm just really keen to show I want to take practical steps to help.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Good for you @Deusxm! You're a lady after my own heart.


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## O2.0 (May 23, 2018)

Am I reading correctly that he's not eating any food you put down for him, preferring to eat at the neighbors?
I wonder if there is there any way you can cat proof part of your garden? Then restrict him to his garden long enough for him to get out of the habit of going over to the neighbors for food. It's almost like he's decided he eats over there. If you've only been there 3 months, I'm assuming the cat too has only been there 3 months yes? It's possible with such a short period you could break the habit of going over there.

Alternatively, you could make sure to only let him out when you're home, and if you see him headed to the neighbors, go retrieve him. Even better, teach him to come to you (if he loves cat treats this should be relatively easy), and break the habit of wandering by calling him and offering him treats every time he comes.

Where we live, also very rural, but in the US, cats who make a nuisance of themselves are likely to get shot, so we're highly motivated to make sure our cats stay on our property. When we first let them out, I make sure to go out with them and call them back if they wander too far. With consistency, they get the idea to stick around. We also try to make the area around the house very cat friendly, we put beds up high in favorite lounge spots, good hiding spots, that sort of thing that also encourages them to hang out closer to home.


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## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

Jackie C said:


> Your cat obviously enjoys going out, just be prepared, there may be some people who reply on here who are dead-set cats going out and will blame you. Hopefully, this won't descend into an outdoor/indoor cat debate.


wow! judgemmental much!

how about building him a large catio?
i get how if youve got hedges you wont want to not be able to see them r above them
but
to keep him safe
and to keep the neighbourhood pets safe
a catio seems the way to go
he can go outside, get fresh air, see nature in all its glory ( without decimating it) and still get stimulation

this thread shows the kind of thing that can be achieved

https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/cat-runs-cat-proofed-gardens.211361/


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## Deusxm (Oct 8, 2019)

chillminx said:


> Good for you @Deusxm! You're a lady after my own heart.


*cough*

That'll make my wife laugh :Hilarious



> Am I reading correctly that he's not eating any food you put down for him, preferring to eat at the neighbors?


He eats some of the food we put down but I think he prefers taking their food - they just have bowls of Go-Cat biscuit lying around everywhere and that wins out every time over the healthier stuff we try to feed him. He's become very, very food motivated though and pretty much won't eat anything apart from Dreamies now. He will thrust his head right into the corner of the utility room room door when it's shut and just hovers there constantly. It's a bit like having an addict in the house!



> how about building him a large catio?


I'd love to, but for it work, it would need to be the size of a maisonette flat. Unfortunately our house is on a slope with a decking platform sticking out and steps leading down to a patio and then another set of steps to the garden proper, so we'd need to encase the entire front of the decking, patio and two staircases before we even get to the garden itself.

Luckily I did some recon last night and I've found that our immediate next-door neighbours (not the ones affected, they're five doors down) actually have a wire mesh fence running all along the side of our boundary hedge and there's only one point where it's not fixed into the ground, which must be where he's getting through. I've put some logs and boulders in the way to block his exit so hopefully that might slow him down a bit.


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## Jackie C (Feb 16, 2016)

edited: *posted in wrong thread by accident*


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Deusxm said:


> he prefers taking their food


Some cats absolutely love whatever they can steal, regardless of what it is. Our Gracie was one such (although she had never been a stray). Even leaving a piece of bread on a plate she would steal it; if I had put bread in a bowl for her dinner she would have been outraged. I could put identical food and identical amounts out for dinner and she would wander from one plate to the next as what she could steal from her brother Guy was far more interesting.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Deusxm - I am so sorry for the gender confusion!:Shamefullyembarrased Silly me!


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## moomoowawa (May 19, 2019)

mrs phas said:


> wow! judgemmental much!
> 
> how about building him a large catio?
> i get how if youve got hedges you wont want to not be able to see them r above them
> ...


In all fairness, you've sort of proven the previous poster's point really, haven't you?


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## moomoowawa (May 19, 2019)

@Deusxm

You've done all the right things. You've offered to upgrade their cat flaps and you're keeping him in at night (by the way, can we see a picture of this bruiser? :-D).

At some point, I do think people need to "get over themselves" (in this case, your neighbours). Its the luck of the draw really - it could have been their cat in scavenger mode. Instead it's yours. When we keep cats and we allow them to roam (as theirs also do), we accept that our cats are to some extent uncontrollable. As cat owners they should understand that. Why arent they blocking off their roof? Investigating flap options themselves?

I have a neighbour cat who is similarly adorable and a bloody pain in the backside:









That's Francine. She's a muscular little farm cat (probably just about one this year). The moment I open a window, Francine dashes in, eats my cats' food, races around my house, steals the cat toys and goes galloping off with them down the field, she also jumps on the laundry as I am pegging it up to drag it off the line. She tries to play wrestle with my cats in the garden even though they're not interested, she sneaks into the garage, the list goes on. As I say shes bloody annoying! Luckily I dont have a cat flap. I guess my point is- some cats are more in your face than others and that's life. Your neighbours need to relax.


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## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

moomoowawa said:


> In all fairness, you've sort of proven the previous poster's point really, haven't you?


Not at all
Have you never heard of compromise?
Her cat likes to go out
However it's the bully in the neighbourhood
A catio allows him access to the garden, without having the means to upset everyone else's cats
No different from cat proofing the garden really
So no
I don't think I've proven anyone's point
But thank you for the input, most enlightening


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## Deusxm (Oct 8, 2019)

In fairness to the neighbours they've been really good - part of the problem had been exacerbated by the shock of seeing both their cats attacked and then they went missing for a day. Their cats came back and I think we all understand they were obviously quite emotional at the time of writing the note and it wasn't a fair reflection on them.

They've expressed gratitude for the steps we are taking and we will see how we go. They recognise keeping him all the time in isn't an option and there's only so much you can do with a cat.

As for what he looks like....


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## SbanR (Jun 16, 2017)

He's such a beautiful boy:Kiss


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

He's gorgeous . . . I can see why they don't get too angry at his visits.
I do remember on one occasion looking out and saw one of mine on a garage roof and suddenly the skies opened and it poured down. Teddy made a quick assessment of his position, looked towards home and then towards his friend Ginnie's home and turned and shot through her catflap as it was closer and he would not get quite as wet.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Deusxm - awww he is a very handsome boy isn't he? I do love tabbies! xxx Great photos


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

OH and I looked over our back garden fence one afternoon and there was a lovely ginger cat sunning itself on a bedroom windowsill in a neighbouring house.' _ooh, doesn't that look like our Lucy ' _I said. OH looked , he has better eyesight than me, and said '_ It IS Lucy !' _
Cheeky madam, I don't know how many homes she had, no-one ever complained about her, she just loved to be with people.


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## Deusxm (Oct 8, 2019)

Calvine said:


> He's gorgeous . . . I can see why they don't get too angry at his visits.


Well, to be fair they don't really see him as the most common view they've had is his rear end as he runs away...he's been a bit problematic because aside from attacking their two cats last week, we have learnt that he was semi-regularly getting into their bedroom at 5am and shouting at them (he's very, very vocal, you can sustain a conversation with him for a good five minutes).

So they are being very nice about it all, considering. Definitely doing my bit though by changing his 'outdoor' hours and plugging up the fence gaps.


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## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

Deusxm said:


> ]
> View attachment 433245


aaah!
the lesser spotted banana cat
rarely seen
but often heard ( especially around 5am)


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Deusxm - I think you are being very helpful to your neighbours and I praise you for it. I wish more people would be like you and then probably there would be fewer serious neighbourhood disputes.


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## Gallifreyangirl (Feb 11, 2015)

@Deusxm very good looking boy. I am very impressed the way you are trying to sort the situation with the neighbors.


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