# Neighbours cat won't leave house



## s_eabass (Dec 18, 2018)

Hello,
So my neighbour has 4 cats. Recently, one of their cats has started coming in the house (a lot) and it has gotten to the point where he won't go back to his own home (which is literally a few doors down). Whenever I let him out, he sits in our garden waiting to come back in (even in this cold weather) and I don't know what to do.
I wouldn't mind letting him in the house but I have a cat of my own and they don't like it when he comes in the house, they've even ended up fighting a few times.
On top of this, my parents have fallen in love with my neighbours cat and they are constantly letting him in and feeding him. I've tried explaining to them that it's not right to be feeding a cat that isn't ours, and the trouble it's causing for our own cat, but they don't seem to care.

Does anyone have any advice on what to do? (or on how to at least make him get along with my own cat), thanks!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi @s_eabass and welcome 

Well, the first thing to do before anything else would be for you or your parents to speak to the cat's owner and see if they would be willing to let your family adopt the cat from them. If they agreed then you would need them to sign the cat over to you officially so that you and your parents then become solely responsible for his food, care, vet treatment etc.

At present your parents are feeding a cat that does not belong to them, and encouraging the cat into your house, so it could be said they are luring the cat away from its rightful owner, which is actually a form of theft (cats are regarded as "possessions" in law). The cat will of course not return home as long as it is being fed at your house. Cats are opportunists, they know when they are on to a good thing.

It is possible the cat doesn't get along with one or more of the other cats in his own home. If so the owner may be happy to have found another home for him. You can only ask.

As to how to get the new cat to get along with your resident cat - that can be a lengthy process of several months of slow introductions, keeping both cats separate from each other by use of a mesh screen door barrier, so they can see each other and smell each other's scent but not have direct contact.

It is not easy trying to introduce a cat who already lives in the neighbourhood, as the new cat has already established his ownership of the outdoor territory, and may not want to share it willingly with your cat. Your cat may not be willing to share the indoor territory with the new cat. I have found it easier to integrate a new cat into the home when I have brought them in from elsewhere e.g. a shelter. But I always use the mesh screen door method as it reduces stress for cats and humans alike, and IME there is more chance of a successful outcome.


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## s_eabass (Dec 18, 2018)

chillminx said:


> Hi @s_eabass and welcome
> 
> Well, the first thing to do before anything else would be for you or your parents to speak to the cat's owner and see if they would be willing to let your family adopt the cat from them. If they agreed then you would need them to sign the cat over to you officially so that you and your parents then become solely responsible for his food, care, vet treatment etc.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the reply! We have decided to stop letting him in the house so much as he is causing trouble for our cat (he is constantly chasing him and scaring him away) and he has fleas ( a lot). He only started regularly coming into our house this week, so it's better to stop now than later. We've seen him wander off to his neighbours house a few times which is a good sign.
However, he is still visiting our garden occasionally and trying to get in the house. We've tried to ignore him but it hasn't been going that well. Last night, we heard a loud bang outside, turns out it was the cat trying to jump from the table onto the window ledge, we ended up letting him in for the night because we felt bad! (Luckily he wasn't injured)
Is there anything we can do to stop him trying to get in? He sits on our table outside and we don't want him getting hurt like he nearly did yesterday. We're considering talking to the neighbour about letting their cat in during the night, but he'll probably still end up in the garden somehow


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Well I definitely wouldn't let him in your house while he has fleas!! You will soon end up with your house infested with fleas and they are not always easy to get rid of once you have them. Your own cat will also catch the fleas from the visiting cat. If you are going to continue to allow him into your house at all, then you need to give him a flea treatment every month , to protect your own cat and your house.

Yes, he will keep coming to your house and trying to get in. You invited him in and let him believe he was welcome, and now you are shutting him out. He is upset and desperate to get in and he is probably very hungry as you were feeding him and now you have stopped. The poor cat doesn't understand why! 

I think you or your parents should talk to the cat's owner and find out if they actually want the cat. If they don't then the kindest thing you could do is get the cat a place in a Rescue where he will be looked after properly, given any vet treatment he needs and a new home found for him.

Talking to the owner would be the responsible thing for your family to do. You need to make the owner aware of what their cat is doing,

You are never going to deter this cat from keeping on coming back, as long as you let him in your house. He already probably thinks he has found a new home with you, bless him!


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## s_eabass (Dec 18, 2018)

chillminx said:


> Well I definitely wouldn't let him in your house while he has fleas!! You will soon end up with your house infested with fleas and they are not always easy to get rid of once you have them. Your own cat will also catch the fleas from the visiting cat. If you are going to continue to allow him into your house at all, then you need to give him a flea treatment every month , to protect your own cat and your house.
> 
> Yes, he will keep coming to your house and trying to get in. You invited him in and let him believe he was welcome, and now you are shutting him out. He is upset and desperate to get in and he is probably very hungry as you were feeding him and now you have stopped. The poor cat doesn't understand why!
> 
> ...


Hi, we talked to the neighbours this morning and they are aware of his fleas, they've been giving him flea treatment. We also found out that he is not only visiting our house, but he is visiting many of the neighbours in our street too! 
They don't mind us having the cat at home, they even said we can have him! We're going to wait till his flea problem is sorted and then consider taking him in, thank you for your help!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Excellent news - well done for speaking to the cat's owner. 

It doesn't sound as though the flea treatment is working if he is still full of fleas. The owner may have used a product that is not effective, or they may not be giving the treatment every month. if they hardly ever see the cat because he is in other people's houses then it would be difficult for them to treat him every month for fleas.

If you want to adopt this cat I recommend you take over the flea treatment from now on but let the owner know what you are doing so the cat doesn't get a double dose of treatment. Treating him yourselves will be a sure way to get rid of the fleas and keep them away.

I recommend using Advantage spot on for the fleas. It can be bought without a vet prescription and is very effective. But it must be given every month - mark the date on a calendar (or on your phone) what date it is due each month and keep to it strictly. Continue with the flea treatment even when the fleas have gone - it will act as a preventative .

If the cat is going in and out of various houses he could be picking up fleas anywhere, so it's vital to keep treating him every month.


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