# How to deter the neighbours cats



## Luckycat (Jun 1, 2020)

I have an issue with my neighbours 2 cats. They are little terrors always terrorising my poor cat. Lucky is an outdoor cat, 2 years old and intin last 4 months the neighbour suddenly got 2 cats, younger than lucky. He has been stressed out ever since. He goes out, and they corner him. The pair of them gang up on him. One point they managed to get into my flat through my window, attacked my cat and ate all his food. I don't have my own garden. It's a large shared communial garden so I can't exactly keep them out. Spraying them with water isn't helping either. I can't keep lucky as a house cat, he needs to be outside everyday, sometimes all day. When I see them outside, and when lucky won't go outside because of them I chase them away. But honestly I watch everyday as lucky goes outside the 2 of them stalk him, chase him and attack him and I'm getting absolutely sick of it. Any suggestions?


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## Luckycat (Jun 1, 2020)

Also I meant to add. I don't have a cat flap, it's not an option where I live. Lucky likes to use my bedroom window as his door, so I can't keep the window open anymore because the cats chase him in.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hello @Luckycat and welcome 

Cat flaps can be fitted to windows, and the rest of the window reglazed. In rented properties one may need to agree in writing with the landlord that the window would be reglazed if you were to move out.

Without a cat flap I don't see it being safe for your cat to be outside at all unless you are with him, as he could not escape into the safety of his home if the neighbours' cats chase him. An open window is not a good idea as you have found the neighbour's cats merely follow him in. He needs to feel safe in his own home.

As you have no garden of your own to cat proof, the next best thing would be to speak to your neighbour, and very diplomatically explain the situation and see if you can come to a friendly arrangement for the cats to "time-share" access to the outdoors.

I had to do this some years ago when one of my cats and a neighbour's cat kept fighting with both ending up at the vet's frequently with injuries. Luckily I had a co-operative neighbour and the system worked well for the 2 yrs we had it in operation (neighbour moved away due to her work after that).

Our schedule was that her cat had outdoor access from 7 am to 10 am, my cat had 10 am to 1 pm, hers from 1 pm to 5 pm and mine from 5 pm to midnight. [She wanted her cat indoors in the evenings anyway.] It was the only thing that worked to stop the fighting, the injuries and the constant stress both cats were under.

If one of us had a situation where their cat was not back home on time, we would phone the other person and warn them, so they could keep their cat in until the coast was clear.

You could also enquire (super diplomatically, ) from your neighbour if her cats are both neutered. While neutering doesn't stop cats being territorial it can certainly to some extent reduce their aggression levels towards strange cats.


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## Luckycat (Jun 1, 2020)

Hi, thanks for your reply. Unfortunately my landlord is very strict, I don't see this being allowed. And as for speaking to my neighbour, I work 5 days a week and so does she. Her hours are all over the place, there's no way I can let lucky out certain hours of the day due to going to work. I'm not sure what the answer is



chillminx said:


> Hello @Luckycat and welcome
> 
> Cat flaps can be fitted to windows, and the rest of the window reglazed. In rented properties one may need to agree in writing with the landlord that the window would be reglazed if you were to move out.
> 
> ...


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Luckycat said:


> Hi, thanks for your reply. Unfortunately my landlord is very strict, I don't see this being allowed. And as for speaking to my neighbour, I work 5 days a week and so does she. Her hours are all over the place, there's no way I can let lucky out certain hours of the day due to going to work. I'm not sure what the answer is


Sorry to hear this. In that case, I think you've exhausted all the usual possible solutions, short of moving house (which I actually did in the past for the sake of my cats). Or the neighbour moving away.

Spraying water at the cats, even were you to use a garden hose, would make them run away but they would still be likely attack your cat when they saw him again outside.

Have you ascertained the neighbour's cats are definitely both neutered?


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Agree with @chillminx that the ''timeshare'' arrangement can work (but of course only if you have a reasonable and amenable neighbour). I was in the same situation, neighbour had two who quite clearly ''ganged up'' on Luther who was very small (and not the sharpest knife in the drawer). I spoke to him and he agreed to give it a try (the neighbour, not Luther). My neighbour's cats did actually calm down (once they had got out of the habit of whacking Luther) and then they left. I know, it's upsetting to see your mild-mannered cat bullied.


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