Damned Cat!!

[Hilary B]

Hilary is right. It is up to you to make trespassing on your property a nasty experience for that cat or any other. They do get the message very quickly. However, having another person's animal neutered is neither a legal nor an acceptable deterrent.

It's rather quicker than the 'legal' route, (personal demand that they stop it from 'spraying' on your property, then seek a legal injunction, if you can get one) and less drastic than 'arranging an accident' (which might be safer, since it is less likely to be discovered.)
It could be argued that having a tom cat neutered is not 'harming' it, since it tends to result in him taking less risks....

[julesapple]

Sorry...I realise a lot of you are offended. However, we felt it was very it was necessary to 'snip' the tom cat. The RSPCA will immediately neuter any whole cats handed in to them...if you then go and reclaim your cat you might be asked for a significant 'donation' to cover the costs. But that it by the by.

We had months and months of trouble with this cat. His territorial actions (and they don't limit their territory to their own gardens) also caused us several large vet bills, of well over £65, as he kept attacking our own cats (although they are neutered) We spoke to our neighbours on various occasions and they refused to act in any way to curtail his roaming and fighting. Since he's had the snip, he's a better cat all round...you can even stroke him now if you see him in the street where as he used to bite and scratch if you went near.

The neighbours house, by the way, doesn't smell. None of their four cats are allowed in the house. For the most part I don't even think that the owners know where their cats are at any time.

I apologise if I have offended any of you, but we had to deal with this as we saw fit because no one in the appropriate offices was prepared to help.

Jules

[Hilary B]

Sorry...I realise a lot of you are offended. However, we felt it was very it was necessary to 'snip' the tom cat. The RSPCA will immediately neuter any whole cats handed in to them...if you then go and reclaim your cat you might be asked for a significant 'donation' to cover the costs. But that it by the by.

We had months and months of trouble with this cat. His territorial actions (and they don't limit their territory to their own gardens) also caused us several large vet bills, of well over £65, as he kept attacking our own cats (although they are neutered) We spoke to our neighbours on various occasions and they refused to act in any way to curtail his roaming and fighting. Since he's had the snip, he's a better cat all round...you can even stroke him now if you see him in the street where as he used to bite and scratch if you went near.

The neighbours house, by the way, doesn't smell. None of their four cats are allowed in the house. For the most part I don't even think that the owners know where their cats are at any time.

I apologise if I have offended any of you, but we had to deal with this as we saw fit because no one in the appropriate offices was prepared to help.

Jules

If the cats are never allowed in the house, it could be argued that they are not owned at all, just strays that these people feed......

[SarzWix]

Jules, your conscience is your own affair, my point is, again, that posting these things on a public forum is very unwise; it wouldn't be difficult for anyone who felt like it to identify who you are or your neighbours.
Incidentally, having a cat neutered is highly unlikely to curtail it's hunting instincts.

[julesapple]

If the cats are never allowed in the house, it could be argued that they are not owned at all, just strays that these people feed......

No, the RSPCA say not as all four have collars and ID tags. RSPCA advised us that these were 'outdoor cats' and were happier being outside than in.

Behind our house lives a big fluffy ginger cat, and he lost an eye to the bully cat.

I know that if someone had felt it necessary to do the same to one of my mogs I would have been outraged, but also ashamed that I had left my cat to behave in that way. I would have been embarrassed too. This was not something we did lightly. Vet bills and the lost of a £950 carpet were just too much to bear, and we couldn't get help from any official sources as this is quite a grey area. And we couldn't claim on our home insurance for the cost of a new carpet either....most policies don't cover this sort of thing.

Jules

[julesapple]

Agreed...

Jules, your conscience is your own affair, my point is, again, that posting these things on a public forum is very unwise; it wouldn't be difficult for anyone who felt like it to identify who you are or your neighbours.
Incidentally, having a cat neutered is highly unlikely to curtail it's hunting instincts.

...I agree with you on all points. The heat of the moment is not logical.

Jules

[Hilary B]

No, the RSPCA say not as all four have collars and ID tags. RSPCA advised us that these were 'outdoor cats' and were happier being outside than in.

Behind our house lives a big fluffy ginger cat, and he lost an eye to the bully cat.

I know that if someone had felt it necessary to do the same to one of my mogs I would have been outraged, but also ashamed that I had left my cat to behave in that way. I would have been embarrassed too. This was not something we did lightly. Vet bills and the lost of a £950 carpet were just too much to bear, and we couldn't get help from any official sources as this is quite a grey area. And we couldn't claim on our home insurance for the cost of a new carpet either....most policies don't cover this sort of thing.

Jules

That doesn't wash. There is a big difference between an 'outside' cat and a 'banned from indoors' cat. If the original one was keen to get into YOUR house, he obviously wasn't 'happier' with not having access to what was presumably his home!

[Crundy]

I personally think all cats that are allowed outside should be neutered / spayed.

My three cats love the chickens. They arn't interested in attacking them and the eldest loves to sit with them while they're free ranging. The youngest seemed to want to go for them when we first got the chooks, but he's too scared and has given up now.

[MaureenHall]

Anyway Jules, how's the chooks today? Not too traumatised by yesterday I hope

[HayleyB]

My cat pretends the chooks don't exist, he's a senile geriatric anyway. Hope the girls feel better

[julesapple]

Very Subdued Chooks today

Couldn't entice them out until about twenty minutes ago when they got their handful of corn. Any sudden movements and it's panic attack time, rushing back to the hen house.

The ratbag cat has not been seen today. My other neighbours brought their daughter in to see the chooks. She had never seen a real chicken before and is fascinated with them, watching in hushed awe. It was lovely to watch her face. I've promised that she can hold one in a few weeks when they are used to being picked up.

So, now I've made my promise, any tips on getting the girls used to being handled?

Hayley, they come in to eat. Our cats have dried food & water down all the time so they were helping themselves. I was just miffed that none of our mogs would see them off.

Jules

[Flummery]

We regularly used to have a neighbouring cat in the garden (unless the water pistol got to it first - I'm just washing it, honest!). It left its calling card on the path regularly. I've not seen it above once since we got the chickens, who gave it a darned good screeching-at when it first showed up. It's kept well away since!

[Chuky cupcake]

Good for you snipping the furry blighter. We have 2 mogs and the girl was a bit spitty at first but she has settled down, we don't get stray cats in but we have made our garden chuk pfoof and I think it keeps other mogs out. You could try anti cat preparations, organic and not harmful to the girls, like lion dung spray or pepper. Anything is worth ago your poor girls and I hate irresponsible cat owners, we're not and I'm sure you're not too. Good luck.

[Alice]

Julesapple, if I'm reading this correctly you have 11 cats. Is that right ?
Do you keep them indoors or are they just like your neighbouts cat - out marauding in other peoples gardens, weeing and pooing where they like, scrarching up their seed and vegetable beds, terrorising the birds and robbing the chicks out of their nests. Maybe you've found a way to train them not to do these things. Please tell us how then we can pass it on.
At the moment all I can hear is pot, kettle and black.

[Hilary B]

Julesapple, if I'm reading this correctly you have 11 cats. Is that right ?
Do you keep them indoors or are they just like your neighbouts cat - out marauding in other peoples gardens, weeing and pooing where they like, scrarching up their seed and vegetable beds, terrorising the birds and robbing the chicks out of their nests. Maybe you've found a way to train them not to do these things. Please tell us how then we can pass it on.
At the moment all I can hear is pot, kettle and black.

You missed the bit about the neighbours not letting their cats IN at all (at home), refusing to consider neutering, and finding it amusing when one is a confounded nuisance to all around?
11 is a lot of cats, (and in the unlikely event I had that number, or indeed any, they would be in at night, and fed before being let out in the morning, and for all we know Jules may follow that proceedure) but that doesn't mean both households are as uncaring about what their cats do.