A bit of background ..........
After our last cat died, we took on a very nervous little black female who needed re-homing. She's settled in, but a quiet and sweet little thing. She's called Sadie.
Recently, we "inherited" a black and white female who didn't like living at her real home. She left, and spent four months roaming the area before deciding to live with us. Her real owner is happy for us to have her, and her name is Nellie. She's equally sweet but Sadie and her don't get on very well and they often have a spit and squabble though nothing serious.
However, both Sadie and Nellie are terrorised by a stray (intact) scruffy tomcat. He's big and powerful and beats them both up on occasions. I was out yesterday evening between 5 and 7, and on return saw that there must've been one heck of a cat-fight in our kitchen. Sadie was wet and shaken and Nellie was wary but seemed untouched. Nellie went out at 9ish last night, and I've not seen her since - I hope she's ok.
The kitchen was in a mess. Skin and hair everywhere and pee and poo about too. There's no way that it was Sadie and Nellie fighting like that. I could only assume that the tomcat had come in through the catflap and Sadie had tried to stand her ground. Sadie is physically fine this morning, but quiet and not wanting her breakfast.
Fast forward to 1am this morning, and I heard a noise in the kitchen and went (naked!) to investigate. The tomcat was digging in our waste bin! I shouted, and tomcat ran out of the catflap.
What I intend doing tonight, is clicking the levers on the catflap to make it open from outside, but not open from the inside. If tomcat comes in, he can't get out and I'll keep the kitchen door closed - he'll be trapped. Obviously, I'll make sure Sadie and Nellie are out of the kitchen and I'll leave a window in the living room open for them.
Then what?
I have an idea to catch him - somehow - bundle him in the car boot, and drive him off and away over the river into Devon and let him go. I don't care what time of night this is. Hopefully he'll terrorise someone else!
Advice required please.
How do I catch at cat?
How do I catch at cat?
Mick F. Cornwall
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Mike Sales
- Posts: 7898
- Joined: 7 Mar 2009, 3:31pm
Re: How do I catch at cat?
Our cat and the neighbour's cat were terrorised by a feral cat in just this manner.
I tried the one way cat flap trick, and gave the intruder a hazing before releasing it. Several times, to no effect.
Eventually it mortally wounded the neighbour's cat.
One morning I came down to find ours dead on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood. We vowed vengeance.
One day the neighbour came round to say he had found the monster in his shed and trapped it. We put on leather gardening gloves and prepared the cat travelling box. We suceeded in getting it in the box.
We could not bring ourselves to execute the killer. The neighbour drove it twenty miles away, across a river which we reckoned it could not cross, except by the very busy road bridge. That was several years ago. It has not been back.
I have no cat trapping tips except to say that perhaps the one way cat flap would do it. We were lucky to corner it in the shed.
I tried the one way cat flap trick, and gave the intruder a hazing before releasing it. Several times, to no effect.
Eventually it mortally wounded the neighbour's cat.
One morning I came down to find ours dead on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood. We vowed vengeance.
One day the neighbour came round to say he had found the monster in his shed and trapped it. We put on leather gardening gloves and prepared the cat travelling box. We suceeded in getting it in the box.
We could not bring ourselves to execute the killer. The neighbour drove it twenty miles away, across a river which we reckoned it could not cross, except by the very busy road bridge. That was several years ago. It has not been back.
I have no cat trapping tips except to say that perhaps the one way cat flap would do it. We were lucky to corner it in the shed.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
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Mike Sales
- Posts: 7898
- Joined: 7 Mar 2009, 3:31pm
Re: How do I catch at cat?
I've been thinking about trapping methods, and remembered I went to the lengths of making a cat trap. It was a box with a door sliding down from above with a trigger connecting to a piece of plywood arranged as a seesaw, just balanced with a bowl of cat food. It failed. The monster took the bait but did not trigger the door. Perhaps you could make a better cat trap. The world's cat owners would thank you. The RSPCA were no help. They were more concerned about what I might do to the monster. Perhaps they were right, but the result was two dead cats, not one.
You have probably got the leather gauntlets already. Catching cats can be a blood sport, for the prey and the persuer. Perhaps it qualifies as a "country sport".
You have probably got the leather gauntlets already. Catching cats can be a blood sport, for the prey and the persuer. Perhaps it qualifies as a "country sport".
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
Re: How do I catch at cat?
We've got 2 cats, 1 smallish black and one largish gold tipped tabby. They don't get on very well but nothing too bad usually...
I was woken in the middle of the night to an almighty yowling to find the black cat and the tabby going at it in the bathroom. Fur and claws were flying. I stumble in stark naked to break them up, and only at the last second notice our black cat sitting by the doorway. She gave me a look that could only be described as "nothing to do with me gov" and wandered off. So I grabbed the other black cat with the intention to throw it out the back door. It bit me on both wrists before I could get it out the door and I woke up the next morning with my right arm swollen, puffy and red, and with dark red lines running up my arm and starting into my chest.
Don't mess with cats you don't know!
My suggestion would be to set the cat flap to in only, and have a cat carrier or large box propped against the cat flap on the inside. Then take it to the vet. If it is a stray they should pass him to the RSPCA or some such, or if not make sure he gets neutered.
I was woken in the middle of the night to an almighty yowling to find the black cat and the tabby going at it in the bathroom. Fur and claws were flying. I stumble in stark naked to break them up, and only at the last second notice our black cat sitting by the doorway. She gave me a look that could only be described as "nothing to do with me gov" and wandered off. So I grabbed the other black cat with the intention to throw it out the back door. It bit me on both wrists before I could get it out the door and I woke up the next morning with my right arm swollen, puffy and red, and with dark red lines running up my arm and starting into my chest.
Don't mess with cats you don't know!
My suggestion would be to set the cat flap to in only, and have a cat carrier or large box propped against the cat flap on the inside. Then take it to the vet. If it is a stray they should pass him to the RSPCA or some such, or if not make sure he gets neutered.
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breakwellmz
- Posts: 1982
- Joined: 8 May 2012, 9:33pm
Re: How do I catch at cat?
Going in naked,it could have been worse! 
Re: How do I catch at cat?
Listen to Honesty Mick
Get the RSPCA involved, they will sort you out a suitable trap. I know someone who was nearly blinded when a cat got into her house and up her chimney in her bedroom. When she tried to 'rescue' the cat - thinking that wrapping it in a towel would do the trick. It went crazy, and shredded her face so badly that she is scarred for life and as said, nearly blinded too.
Here our local MSPCA would sort you out a suitable trap, then castrate the caught cat if he is a feral. Sometimes castration sorts out the problem. It sorted out the trouble we were having with an unwanted feral tom, fighting our cats and getting them into situations where a Vet need to stitch them up all the time.
Once castrated our feral tom became known as Albert, he now won his case and lives with us full time and is the sweetest gentleman cat ever!
Hope your lady cats settle ok
Get the RSPCA involved, they will sort you out a suitable trap. I know someone who was nearly blinded when a cat got into her house and up her chimney in her bedroom. When she tried to 'rescue' the cat - thinking that wrapping it in a towel would do the trick. It went crazy, and shredded her face so badly that she is scarred for life and as said, nearly blinded too.
Here our local MSPCA would sort you out a suitable trap, then castrate the caught cat if he is a feral. Sometimes castration sorts out the problem. It sorted out the trouble we were having with an unwanted feral tom, fighting our cats and getting them into situations where a Vet need to stitch them up all the time.
Once castrated our feral tom became known as Albert, he now won his case and lives with us full time and is the sweetest gentleman cat ever!
Hope your lady cats settle ok
Re: How do I catch at cat?
You can now get cat flaps that only admit cats with the right microchip. My daughter had the same problem, that solved it.
Al
Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
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Mike Sales
- Posts: 7898
- Joined: 7 Mar 2009, 3:31pm
Re: How do I catch at cat?
al_yrpal wrote:You can now get cat flaps that only admit cats with the right microchip. My daughter had the same problem, that solved it.
Al
We have a flap now which opens when a magnet on the cats' collar is near it. Works fine for both animals and requires no battery.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
-
rapidfire72
- Posts: 545
- Joined: 18 Dec 2008, 11:43am
Re: How do I catch at cat?
Was it a case of "The Cat Crept in" 
Re: How do I catch at cat?
We had bullying problems too - got a flap that read the microchips and it more or less solved the problem. Not only do the ferals not get into the house anymore, but they have stopped coming into the garden as they have learnt that they can't get into the kitchen where the tasty food smells come from.
However, should anything sneak in through a window, the flap will let any cat out as the chip reader only works one way - so no worries about intruders being stuck in the house (unless you switch it to in only).
However, should anything sneak in through a window, the flap will let any cat out as the chip reader only works one way - so no worries about intruders being stuck in the house (unless you switch it to in only).
Re: How do I catch at cat?
Some years ago, I was badly bitten by a stray that had gotten into our cellar. I would definitely advise
-don't corner or trap a feral animal in your house
-if you do need to catch it use a cage trap or another method that does not risk direct contact
-call in professional help; not only they they provide safe capture methods, but if the cat is rescuable, he may eventually find a happy home
Even though rabies is rare in the UK, there are many other nasty dieases that can be gotten from feral cats. Your cats are potentially at risk from your visitor, not just from fighting, but also because they are probably only vaccinated against the most common severe illnesses.
Good luck.
-don't corner or trap a feral animal in your house
-if you do need to catch it use a cage trap or another method that does not risk direct contact
-call in professional help; not only they they provide safe capture methods, but if the cat is rescuable, he may eventually find a happy home
Even though rabies is rare in the UK, there are many other nasty dieases that can be gotten from feral cats. Your cats are potentially at risk from your visitor, not just from fighting, but also because they are probably only vaccinated against the most common severe illnesses.
Good luck.
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
Re: How do I catch at cat?
Thanks guys, and thanks for the warnings.
The idea of a high-tech catflap sounds good- the one we have now is 15years old now and the outside plastic fittings are getting sunlight affected and is brittle maybe.
This tomcat is bullying outside as well, so a new catflap won't make much difference to that. I like the idea of vengeance - no-one likes a bully, and getting rid of him appeals to me.
To put a box on the inside would stop him coming in I'm sure. He'd see it through the clear flap window, but if he was trapped INSIDE, I could go round the back and put the box outside. By keeping him cornered, I could open the flap and chase him out ...... and into the box.
Would that work?
RSPCA eh? Not sure that's the best way forward. We had a ginger tom some years ago - neutered when quite young - but the neutering didn't stop him being a tom. He would often mount our female cats, and when we moved house, he objected strongly and went walkabout for the rest of his life. He was well known back where we lived and often received reports of his adventures. The removal of his where-with-all didn't alter his brain or attitude at all.
I favour exporting our bully. If I feel vindictive enough, I'll take him up onto Dartmoor.
Leather gauntlets and thick overalls ready, and I'll get the cat box ready too.
The idea of a high-tech catflap sounds good- the one we have now is 15years old now and the outside plastic fittings are getting sunlight affected and is brittle maybe.
This tomcat is bullying outside as well, so a new catflap won't make much difference to that. I like the idea of vengeance - no-one likes a bully, and getting rid of him appeals to me.
To put a box on the inside would stop him coming in I'm sure. He'd see it through the clear flap window, but if he was trapped INSIDE, I could go round the back and put the box outside. By keeping him cornered, I could open the flap and chase him out ...... and into the box.
Would that work?
RSPCA eh? Not sure that's the best way forward. We had a ginger tom some years ago - neutered when quite young - but the neutering didn't stop him being a tom. He would often mount our female cats, and when we moved house, he objected strongly and went walkabout for the rest of his life. He was well known back where we lived and often received reports of his adventures. The removal of his where-with-all didn't alter his brain or attitude at all.
I favour exporting our bully. If I feel vindictive enough, I'll take him up onto Dartmoor.
Leather gauntlets and thick overalls ready, and I'll get the cat box ready too.
Mick F. Cornwall
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simonineaston
- Posts: 8062
- Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
- Location: ...at a cricket ground
Re: How do I catch at cat?
Slightly off topic but I can't stop myself from telling you all...
I don't have a cat but am 'cat-friendly' (although lord knows why after reading these hair-raising tales of feral cats and the damage they can do!). I have had trouble with cats visiting my garden and doing their business, so I spent years trying to come up with a humane deterrant and the solution I now have in place works consistently and is safe and humane.
Part 1: garden lawn sprinklers, fed by mains water, turned on by a electric valve ('solenoid', to the technically-minded). The solenoid is controlled by standard infra-red sensors from Wicks, covering the whole garden. If any cat (or any other animal, human or not, come to that...) enters the garden, the sensors pick them up and turn the lawn sprinklers on. Cat then leaves. Mostly they are nearby neighbours and so learn the consequences of their actions quickly after 2 or 3 visits, System can then be turned off until evidence of 'business' indicates a) they have forgotten or b) a new cat has arrived locally.
Part 2: Part 1 is backed up by several silhouette cats made out of plywood, painted black with big stare-y yellow eyes. Visiting cats do not like these silhouettes but on their own I found they don't completely deter the visitors.
Since Parts 1 & 2 have been deployed my garden is cat-shit free!
To those people who say, "How cruel! How dare you!", I say, "Nuts!"
Oh, and for the OP, + 1 for calling the RSPCA...
I don't have a cat but am 'cat-friendly' (although lord knows why after reading these hair-raising tales of feral cats and the damage they can do!). I have had trouble with cats visiting my garden and doing their business, so I spent years trying to come up with a humane deterrant and the solution I now have in place works consistently and is safe and humane.
Part 1: garden lawn sprinklers, fed by mains water, turned on by a electric valve ('solenoid', to the technically-minded). The solenoid is controlled by standard infra-red sensors from Wicks, covering the whole garden. If any cat (or any other animal, human or not, come to that...) enters the garden, the sensors pick them up and turn the lawn sprinklers on. Cat then leaves. Mostly they are nearby neighbours and so learn the consequences of their actions quickly after 2 or 3 visits, System can then be turned off until evidence of 'business' indicates a) they have forgotten or b) a new cat has arrived locally.
Part 2: Part 1 is backed up by several silhouette cats made out of plywood, painted black with big stare-y yellow eyes. Visiting cats do not like these silhouettes but on their own I found they don't completely deter the visitors.
Since Parts 1 & 2 have been deployed my garden is cat-shit free!
To those people who say, "How cruel! How dare you!", I say, "Nuts!"
Oh, and for the OP, + 1 for calling the RSPCA...
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Re: How do I catch at cat?
Mick,
you could also try the Cats Protection League. Our two cats were two from a group of seven cats who were not exactly feral, but being sporadically cared for by a family who couldn't cope (having failed to neuter the original pair they had...a male and a female....
)
CPL rounded the lot up, gave the family back the (now neutered original pair) and rehomed the rest, including our Holly and Tilly
Jan
you could also try the Cats Protection League. Our two cats were two from a group of seven cats who were not exactly feral, but being sporadically cared for by a family who couldn't cope (having failed to neuter the original pair they had...a male and a female....
) CPL rounded the lot up, gave the family back the (now neutered original pair) and rehomed the rest, including our Holly and Tilly
Jan
Re: How do I catch at cat?
I would also add some sort of face protection to the gauntlets and overalls, goggles at the least. I would possibly try to entangle it in a sheet or blanket if it absolutely refuses to be caught.
Mind your face!
Mind your face!