Hi all!
I have four cats and live in a neighborhood with no cat bylaw. I allow my cats out for several hours during the day. Our cats are friendly with the neighborhood children, and there have been no issues, fights or complaints since we moved here 6 years ago. BUT, NOW there is a new cat in our neighborhood. I don't know if he is owned or if he is feral. He looks well kept, but doesn't act like a "regular" housecat - he is very wary of people and is out at all hours of the day and night regardless of the weather. The problem is that he is un-neutered, and as a result, is roaming and is quite aggressive with my cats. He will come into our back yard and attack whoever is there. He has already attacked my three girl cats (I've seen him chase each of them up trees). Sammy, my only male cat, will fight him off, but the fights seem to be getting worse. I have already had to take Sammy to the vet last week to get him checked out. OTHER THAN KEEPING MY CATS IN, is there anything I can do to lessen the cat-on-cat aggression? I have called the humane society and since there is no cat bylaw, they will not come and pick up the other cat, even if he is feral! They were of no assistance in dealing with this problem. Ideas, anyone????

I don't know if this option is available but we had 3 cats show up a few months ago. 2 were 'teenage' type kittens, and one was an obvious adult feral. One call to our local humane society and we had vouchers to take them to the local vet to get fixed. They also were able to loan us a live trap. I'm not totally sure that would help with the aggression problem, but I would sure assume so.

BTW, the 2 youngsters are now officially family members, much to the chagrin of our 2 older cats , and the feral still comes around from time to time...... but we know that we have done a small part in helping curb the kitty overpopulation in our community.

Good luck whatever happens.

Thanks for the advice! I had looked into trapping and bringing him to our vet. We would be happy to pay for the cost of neutering this cat, and returning him to our neighborhood (I am a BIG BELIEVER in spaying/neutering pets). Unfortunately, our local humane society prefers "not to be involved" and has no live traps for loan, much to my chagrin. I am quite irked that our humane society is of no help - my concern is that this aggression continues and is transferred to our small neighborhood children...I will look into a live trap, though. We also live on conservation land, so I am prepared to catch more than my fair share of rabbits, skunks, and raccoons before we find the little guy...

I don't understand what the no cat bylaw means.

But, you can call a humame pest potrol and they will have traps. they should be available online in your area if the local animal contol can't help you.

What I mean by "no cat bylaw" is that my town has no restriction on wandering cats. Dogs normally have something like a leash law, where your dog cannot run free. Some communities have a similar restriction for cats, where they cannot run free. Ours does not. This means that when I call the humane society for help, they are not obliged to do so (!) as no law is being broken. They will not, therefore, come and remove the troublesome cat! Even if it is aggressive. Even if it is feral. They will not lend out live traps nor assist in any way!!!! YIKES!!! Anyways, I will do what I can to help out - I truly love animals and do not want this cat harmed, just "calmed down" a bit, and I think neutering would do that.

Ok I see, I live in a town with no leash law. it use to be a very rural community (50 years or so ago when the laws were written) and now as an urban community, most people have invisable fences, to keep the dogs away from the roads, so I understand. If there is a wandering animal we have no place to go either. I have to admit that most people are getting much better about it and we have not seen too much of a problem in the last 10 years. Occationally we get a dog that the batteries have gone dead, but that is just a call to the owner for pick up
So again, I would see if I can find a pest control place that has the have a heart traps, the tend to deal with racoons and such in peoples attics, and see if they can help you. I find in communities with these kinds of bylaws, someone is around to fill the need and pick up where the town can't help. The humane society might have a number too but unless you ask the right questions they won't offer. Good luck. and sometimes vets will do the surgery for free and will charge you for some portion like boarding because they too want to help control the population.
Goodluck, you are a good friend to the animals

Thanks! I'll also research how to trap a feral cat humanely, what to expect, and how to care for the poor wee beastie while he is recuperating. I really want everyone to get along, and I want to help control the pet population! I'll let you know how things go!

Hm. Hopefully you catch the cat. Of course, you'll bring him in the home, hopefully in a restrained enviornment. You'll feed him. Sooth him. Talk to him and reassure him. Maybe even feed him again.

Then you'll take him to the vet and offer words of comfort and reassureance, since he'll be scared to pieces from riding in a car for the first time. Then he gets to the vet and undergoes his kitty-cat emasculation. He's in pain when he wakes up and back at your house while recovering. The poor dear has to remain in a confined space since he'll take any opportunity to bolt out of confusion and fear. You'll visit him to make sure he's okay and nurse him for a couple days until he's ready to be free.

Out goes the cat. He's free!

And then! He goes and lays on your front porch.


____________

This is how my family aquired 5 out of 8 cats growing up. Congradulations on your new cat.

There may also be some rescues in your local area that would be willing to lend you a trap.


Linda

Hey, I WISH we could accumulate this cat. Unfortunately, he appears to be feral to the point of unpredictability re: aggression. He has taken to not only attacking my cats, but is somewhat aggressive with me when I am in my garden. I absolutely cannot approach this cat - he either turns and runs or flattens his ears and growls. I think he views my garden as his turf, and anyone else is a threat to him. I have had experience with rescue cats before, and I don't see in him what I have seen in the others. This one actually displays those characteristics noted by most web-sites with respect to true feral cats (i.e. those born outdoors and not socialized with humans at all), and those sites do not recommend the "taming" of such cats. Rather, they recommend humane trapping, neutering/spaying, and release to the same environment. I think if he was younger and could be socialized, or was an escaped house-cat that needed to be resocialized, I would definitely take it on. But, as it stands, with his feral characteristics, it wouldn't be the best option for the little guy!!!! But who knows - I certainly won't rule anything out, and my home is always open!

I agree with you freiamaya... the feral we trapped and neutered is definately not a pet. The vet knew it also. He even cut "Mr. Mom's" ear so that if anyone else tried to trap him and bring him in, they would know he has already been fixed and counted. (LOL we call him Mr Mom cuz before we got him to the vet, we just assumed he was the kittens' mom)... Anyways, the trapping was pretty easy. We caught one BlueJay, then the one kitten who would always run when we came near. We put him in the bathroom for the night and re-set the trap with some food in it. Within a couple hours we had the adult trapped. we brought the trap in and covered it to keep him calm til the vet opened in the morning. I am SO surprised we didn't wind up with a racoon and or a skunk or two also, as we live in a very rural area also. LMAO. Another place to try for a live trap may be a feed store or maybe the vet office itself. If you can afford it, I've seen them on line for not tooooo much $$$, and when done with it, maybe offer it to the vet in exchange for the neutering?

P.S. Shame on your so called humane society!!!! It is reprehenseble they won't get involved. Sheeeesh.

to you cuz you care

freiamaya, for having a kind heart and wanting to do something about the feral cat. I have this problem frequently in my neighborhood since there are ignorant cat owners who do nothing to spay/neuter their animals--these are the same ones who also don't feed them regularly so they wander over to my place where there is always a fresh water bowl and some cat chow for the ferals (and our own kitties) we take care of. I agree with the others who suggeted checking with an animal rescue group for renting a live animal trap. I actually bought one of my own off of ebay for a very reasonable price. Good luck with the cat pest.

iwmonn--I had to laugh at your Mr. Mom cat name, it sounds like something my family would've done We have had a feral cat "kitty boy" and a "kitty boy jr"... how's that for imagination?

The cat I have is actually a rescued feral. He had to have been someone's cat at one point because he is neutered. I took him into my home because the property management company that I work for wanted to trap him and have him put down. So I put my foot down and took him instead. It was a very, VERY interesting week that first week we had him. We did not let him outside at all. (And still don't) For an angry ole tom cat, he was old and showing signs of arthritis (Still is.) My fiance and I couldn't go near him and he wouldn't come near us. He hissed and growled at us all the time and even took swipes at my fiance! Got him a couple of times, to.

I was ready to give up after two weeks of this cat definately being unhappy with us but David persisted. And then the cat stopped yowling at us and started meowing instead. He then, a couple of days later, started to show affection by rubbing against our legs as though he wanted to be petted. He sits in our laps and sleeps in our bed and is a big attention wh*re.

LOL..He is such an annoying cat now. He will sit at your feet and simply stare at you until you pet him. Or get in your face with infinite patience until you scritch his ears. He's a big kisser. He'll drop by and lick your legs, feet, arms or cheeks..what ever is available.

However, he'll tell you when he is unhappy or feeling a little angry. He still bites sometimes. Like if you don't shower him with attention or if your not petting him correctly. This morning, as I was sitting here at the computer I reached down to pet him and he tried to swipe at my hand. I said "no!" and stopped petting him. A minute later, he bit my leg and strutted away. That little sh*t! LOL

You know, we never trapped our cats with a regular trapper. We used large towels or sheets.. My mother would capture the feral (this takes patience) by using a towel and throwing it on the cat, rending it 'buried' for a few moments..and then added layers of linens until she hand a bundle she could scoop up without fear of wayward claws and teeth. The me or my sister would have the cat carrier on hand, hold it upright (entrace facing skyward) and my mom would deposit the cat and we'd shut the door. Cat trapped. Thinking about it now, the trap would be easier on the vet as they can see what the cat is about. But our vet always remained unscathed.

Thanks for all the support and advice! I will keep everyone posted!