Cat / Neighbour Dilemma… 🐈‍⬛

Oh - and yesterday MrC overheard neighbour saying to Muppet that he was ‘getting fat’!
No wonder, he’s scoffing Rosie’s top of the range Royal Canin Maine Coon food every night

FannyCornforth:

'our neighbour really isn’t a good cat mum'

I'm thinking that you're not a responsible pet owner either. Why let a dog and cat wander outside at night? If my little old dog needs to go out, I take her. The cat has a tray and is used to staying indoors at night. The cat flap is opened in the morning.

Of course, if there's food and warmth on offer, your neighbour's cats - and maybe foxes - will come in.

I’m not a responsible pet owner!?!
OMG

My cat has never had a tray and enjoys going outside.
It would be cruel to lock her in the house.
We live semi rural and she absolutely loves the outdoors.

The dog goes out for a wee at around 2am.

I can’t believe that I’m having to defend my good pet owner status here.

And Hetty, read the banner at the top of the forum - ‘leave arguments at the door’

I'm not arguing, merely stating the facts!

It’s not a flipping fact! How dare you be so judgmental!

Anyway, insults aside, what’s wrong with my cat going outside at night?

It's safer to keep them indoors:

www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/home-and-environment/cats-at-night

FannyCornforth

Anyway, insults aside, what’s wrong with my cat going outside at night?

On second thoughts Hetty, scrap that, I’m not interested in your opinions about me, my animals, or indeed anything else.

Cats are naturally nocturnal so you’re right to give yours the option to be outside. It’s a dilemma regarding the intruder but I don’t have any clever ideas, sadly, other than trying to encourage your cat to eat in the day. You’re obviously an animal lover, hence your concern for the poor creature from next door.

So you're both disagreeing with Cats Protection?

You’ll have to take the food away at night. Feed her in the morning. She will soon learn.

Thanks Sherry and vegansrock
I’m going to fit a new magnetic cat flap so that Muppet won’t be able to come in at all, because it really does upset Gracie.
I’ve been putting it off because of Muppet being out in the cold weather.
As I said, there is a little shelter in our garden that he can use.

We’ve got a cat flap that links to wi-fi so you can monitor from your phone when your cat goes in and out, You can lock it / open it remotely too.

This post doesn’t sound like you at all Fanny sure you haven’t got an imposter
First seems simple to me get a man or woman in tomorrow to fit a new cat flap then muppet can’t wander in and eat your food? No brainer
If you feel sorry for muppet and think he’s being poorly looked after put some food out for him in the shed area each day
he ll soon look for it and with a new cat flap won’t be coming in

Personally I have always got my cats in about 10pm and had them in over night and let them out first thing in the morning always felt that was safest They never complained but each to his own It’s hard to change a habit/ routine especially with a cat though so you ll probably need to stick to the outdoor night bit and risk the foxes

Thank you BlueBelle (why doesn’t it sound like me?)
Rosie is in the vast majority of the night, she just likes to go for a wander around, especially around dawn. (Cats are crepuscular creatures - active at dawn and dusk.)
She sleeps on my chest much of the night.

She and the foxes are friends, they keep a respectful distance (Rosie is quite a formidable cat, a gentle giant)

Anyway, I’ve just been downstairs and it seems that Muppet hasn’t been in tonight, so he must have spent it safely ensconced in his own house. 👍

I’ve ordered the cat flap from Amazon and MrC can fit, he was a builder so is very handy like that (when it suits)

Why doesn’t it sound like you ?Probably a night time tablet thing but your posts are usually quite robust and this sounded in your words ‘wussy’ and a no brainer ……mend the cat flap

I realise cats are naturally nocturnal but if we Domesticate them then it’s what’s comfortable for us within reason(of course) mine never seemed to complain about being in at night just what they got used to I guess.

Anyway problem solved glad you’ve got the new cat flap on the way it should solve the main worry and you can still look after muppet if you want without infringing your own boundaries

Oh! I don’t think of myself as robust at all.
I’m a dithering, anxious wreck in real life!
And yes, I am especially wussy when it comes to animals.
I wish just she was nicer to him. She has had cats before, and has another one too, who doesn’t seem to be an issue.
She just doesn’t seem to like Muppet.
He’s a really tiny little thing, but he is really feisty, especially with Gracie.
When she was a puppy and he a kitten, she decided that she could boss him around; but it backfired, and he’s definitely got the upper paw now

I had a cat fly through the cat flap after my cat, trying to attack her in the kitchen.
Chip activated cat flap solved that.

However I now have a second younger Cat, who won't use the cat flap. One will one won't..

Which chip activated one did you get Visgirl?
I’ve bought two in the past and had to return them as they were faulty (they wouldn’t save the chip information)
Thanks

Nothing wrong in trying to be kind and helping Muppet Fanny. Some people shouldn't have pets. Your neighbour doesn't sound very nice.
Also nothing wrong in having a cat flap, gorgeous Gracie must be allowed to use the garden. I didn't realise you also had Rosie.
If Finn wasn't 35kg l would have got one him. Unfortunately he is now so poorly l have to help down the step once or twice a night.
Good luck in your search for a new super duper cat flap.

I realise they are expensive, but you can get chip activated feeding bowls. Would that help?

Our last cat used the fight with the cat next door THROUGH the cat flap. Paws poking through and battering the flap back and forth, like a couple of professional boxers using a punch bag, sometimes in the middle of the night!!

Fanny, you have a few issues going on here.
Firstly, whatever your feelings about your neighbour, it's not OK to encourage their cat into your house. You may not see it that way but by allowing him to sleep inside and allowing access to food, that is what is happening. And by 'allowing', whether you mean to or not, another cat into Rosie's territory, you will be causing her a deal of stress.

The best help that Muppet needs is safe shelter when the weather is cold, which you have provided. Search online if you haven't done so to see what works best - blankets freeze in very cold weather, better to use straw. Cats are chancers with food and its probably best not to leave food outside for him because your next problem then will be rats.

I assume your new cat flap has sorted the access problem - is it microchip activated? I had an unwelcome visiting cat a few years back who would burst through magnetic cat flaps to get in. He was the only cat I have ever actively disliked, an absolute thug.

Your Gracie sounds just like my Oliver who will invite his friend indoors when I have gone up to bed,I now just leave dried food out of a night-time as our visitor was actually helping himself to sachets of cat food and taking them away with him,his owner even has a video of him jumping back over her wall with a sachet in his mouth he is so cheeky.