My cat has just been attacked by another in our own conservatory

Get a good water pistol and add a dash of washing up liquid to the water so it soaks in.
I hope Molly isn't injured, abcesses can be nasty things.

Oh poor Molly. Such a shame for the wee soul. What about a mosquito curtain over the open conservatory door, attached in some temporary way. Hope she is OK x

Water is the best thing to use,i had this once with a big ginger tom, a spray didn't do it, so i got a bucket and put a small amount of water in it, threw it at the cat, didn't mean to throw all the water on it, but just a small amount got it, never saw it again

Your poor cat. I do sympathise.
We used to live next door to a huge black cat who terrorised our two moggies and any cats in the street. Discovered he was terrified of toddlers so we would send our children out to chase him away when we could but really there’s little you can do. We rather liked him ourselves and his owners felt bad but really not much they could do.
The top cat in our street now is a massive Maine Coone who saunters through his territory each evening which includes our house and checks out our current three cats when he can be bothered to notice them. They literally bow and scrape before him - it’s embarrassing how cowardly they are but at least he feels no call to teach them their place - they already know it.
Hope your cat recovers from the trauma quickly and there’s not a repeat of it.

Water is the best option - we have a cat living opposite who is so friendly and affectionate to humans, but sees every other cat (including mine) as a potential punch bag. She is absolutely vicious and the noise she made trying to menace our small cat was horrifying - OH said he thought someone was cutting bricks with a grinder! We go for the hose, and she rushes away - she is learning that our garden is off limits, but we will make a fuss of her at the front of the house.

You need a Supasoaker! And yes, watch out for an abscess. Cats' teeth are full of nasties as I discovered a few weeks ago when my own cat nipped my hand. It swelled up horribly so I saw a doctor and got antibiotics. The redness had started to creep up my arm.

I have an old rescue cat that has an over active thyroid, she's very thin and I keep her in at night. When she stays out late or I stay overnight at my daughters and the catflap isn't locked, another cat always comes in and eats her food!

Oh what a shame that her cat was attacked in her own home. How frightening for you both. I do hope she’s ok.

Is it usual for a Maine Coone to roam the streets. We have a beautiful one who is a regular visitor to our garden. Even has a favourite spot. Not a problem for me but it certainly is for my cat who had a heart stopping run in with it. He/she has been shoed away at every visit. Too fast to get my aim right with a spray gun. It is becoming a nuisance now but I wouldn’t want to harm it. My poor cat is a nervous wreck now when venturing out to the garden as she was attacked by another cat.

Sorry your poor cat has been attacked too Nandalot. It’s such a horrible site to witness and feel hopeless being unable to stop it happening again. I hope Molly is feeling calmer now.

Our cats live in our house and part of our garden which is secured with angled mesh on the fences. They can't get out and annoy other people and cats and other cats can't get in. They have a couple of watch towers and a tunnel. It keeps them away from the road. The neighbours laugh but I'm sure they are happy not to find my cats' poo in their flower beds. We also walk them on leads. Not the solution for everyone but suits us and the cats seem content. Hope Molly gets over her fright, bless her.

So sorry to hear you cat is being bullied Nandalot. As others have said keep checking for infected bumps from bites or scratches, and a child's water blaster might help, they're quite powerful but won't hurt the other cat!

When we moved to our present house we adopted the cat that lived there, owner didn't want to move her to a town environment. She was small and very timid and seemed to live under the decking. We soon discovered she was being bullied by neighbouring cats who stole her food, no serious injuries but she was terrified. We gradually gained her trust and she came indoors for meals, but the other cats still stalked her and jumped on her if they got the chance - she had been neutered. Fast forward 18 months and we got a puppy. She was wary at first but then realised the bully cats didn't come in our garden any more! Cat and dog became friends. It was our dog who found her when she passed away peacefully in her favourite part of the garden. We buried her in the garden and our dog often lays down in that spot as if he likes to be near her. Our dog still chases the other cats out of the garden.

Your poor cat! You can get mesh nets to hang over open windows and doors that are attached by magnets- I have some to stop midges and wasps coming in through the windows- fresh air, no bites (I'm highly allergic!) They make them in all sizes and would allow your little cat to be able to look out and hopefully stop the interloper from coming in. I hope she's okay now?

I think I would be tempted to trap and relocate the vicious cat!

There are places in Australia where cats are confined so it is possible to do this
DD had to take her cat for a walk on a lead until she moved outside the city.

Hope your cat is Ok. I know I’ll be shot down for saying this but … the law which says cats are free to roam and do not need to be confined ( think it’s the Animal Act 1971, but I’m not an expert) needs to change. That was made back in early 70’s and housing density has increased since then. I love cats but there is much more friction between neighbours, danger to cats being run over, attacked, and the issues of cats pooping in other peoples gardens, catching birds in other peoples gardens. My relative has scars from toxoplasmosis in their eye - toxoplasmosis completes its life cycle in the gut of a cat so cat faeces can be a health issue in a garden. There are places in Australia where cats are confined so it is possible to do this but obviously would be very strongly opposed in the Uk by cat owners. Just to emphasise, I like cats and they’re great company particularly if you live alone.
Hope your cat is recovering well.

I agree, reluctantly, but a water pistol is a great deterrent. It's harmless and may save your poor cat trauma and real physical injury. If you get on with the owner of the other cat, I'd check they're ok with you doing this first.

As others have said, cat bites are nasty so watch out for abscesses on a previously unseen injury.
I lived next door to an awful cat who would trying to ‘kill’ you through a closed window if you put your hand towards it. I would do it to wind the ba****d thing up!

Poor little pusscat. I don’t know what I would do apart from blast it with the strongest jet on the garden hose until it disappeared back over the fence.
l would hide like a sniper for a couple of weeks so that the foreign thug cat got the message.

My first cat (about 55 years ago!) was repeatedly attacked by a local stray, and after a number of visits to the vet asked if there was anything I could do. He gave me some sleeping tablets. We managed to lure the stray with food, then trapped it under an old crate. After leaving it a while to get hungry, we gave it food laced with the sleeping tablets. After a while, it fell sound asleep, and I put it in a box and cycled with it on my back carrier to the cats and dogs home - we didn't have a car.

I'm not sure what happened to the aggressive stray - I just handed it in - giving a donation, but our cat was able to live peacefully after that.

Poor Cat, horrible to not feel safe in her own home. I would definitely use a powerful water pistol every time the other cat comes in your garden. Give her a good fuss/stroke all over, and watch for any tender spots.

We had a tabby cat that moved house with us several times and everywhere we lived he would make friends with another cat, but it would always be another tabby. I feel so sorry for the OP’s cat. Maybe a sort of mesh could be put over the conservatory doorway so it could be open but the other cat couldn’t get in. So unfair.

Great idea Trolde!

Love the bodyguard story grandtante. Clever Trold.

My elderly cat has got tired of chasing marauders off himself, which he is actually still good at, and has adopted a young stray to do the menial work!

I am not kidding. After chasing every and all cats that tried to move in after his brother's death, Trold has now found a youngster whom he likes.

"The waif" started as "outdoor cat" living under the rowing boat that was upended for the winter, or in the workshop when the weather was really wet or cold. He is now allowed (our cat's decision) into the house during the day-time and has long been allowed to help himself to anything left on Trold's plate after 10 p.m. (But NOT before that hour!)

Could you persuade Molly to hire a bodyguard? It costs a little more in cat food, but saves on vet's bills.

Otherwise buy the biggest water pistol you can find, or even better have a hosepipe handy! Cold water will do the intruder no harm and might just get the message across.

How would Molly feel about a tape-recording of a very angry cat playing near the garden fence? Or one of a growling dog`?

And do follow the advice about abscesses, although they are more common in my experience following rat bites than cat bites.

Oh dear, I am very sorry.
I have a cat who was for a time the neighbourhood thug; no particular reason. He came from a good home and was cherished, just like his brother, well-fed and cared for but went into other cats' homes in an attempt to steal their food or sat outside glaring at their owners through the window.
I had serious talks with him but nothing made any difference. He is now too old.