Tips on catching cat or keeping it outside?

Hello everyone.

For a while now I've had this problem that one of the cats that live in the neighbourhood (probably a tame male) uses our house as a litterbox. I understand that this is to mark its territory or whatnot. Anyway, this is a problem to me and I'd like to make it stop, but can't really come up with a good plan.

My own cat doesn't manage to learn how to use a pet door, so all cats can come and leave as they please. She also gets a bowl of dry cat food at all times, which tends to get eaten by the unwanted cat. Not putting the food there isn't an option either as that cat will still pee everywhere.

Basically, if I were fast enough to close the door to the basement before the cat gets there, the problem would be solved. But this cat is very fast and even though he dares to eat if the food is an armlength away from where I'm sleeping, or a bit further if I'm awake, as soon as I make a move he rushes to that door and there's no way I'd be faster than him. 

So I've read about these traps used to catch cats, but even hiring them seems to be quite expensive. I've thought about setting up a self-made trap, using the food provided for my cat. I'm just not sure whether that would work. Most of the time, he comes at night and wakes me up, but he's kind of quick to react to that. 

I've thought of other traps to make him less likely to come here, but there's always the problem that my own cat may trigger the trap, so I'm looking for something effective that won't fail. I can lock my own cat in a seperate room, but I don't want to do this more than once. I'm also thinking of the possibility that she will start meowing and scratching the door, what will be heard by the unwanted cat and warning it...

So does anyone have any tips on catching this cat? The path in the house is very linear, with no doors between rooms, except that door to the basement. I'm not going to harm the cat in any way - I just thought I'd scare it, take it to the vet perhaps. Hoping that would make him stay away.

Any tips on just keeping it away would also be appreciated.

So the cat is getting in through a pet door, and your cat never figured out how to use the pet door?  I'd just lock it shut then.  

please do not try to "scare'' the cat, nothing good would come of it for you or for the cat.

catching it and getting it to a vet for altering/vaccines/physical exam should be priority number one. i assume that you are not in the u.s., but there are feral cat advocacy groups in many places and they could possibly provide assistance by loaning you a trap and perhaps they could assist in the trapping. if you are going to undertake the trapping on your own please take the time to learn about what should be done and how you do it safely - http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=889


as far as deterring, here are some tips - http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=375

That's just it. Trapping the cat is just part one in your exercise. The boy is probably whole. I'm not sure what I would do but I would certainly give serious though to trap - neuter - then release. Most likely he would stop spraying everywhere. Possibly start going and hanging out around his own home and stop chasing tramps! Nothing else really make sense and pretty much anything else would kill the cat. Displacing it would probably kill it. Taking it to a shelter would probably kill it , unless it is a no-kill rescue.  

I would just close off the trap door and make sure you cat stays inside. You have no idea what other issues the outside tom has. He could very well have lukemia  or other life threatening issues. 

The traps that I get around here cost about $60 to $70 USD. I have too many cats not to have one on hand. I have never had one escape but I would need to be prepared. 

Leonard D

spotted love savannahs