Please help: Ideas to deal with an aggressive feral/stray?

I have a very aggressive Tom who has shown up occasionally at my house for a year or two. He is large, long and I don't want him here. He upsets my indoor two cats with his growling and aggressive behavior to the point they have screamed at him and then turned on each other. I love cats and feed a few in the neighborhood. I rescued a pregnant one last year and then adopted her into my home, and I have another that is the next rescue, I hope.

This morning, I'd had enough with this huge cat. My hope-for-rescue Orville was under my car as was my neighbor's cat, both waiting for food and this Tom was outside as well. He went under the car and I heard a lot of growling and snarling. I set off the car alarm and the two nice cats ran, with the big Tom doing nothing for a moment until he chased after the neighbor's cat. I finally hit the alarm twice and went out shaking my keys. He ran off, but a little later he was back and I went out and shook keys at him and over the fence he went.

I do not know if the Tom is a stray, feral or has a home. He is afraid of nothing and he is used to humans because he comes right up to the door and doesn't move when I approach the door. He sometimes lies on the step.  He will growl at me outside sometimes though. The other cats do not like him. Any ideas on how to get him out of here? I wasn't sure whether to put this in behavior or in feral/stray since it concerns the behavior of a possible feral/stray. Thanks for any suggestions.

Been there! As the main competition is for food we started putting food down further away from the house. It meant less competition for vital supplies and it worked. We fed "our" cats first then put the wild cats food well away. 

I would start by asking around the neighborhood and seeing if he belongs to any one.  Other neighbors might know.  If he is owned then I would contact the owner and explain the situation.  If he is not neutered that would explain a lot of his behavior.  Un neutered male cats can be aggressive, very territorial and in the mode to fight.  If you cannot find that he is owned and see evidence that he is intact, the best thing you could do for him is to Trap Neuter and Return him.  You could call rescue groups in your area and see if anyone would be willing to help.  Once neutered and his hormones are allowed to calm down, his behavior might change. 

I understand that he is upsetting you and your household, but I do feel sorry for him.  If he is on his own, he is doing the best he can and what his body is telling him to do.  He sounds as though he at one time had a home since he comes close to you. 

I hope you can find out if he is owned and then if not be sure that he is neutered.

Here is his picture:

Thank you both for your responses.  

No one in my immediate neighborhood knows him, but some have seen him. I believe he does belong to someone because a year or so ago I saw a shaved patch on his side. It was perfectly rectangular and there was a black, almost paisley mark there. It appeared to be a surgical scar. The cat was thinner that time than I've ever seen him. He's not thin now.  He's back to being quite large. He also doesn't show up much.  He is so aggressive that I'd be afraid to try to trap him. I've got a trap but he won't fit in it. My town is small and the shelter doesn't have a TNR program, unfortunately, so no help with it. I'd like to just get this one to move on.  I no longer leave out food at night like was. I try to leave enough just for Orville.

The cat I'm trying to catch is an intact male but he does not act like this one at all. Orville has a gentle personality. My indoor cats are a neutered male and spayed female. The neighbor's two cats are spayed females. My guess is that Gray Kitty smells the presence of Orville and is wanting to do battle for territory. This has spurred on my plan to trap Orville. I've got a carrier out there for him and am introducing food into it, as suggested by a member here, so I can easily get him in there. This is how I got Henryetta (the pregnant one) in April 2014.

I also feel very sad for this guy.

I do understand that you are protecting your cats too, but gosh, if he keeps coming and is showing aggression he needs to eat too.

He needs to be neutered, allowed about 3 weeks for his male hormones to adjust, and be fed.

If need be, give him some food first. This full tummy will help alot.

If you know he is full then but still acts aggressive, good chance he is not fixed.

He sure does have a cute face. Posed for the pic

Yes, I thought Gray Kitty was cute and I still do, and I felt sorry for him too, until he was so aggressive with the other cats.  I don't think he is feral at all. He doesn't look ill-fed, or in poor health, and he is not afraid of humans, and there was that surgical shave place. I don't see him around for months at a time.   My thought is that his owners let him out when then weather is very nice and let him wander a bit. The last time I saw him was back in May before the weather was so hot here in the southern United States. It has turned cooler in the last week, which is when I started seeing him again.

I don't want him hanging around my house for food, and he really doesn't eat much, maybe a graze and then he's off to growling at other cats. My neighbors two outdoor cats just come to graze and then leave too.  Most of the neighborhood cats get along to some extent and respect boundaries from what I've seen since I've lived here. This one does not. While I don't want to be mean, I simply can't have him terrorizing my indoor cats, nor can I have him potentially attacking and injuring my potential rescue cat outside. As you can tell, I'm in a quandary about this. 

He sure doesn't act like he's neutered with that aggression.

I do understand, I have a situation very similar going on right now in fact.

Are you able to get a look at him from behind at all? See if his 'parts' are missing?

catwoman707 said:

 
He sure doesn't act like he's neutered with that aggression.

I do understand, I have a situation very similar going on right now in fact.

Are you able to get a look at him from behind at all? See if his 'parts' are missing?

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This morning, he was here again. He came when I called for Orville - who didn't come.  Gray Kitty shows no aggression toward me so I thought I might try to befriend him a little. Since he is such a large short-haired kitty - maybe 18-20 pounds and very long- you would think his little nuggets would be visible. I could not see anything at all, and he was right in front of me and turned to the side with his tail straight out, so there would have been something sticking out just a little, I'd think. With Orville, I can see them when he has his tail out straight or up now.

I tossed some dry food for Gray Kitty, he ate one or two pieces and that was it. He is clearly not starving and in need of food. It was about 6:15 so it is possible he is an indoor/outdoor cat, but I had to shut my male cat Chaucer up in the laundry room to keep him from carrying on at the door and then turning on my female cat  Henryetta. She is currently hiding somewhere in the house, and no other cats are appearing outside.

I wanted to add that Gray Kitty may be a female, but this behavior is pretty aggressive for a female. I caught a better glimpse a short time later when I had to run her/him off when I saw my rescue attempt coming. I didn't want a fight. I actually felt bad about running the big gray/white off because it turned to look at me with disdain, but as aggressive as this one is I had no idea what would happen. Anyway, I caught a glimpse and saw nothing but (and I'm really sorry and embarrassed to say this) but what looked like "lady parts" - two openings, should I say, but I wasn't sure.

Before  I had to chase it off, it had been chuffing/huffing a little at the back door as if it had a respiratory thing. I got down on the floor to talk with it through the screen - there was a little growling but what concerned me was the chuffing/breathing. I wish I knew whose cat this was because it is definitely not feral, and I'm beginning to doubt it's stray. It may be an old kitty.

I agree that the behavior towards other cats is very unlike a female cat.

Do you notice a big head that is wide, like cheeky?

Cheeky and thick neck is also an indication of an unfixed male.

It does sound like he's got a respiratory issue, whether he is an old cat or has an untreated old uri.

Not an easy situation.

catwoman707 said:

 
I agree that the behavior towards other cats is very unlike a female cat.

Do you notice a big head that is wide, like cheeky?

Cheeky and thick neck is also an indication of an unfixed male.

It does sound like he's got a respiratory issue, whether he is an old cat or has an untreated old uri.

Not an easy situation.

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This cat is either neutered or female, but in the photo I posted, it doesn't look like his head is really big.  He's just a big cat in general, or he could have been neutered later in life and had already developed the characteristics.

I felt bad chasing him/her off this morning, but it was necessary to prevent a fight.

How are you handling your situation, catwoman?

Chaucer said:

 
This cat is either neutered or female, but in the photo I posted, it doesn't look like his head is really big.  He's just a big cat in general, or he could have been neutered later in life and had already developed the characteristics.

I felt bad chasing him/her off this morning, but it was necessary to prevent a fight.

How are you handling your situation, catwoman?

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What I have done to keep him (mostly but not always) out of my backyard is to leave food and water on my front porch for him.

Moved here last May and seemed to inherit this very aggressive cat who would come in to my backyard where my cats are and attack them, no reason at all. All but one now have been attacked by him already. 

I have 3 resident ferals who live in basement and backyard, and 2 house cats who are in the house or the backyard.

None leave the yard, but this guy came out of nowhere.

Not the former homeowner's cat either, he had told me to watch out for him too.

I need to trap his butt, and hopefully relocate him to a farm or ranch/barn as a mouser cat or other. 

It's strange because I have dealt with ferals for years and have never seen one as aggressive to just all cats as he is, male, female, he doesn't care....

catwoman707 said:

 
What I have done to keep him (mostly but not always) out of my backyard is to leave food and water on my front porch for him.

Moved here last May and seemed to inherit this very aggressive cat who would come in to my backyard where my cats are and attack them, no reason at all. All but one now have been attacked by him already. 

I have 3 resident ferals who live in basement and backyard, and 2 house cats who are in the house or the backyard.

None leave the yard, but this guy came out of nowhere.

Not the former homeowner's cat either, he had told me to watch out for him too.

I need to trap his butt, and hopefully relocate him to a farm or ranch/barn as a mouser cat or other. 

It's strange because I have dealt with ferals for years and have never seen one as aggressive to just all cats as he is, male, female, he doesn't care....

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Thanks. It helps to know someone is dealing with this same issue.  Like you, I am rather new to the neighborhood - two years ago though. Gray Kitty showed up about a year ago, I think. He has not attacked the cats I've seen out there, that I know, but it becomes a horrible growling, hissing, snarling, screaming time with my cats through the door and hissing/growling with my neighbors two females (spayed). My male cat turns on my female and attacks her during this as well.

I'm mostly  worried about my outdoor fera/stray cat that I'm trying to rescue. He has had some wounds at times, but I don't know if they were from this cat or others or other injuries.  He hangs around with the neighbor's two cats and there isn't a problem. In fact, he doesn't act like an intact Tom, but he is. He's very friendly and non-aggressive to the other cats. He prefers avoidance.

As far as putting out food in the front, since he clearly isn't starving, I'd prefer he not hang around at all and don't want to encourage it.

I'm new to the cat rescue thing, so I have a lot of questions and concerns.

.

I have indoor-outdoor cats inside my completely chain-link-fenced acre (6-foot fences) and over the 11+ year I have been here, many whole males have come.  If they stay long enough, they get neutered and either re-released or else adopted out.  I have a couple of females who have been known to run the males right out of here, so mostly they show up at night when all mine are back in the house, and I feed them on the porch.  I don't feed my cats outside at all, and if the strangers can make it to the porch without being chased by one of my aggressive territorial females (all spayed of course), they get fed.  One of the ones I neutered a few months ago now shows up wearing a collar with a bell on it!  No tag of course.  But he still shows up every night, big, fat and well fed.  So either he belonged to someone already,, or else he has been adopted.  In any case, he's not a problem anymore.  There's a bobtailed tuxedo who is next on the neuter list.  I have finally got him tame enough that I think I can pop him into a carrier, now just need to get the money, not much, like $45 total (includes rabies shot).  Think I will ask the neighbor below me if he is the source of the collar, and if so, maybe he would be willing to pay for the neuter and rabies shot for this on since I did the last one! 

Red Top Rescue said:

 
I have indoor-outdoor cats inside my completely chain-link-fenced acre (6-foot fences) and over the 11+ year I have been here, many whole males have come.  If they stay long enough, they get neutered and either re-released or else adopted out.  I have a couple of females who have been known to run the males right out of here, so mostly they show up at night when all mine are back in the house, and I feed them on the porch.  I don't feed my cats outside at all, and if the strangers can make it to the porch without being chased by one of my aggressive territorial females (all spayed of course), they get fed.  One of the ones I neutered a few months ago now shows up wearing a collar with a bell on it!  No tag of course.  But he still shows up every night, big, fat and well fed.  So either he belonged to someone already,, or else he has been adopted.  In any case, he's not a problem anymore.  There's a bobtailed tuxedo who is next on the neuter list.  I have finally got him tame enough that I think I can pop him into a carrier, now just need to get the money, not much, like $45 total (includes rabies shot).  Think I will ask the neighbor below me if he is the source of the collar, and if so, maybe he would be willing to pay for the neuter and rabies shot for this on since I did the last one! 

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I admire those of you who are able to trap these cats. I have two Have-a-Heart  traps - one for an adult cat and one for a kitten- but I don't think he would fit in the adult trap, and I'd hate to see his reaction if trapped. I'd be afraid to let him out!

This big gray/white was not here this morning, but I got up later, and the last time he was here I chased him off rattling keys.  I can tell if he is outside somewhere because my current rescue attempt cat is no where to be seen and my indoor cats are on edge.  I'd prefer the aggressive cat not hang around. I don't want to trap him. He's big, well-fed and isn't afraid of anything. I'd like to believe he belongs to someone who lets him roam.