Hello all! New to the forum... looks like there's a lot of great info here!
To the point... I have 3 cats indoors (all 3 are strictly inside), and one cat outdoors. The outdoor one adopted my house about 4 years ago and has lived in our yard ever since. She wanders the neighborhood, but as she's gotten older she mostly hangs out at this stretch of 4 houses (of which mine is one), bouncing from yard to yard. She gets two feedings plus fresh water every day, and I have one of those cat igloos for her in our backyard. There are 3 hay patches in the yard for her to curl up in (did you know cats love sleeping in hay? it's true!) Over time she's come to trust me to the point where she lets me give her some serious lovins, including belly scritches. We named her "Soots" some years back. Honestly, she's not mine in the sense that I didn't choose her, but she's mine in the sense that we're totally bonded and I love her to bits.
ANYway, for the past few days there's been this other cat checking out our yard. The first time he (I'm assuming) visited, there was horrific yowling and screeching outside. I ran out and chased him off, but my gosh! Poor Soots! Tufts of her fur all over, and he gave her a couple of gashes. I was so pissed. But conflicted because I feel badly for any stray or feral. So I was torn between protecting Soots and finding the stranger cat to see if he needed help or something.
Yesterday I was talking to a neighbor and they said "have you seen a cat in the hood lately... it's a new one... Eric (another neighbor) told us that it's beating up his cats." I was like, hmmmmmm... yeah, I've seen it."
OK so today he comes by again and same thing. There's a squall and I go out to chase him off, and poor Soots is hiding on a ledge at our next door neighbors. I took some treats and coaxed her into the backyard (behind the gate, thinking she'd feel safer) and just sat on the porch with her for a while. She'd lost some more fur patches, but also had the other cats fur between her nails so good for her! I've been trying to get her to come inside since the weather got really cold this winter, but she won't have any of it.
My biggest concern, aside from injury, would be if she got FIV. I'm so worried for her. The only thing I can think of to do is not leave food out, ever. Feed her like I do the indoor cats; set the bowl down, pick it up when she's finished. Usually I just let her nibble all day.
Any ideas for how to keep an aggressive stray (possibly feral?) out of our yard? We don't have a fence in the front. Are there sprays or something we can use around the perimeter to keep him from being interested in our house? Has anyone ever tried trapping a feral? How do you do this and how do you get the trap? If I were able to trap it... what then? I'd be grateful for any input on this. Thanks from me and from Soots.
Jenn
To the point... I have 3 cats indoors (all 3 are strictly inside), and one cat outdoors. The outdoor one adopted my house about 4 years ago and has lived in our yard ever since. She wanders the neighborhood, but as she's gotten older she mostly hangs out at this stretch of 4 houses (of which mine is one), bouncing from yard to yard. She gets two feedings plus fresh water every day, and I have one of those cat igloos for her in our backyard. There are 3 hay patches in the yard for her to curl up in (did you know cats love sleeping in hay? it's true!) Over time she's come to trust me to the point where she lets me give her some serious lovins, including belly scritches. We named her "Soots" some years back. Honestly, she's not mine in the sense that I didn't choose her, but she's mine in the sense that we're totally bonded and I love her to bits.
ANYway, for the past few days there's been this other cat checking out our yard. The first time he (I'm assuming) visited, there was horrific yowling and screeching outside. I ran out and chased him off, but my gosh! Poor Soots! Tufts of her fur all over, and he gave her a couple of gashes. I was so pissed. But conflicted because I feel badly for any stray or feral. So I was torn between protecting Soots and finding the stranger cat to see if he needed help or something.
Yesterday I was talking to a neighbor and they said "have you seen a cat in the hood lately... it's a new one... Eric (another neighbor) told us that it's beating up his cats." I was like, hmmmmmm... yeah, I've seen it."
OK so today he comes by again and same thing. There's a squall and I go out to chase him off, and poor Soots is hiding on a ledge at our next door neighbors. I took some treats and coaxed her into the backyard (behind the gate, thinking she'd feel safer) and just sat on the porch with her for a while. She'd lost some more fur patches, but also had the other cats fur between her nails so good for her! I've been trying to get her to come inside since the weather got really cold this winter, but she won't have any of it.
My biggest concern, aside from injury, would be if she got FIV. I'm so worried for her. The only thing I can think of to do is not leave food out, ever. Feed her like I do the indoor cats; set the bowl down, pick it up when she's finished. Usually I just let her nibble all day.
Any ideas for how to keep an aggressive stray (possibly feral?) out of our yard? We don't have a fence in the front. Are there sprays or something we can use around the perimeter to keep him from being interested in our house? Has anyone ever tried trapping a feral? How do you do this and how do you get the trap? If I were able to trap it... what then? I'd be grateful for any input on this. Thanks from me and from Soots.
Jenn
I know she's been fixed as she has the little notch in her ear (what the local TNR groups do to signify not to re-fix this cat). Hoping the food thing helps. Last night I started feeding her just like my indoor kikis... food down, give her some time to eat, food up; repeat in the evening. Leave water all day. 
