cats fighting

[newcat19]

This cat keeps coming to my backyard (which is fenced in),
and my cat & this cat don't get along. Several times I've
heard them in a growling stand-off, so I go outside & break them
up. The other cat doesn't seemed scared of my cat, and they
are about the same size. Today they finally had a fight I could
hear it & went outside & broke them up. There was fur from both
cats flying in the air, although neither cat seemed injured.

What can I do to stop them from fighting. Should I spray the other
cat with a hose everytime it comes around? Its still winter here but
I could do that soon. This cat keeps coming to my yard, I don't know
if there fighting elsewhere

thanks

 

[ducman69]

Your cat stays on your property, but another is getting in? There are some add ons you can put on fences to keep strays out and yours in. You don't want your cat getting injured, stressed, and who knows perhaps even picking up a disease as the other might be FIV+.

Yeah, definitely don't want to spray w/ a hose if its still too cold though.

Ideally if it works for your living circumstances, I'd recommend indoor only though as best for a long-term solution.

 

[yayi]

There must be a very good reason why the cat keeps on going to your backyard. Do you leave food out?
I sometimes get trespassers. My cats (and now my dog) are pretty good in defending their territory. If the cat insists on coming back, it's usually because it is starving or injured, needs help, has nowhere else to go.

You can't really stop the fighting. Your cat is doing the natural thing. He is defending his territory.
You can search the web for natural cat deterrents, improve your fence, call animal control. You can also keep your cat indoors, but be patient with him if he gets upset by the change.

 

[newcat19]

Keeping my cat indoors is not an option.
She would be miserable if that was the case.
I did leave food outside for my cat a few times, I will stop
doing that. Usually I never see cat droppings in my backyard,
but there is right now. So maybe she is marking territory.

I think I will get the hose ready when the weather gets warmer,
and just start spraying this cat everytime he/she comes around.

The other cat looks fine to me, doesn't look like a hungry stray or
anything. I live in a townhouse subdivision, there's alot of cats around.
But this is the only cat mine seems to not get along with, and this
cat comes around too much imop and doesn't seemed scared of my cat.

If any1 else has suggestions I'm open to them. Thanks

 

[gloriajh]

You didn't say why bringing your cat inside wasn't an option - so, if it's just because your cat would be miserable, please reconsider.

Diseases like FIV, and Feline Leukemia, are non-curable diseases - and a lot of the time you can only identify a cat with one of these diseases with a blood test - not by the way it appears.

FIV (http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/brochures/fiv.html)
is contagious through a deep bite from the diseased cat to the other.

Feline Leukemia (FeLV) is very contagious through saliva. (http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/felv.html)

I didn't know very much about either of these two diseases until two strays adopted us - one with FIV which I may have been able to prevent if I would have been able to bring him inside sooner, and another with FeLV who is now confined in one of our bedrooms - so far both are in good health, but in order not to spread the disease, they must be inside cats - which I prefer anyway, but I do have the ability to have them all inside - I know I'm very fortunate to be able to accommodate all 8 cats inside.

There is a vaccine for the Feline Leukemia - but there are many differences of opinion as to the vaccine's safety. There is no vaccine for the FIV.

If there's a restriction from bringing your cat inside because of something else - like others have mentioned - removing the food will be helpful.

Is your cat neutered or spayed? You didn't say if your cat was a male or female - but if your cat isn't altered, it might be helpful to get him/her altered. ??

Sorry I can't be of more help.
g

 

[newcat19]

my cat is a female cat & has been fixed.
Now that I think about it some more, I don't think this
other cat is coming around to start a fight. I think its a male
cat looking for some action, and my cat being fixed couldn't care.
This other cat doesn't seem aggressive towards my cat, my cat
seems to be doing most of the growling while that cat just sits there.
Maybe that cat got just alittle to close one day, and that started the
fight. He may have gotten the picture cause I haven't seen him in
a few days.

Could be wrong but seems that way

 

[otto]

Please don't spray the other cat with a hose, how cruel.

If he is stray, trap him and take him to a shelter. Or do a trap neuter return, and have him neutered.

Build a cat safe enclosure in the yard, or get those fence toppers, to protect your cat.

Please, don't spray him. That's so mean, he's just being who he is.

 

[yayi]

Originally Posted by newcat19

I think I will get the hose ready when the weather gets warmer,
and just start spraying this cat everytime he/she comes around.

That is unnecessary. A simple SHOO, hiss, clap of hands is enough to make him go away.

Originally Posted by newcat19

my cat is a female cat & has been fixed.
Now that I think about it some more, I don't think this
other cat is coming around to start a fight. I think its a male
cat looking for some action, and my cat being fixed couldn't care.
This other cat doesn't seem aggressive towards my cat, my cat
seems to be doing most of the growling while that cat just sits there.
Maybe that cat got just alittle to close one day, and that started the
fight. He may have gotten the picture cause I haven't seen him in
a few days.

Glad to hear your girl took care of it. It sounds like the stranger was only trying to be friends.

 

[feralvr]

My suggestion would be to trap the cat and get it TNRd. There is a big concern here for the safety of your girl and the threat of FIV as the other's above have stated. Or build an outdoor enclosure. They can be very large and pretty easy to build yourself. Then your cat can have the best of both worlds, outside and safe from other dangers. You are right to be worried and I certainly hope you can find a way to either catch the cat or deter the cat from your property by just scaring it off, a can full of pennies would be startling but this will scare your cat too. Usually if you can find something to really scare them off they won't come back. Good luck and hope you girl stays safe.