A STRAY CAT IS BOTHERING MY CAT: HOW TO RESOLVE IT?
A stray cat is bothering my cat, and it can become pretty chaotic at times. Stray cats can sense indoor casts. But indoor cats can feel other cats if they are outside too. So they can sense each other and become crazy when they try to get to each other or even attempt to fight the other cat.
Stray cats can bother an indoor cat because they want to mate or make it clear that they are the owners of that territory. Sometimes stray cats do not intend to create an upset, but an indoor cat can react unpredictably at the sight of another cat roaming around in the vicinity.
Let’s see how and why a stray cat can bother an indoor cat and how to make life better for everyone involved.
STRAY CATS YOWLING AT MY CAT: IS THIS NORMAL?
Stray cats routinely try to find other cats to mate with. So if you have a female cat in your house and other cats have spotted her, you can expect to hear yowling at her and different types of vocalization. In general, cats yowling do it too because they are frustrated and bored.
Your cat may try to do the same at night to complain that you are not letting him out of the house. Very territorial cats can attempt to yowl at your cat to make them move away. But also, your cat can do this against a stray cat.
Female cats, when in heat, use to yowl to call out a male cat, while males usually use it to fight with another cat about territory. In this case, you will see the yowling ending in a battle or one of the cats running away.
Cats that are not mating or fighting but still vocalizing can be in pain, hungry, or upset about something. There is even a remote possibility that stray cats are not really yowling at your cat, but they express another form of discomfort.
A STRAY CAT IS BOTHERING MY CAT: WHAT I CAN DO?
If a stray cat, or more than one cat, found out you have a cat and spend their time trying to bother him or her, what is the best course of action? It is generally better to keep the cats separated because if the stray cat wants to make, he will try to get to your cat.
If your cat gets extremely upset at the sight of another cat, you could try to relocate your cat to a room where there is no way to see another cat outside. However, there are more things that you can do to really resolve the issue. Here are some ideas:
1. VERIFY IF THE STRAY CAT IS FERAL OR NOT
First, remove your cat from the view of the stray cat. Then you could try to become friends with the lost cat. For example, you could feed him ( and take care of him) to investigate if that cat actually belongs to a neighbor or if any sign on him allows you to locate the owner or where the cat lives.
For example, you could gain his trust and bring him to a vet to see if there is a microchip. You can also ask in your area if the people living near you know the cat and have more information about where he comes from. If you finally discover he belongs to someone, you can ensure the owners take him back and prevent him from coming back to your house.
If you do not find any information and the cat is not feral, you could either adopt him or ask for help from an animal shelter or no-profit organization to get the cat and relocate him to a family. If the cat is feral, the same organization can help neuter or spay the cat and then rerelease him or tame him and make sure a family adopts the cat.
If you choose this course of action and try to befriend the stray cat, you can also try and see if your indoor cat, with time, can become friends with the outdoor cat or calm down. In my experience, some cats are aggressive or bothered toward new cats, but then they calm down and learn to know each other. But, of course, it always depends on the cats.
2. KEEP THE TWO CATS AWAY
You can also choose the opposite course of action and try to keep any stray cat away from your house and your cat. In this case, you can set up devices that activate through motion sensors and have the purpose to scare any intruder. Here are some examples:
a. Animal repellent devices
You can get cheap devices that repel animals intruding in your yard. Make sure that your indoor cat will not be affected by it. Here are some ideas:
Table could not be displayed.Cats scare easily. If you use motion sensors to activate a sprinkler or other device, you will keep stray cats away.
b. Use fences
You can decide to place fences around your house and garden to prevent stray cats or other animals from bothering your cat or coming into your property. It is a significant project, but building a fence can also protect your privacy and maybe even allow your cat to explore the outside world safely.
Here are some ideas of fences you can use:
Table could not be displayed.3. ALERT ANIMAL SERVICES
If you see stray cats around your house, you can also decide to call an animal service that can take care of the cat by spaying or neutering and find a good home for the cat if possible, or rereleasing the cat into the same area.
At least a fixed cat is less aggressive and will not bother your cat too much. It is even better if they relocated the cat with a family. Always verify that the service you call has good intentions toward the stray cat and they are there to help them.
HOW TO STOP OTHER CATS FROM ATTACKING MY CAT?
If you have a cat that is used to going into the yard and roaming around the house, it is possible that stray cats or even your neighbor cat can attack him. Unfortunately, when your cat is outside, there are really few things you can do to prevent an attack from other cats.
You can provide a safe passage to your cat so he can protect himself, or keep him inside as much as possible and let him out only under your supervision. At least for the time you have a stray cat running around your house.
If you have a cat door or a cat flap, you can make sure only your cat can enter the house by getting a microchip cat flap.
Here are some ideas of cat flaps you can use:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How to keep male cats away from my female cat?
If you want to keep your male cat away from the female cat, keeping them in a separate room is the only effective method. However, when cats are in the heat, it is impossible to keep them away from each other. They can even smell each other and become noisy if you let them close to each other.
Can a stray cat infect my cat?
Stray cats can carry diseases and infect other cats and your cat. In general, your cat would already have the most common vaccines against the primary diseases, thus lowering the risks of infection. However, it is better not to let your cat be too close to a stray cat unless you can verify the health conditions.
Can I get sick from petting a stray cat?
Although a stray cat can carry diseases, if there are no visible signs of sickness on their fur, and you are not touching or getting in contact with his saliva, it should not be any danger in petting a stray cat on his head and under the chin.
