We moved about 6 months ago, and he seemed really content once he got used to his new surroundings. He's exclusively indoor, and has been since we got him over 7 years ago. Now, we have an exclusively outdoor cat living next door who taunts him through our downstairs windows. Our cat will lunge at him and try to attack through the windows. Our biggest problem now is constant meowing and prowling. He's at it all hours of the night and day, waking us up and our 1 1/2 yr old and we're having another baby in a couple of months! We really need our sleep around here! If we don't close our son's bedroom door, he'll go into his room and meow loudly during naptime or the night. If we do close any door in the house, he meows outside the door and scratches.

I'm so frustrated that this other cat is on our property all the time causing problems inside our home. We are going to try sprinkling this all-natural stuff around our yard to see if it keeps him away. Any other suggestions? He's known as the neighborhood bully, and beats up other cats and dogs. I don't have a lot of hope that it will work.

We love our cat dearly, but I'm at my wit's end and starting to consider finding a new home for him. It's so not fair that our cat is a part of our family, and this other cat isn't even allowed into it's "owner's" home! It's almost like they're just feeding a wild cat. What can we do??

You can get a humane trap, trap that cat, and if you know it's got a home,take it there, and if not take it to a no kill shelter.
Good luck.
I just read that this cat is next door. I would speak to the owners, and if they won't comply, call animal services.

Can I really ask them to keep their outdoor cat out of our yard, though?

Check with your local law enforcement or animal control for laws and regulations regarding keeping pets. Many communities have "leash laws" for cats similar to the ones they have for dogs. And if they openly admit to owning the cat then you can absolutely ask that they keep it off your property, just like if they had children you could ask that they keep their kids off your property. Also, try some things to "discourage" Kitty from hanging around. A spray of water from a water bottle or hose usually gets the point across. I had an extreme case with a big yellow tom cat terrorizing my indoor cats through the windows. Water didn't phaze him, so I shot him a few times with a paintball gun. I used a weak one, and stood back far enough that it would not actually injure him, but it still stung pretty bad and he stopped coming around after one or two paint balls in the flank. Again, this was an extreme case and he was a very large, very mean cat.

Hi there:

I know what you are talking about we had a cat who came and sat at the window and it drove my cat nuts. She did what yours did hissing and bumping the window. The thing with this outside cat she wasn't a bully just wanted attention and belonged to another neighbour in the back.

Maybe what you should try to do with this bully cat is start to chase him off the step with a broom or waterhose. Start to scare him some without harming him. He maybe just wants attention.
If I hear of anything that will help I will let you know. If you love your cat try to help him with this.

author
abbylane
owner of www.heavenpeturns.com and blog www.heavenpeturns.net.

One of the large blaster type squirt guns might be a better option as it can be kept handy and ready to use easier than a hose that needs to be turned on and off. I have used regular sized squirt guns to train rescued cats to stay off tables and counters and to leave people food alone.Since most cats don't like water this is a pain free method of making them stop unwanted behavior and because it is remote it doesn't cause a fear of people.

yes, definately try the water method first. Like I said, my case was extreme, the cat did not respond to being blasted with a spray bottle, Super Soaker, or the water hose. Then, after he took a lunge at my baby cousin, I figured enough was enough and used the paintball gun. I don't recommend that route unless absolutely necessary.