QUESTION
We have two cats, mother and baby both neutered. A "foreign" cat has started to come in through the cat flap and, we believe spray the furniture. Our cats will not keep on collars and don't like being closed in all day - is there any way apart from a magnetic catch or locking the cat flap to discourage the foreign cat from coming in?
Mrs P Summers
ANSWER
Dear Mrs P Summers,
The easiest way of preventing the stray cat coming in is to do the things you have ruled out being either the magnetic cat flap or locking the flap at certain times. I personally do not have a cat flap but let my cats in and out so as to control the times they spend outside and keep them in overnight so reducing the risk to them on the roads etc overnight. By locking the cat flap and allowing them restricted access in and out for a period you may find that the foreign cat moves on if it no longer has access and this would then allow you to go back to your current way of dealing with the situation. There are a lot of products used to scare cats away but I would not recommend any of them. Anything that scared the foreign cat well enough will almost certainly upset your own cat as well.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article