Burglar cat

[Gemini]

Both next doors cats on one side will come in if the back door is open and steal any food in our cats bowls. Our neighbours on both sides have two cats, but only one set do this.

However the female cat of the opportunist pair now regularly comes through the cat flap and steals their food. Twice now she has got locked in here when we have had the cat flap set to In only .

It's getting very annoying so we are going to have to fit a new cat flap which operates via your cats microchip. No other cats will be able to get in.
We would rather not have the expense and work of fitting this, but it's the only way.

[Oma]

Gem
It's going to be the only way ,
Unfortunately you can't train a cat like a dog , they are a law unto themselves 😁

I bet your neighbours don't know it's getting fed twice 😁

One of my neighbours has one of these Catio's outside cat cage for her 3 cats ,
They are house cats but this allows them access to the garden safely ,
It has climbing frames and a big branch for them to climb and places to sleep ,

I think they would be unsuitable for a cat that is used to roaming but they are a good idea

[Lizzie48]

When my friends lived in Delft they had the same problem, before the chips etc. They had to block the cat flap and puss had to wait until they woke in the morning to be let in!

Oma, those cages are very popular here, on balconies as well, a neighbour has 9 cats, they never get out on the balcony at all, how she copes with 9 cats I do not know!!

[Daisy]

Gem, Some years ago when my DIL1's cat was much younger, had a similar problem. She (the cat) was getting attacked regularly by the local cat bully (we presumed an un-neutered tom) and it would follow her in to the house through the cat flap. They did the same - a cat flap that would only let their cat in or out. Problem solved, but as you say, time, effort and cost.

Oma, those catios seem to be getting very popular, and I suppose they're ideal for house cats or people with no safe outside space.

I'm always surprised at how many people on our local Whats App group report that their much-loved cats have gone missing. They usually turn up again within a couple of days, but I can imagine the worry. Our road only carries traffic for our estate, but even so many people drive too fast and I know I would worry about having a cat.

Lizzie, 9 cats is a lot to look after, especially indoors.

My late cousin was very involved with cat rescue and had a huge shed (centrally heated!) with outdoor runs etc as well as cats in the house. She had nearly 30 at the time she passed away. But it was her life, and she was very passionate about their welfare and safe rehoming. You have to be very dedicated to do that.

[Oma]

We lived next door to someone who had at one time 13 cats all indoors cats ,
The smell was horrendous,
If we were in our back garden and she opened her back door that was just the other side of our fence , we had to go indoors.
She once had a new boiler fitted and the boiler man had to come out and threw up in the gutter,
He refused to go back in.

Once she went away for the 6 weeks holidays to her mother's down south and I agreed stupidly to feed them , by this time she had 8 ,
It was a hot day my DD and myself walked in and the carpet was jumping with flees .
I rang her and she wasn't a bit concerned just said oh I will ring to get it sprayed ,
Well you can't have cats in when they are spraying so I rang the RSPCA they were not interested ,
I had to ring around and get a local cat charity to come and get them.
They were applaud at the living conditions , she never got the cats back , but went on to have more

My DD and myself had to strip off in the porch and B put our clothes straight into the washer just incase there were flees on us ,
DD then sprayed us down with fly killer 🤣

[Nanto2girls]

We had a cat for 18½ years,but just the one.

Oma, i can imagine what that house must have smelt like.