Big male feral cat starting to do damage

ryseryse_2004

10 years ago

The big male cat that has been hanging around is starting to hurt some of my cats. I saw nothing wrong with letting him eat but I don't like him fighting with my cats. (All of mine are neutered and I don't want to add him to the mix. )

Our cats are indoor/outdoor but they eat outside and spend all nights outside except for when the weather is unbelievably cold as it has been in the last week. We were OK with the big guy hanging around as long as he played nice. He isn't playing nice. I hate to relocate him and cause problems for others but don't know what to do. (BTW, paying $200 to have him neutered isn't going to happen.)

Comments (7)

christine1950
10 years ago
I would keep my cats indoors at all times and stop putting food out, the feral will move on if there's no free buffet, others may have different advice for you. Good Luck...
don_in_colorado
10 years ago
I think Christine1950's idea is a good one. I'd give it a go.

Cheers,
Don B.
Related Professionals
Five Corners Architects & Building Designers · Universal City Architects & Building Designers · Carlsbad Furniture & Accessories · Peachtree City Furniture & Accessories · Rockville Furniture & Accessories · Surprise Furniture & Accessories · Chaska Furniture & Accessories · Avon Flooring Contractors · Cambridge Flooring Contractors · Framingham Flooring Contractors · Hibbing Flooring Contractors · Jacksonville Flooring Contractors · Palestine Flooring Contractors · Skokie Flooring Contractors · Strongsville Flooring Contractors
ryseryse_2004
Original Author
10 years ago
They were all inside for the whole week last week when we had all the snow and cold and they (and we) were going nuts. The big cat just came right back when we started feeding the cats outside and letting them stay out. (I wouldn't be able to afford even the litter for 7 indoor cats and sure don't like cleaning their litter pools (baby pools) twice a day!

We live on a farm and these are working cats - they don't like being indoors.
laurief_gw
10 years ago
Trap the feral and take him to a shelter. He'll probably be put down, unless they can find someone with a farm who wants a working cat. Or, you can try to locate someone with a farm who wants a mouser. Or maybe you have a TNR group in your area that knows of someone who might be willing to take him. But as long as he's on your farm, he'll be likely to continue to try to injure your resident cats.

BTW, neutering him won't be likely to stop his aggressive behavior. Once a tom reaches sexual maturity and starts aggressively defending territory, that becomes learned behavior. It doesn't usually change after neutering.

Laurie
sylviatexas1
10 years ago
what Laurie said.

I once took on a mature, intact feral tomcat, & he never became what you'd call tame.

Were I in that position again, I'd do what Laurie said.

Please take the time & care to trap him & take him to a shelter or animal control;

"relocating" him would be cruel to the cat as well as to "others" & might be against the cruelty laws in your state.

Even in rough-&-ready redneck insensitive old Texas, dumping an animal is against the animal cruelty laws.

I wish you the best.
ryseryse_2004
Original Author
10 years ago
Well, I haven't seen him for a couple of days and the cats are all back outside day and night since it is above zero (for now anyway.) If I was going to trap the poor thing and drive an hour one way to a shelter just to have him put down, it seems it would be more humane just to shoot him. That would be a whole lot less stress on him anyway --- not us though. I can't imagine that anyone would adopt him and all the farms around here have plenty of mousers -- he probably came from one.

Maybe he got eaten by a coyote - heard them last night and worried about my kids.
christine1950
10 years ago
I feel sorry for you !!!!!