Does anyone know who owns the huge orange cat (sort of looks like an Abyssinian cat). I’m getting really fed up of it coming into my garden and beating up my cat pretty badly. I know we can’t control where our cats go, but this thug is massive and has badly beaten up mine and next doors cats and does so repeatedly. It’s put next doors cat in the vet.
Has any other cat owner ever managed to keep someone elses cat out their garden?
We have the same issue with our neighbors cat. It’s not their fault, cats being cats. They just asked us to squirt it with a Super Soaker or hose. That works.
You’re going to have to narrow it down a bit on location!
@Londondrz beat me to it by 30 seconds - garden hose, although that does mean you have to ‘Stay Alert’
Yeah I get that, and to a degree I know I have to live with it with most cat fights, but this thing is twice the size of the other cats and it’s vicious. It’s not a two way thing, it starts all the fights and has a massive size advantage. Everyone I’ve spoken to refers to it as “the mountain lion” to give you an idea (ok it’s not a mountain lion really but for a domestic cat it’s huge and muscular)
Location wise we’re talking Devonshire Road near the nature reserve.
Is it a full Tom? They can be aggressive. If so and you can identify the owner you could ask them to get him done. If you can’t identify the owner maybe Celia Hammond could catch him and do the deed.
I’m genuinely not trying to be funny or provocative, but if this cat is entering your garden repeatedly and mauling your pets surely the answer would fall under pest control? Have you got CCTV covering your garden/property? If so, it may give you grounds to get a licensed contractor in to capture or dart it.
Oh man, I saw this cat once. It was eating a dead squirrel 
I was discussing this very same issue with my next door neighbour. We have a new cat on the block who has beaten up my very ancient moggy who has a heart condition. He told me once had this same problem. Big beefy cat it was. Not been neutered. Impossible to resolve. What he did was to buy a mammal trap, like the one in the link below. Larger ones are available. He then tempted the evil cat into the trap with some tasty morsel or other. He then drove it to some woods near Bromley or somewhere where he released it. Never seen again. That was how he solved his problem. Not suggesting for one moment that you do this. I am just telling you what my neighbour did.
I was just hoping I suppose that someone would know the cat or its owner, it may well be the owner has no idea the havoc this cat causes. Two attacks on mine yesterday, and my cat spent the whole night from about 6pm onwards sulking under our bed and didn’t come out til this morning, even for her dinner which means she’s either just got a bruised ego or she’s phsyically hurt so I’m keeping an eye on her.
I think I’ll just buy a supersoaker from amazon and keep guard during lockdown, short of catching it and releasing it somewhere north of the river i’m not sure there’s much I can do.
Or one of these?
https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/pest-xt-jet-spray-cat-repeller/g1233TM
We had a thread on here a while back, where someone had similar problems. I wonder if it’s the same cat and what the outcome there was?
only problem with one of those is it’s a shared garden and that spray would affect our cat and our neighbours cat. think i’ll stick with the supersoaker, it won’t hurt the cat but it’ll hopefully associate my garden with getting a furfull of water.
You need to set up a watch tower James and have it manned round the clock. I attach a photo from the Ikea website. Self assembly watch tower. Bit pricey at £2999.99 but your moggy will thank you for it.
Some advice here on how to trap cats.
No need to worry about pesky planning permission or how your neighbours feel about your watch tower James, because as we all know from other threads dealing with anti social neighbours, you have the right to do whatever you want, at whatever time of day or night you want and for as long as you want. That’s because the only thing that matters is Covid, so effectively you get a free pass and don’t have to take the neighbours feelings into account. So it’s a “win win” situation for you.
Do you have reason to believe the cat is feral, or owned by someone (as much as anyone ever really owns a cat)?
I have no idea either way.
Had to go to the vets today, the fight has resulted in an abscess and a high temperature and she’s now been hiding under a bed for 48 hours now.
I’ll be shopping on amazon for a supersoaker now. Even as a cat lover this beast has pushed me over the edge.
Hey you crazy cats and kittens, anyone object to calling the offending feline “The Beast of Devonshire Road” or just “The Beast” for short?
Do you think The Beast may be a Chausie cat breed?
“ A medium to large-sized breed, fractionally smaller than a Maine Coon but larger than a Siamese, the Chausie is often mistaken for the Abyssinian in appearance and structure. With large, wide-spaced ears, a long body and nimble legs, the Chausie is well suited to hunting and climbing.”
Love it! I’m intriuged to see a shadowy picture of this monster too if anyone’s been able to get one?
I love cats but I’d also like to see a video of The Beast’s first encounter with your new SuperSoaker
That might be it, right down to the dark tip on the tail.
We’re back from the vets and she’s still cowering behind the sofa. She’s usually so happy and active, sad to see her like this.
I’m so sorry to hear what your puss has had to go through. It sounds horrid.
If the cat is feral it may look a bit rough (mat rather than shiny fur) and it would probably not approach your house, or the doors readily. If it has already been caught, and released it would likely have one of the tips of its ear nicked.
The Cat Protections League has a Trap, Neuter and (and you won’t like it) Return scheme. The cat would be neutered which should help stem its aggression. And more importantly vaccinated against disease.
If the cat looks for all regard healthy and well fed, with a good coat there is a good chance he/she is owned. The best solution is to canvass the neighbours, and given the cats may have a wide round for wandering you might have to be a bit more extensive in it. You might consider posting a few notices with a picture.
If the Beast of Devonshire is owned, you are pretty limited in what you can do. Cats have a right to roam, even yours, so any discussion on trespass has no merit. I don’t think this has been brought up here but I’ve heard that argument elsewhere. And while the idea of trapping the cat, and releasing it in the country may sound attractive, if it is owned it is illegal despite the trouble it may cause you and your FurBaby.
While it doesn’t seem like kitty is going out anytime soon, keeping him/her inside for a while until some action can be taken is probably the best way forward. And get a big water pistol. Just be careful how you use it. If it harms el Ginger, then that too is an offence.
I’m not sure if the Celia Hammond Trust can offer anything similar, but I do know they are really suffering financially at the moment. As a plug, anyone can support them by purchasing from their Amazon Wishlist.
Be assured I have no intention of kidnapping or harming said beast, I’d just like to discourage it very strongly from entering my garden. The main reason I posted on here was to figure out if anyone knew the owner, as I’ve said earlier they may just not be aware of the carnage it causes.
The beast has on one occasion actually entered my patio doors and defecated on my living room carpet before I had a chance to chase it out. I would be horrified to learn of my cat doing the same.
I’m aware the cat has a right to roam, as does mine. I know it’s inevitable there will be scraps but this thing is just so vicious and has such a weight and size advantage over every other cat in the neighborhood it just seems to have no fear and no second thoughts in attacking everything.
I’ll just have to resort to the supersoaker and hope it gets the message.
I tried most of those things to stop a cat pooing in the garden, with the exceptions of wintergreen and menthol. But none of them worked. Chilli powder worked briefly - till it rained - as did Jeyes Fluid.
@James_Todd If you can catch him with the supersoaker can you maybe put something disgusting in it? Like diluted dog pee.
If he hasn’t got a collar I think you could ask a vet or Celia Hammond to trap him and see if he has a chip. Then present his owners with your vet’s bill.
I hope your cat is on the mend soon, poor little thing.
There is information about cats and UK law here:
Without my “normal” sized cat next to it I suppose it’s not as big as I describe it. But it’s pretty big and lean.
The excellent condition of the coat and appearance of general good health would suggest that someone owns this cat. But if it wasn’t for the head, I’d of thought that was a squirrel.
Oh wow. That is terrible. I’m so sorry for you and your puss.
First course of antibiotics failed. So she’s had to have a second course injected. Next door say that when their cat goes out for a pee now they chaperone her, again because of this horrible thing.
Do you think you could catch it? If so you could out a collar on it with a message and/or a GPS tracker.
I have the motion activated sprayer previously mentioned. It works very well but is indiscriminate.
Alternatively, napalm?
Did you try Celia Hammond’s?
If you caught this cat, could you take it to the vet to have its chip checked? Feigning ignorance of whether it was owned/feral? Perhaps then you could find out who the owner is officially and approach them, and if it’s a full Tom then the vet might even have on record whether it’d been fixed or not.
I think you need to be careful of catching someone else’s cat. For one, I suspect you might well get a few scratches yourself, secondly it’s not impossible you (well @James_Todd) could injure it trying to catch it, and lastly what if you take it to the vet as a stray and it’s not chipped or the chip is not working for some reason. Someone’s pet I guess then goes to a refuge and \ or maybe gets put down.
I don’t think there is a good answer here - perhaps if the cat has not had the ‘chop’ and did that might help (and that really should be done generally). Ultimately if cats go outside there is always a danger of fights, though this cat does seem particularly large and vicious, hopefully the water spray works, or the owner who is likely oblivious to that cat’s behaviour sees this mentioned here, or elsewhere - though bar keeping their cat in I’m not sure what they could do (bar neutering if not done).
I’m sorry for your cat James - horrible situation.
I cannot stress enough that I have no intention of catching, hurting or doing anything to this cat other than squirting it with water every time I see it. I just want to strongly discourage it from entering my garden.
My main hope would be someone, hopefully the owner, on here would recognize the cat and be made aware of the problems it causes, and not just to my cat. I would imagine they have no idea.
Fair enough. I hope the super soaker works, it’s a crap situation. Perhaps a few signs locally with the picture, asking “Is this your cat?” Then the owners might spot it, come forward, and you can let them know. I know they probably can’t do much about it, but again, it’s important they know!
If the owners know their cat is aggressive, I believe they are required to take preventative action. Once they know, then they can be held liable for future damage or injury their cat causes. The link I posted earlier in the thread on cats and the UK law should take you to more info and a downloadable pdf.
I believe Celia Hammond will humanely trap and neuter strays and they will also check for chips. So if no one responds to @Fran_487’s suggested posters, then I strongly suggest you ask for their help. It’s unlikely just to be your and your neighbour’s cats being injured. If he’s out of control he could easily kill a kitten.
That looks like a proper evil bast**d. My god what a situation to have to put up with. That cat is badly in need of a new home. Far far away.
Oh poor poor puss. I’ve got to say the cat does look very chunky.
I’ve had the same issue over the past year / 2 trips to the vets with my little cat, plus the antibiotics and the stress.
I’m more the Fhill end of Devonshire and cannot say I’ve seen your beast / my two offenders are black and ginger.
I’ve squirted the offending cats , chased them out of the garden and even had to chase one very aggressive cat out of my house !
You have my full sympathy. It’s a frustrating situation, but I cannot see how it can be manned.
Cats that like the outdoors will wonder. God knows I’ve had to rescue mine from the neighbours trees enough. If your cat , like mine is determined to go out and play, no matter the danger, it’s a bit of a lost cause I’ve found.
They are a territorial species and I must confess I’ve seen my little cat chase of others, including foxes.
Just to play devil’s advocate, could it be that your cat is wondering into the other cats garden also ?
The other cats still come in my garden, up my steps and if able into my house, water cannon threats or not.
You’d be surprised what the cats get up to when they think we are not looking … I’ve even caught my cat rousing from tarpaulin with the offending cats , some days they are friends some days they are enemies. What can you do.
You could go down the route of Celia Hammond , I hope that helps , the neutering may help with the aggression and it certainly would help with any unwanted kitty pregnancies. Though , if I owned a male cat I may be a little disgruntled at it coming home with the chop ! My sister had her boisterous cat neutered and it made the world of difference to his aggressiveness.
I’d second the idea to put up local signage, see if you can find the owner. I know as a cat mum I would want to know if mine had been causing upset.
Full disclosure and pics of our little cat 
Sorry to hear about your cats been attacked this cat his is a regular visitor in Devonshire Road Nature reserve seen it a couple of times was informed by a volunteer that is can ‘eat’ a hedgehog whole also seen tackling the local fox, it is a pest and I try to schoo it off without harming it has a negative effect on the local wildlife. Please just get it a quirt with water and nothing else or call the RSPCA so they can trap it and scan the it. I would NOT encourage any other action against it. I am a cat-lover myself
I know I suggested spraying it with dog pee, but if you think that’s too gross how about buying some silent roar ad soaking the pellets in water, then loading your supersoaker with that? If he comes to associate your garden with being sprayed by an invisible lion he might go elsewhere.
But then he’ll just attack someone else’s cat, or as @Ernest_J_Thomason says, wildlife. Or heaven forbid, a baby. I still think Celia Hammond needs to chop his wotsits off.
Just seen that you can get electric cat deterrent fencing. It would be a shame to have to resort to this as it might deter wildlife - but that said, hedgehogs go under, rather than over fences and it would protect garden birds. Squirrels I suppose would be about the only form of wildlife in our town gardens that might be affected. I imagine if you could work out the cat’s route in you might only have to install it on that boundary.
The same topic keeps popping up in Nextdoor. The general consensus is that if a male cat is neutered he won’t wonder looking for a mate, & as you say he cannot father more kittens.
A man posted on there though that his cat (he seemed to recognise this particular one) was allowed to wander as he pleased & that he was definitely opposed to getting him ‘done’ or as he put it “his bits will be left dangling, thank you”. Wonder though if he would say the same if his cat got badly attacked like the other poor cats.
Hi James,
This cat is called Hugo. He has been living in our garage over the past few months, we’re in the middle of Devonshire Road, next to the Nature Reserve. In all honesty we were happy to have him, he is timid but very loving and gentle with my three year old. I managed to track down his owners who live a few streets along and came and got him last week. Hugo has been happily living around the corner unnoticed on Devonshire Road for a number of years with his brother (the same breed but black). His owners bought a third cat, a small breed about 2 years ago who Hugo didn’t get on with and which has lead to him spending more and more time away venturing towards the Nature Reserve hunting, hence why we thought he was homeless and took him in (to our garage).
His chip number is: 956000006306543
You should be able to get in contact with his owners via any Vets with his chip number.
Best wishes
Natalie
Thank you Natalie
I’m afraid we’re going to have to take action here because just this morning “Hugo” chased my cat up a tree and started attacking her. If it wasn’t for the fact I was working in the living room and could rush right out to start shouting at it I hate to think what the result will be.
He may be gentle with your children but one day he’s going to kill my cat or my next door neighbours cat in their own garden just for the crime of minding their own business and it’s just not on.
Has Hugo been neutered Natalie ?
Yes, he has been neutered.
It sounds as if you are now his ‘keeper’ as opposed to his ‘owner’, is that how you see it ?
Cats don’t have owners, cat have people!
He is back with his owner. We no longer feed him but he visits us most days and we are happy to see him when he does. His owners love him and want him back.
I’m not really a cat person but my understanding is that cats fight. Our neighbours have cats and they used to have vicious fights. The difference is that Hugo (we call him Sparkles) is so big, it makes him look scary and he will always win in a fight. I know lots of people are having trouble with him. Unfortunately I don’t see a resolution, cats will be cats and actually Hugo could do a lot of damage to another cat but typically chooses not to.
I’m pretty sure that the fight with this particular cat was especially vicious because around that time Sparkles came back with a big scratch on him face and stayed close to our home for a few days.
We didn’t used to like Sparkles and tried shooing him off and spraying him with the hose but it didn’t seem to bother him. He wore us down over the past few years and now, mainly because he’s so good with our daughter, better than any other cat that i’ve seen, we think he’s kinda great.
Sorry, yes I can see that you did say that his ‘owners’ now have him again. You mention that you know that lots of people are having trouble with him, do you know whether his ‘owners’ are aware of this ?
They are, I explained the situation to them. However, they have two other smaller cats and apparently at home Hugo is the underdog so they can’t believe what I have told them. I’m sure a number of people will contact them, our neighbours included and they might look into it a bit.
From what I understand they are going through a difficult time with ill health and therefore unless it becomes a serious issue for them I’m not sure they will make any changes.
Yes, I see what you mean. If you have explained it to them and now that they know that some of their neighbours have incurred vets bills and are anxious, it makes me wonder what else it would take to make it a serious issue for them. I have two cats, and I think that if it came to may attention that my neighbours lived in fear of my cats and were out of pocket, it would right away become a serious issue for me. You seem like a very responsible sort of a person Nathalie, and I am sure you would feel the same way.
Vets bills are always unwelcome and we take them in our stride, but it’s worth bearing in mind that for some people, especially at times like the present an unexpected bill can knock a real hole in the monthly budget. I think James said that he had to go to the vet twice in one week. Now, if it happens once, that’s one thing but I think twice makes it a serious issue. But then, if it seems open ended and potentially without limit, then that’s a different league altogether isn’t it ?
Right, rant incoming. Sorry if this is wordy, but I really am cross.
The single attack in question resulted in 4 vets trips as the wounds were so bad they didn’t heal, and the antibiotics weren’t strong enough to tackle the infection at first. My cat was sick for some time afterwards. Each trip and course of drugs cost money, and obviously while the toll on my wallet while I was furloughed wasn’t welcome I have to really point out here that the health and well being of my cat is absolutley paramount. I must also point out that this attack was the second of that day. It’s not an isolated incident. I am seeking no financial retribution.
“Hugo” is now causing me to keep my cats catflap locked permanently and I only allow her out into our garden when I am present and with the back door open. One, this is annoying because I spent money getting a double glazed pane replaced to fit this flap but more importantly my cat has no idea why suddenly her outside access is restricted.
I’m sorry that his owners have other issues in their life right now, I really am. I am not an unreasonable person but at the end of the day the fact that Hugo’s home life has pushed him away from his own home because he doesn’t get on with their new cat is their problem. I am more than a little miffed that it seems they don’t care what their cat is doing.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not naive. I understand fights happen. But this cat is agressive, powerful and large. It’s not a fair fight with my cat, or my neighbours cats - and let’s remember hugo has sent their cats to the vets as well.
If the fights were caused my cat wandering into his territory or may cat chasing him I would have no qualms whatsoever in keeping my cat indoors. But the simple fact is Hugo comes into my garden and chases my cat around when she’s minding her own business. It’s not as if they’re just running into each other. Yesterday he rushed up a tree for the sole purpose of attacking my cat while she was at the top of it. She had nowhere else to go - if I wasn’t there to chase Hugo off she’d have either fallen out of it or been bitten again. Either would have resulted in injury or worse. She’s not provoking him in any way other than simply existing and playing in her own garden and I’m fed up of it.
But it’s not just that. I mentioned earlier Hugo came into my house and defecated on my carpet. Again, if I knew my cat did that in someone elses house I’d be horrified and I’d keep her indoors. I certainly wouldn’t respond with “cats will be cats” - that’s not normal. Again, it seems like the new cats in his house are causing Hugo to lash out elsewhere. This is absolutely their problem and they need to fix it. Hugo is clearly not happy.
I will be contacting my vet with Hugo’s chip number. So will my neighbour (their cat is now terrifed of wandering more than a couple of feet into the garden) I am sure, however, that data protection laws will prevent me from getting any further details but i am going to be seeing what I can do or asking the vet to pass on a message.
I do not wish any harm on Hugo. If I see him in my garden passing through I’ll continue to squirt him with water, but if thre’s an attack in progress on my cat I will do whatever necessary to defend my cat.
I simply want Hugo’s owners to note his behaviour and figure out why he’s so aggressive all of a sudden, since it would seem this isn’t normal for him if what you say is true (and this is a big “if” because all the behaviour i’ve observed is to the contrary). If he’s causing continual problems, then maybe he needs to be kept indoors. It seems wrong that Hugo has free reign to attack who he pleases and when, and everyone else just needs to deal with it because “cats will be cats”.
Rant over.
I think James is right not to accept the idea that ‘cats will be cats’. There must be more to it than that. The RSPCA website has some interesting information on the subject. Link below. In particular this section caught my eye.
'There are many different reasons why cats can be aggressive towards other cats. To be able to successfully treat the problem, it’s essential to work out what the underlying cause, or trigger, is. To do this, we recommend that you consult with a qualified veterinary behaviourist (your local vet can refer you). They will ask you lots of questions and may also visit you in your house so they can observe your cat in their own environment and their interactions with other cats in the household.’
According to Nathalie, Hugo Sparkles has owners/keepers who are aware that there are issues with him. If they care about him and they care about their neighbours then the least they can do is to take him to the vet and seek advice.
A domestic animals keeper ( as opposed to the legal owner) is responsible in law for the conduct of their animal and in certain prescribed circumstances can be liable for any loss or damage caused. Perhaps the right thing to do is for James to write to the owners and bring the matter to their attention. It may be possible to meet them and persuade them to seek advice on how to deal with Hugos’s anti social tendencies. Failing that, then a solicitors letter is often effective. If that does not do the trick, then a claim for the loss and damage and an injunction to compel them to keep Hugo inside may be possible, but one would sincerely hope that it would not come to that.
I think James you are being very restrained and are entitled to rant. I am a parent of three children and two cats and am very surprised at the cats will be cats refrain. I believe that you should never reward or tolerate bad behaviour and that it should be dealt with immediately rather than be left to wreak havoc.
I know as a parent that if I was in the park with my three year old and a bigger kid picked on him and the parent did nothing and said to me “boys will be boys and he is bigger and always wins fights”, it wouldn’t end well for them. I would see the carer of the aggressor being in loco parentis and being responsible.
I think you have been very nice and Hugo and his owners/carers have not and most people feel in a just society Hugo should pay for his crimes and his owners/carers for any vet bills incurred. There are some no win/no fee solicitors who take on animal claims. I would poster your local area and find out what this cat has been up to and then jointly with the other cat victims take this evidence and get redress. It probably won’t go to court but it might make some people take responsibility.
Thanks - although at this time I’d rather not have to take any such action. I’m just pleading to Hugo’s owners to figure out why he’s lashing out and to take any preventative steps they can to prevent him mauling my cat again.
If they weren’t fully aware before they are now. That’s all I ask.
They may be fully aware, you can not know for sure. You could probably find out where he lives by keeping an eye on him. Then you could make sure that his keeper is put in the picture.
It’ll be hard to catch Hugo, but if anyone can, please put a paper collar on him with the following written on it:
se23.life/thebeast
This web address links to this topic.
If I were the owner, and read the following posts (in particular), I’d feel incredibly guilty and I’d want to make things right:
@anon5422159 you win the novelty website marketing strategy of the week award! But seriously, yes that sounds like a good idea in principle, as long as it’s safe to approach.
I agree that this a good idea ‘in principle’. The flaw in this sort of plan (as ever) is that its success rests entirely upon Hugo Sparkles owner/keeper giving a toss. The evidence so far points in another direction. The fact (if it is a fact) that HS felt compelled to leave home and the owner didn’t put up posters on every lamp post for miles around offering a large reward for his safe return rather tells its own tale, I am afraid.
If he is the underdog at home with the other 2 cats maybe that is why he lashes out so much when he sees other cats. It’s certainly not an excuse, & his owners need to take this on board & take responsibility.
@Natalie would you be prepared to take him in as your own cat if the owners agreed. It sounds as though you have a calming influence over him.
Answer came there none …
Hi all,
I wanted to give this post a bump to add some news and ask @James_Todd if you had any response from Hugo’s owners.
I live by the devonshire rd nature reserve and got 2 kittens last year, who Hugo has started attacking.
I shoo him away and no injuries so far, but he has attacked a neighbour’s cat several times, leading to at least 4 expensive vet trips, so it’s only a matter of time before he does injure one of my cats. He’s massive and could do a lot of damage.
I’ve contacted the owners indirectly but they didn’t seem bothered - they didn’t even want to accept that what I was saying is true.
It seems that Hugo is the source of trouble for quite a few people but from the owners’ reaction, they don’t seem to be taking it at all seriously. Hard to know what to do.
I’m very sorry to hear this.
Because of “Hugo” our cat is only let out when I’m out watching, which is a shame for her because she’s desperate to go out and a pain for me becuase I want to just open my patio doors sometimes for fresh air. Especially in the summer.
He’s also started trying to get in our (locked) cat flap sometimes at night, which causes our cat to give off an almighty shreik which is not fun at 12 or 1am! Whoever owns this beast just doesn’t seem to care, sadly.
Nobody seems to know the owners other than the poster on here known as Natalie. I’m not sure what else I can even do. I chase it, squirt it with a supersoaker. I’ve even thrown (and lost) a shoe at it.
I’m not trying to be ‘edgy’ or provocative here, but surely this is a nuisance animal that qualifies for humane dispatch?
I thought the same. As harsh as it seems is there an equivalent to the dangerous dogs act?
I wonder if the RSPCA or some similar organisation could help?
If the owners can’t really look after him / he stays out of their house but is friendly with people, just not other cats, I wonder if they would help re-home him somewhere maybe in the countryside where he could fight rats and the like away from most other local cats?
Maybe Celia Hammond might have some advice?
Yeah - it does seem that he’d be happier in the countryside- somewhere he could roam and have a big territory.
My neighbour with the cat he injured is attempting to contact the owners, so will see how that goes. They previously asked the vet for advice, but they didn’t offer any. If they don’t make any progress, I’ll try the rspca and point the to this thread
My friend’s dog once got given an ASBO (by mistake it happens - it was meant to be for another dog on their street), so maybe cats can get them too?
How very true
Or maybe the council. If this cat can hurt other cats and small mammals so badly could it hurt a human?
Send this link to your neighbours: se23.life/thebeast
They can show this to the owners if they know them, then they’ll be aware of the whole shebang.
A previous post from last August from a person called Nathalie indicates that she brought the matter to the attention of the owners but they did not seem unduly concerned. It is depressing to see that nothing much has changed. From doing some superficial legal research it seems that if there is an animal at large which is not of an inherently dangerous/risky type, but which is behaving in a manner which is causing damage then in circumstances where the owner has already had the situation brought to their attention, it is possible to bring an action in negligence for damages against such an owner. If successful then it would be possible to compel an irresponsible owner to keep such an animal under better control - for example being indoors at certain times - by way of an injunction. I wonder if a stiff letter from a solicitor to the owners from an injured party might make them sit up.
I think the owners are just sticking their heads in the sand.
@James_Todd terrible to hear that you and your cat have had to put up with this for over a year. He’s probably terrorising quite a few cats other than the 4 that I know of.
Hopefully we’ll be able to point them towards this post and they’ll see that people aren’t exaggerating.
I’ll try RSPCA and the council. Failing that, a solicitor may be money well spent given that my neighbour has already spent 100s on vet bills
From a quick google, it looks like different rules apply to cats as to dogs, but owners must bear some kind of responsibility/liability
I agree the RSPCA or Celia Hammond could possibly help. It’s unacceptable isn’t it that he is ruling the roost.
We saw this animal for the first time when we were walking last week. Your picture doesn’t really give the full impression of this not being a normal domesticated cat. Definitely not something to stop and pet, it was menacing, and probably should not be approached if you’re not wearing long sleeves and gloves.
Celia Hammond is a good bet. I got my cat from them. He was a stray who, to be honest, was not pleasant to say the least. They neutered him which took the wind out of his sails and now he’s the most affectionate cat you could meet.
Maybe this is all the Beast needs. It sounds like there would be a few willing volunteers on this forum!
Legally dogs can commit torts for which their owners are responsible. Cats are not able to. I presume because it is recognised that cats control their ‘people’ rather than the other way round.
I’m not a cat owner but I sympathise with the annoyance about the ‘cats will be cats argument having frequently been told by owners of large off the lead dogs who are harassing our family spaniel that ‘he/she is only playing’. To which my retort is ‘the last dog that ‘only played’ with this spaniel’s precedessor blinded him, so get him/her away from us.’
Without having actually seen the ‘beast’ in question, is it unreasonable to suspect that this cat doesn’t fall within any breeds that can be reasonably defined as a ‘domesticated cat’? Could it be the offspring of a small but wild cat breed, in the sense that it’s been ‘housed’ without the relevant checks being made to assess its suitability to its current territory?
Not sure on what basis you assert that Rosered. The state of the law is in fact broadly as I describe above. See s.2(2) Animals Act 1971. It’s a very tricky area of the law, and although it would be very unusual, there is no reason in principle why a keeper/owner can not be liable for the damage caused by a cat.
It’s something I remembered from my law degree but it’s a long time ago so I’m probably wrong in my ‘assertion’.
If it’s a Chausie (as suggested in the thread), they are descended from wild/domestic cat hybrids, but (if I understand correctly), the wild “jungle cat” genes are diluted by breeding successive generations with domesticated cats until the ones that become pets are considered to be fully domesticated. So unfortunately, unless it’s an early-generation Chausie, it’s unlikely that it would be legally classed as a wild or exotic cat. (Like, say, a pet serval or ocelot might be.)
Sorry if my message came across as being a bit spiky Rosered. It wasn’t meant that way and I agree with you in so far as one would not expect a cat owner to be liable for the doings of his/her cat. The 1971 Act imposes strict liability on owners of all animals and the individual characteristics of a particular breed of animal are very much taken into account under s.2(2) (b) & (c) of the Act when it comes to assessing the likelihood of the animal causing damage. This particular cat seems to be an unusually large and aggressive beast. If these are characteristics of its breed and these charactistics are known to its owner then I think here is potential for a remedy. I am not suggesting that it would be easy to succeed in such an action but in principle it could be done.
I also live by the nature reserve on devonshire Road, I’ve seen this cat quite a few times in our garden. I had no idea he was so aggressive, he usually sits and watches our kitten in the window before walking off.
I’ll be more weary of him in the future!
What’s that coming over Forest Hill
Is it a monster? Is it a monster?
What’s that coming over Forest Hill
Is it a monster? Is it a monster? (Repeat x15)
I’ll get me coat .
Can we get some more photos?
Ideally with a sense of scale, I’m hooked on this thread
If possible, in the same photo it would be good to have a normal cat, the beast, a telephone box, a red bus and a blue whale.
I have seen him… and yep he is really quite big for a cat…
probably smaller than a blue whale though…
And a banana. #BananaForScale
Maybe a pound coin? A football pitch? Olympic-sized swimming pool? Wales?
Whilst I understand that owners cannot be responsible for the “normal” behaviour of their cat eg wandering & defecating wherever takes their fancy, killing small creatures etc, would it be worthwhile reporting this overly aggressive/destructive cat to the council under the nuisance laws? If so, I believe, they are legally obliged to investigate and, if necessary, take enforcement action.
I suggest you talk to Lewisham Council’s Animal Welfare section.
I think they would be interested in protecting the cats that are being attacked.
In all seriousness, without stating the obvious, I think all other avenues have been exhausted here. The owners clearly aren’t interested in taking responsibility for their pet, the cat itself is only acting how nature intended and I’d be stunned if Lewisham council took any real action. I think we all know the only real solution…
Yep, it’s come to the point where local residents need to bring in a “cat for hire” who is meaner and tougher than the beast. As my old nan always said ’ the only thing bullies understand is a taste of their own medicine’…
I was thinking more along the lines of darting it, myself.
One like this?
Our cat was bullied by another cat. She was most put out when we got a dog. However, she soon found that when the other cat came into our garden all she had to do was whistle up the cavalry!
