23/11/2022
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐?
On the whole, it's to do with territory, mating (hormonal) and dominance.
A Tomcat is an un-neutered cat that is as he was born, intact! He will spray, prowl, howl, and fight every other cat, whether it's another male or even females. The females are seen off due to it being his territory and not receptive to mating! Males because of territory and wanting to be the Alpha in the area for mating purposes.
Neutering a Tom does stop most of the spraying, in most cases, but did you realise that females can, and do, show dominance and territorial behaviour as well by also spraying. This is most certainly a worrying factor as not all females will cease this practice even if spayed. It's a curious fact, but a fact nevertheless.
Fighting for the right to dominate a territory is more of an issue in built up areas, as a felines natural range is much larger than majority of property sizes. So, they overlap!
In the case of a cat being older and having grown up in the area, and a new younger feline is introduced into the territoral border-lines, fights are inevitable, and note that it maybe that the property they move into, intersects with more than one felines patch!
If you wish to remain an owner who let's your cat have the freedom to go outside, then you will have to accept the fact that your cat, or cats, get into fights. It's a natural behaviour of the species. If you wish you cat to remain unscathed, then it's up to you to make sure your cat has an area it can roam outside but not leave the section so that it is safe. How you do that is up to you.
Here are a couple of solutions..:
1. Training your cat to a harness and leash
2. Building a secure outdoor cat enclosure
3. Build a Catio - a window or deck addition
You will not solve this issue 100% but you can bring the percentage down significantly by being a reasonable owner.
Deterring other owners cats from your section is easy also. Have a water filled powerful Nerf gun on hand or use a garden hose. When the offending dominant cat (male or female) turns up, dowse/drench it with water. In most cases, cats aren't fond of water and so they make a memory note that coming to your property is not a fun place to visit!
