Groovychook Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Has anyone used one of these to detect cat pee and do they work? We've had a problem with an intact tomcat that's taken up residence on the farm. Intermittently for the past few months, he's coming through our cat flap, eating the cat food and leaving his calling card by spraying We've tried blocking up the cat flap and keeping the cats in at night, but with four, it's a bit of a pain. We've had to do a lot of travelling recently too, so have had to unblock the flap whilst away. The smell is appalling- I've been cleaning with a vinegar/warm water solution recipe that I found online, but it's sometimes hard to detect exactly where he's been. I'm wondering if one of the lights might be of use? Just found my big tom Basil with cat bite wounds too Not the first time... Bertie had them last time and it turned nasty, took ages for him to recover and cost a fortune in vets fees too Feeling very frustrated and cross. If I could catch the blighter, I'd take him to the vets to get him neutered but he's a wily creature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbug Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Do you think the Tom is feral or belongs to someone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I had a similar problem once; try a cat flap that's operated either by a magnetic tag on their collar, or the cat's microchip; that way it won't be able to get in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 Do you think the Tom is feral or belongs to someone He's definitely feral but he gets fed with all the farm cats. There are plenty of intact females about to keep him hanging around This one has been around for about 8 months... all the previous toms have kept themselves to themselves but he's a real pain! I had a similar problem once; try a cat flap that's operated either by a magnetic tag on their collar, or the cat's microchip; that way it won't be able to get in. My vet suggested one of those but they're quite expensive. I'll have to enquire how much it would cost to microchip my four and weigh it up. I'm thinking about contacting Cats Protection to see if they would aid with trapping him. I'd happily pay for him to be neutered... it would probably work out to be a cheaper option. Meanwhile, I've found the source of the smell- he's sprayed on a fabric storage box full of stationery Basil's wound has been bathed and sprinkled with antibacterial powder. Just keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't become infected Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Cat wounds can be nasty, so keep a close eye. The magnetic cat flaps are cheaper and don't rely on a power supply, handy if (like my neighbour) you had a fuse blow and the cats were locked out. I'd get all the queens neutered too, the person to speak to is Lesley as they had a cat problem when they bought their farm.. I went along to help out by sexing all the kittens. Drop her a PM and I'm sure she'd be happy to advise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbug Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Perhaps the. Cats protection could give you a cage to catch the feral Tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Yep, cats protection will lend you a trap to catch the blighter - get him done and then the job is finished - he should calm down then. It is a shame as its not really his fault - its those hormones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 The magnetic cat flaps are cheaper and don't rely on a power supply, handy if (like my neighbour) you had a fuse blow and the cats were locked out. Hmmm, not really keen on putting collars on them. They're all very active climbers and I'd be worried to death about them getting tangled or caught up in something. I've heard some horror stories about cats and collar injuries Plus the fact that my friend invested in a magnetic cat flap and it cost her a fortune in collar replacements! She never got to the bottom of what was happening to them but wondered if they were being removed by someone! I'd get all the queens neutered too, the person to speak to is Lesley as they had a cat problem when they bought their farm.. I went along to help out by sexing all the kittens. Drop her a PM and I'm sure she'd be happy to advise. I wish I could. That would be the ideal solution but the farmer (our neighbour and landlord) is a prickly character and has shown great reluctance to do anything about the problem. I suppose it's not affecting him so he doesn't see it as a problem I'm going to ring Cats Protection and see what they suggest. It is a shame because he's a beautiful black fluffy boy. Sits on the hedge and gazes in through the window and I feel awful shooing him away. I'm sure he'd love to be a house cat but I definitely can't have any more- 4 is enough!! I do worry how he'd fare as a feral cat after being neutered though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 He'd still be fine being feral, just ask Lesley who had the same problem. The tom we had near us was fine too - I caught him and got him done, then he recuperated in my shed fro a couple of hours before going about as normal. He's in much better nick now as he doesn't fight, so no more sores and abscesses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 He'd still be fine being feral, just ask Lesley who had the same problem. Will do. Meant to thank you for pointing me in Lesley's direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbug Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Agree Feral Tom should be able to cope well, should not spray either. If cat is feral it should not belong to neighbour. As you say it would be worth getting in contact with cats protection. (Maybe if neutering is free for all the feral cats then neighbour might not mind so much). Usually cats protection like all feral cats done to stop the chain of breeding including the females. Is there a lot of feral cats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Agree Feral Tom should be able to cope well, should not spray either. If cat is feral it should not belong to neighbour. As you say it would be worth getting in contact with cats protection. (Maybe if neutering is free for all the feral cats then neighbour might not mind so much). Usually cats protection like all feral cats done to stop the chain of breeding including the females. Is there a lot of feral cats No, the cat does not 'belong' to the farm as such but it is a working farm and he resides there at the moment. I'd don't think they'd have a problem with us dealing with him, it's the queens that they'd probably object to being spayed. As they are permanent residents on the farm, they view them more as 'pets' (using the term loosely). I wouldn't say that they are over run with queens but it's the fact that are still breeding that attracts the toms. It's a difficult and delicate situation as the farmer would object to any unwelcome interference. I'm hoping that if we could deal with this problematic tom for now then we could deal with any future interlopers should we need to! Despite my intensive cleaning- I'm still getting whiffs of eau d'tom Think I must have missed a patch somewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Do you have any Simple Solution? That's the only way to go with animal whiffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Ooh, thanks for the tip! I haven't got any but I'm off to google it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 All arranged Cat's Protection are going to drop a 'trap' off at the local vets on Monday. We'll collect it and try to catch him, then return him to the vets, where they will do some blood tests. If he's healthy, they'll neuter him and we'll collect him and bring him back to the farm. If he's not healthy, sadly, they'll put him to sleep Hopefully he'll be fine and have a long and healthy life. Good news is that Cats Protection will foot the bill Basil's Wound has been cleaned and powdered again... he's sporting a cone and not very happy about it but I remember Bert's wound deteriorating rapidly... not going down the route of a months house arrest and recovery again I'm off to Pets at Home to purchase some Simple Solution, hoping to be rid of pongs very soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 We have a microchip cat flap after an intact Tom was breaking in and spraying. Best investment ever. As for bites, I echo what Clare said, they can turn nasty VERY quickly and abscesses regularly develop from bites which need to be treated quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted January 12, 2014 Author Share Posted January 12, 2014 Well, despite our best efforts, Basil needed a trip to the vets yesterday. Thankfully, the bite is on his side and much easier to deal with than Bert's, which was on the bony bit of his back leg. Anyway, all cleaned out and a course of antibiotics. It's healing nicely... phew! No confinement or collar prescribed. He's a 7 and a half kilo active boy and he would not have taken kindly to that!! Interesting to hear what you say about the microchip cat flap Space Chick. If he still causes us problems after we've (hopefully) had him neutered, I'll consider it. OH has pointed out that he'll probably still let himself in to steal biscuits even if he's not spraying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 Just a quick update. Positioned the trap in the porch last night and locked the internal cat flap so that our cats couldn't get out of the house. Wedged a heavy lump of furniture in front of the flap too for extra security. Woke up this morning to find that Basil (now fully recovered) had somehow moved the furniture, battered through the flap and managed to get himself trapped He was more than happy as he'd snaffled a whole pouch of cat food and is now sleeping it off. Will have to wait till after the weekend now and try again!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 You'll have to rename him Houdini What boring lives people without pets must lead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbug Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 poor Basil. Glad he's recovered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Success We managed to catch him last night! He's on his way to the vets now, so anxiously waiting to hear the results of his blood tests. Poor little chap was terrified. Hopefully things will turn out well for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbug Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 well done. Here to hope all is well for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Good news! The blood tests showed that he was a healthy boy and the deed has been done Picked him up this afternoon and released him in the barn. The vets were adamant that we should let him go straight away rather than keep him contained any longer. He shot off at high speed... probably very cross with us! Hoping that he'll settle down now and find somewhere else to steal food from. It will just be a relief not having to worry about the pong anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbug Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 That's good all healthy one less male putty cat. Very quick Hope he settles down now for you. Lets us know how he gets on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
