Hello community, My cat has been going out since I got her at 3 months old. I sat with her until she got used to it. She loves the outdoors. She is out first thing in the morning and all day until 7 or 8 pm when she comes in and I keep her in at night. I watch her all day, go from window to window and then go looking for her if I don't see her for a hour or so. She is not a fighter. My neighbor across the street has a male cat that comes over to my side of the street. My cat is afraid of him and stays on my side of the street. If the male cat comes over, I chase it home when I see him. Otherwise I hear my cat allerting me she is in trouble by her meow. I go out with my stick and find the male cat tormenting her. One day the male cat was lurching in the brush, waiting for my cat, and chased my cat to the tip of the tree. The male cat saw me with my stick and ran down the tree, while I swong my stick at it. I chased him home. I now watch my cat more closely. My neighbor called me after stating that she had another $100 vet bill, said her cat was limping, most likely thinking I did something to it, I didn't and told her that neither me nor my cat had anything to do with it. She then asked me if I could keep my cat in the 3 days she was home from work so her cat can go out. I said no, that my cat is an outside cat and I am not going to keep her in. I said I watch my cat all day and my cat doesn' go over to your side of the street. I told her she needed to watch her cat. The first thing her cat does is come to my area. She, of course, is not happy with my answer. I cannot do that to my cat, keep her in 3 days a week. I am a little worried that she my trap my cat. She had 4 babies from a wild stray which is where her cat came from a few years before, all 4 baby cats have dissappered. Thanks for any suggestions or help. Lyn

If your cat goes onto her property, she in fact may be within her legal rights to "catch" the cat.

And while you can chase her cat away, or use other legal means your area allows, hitting a cat or other animal with a stick may well be illegal and you could be liable for the cats medical bills. ( even if cat is tresspassing)

Since you have decided to take the risk of allowing your cat to run free, unsupervised or unprotected, the risk is also there.

I would suggest getting your cat chipped, and/or looking into getting an ear tattoo, so that she'll be returned if she ends up at a pound or shelter. If she'll wear a collar, make sure she has tags on it, so it's clear she's not a stray. Since a collar can be removed, however, a chip or tattoo is a good backup.

In the future, tell your neighbor that she needs to either keep her cat out of your yard, or deal with you taking humane measures to chase it off or prevent it from entering your property. You have the right to protect your pet, and property, from unwelcome animals. Your neighbor, however, has no right to expect you to allow her pet in your yard.

See if you can find the laws in your area for the legally allowed actions for people to keep strays off their property. You may be within your rights to trap her cat when it's in your yard. If you do so, then you can always carry the trap across the street and make a point of returning her cat to her property.

This may sound gross, and odd, but if there's a dominant male in your household (husband or live-in boyfriend) that your cat relates well to, you can have him pee around the edge of your property. The new male scent may make the tom cat less likely to enter your yard. Just keep in mind, it'll have to be renewed periodically, especially after rain or wet weather.