Cat (Not Ours) Marking Territory

Lagoon

There's a cat that lives somewhere in our neighbourhood. It's huge, solid black, and looks like a panther. It prowls, ears back, and has glowing eyes. I can see why people believe these Beast stories when they see animals like this!

Its distinctive looks mean that I've noticed it around before, though I've never worked out where it lives. It's certainly not with either of our immediate neighbours - it's probably one of the houses across the road, or the next street along.

I don't usually mind cats, but I just caught this one in my garden. I knocked on the patio door when I saw it near the fence at the far end of the garden, as I usually do when I see cats to make them aware that they've been noticed, but this one then turned and marked our fence.

Why would it mark our garden as territory, when it doesn't live here? The next door neighbour has two cats of her own - is this something to do with it? I have a reptile that I let roam in the garden in the summer - I'm worried that if the cat decides our garden is his then he'll be there regularly and might put my pet at risk.

Can anyone with more detailed knowledge of cat behaviour tell me if I should be concerned, if it will happen again, and how I stop it happening when the cat isn't mine and I might not see it next time?

shjo558

From Panther cats perspective, he owns your garden and you had the cheek to invade his territory and challenge him by staring through the window.

He sounds like an unneutered Tom who will have a whole Hareem of Missy Mogs so he will have to be proactive with his marking.

Cats are naturally nervous of reptiles but I would be careful when you let your pets out in the garden when it gets warmer.

I have cats so don't really know what you can do to keep him away apart from a water pistol?