How To Deter Cat Burglar...

[donchano]

A strange cat has started to come into the house to eat my cats' food. It's not a stray as it looks well-groomed and definitely very well fed! I have repeatedly chased it out with a water spray and on one occasion I even chased it down the garden in my dressing gown banging a spoon on a saucepan - God knows what the neighbours must have thought! It's a bold little *** though and nothing seems to phase it. My cats are complete wusses and don't do anything to defend their territory bar a bit of growling.
Please does anyone have fool-proof solution for scaring it off permanently?
P.S. We have tried our cats with a magnetic cat flap before but it was useless and they kept losing their collars.

[Old_Geezer]

I guess you could not put the food dishes on the floor until your cats are complaining it's meal time.

[Islay]

You can get cat flaps tunedto their microchips or embrace the new cat and accept it lol

[murraymints]

once it has found a food source.. afraid you are on a loser.... unless you do the lion poo and weeing around the boundaries ?

[murraymints]

I had the electronic flap thing in Norfolk..but he was a hunter and I did not like to put a collar on him..investigate the chip thing !

[donchano]

Thanks O-G. I think it may come to that. I suppose it will eventually get the message. Their royal highnesses won't like it as they are both 'grazers' and used to having biscuits available 24/7!

[campbellking]

My two are equally useless at protecting their own food, and one of the local cats (who's supposed to be on a diet, according to his owner) will squeeze himself through the bathroom window if it's open to nick their food. He will run if he sees me, but he often breaks in undetected. Just costs more money in kittie snacks.

[Old_Geezer]

How much lion would donchano have to eat in order to do the lion poo and weeing at the boundaries ?

[donchano]

LOL Murraymints - my husband has peed round the garden boundary to great effect in the past to deter foxes...and it worked a treat!

Thanks Islay for tip about microchips but I have read reviews and not heard great things about this method. Would be grateful to hear if anyone has direct experience of microchip-operated cat flaps.

[ummmm]

I have the occasional cat venture in. I just leave them to it if they aren't bothering my cat. The looked after ones tend to wander in out of curiosity more than anything else. A bit of a nose round, a bite to eat, and off they go.

[donchano]

I think I will just have to stick to specific mealtimes and remove the food bowls afterwards(and prepare myself to put up with the sulking and 5am wake-up calls, LOL).

[donchano]

Thanks ummmm...at least it's not aggressive and doesn't come in and pee everywhere.

[ummmm]

Yeah...luckily most cats are 'done' now so are not territorial bullies like they used to be :-)