Rather than expecting them to stay still and cuddle, tap into their natural abilities to find activities that you can enjoy together. Since Tommy and Trinity sound like active cats, schedule several short, interactive play sessions with them throughout the day. Play is a great way to bond with cats. Use a feathered or fringed wand toy and encourage the cats to chase and leap after it. Toss catnip-scented toys for them to chase, grab and “bunny kick.” I’ve even seen catnip-scented bubbles that you can blow – some cats love jumping up and catching them in the air. Homemade toys are fun to make, inexpensive and are often most appreciated by cats. Crumpled paper balls, empty boxes, paper bags and paper towel rolls can all be re-purposed into cat toys. For example, place a few treats in a paper towel roll and place it on the floor/ground. You’ll have lots of fun watching Tommy and Trinity use their paws to fish out the treats. This is also great mental exercises for them as well.

Don’t forget - you can teach cats tricks too. It’s easy to teach a cat to sit on command. Hold a treat or toy in front of Tommy’s nose. Slowly move it back over his head between his ears. As you move your hand backward, Tommy will lift his nose up to follow the treat or toy. Lifting his nose will cause his behind to go down until he’s in a seated position. As soon as his behind touches the ground, give him the treat or toy to play with. (If Tommy stands or jumps up instead of sitting, you may be holding the treat too high above his head; keep it closer to him while you move it backward.) Teaching tricks is a great way to bond with your cats and may help Tommy become more interested in interacting with you.

If your cat hides most of the time, the first step is to encourage and reward any exploratory behavior – i.e. being brave enough to come out of hiding. If she hides in one room of the house, place her food and water dishes near the doorway. This may persuade her to come out of hiding for food. Consider offering her a few special treats in her dish as a surprise and reward for being brave. As long as she’s willing to come out and eat, gradually move her food dish closer to busier areas of the house. For example, if she is willing to eat by the doorway, move her food dish one foot into the hallway. If she eats in this location for three or four days, move it another foot closer to the main part of the house. Over time, your cat will be brave enough to come out into the open to eat. It may also help to use a synthetic feline pheromone diffuser in her room to help reduce her anxiety.

To encourage play, you’ll want to discover what types of toys she may be interested in. I’d suggest trying catnip or catnip-filled toys that she can play with herself. Fearful cats are often scared of sudden movement, so it would be best to hold off playing with her yourself until she’s a bit braver. She may also like fuzzy mice, crinkly balls or other small objects that make noise. Make sure she can’t swallow these toys since you may not be able to supervise her when she plays with them. If she likes treats, you can also use food-dispensing toys. I particularly like and often recommend the Funkitty Twist ‘n Treat by Premier and the Play-N-Treat ball.

It may also help to have several litter boxes in rotation to make your weekly cleaning easier. For example, have two or three empty but clean litter boxes ready. Fill these with fresh litter and offer these to Lindesy and Alex while you remove and clean their soiled litter boxes. Most likely Lindesy will be busy relieving herself in the “new” boxes and won’t bother you while you clean the soiled ones. Wash and dry the used boxes and use them for the following week’s rotation

Are all three litter boxes in the same room? If so, I’d recommend moving them to two or three different locations. Having them in different rooms may decrease Lindesy’s ability to guard the litter boxes and reduce competition between her and Alex. You may also want to experiment with different types of litter and/or the depth of the litter. You may find that with a different litter box set up, Lindesy and Alex don’t need to use the litter box as soon as it’s cleaned. Finally, you can also try a covered litter box.

From your post, I’m not sure whether you have already trapped and neutered the Beast or what sex Shadow and the Cow are. If you haven’t done so already, I would recommend trapping and neutering the Beast. Neutering reduces roaming and fighting by approximately 90%, but may not eliminate it altogether. If he’s neutered and still chasing Shadow and the Cow away, the best solution would be to find the Beast a new home. Consider keeping the Beast as an indoor only cat or finding him another home in a different part of town. Because he’s friendly with people and easy to handle, he sounds very adoptable. If you decide to keep him yourself, I’d recommend that he be an indoor only cat since he will probably continue to chase Shadow and the Cow off if he ever encountered them outside.

Desensitize the Tom to the Capture Cage – In order to trap the Tom, we need to decrease his fear of the capture cage. This is done by gradually (over days) feeding him closer to, and eventually inside, the cage without it slamming shut. Place the capture cage in a secluded area of your yard. Tie the door open so it doesn’t accidentally trigger and scare the Tom. For two or three days, place food a few feet away from the cage to encourage the Tom to approach it. If the food is eaten, start placing the food next to the cage. Again, if the Tom eats the food a few days in a row, he feels comfortable approaching the cage; you can now place food just inside the cage entrance. Make sure the door won’t shut and scare the Tom. As long as the Tom keeps eating, continue to move the food further and further into the cage until the Tom is reliably eating the food at the back of the cage several days in a row. Only at that point should you “set the trap” so it shuts when the Tom enters the cage. Since the Tom is more likely to enter the cage if he doesn’t feel confined, consider using a slightly larger capture cage as long as the Tom’s weight will trigger the door mechanism.

Use Deterrents to Keep the Tom Out of Your Yard – There are several types of motion-activated deterrents you can use to discourage the Tom from coming in your yard. These include motion-activated sprinkler systems, motion-activated ultrasonic alarms (cannot be heard by humans) or motion-activated compressed air canisters. Of these, I usually recommend the motion-activated sprinkler system (Scarecrow) to my clients. Make sure to keep your cats indoors when you turn it on. After a few sprays with water, most cats think twice about entering the yard.

Cat Fence-Ins – Several companies produce fences and fence topers to keep cats in the yard. In your case, these can be installed facing outward so it keeps stray cats or other animals out of the yard.

Consider Hiring a Professional – If you can’t capture the Tom yourself, ask your local Humane Society to recommend a professional to come to your home and trap the cat for you.

In the meantime, I recommend keeping your cats indoors and shutting the cat door so the Tom can’t enter your home. (Your cats can go outside as long as you’re present to chase the Tom away). Also make sure to eliminate anything in your yard that may attract the Tom. Clean and cover any loose dirt or gravel that the Tom may use as a litter box. Make sure garbage cans and other possible food sources are inaccessible. Remove bird feeders or bird baths that may attract potential prey.