Cats that hunt

Your little black was hanging out washing?
Most cats hunt, mine 'plays' with her prey unfortunately that's very often in the middle of the kitchen floor. One time when H and I were away S rang in a panic because the cat had brought a baby rabbit into the living room and it was now running loose !
Its always advisable to keep their worming and defleaing up to date

Just had a laugh when next door's black cat jumped off their fence and into the fenced-off part of our garden where our chucks roam free.....they turned on her and chased her out .

Cat 0 Chucks 1

My DD had a cat that would bring her prey into the hallway in the middle of the night, and sing loudly while devouring it. It was quite an eerie noise! Sadly she had to give the cats away when she moved into a flat with a no pets rule.

Our Nige caught a rabbit once, luckily we were able to release him into the wild. We used to live a hair's breadth from the sea. Davy brought newts in to play with in the living room. We used to have really clatty neighbours who stored a pile of old mattresses in their garden. Buddy was a brilliant ratter. Not nice treading on a dead rat in the hallway! Billy once arrived home with someone's Koi carp in his chops. Billy was dry so we think (hope) said fishy was dropped by a passing gull. Cats, don't you just love 'em.

Our cat Poppy is forever bringing in birds or mice. I put a bell on her before but it didn't stop her she just developed a stealth mode. Our little Winston is always over the moon until I get rid of the poor pry. I dread what he will be like once he can go out. Still under house arrest at 5 months old.

Although Tara is out all day every day (her wish) since last year she has not brought me any presents, living or dead. Why she suddenly stopped I have no idea but I am not complaining. After she came through the cat flap she would wait in the hall for me to open the living room door, I would peer through the frosted glass to see if she had a parcel in her mouth. If I was in luck and saw one, she stayed in the hall until she disposed of it. She always left the liver but that was easier to dispose of than a carcass. She is now 11 but extremely fit so age cannot be the reason.

I have been brought presents of baby bunnies, lizards, snakes, birds and rodents, often alive, also a mink's tail once. Bugsie rarely makes a noise, so I groan when I hear him enter the flap announcing his arrival! It is the only time he meows.

The other day I smelt rotting flesh in my living room, seeming to come from behind the dresser. I emptied and moved it with great difficulty and found nothing, only to later find a dead mouse in full view under the table! It must have been there a few days to smell so awful! (I don't vacuum very often).

Honeypot, you can get worming treatment on spot-on form now, which is applied in the same way as flea drops, behind the neck. No need to try to get tablets down the cat!

All our cats have been hunters except one poor little chap who could only run sideways, like a crab, so he didn't have a prayer of catching anything! Birds and small rodents probably just sat and laughed at him. He was one of two we had at the time and nothing was safe from the other one - rabbits, pigeons (with rings on their legs , birds, and mice which she would deposit in my wellies in the garage! You thought you'd left a sock inside till you went to empty it out ?!

Our old cat used to make that very distinctive yowling noise when he had caught something.

I have told the story on here about Oliver Sprout and the magpie, I've had better starts to my day than THAT particular one!

Sadly, all my cats have brought their prey inside - with that special miaow to announce how clever they are. Tried to stop mine coming through the cat flap with a rabbit the other day by putting the laundry basket in front of it. Turned around for a few moments , turned back to find he had managed to negotiate cat flap & laundry basket with rabbit in mouth & proceeded to eat it in the middle of the living room. Uggh!

I had a cat when I lived in London who wore a magnet on his collar (to work his cat flap) & he came home one day with a spoon attached to the magnet. Not sure where he'd been!

Somebody's house rileysgran and they probably have not missed the teaspoon!

I had to remove the same type of collar from Tara because it took an extra second or two to connect to the cat flap and she was bitten on the rear by a bully cat and it cost me a fair whack at the vet's with antibiotics.

Oh dear Charleygirl - I know that this type of cat flap takes a second or two to open but I didn't realise it would make that much difference

We had three cats one of which was really stupid, she would sit indoors and growl at the birds in the garden, however, one morning my daughter who was about ten was in the kitchen making us an early morning cup of tea, when she heard a noise and thought the cat had brought in a bird - the cats had access through a window, to a small store adjoining the kitchen. She came to us, and dad investigated, only to find the cat cowered in a corner with a rat snarling at her. Dad is a real softy, can't hurt anything, so grabbed a large towel threw it over the rat - took some time! and hurled it into the garden. The other two cats were great hunters and often presented us proudly with the results of their hunts, they were always reprimanded, very loudly. Our neighbours thought we were nuts!

Cats bring their prey in to feed their `human family` . It is a dubious honour if your cat does this ! I hope you all say thank you

Cats will do what cats will do. We just appreciate ours keeping the local rat population down. However, the responsibility of owning a cat brings the responsibility of ensuring she is regularly flead and wormed. Ours won't take tablets gladly either but have a chat with y Ur vet. We use a combined spot on that treats both but only available from the vets.

Cats are doing the best for themselves- what comes naturally and due to this survive to a ripe old age inspite of manufactured food. Its the extras that they provide for themselves by hunting which keeps them fit and healthy. And if they didn't then we would be run over by a plague of mice.

A vegetarian, cat owning, nature loving friend won't have toy catnip mice for her rescue cat, just in case it might "encourage" him to hunt!

rileysgran the two bullies used to lie in wait for my cat so she did not stand a chance. Luckily their owners have moved house.

A few years ago, mid summer when Tara had access to all of the house as it was so warm, I was sitting eating my supper, she came in, lay on the floor beside me, tucking into a mouse. Luckily it was dead by then, probably had a cardiac arrest. She was not phased, I was less than happy.

How about dogs that hunt? My terrier spends early mornings mouse hunting.

My cat hunts rats, lizards, birds and anything possible and brings the dead thing back home proudly to get a pat from me. I'm just so tired cleaning.

My beautiful black witch's cat Dylan was the hunter and he mostly caught rats, mice and squirrels – and, yes, left them lying around for me as a present. Occasionally he would go for a bird but was pretty bored by it. Of the other five, only one had a go and his sole achievement was a worm or possibly a centipede.

However, I shall have to watch my little Squeaks as he mixes with the rough feral guys outside who, although I always give them breakfast and supper, still feel an atavistic need to stalk.

Looked out of my window and saw my pretty little black & white cat bouncing around on the lawn with a rabbit, I couldn't rescue it, cat too quick. I couldn't look but later went out to get rid of it and found she had bitten off its head. This seems awful, but is there something special about the head, I wonder if its specially nutritious for cats

They tend to eat in sort of the direction of the fur, it that makes sense ?