Do Cats Hunt Squirrels?

Okay, this is what I'm hoping someone more knowledgable on
cat nature can help me with. Do cats normally hunt
squirrels?

Interestingly, I wondered this out loud to my boyfriend just
a few weeks before moving into our new place. Our new house
is in an area populated by a TON of squirrels. I wondered
what my indoor cat's first reaction would be to this since I
expected he would use a doggie door put in for our three
dogs to have access to the yard. Would he try to chase the
squirrels?

So, this afternoon, after doing some yard work, I walk
inside to my bedroom cleaning up and preparing to go on a
run. I'm standing at my bureau pulling socks out of my
drawer and reaching for my sneakers when I see grey fur
against the dark green hue of our carpeting. Not really
thinking, I thought to myself "I must've dropped some faux
fur fabric" and went to pick it up. But before grabbing it I
realized it was really a tree squirrel sprawled out lying
there dead! Imagine my surprise.

It's kinda odd because it was in a location cornered off in
our bedroom, not near any doors or windows (no chimmney in
our house), the only entrance point being the doggie door on
the complete opposite end of the house. I'm thinking one of
the animals had to have dragged it in through there, into
the bedroom. I determined it had to have been the cat since
he was the only animal who seemed to have known it was there
and went into the bedroom to look for it, almost checking to
make sure it was still there.

It just seems so unlikely that this little pudgy indoor cat
of mine could be such the quick
little hunter to catch a squirrel. If not, it's definitely
going to make me rethink this doggie
door business or risk making these not-so-cute discoveries
on a regular basis.

So, I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with their
cats hunting squirrels?

A.

"Alley" wrote in message
om...
Okay, this is what I'm hoping someone more knowledgable on
cat nature can help me with. Do cats normally hunt
squirrels?

I've never know a cat to catch a squirrel, but I imagine there are those who
do.

There are a lot of squirrels in my neighborhood and they are feisty little
beggars and can be quite nasty. The cats in the area (including my own) do
show great interest in them and chase them and on occasions when I've seen
mine get to close, the squirrels have actually made moves in her direction,
which sent her running.

Personally, I think that if a cat and a squirrel ever got into it, there's
be a bloody mess and I don't have any idea which of the two would come out
on top.

As for the "doggie flap", my brother had one installed but took it out not
long after. He often came home to a house full of strange cats, and live
offerings that his cat had brought in, mice, moles and a few birds flying
around.

Anyway, I'll be interested in reading peoples experiences when it comes to
cats and squirrels.

Judy & Matilda.

"Alley" wrote in message
om...
Okay, this is what I'm hoping someone more knowledgable on
cat nature can help me with. Do cats normally hunt
squirrels?

I've never know a cat to catch a squirrel, but I imagine there are those who
do.

There are a lot of squirrels in my neighborhood and they are feisty little
beggars and can be quite nasty. The cats in the area (including my own) do
show great interest in them and chase them and on occasions when I've seen
mine get to close, the squirrels have actually made moves in her direction,
which sent her running.

Personally, I think that if a cat and a squirrel ever got into it, there's
be a bloody mess and I don't have any idea which of the two would come out
on top.

As for the "doggie flap", my brother had one installed but took it out not
long after. He often came home to a house full of strange cats, and live
offerings that his cat had brought in, mice, moles and a few birds flying
around.

Anyway, I'll be interested in reading peoples experiences when it comes to
cats and squirrels.

Judy & Matilda.

Ally wrote:
So, I'm wondering if anyone has any
experience with their cats hunting squirrels?

I can't speak for every cat out there, but all of mine have been
accomplished hunters. I have received everything from insects to
squirrels, and even a few snakes over the years. I would think the
squirrels were either young, old or sick for them to have gotten caught,
but they did get caught. Once a cat gets hold of one they don't
normally make it. :-(

Ally wrote:
So, I'm wondering if anyone has any
experience with their cats hunting squirrels?

I can't speak for every cat out there, but all of mine have been
accomplished hunters. I have received everything from insects to
squirrels, and even a few snakes over the years. I would think the
squirrels were either young, old or sick for them to have gotten caught,
but they did get caught. Once a cat gets hold of one they don't
normally make it. :-(

"Judy" wrote in message
...
There are a lot of squirrels in my neighborhood and they are feisty little
beggars and can be quite nasty. The cats in the area (including my own) do
show great interest in them and chase them and on occasions when I've seen
mine get to close, the squirrels have actually made moves in her
direction,
which sent her running.

I still haven't had an opportunity to observe my cat interact with a
squirrel (or any other neighborhood cats, for that matter). I've never even
seen my cat climb a tree yet. In fact, the b/f and myself joked about the
cat probably never even venturing outside our yard because he'd be too
disgusted with trying to make it over the fence.

Personally, I think that if a cat and a squirrel ever got into it, there's
be a bloody mess and I don't have any idea which of the two would come out
on top.

I also noticed that there were no puncture wounds or blood on the squirrel.
I guess it's also possible that perhaps the squirrel died and the cat just
dragged in his discovery.

As for the "doggie flap", my brother had one installed but took it out not
long after. He often came home to a house full of strange cats, and live
offerings that his cat had brought in, mice, moles and a few birds flying
around.

And after today, this has entered my mind, too .

Anyway, I'll be interested in reading peoples experiences when it comes to
cats and squirrels.

Judy & Matilda.


Alley

"Judy" wrote in message
...
There are a lot of squirrels in my neighborhood and they are feisty little
beggars and can be quite nasty. The cats in the area (including my own) do
show great interest in them and chase them and on occasions when I've seen
mine get to close, the squirrels have actually made moves in her
direction,
which sent her running.

I still haven't had an opportunity to observe my cat interact with a
squirrel (or any other neighborhood cats, for that matter). I've never even
seen my cat climb a tree yet. In fact, the b/f and myself joked about the
cat probably never even venturing outside our yard because he'd be too
disgusted with trying to make it over the fence.

Personally, I think that if a cat and a squirrel ever got into it, there's
be a bloody mess and I don't have any idea which of the two would come out
on top.

I also noticed that there were no puncture wounds or blood on the squirrel.
I guess it's also possible that perhaps the squirrel died and the cat just
dragged in his discovery.

As for the "doggie flap", my brother had one installed but took it out not
long after. He often came home to a house full of strange cats, and live
offerings that his cat had brought in, mice, moles and a few birds flying
around.

And after today, this has entered my mind, too .

Anyway, I'll be interested in reading peoples experiences when it comes to
cats and squirrels.

Judy & Matilda.


Alley

In article ,
led enlightened us with...
So, I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with their
cats hunting squirrels?



Rowan would if I'd let her off her leash. She sure tries.

If she had a yard I felt safe to let her wander in, birds, bunnies, and
squirrels would be in mortal danger.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
Jesus saves, Allah protects, and Cthulhu
thinks you'd make a nice sandwich.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

In article ,
led enlightened us with...
So, I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with their
cats hunting squirrels?



Rowan would if I'd let her off her leash. She sure tries.

If she had a yard I felt safe to let her wander in, birds, bunnies, and
squirrels would be in mortal danger.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
Jesus saves, Allah protects, and Cthulhu
thinks you'd make a nice sandwich.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

So, I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with their
cats hunting squirrels?

The squirrels love to sit on the back fence and taunt the cats and make
them chase them. The squirrels have much better footing on the top of
the fence and sometiimes the cats fall off into the blackberry bushes.
Even though the cats never win, both they and the squirrels seem to
enjoy the game. When the cats get too close the squirrels jump off onto
a tree and yell at the cats from there.

However, in the front yard, where there is an oak tree, the squirells
have free reign to the yard to gather and bury the acorns and the cats
just watch them and never chase them.