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#11
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Too young to catch mice?
wrote and actually we rescued the kitten who was being kept on a freezing cold porch, hadn't been taken to the vet, was covered in fleas and clearly malnourished. he's now much healthier and being properly taken care of. and on a side note, I came to this discussion board because I was curious if i was missing something You wrote, first line: "We got a kitten to catch the mice in the house." This group is full of people who really like and love cats. Get it? |
#12
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Too young to catch mice?
wrote in message
... On Nov 19, 1:41 pm, "Matthew" wrote: why did my post show up like that huh correct version " wrote in message ... We got a kitten to catch the mice in the house. He's about 12 weeks old or so. The vet has recommended that he stay indoors, so he's not getting any practice hunting outside at all. He loves to chase the laser and play with little foam balls, and we have one of those little mice that hangs on an elastic string that goes over the door that he also loves. The problem is that in the 3 weeks since we got him the mice have apparently gotten much bolder. The other night one ran right by his food dish and this morning a mouse stood up on his hind legs when it saw my roommate! The cat is never around when the mice are, they seem to be coming from behind the stove or under the fridge and he does spend some time sniffing around there and looking around there, but he certainly hasn't chased or caught anything. Is he too young for us to expect him to catch the mice? Or is there anything I can do to help teach him? Nope but you can take him back to where you got him if you want a mouse trap and call an exterminator than stop being a complete idiot when it comes to your cat. You cat is not a machine since you are a first time poster here I am thinking TROLL and actually we rescued the kitten who was being kept on a freezing cold porch, hadn't been taken to the vet, was covered in fleas and clearly malnourished. he's now much healthier and being properly taken care of. and on a side note, I came to this discussion board because I was curious if i was missing something and was met with judgmental assumptions about who i am as a cat owner. if i were a negligent owner who saw my cat as a "cheap form of pest control" then I would probably not go to the trouble of trying to learn more. In addition, I was under the assumption that this discussion board would be helpful in answering some of my questions. Instead I have been called a 'complete idiot' for asking simple questions. I would suggest that in the future you think a little more about your posts so that rather than drive people away with your harsh criticism you welcome their input and questions, which is after all the entire purpose of discussion. If anyone has any useful and helpful input I welcome it. If you merely want to call me an idiot and imply that I am in some way less than loving of my cat then I'd appreciate if you keep your misinformed and myopic opinions to yourself. Thank you. This is getting to seem like a broken record, huh guys? Look, n00b - this is UseNet, not your Aunt Fanny's parlor. Nobody here knows you or knows what you are like to your cat - we can only go by what you post. When you come here with stupid questions expect to be flamed - such is life. Hugs, CatNipped |
#13
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Too young to catch mice?
wrote in message ... We got a kitten to catch the mice in the house. He's about 12 weeks old or so. The vet has recommended that he stay indoors, so he's not getting any practice hunting outside at all. He loves to chase the laser and play with little foam balls, and we have one of those little mice that hangs on an elastic string that goes over the door that he also loves. The problem is that in the 3 weeks since we got him the mice have apparently gotten much bolder. The other night one ran right by his food dish and this morning a mouse stood up on his hind legs when it saw my roommate! The cat is never around when the mice are, they seem to be coming from behind the stove or under the fridge and he does spend some time sniffing around there and looking around there, but he certainly hasn't chased or caught anything. Is he too young for us to expect him to catch the mice? Or is there anything I can do to help teach him? Yes, he is far too young to catch mice. Kittens who have never been taught by their mother may never "get it" entirely. They may catch them as they get older but not know how to deliver that killing bite. It took my boy 3 years or so of hunting outside to stop releasing live prey in my kitchen. Fortunately the light bulb went on one day. I don't think there is anything you can do to teach him yourself, especially as an indoor cat. |
#14
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Too young to catch mice?
"Christina Websell" wrote I don't think there is anything you can do to teach him yourself, especially as an indoor cat. Which does not mean she should let her cat roam outside, Christina. Unless the kitten really is a disposable mouse trap. |
#15
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Too young to catch mice?
"Christina Websell" wrote Yes, he is far too young to catch mice. Kittens who have never been taught by their mother may never "get it" entirely. They may catch them as they get older but not know how to deliver that killing bite. It took my boy 3 years or so of hunting outside to stop releasing live prey in my kitchen. Fortunately the light bulb went on one day. I don't think there is anything you can do to teach him yourself, especially as an indoor cat. You are also fortunate that your cats have not caught parasites or diseases from those rodents. |
#16
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Too young to catch mice?
wrote
"cshenk" wrote: We got a kitten to catch the mice in the house. He's about 12 weeks old or so. The vet has recommended that he stay indoors, so he's not getting any practice hunting outside at all. He loves to chase the Hi Meghan. He's too young. What will happen when he gets older is he will probably scare the mice into finding some other place. In the meantime, be careful about any mouse traps. Some of them can be dangerous to your kitten too. Broken toes etc. Great thank you! Sure thing. Vet is right BTW, on keeping him inside. I know some in rural areas do have outdoor cats but generally they are healthier if kept inside (and wont get run over if you live near a road). I lived once in a farm house for a bit and we had lots of little mice for a time. Took a bit to seal up all their entry holes. House came with a 2 toed cat, reputed to have been hurt by a mouse trap (we do not know for sure, but we didnt use mouse traps that snap because of him). In this group you will see a fairly average crossmatch of usenet, from friendly to kooks. The best advice anyone can give is to run anything that sounds odd, by your vet. Like someone just said that you can use dog type flea medicine on a cat and just adjust the dosage. Umm, I wouldnt do that. It may be she is right for some brands, but it doesnt sound right and i know it wont work for the higher end precription stuff we use here. |
#17
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Too young to catch mice?
"cybercat" wrote
"Christina Websell" wrote Yes, he is far too young to catch mice. Kittens who have never been taught by their mother may never "get it" entirely. They may catch them as they get older but not know how to deliver that killing bite. It took my boy 3 years or so of hunting outside to stop releasing live prey in my kitchen. Fortunately the light bulb went on one day. I don't think there is anything you can do to teach him yourself, especially as an indoor cat. You are also fortunate that your cats have not caught parasites or diseases from those rodents. Grin, actually Christina sounds familiar. Lives out in the country if i recall right? I may be mixing her with another though. Was a lady with a heated barn (cows and all that). Cat door to the kitchen. Humm, now was the name Christina? Was definately a UK person on a farm with cows and a heated barn. Some folks took after that lady for having 'outdoor cats in winter' before they read on to see the heated barn. |
#18
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Too young to catch mice?
On Nov 19, 8:47*am, wrote:
We got a kitten to catch the mice in the house. He's about 12 weeks old or so. The vet has recommended that he stay indoors, so he's not getting any practice hunting outside at all. He loves to chase the laser and play with little foam balls, and we have one of those little mice that hangs on an elastic string that goes over the door that he also loves. The problem is that in the 3 weeks since we got him the mice have apparently gotten much bolder. The other night one ran right by his food dish and this morning a mouse stood up on his hind legs when it saw my roommate! The cat is never around when the mice are, they seem to be coming from behind the stove or under the fridge and he does spend some time sniffing around there and looking around there, but he certainly hasn't chased or caught anything. Is he too young for us to expect him to catch the mice? Or is there anything I can do to help teach him? Hi Megha... I've had multitudes of cats my whole life and I've NEVER had a cat that would actually hunt. I've had a couple that would play with mice and kill them leaving 1/2 their bodies and nasty entrails laying about and one that caught a live garden snake (the exception, after a little coaxing he adopted me after I found him living under an abandoned house) and gave it to me as a gift. But other than Tang (the snake cat) none of them actually hunted. They did do a mighty fine job of scaring off any little varmits though! I've never had a rodent problem...ever. DWMeowMix |
#19
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Too young to catch mice?
Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:55:42 -0500 from cshenk :
wrote [quoted text muted] We got a kitten to catch the mice in the house. He's about 12 weeks old or so. The vet has recommended that he stay indoors, so he's not getting any practice hunting outside at all. He loves to chase the Hi Meghan. He's too young. What will happen when he gets older is he will probably scare the mice into finding some other place. In the meantime, be careful about any mouse traps. Some of them can be dangerous to your kitten too. Broken toes etc. I would worry, too, about what parasites or diseases the mice might be carrying. They are a prime source of intestinal worms, if I recall correctly. -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://OakRoadSystems.com Shikata ga nai... |
#20
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Too young to catch mice?
Oh, good KEeerist~!!~
Please note the interpolations. On Nov 19, 1:46*pm, "Matthew" wrote: Ok than ignore my posts but when you post what you did What do you think we are going to think 1 *call an exterminator * *rats and mice carry disease and you could kill your cat Rats and mice carry disease, true. But cats are feral creatures which in order to be complete (as a cat) must hunt. A properly vaccinated cat with a systemic insect treatment is safer from these diseases than the human in charge. Any one who has the gift of curiosity and has done any research at all on "ratting cats" will discover that the best hunters are well-fed, well-cared-for family pets. These cats will hunt for sport, not for food. This means that they will wipe out a mouse population for the sport of it. Cats who hunt by necessity take only what they must and ignore the rest. 2 cats are natural hunters unless it learns from another cat or mom * they will maime their prey and more inlikley play with it not knowing what to do so unless you want a tidying on your pillow that is still alive * *CALL AN EXTERMINATOR Cats will play with their prey. That is also a natural behavior. Mother cats give their kittens half-dead prey so they can learn to kill without danger. Most so-called "adult" cats kept as pets are *victims* of severely arrested development - large kittens if you will. This is NOT good for the mental and emotional well-being of the animal. As to leaving dead animals on the pillow, doorstep, whatever, that is displacement behavior. They perceive us as particularly incompetent hunters and wish to feed us. When they do this, PRAISE THEM. TAKE THE DEAD CREATURE AND HIDE IT - so they think you ate it. They think that they are doing you a huge favor and absolutely do not understand any other reaction than appreciation. 3 IMO please keep your cat inside there are so many reason to do so- Of course there are. And imagine if you were kept in a few rooms with no entertainment other than that given grudgingly by huge creatures who haven't a clue as to your real needs. No stimulation, nothing new, nothing remarkable... ever... forever. Now you have a pretty good idea of the typical house-cat's life after it gets past "cute kittenhood". It may live a very long time and be superficially very healthy. You would too if you were lobotomized and kept, clean and well-fed, in a closet. On a personal basis, our oldest cat (Boswell, Maine Coon, 12 years old) has managed prey without any damage of any kind up to the size of a yearling raccoon. He has brought home, live and undamaged for the young dog to play with, squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks. He is perhaps the happiest cat we have ever had - and one of the healthiest. He is training his new kitten well - who is as-yet too young to go out (we wait a year). He has twice saved lives by his direct action. http://groups.google.com/group/rec.a...ll+peter+wieck Follow that thread for the history. I have also directly employed a cat in a very serious and professional environment. He retired a short time ago at 19. http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/curren...99/Raider.html No pet should be a personal appendage on the order of a piece of jewelry or bit of art. They are living creatures with real needs that are a 'requirement of nature' if you will. By building a mythology of what is 'best for them' even though it thwarts their nature makes them nothing at all more than that bit of soothing fluff - not a living, breathing, creature that should !CHOOSE! to share our lives much as we choose to share with it. If your dog (large or small) cannot get off its leash and run every day until it is tired - don't get a dog. If your cat cannot hunt natural prey and you are not prepared to spend the time and effort to provide genuine substitutions equally as stimulating - don't get a cat. Keep in mind that unlike a dog, a healthy cat will sleep up to 22 hours a day at the extreme, more like 16 hours on average - so they are somewhat easier to entertain than a dog. As for Meghan - not to worry. Your kitten will learn to hunt without adult-cat supervision. It will be awkward, sloppy and difficult at first. But eventually he will get the hang of it. And when it comes to exterminators - Don't if mice are your only problem. They have all of two things they can do. Traps or poison. Traps get only the dumb ones and you can do that just as well as they can (hint: use peanut-butter, better Reese's Cups as bait - mice will eat cheese only if there is NO alternative. All but white-footed deer mice are vegetarian). And poison presents massive environmental problems even if not a direct threat to your pets. Otherwise, enjoy your kitten. And try to understand that eventually it will become a cat - just as much pleasure but at an entirely different level. Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA |
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