Cats & Mice

My cat has recently decided that she's a mouser. The problem is that she
doesn't kill the mice, she just brings them into the house and lets them go.
This is resulting in me running all over the house with a jam jar trying to
catch them and take them outside.

Over the past month she has brought about 6 mice in (all of which I've
caught....I think!). All the other cats I've lived with have caught the
mice, played with them for a while and then killed them, but Lily doesn't
seem to be interested in this at all. Has anyone else come across this
behaviour? Will she grow out of it? She is only about 2 years old.

Jeannie

"Jeannie" wrote in message
...
My cat has recently decided that she's a mouser. The problem is
that she
doesn't kill the mice, she just brings them into the house and lets
them go.
This is resulting in me running all over the house with a jam jar
trying to
catch them and take them outside.

Guess it's just part of the splendor of having an outdoor cat. Was it
really a lot better when your cats killed the mice? Either way, they
carry disease, fleas, etc.

"Jeannie" wrote in message
...
My cat has recently decided that she's a mouser. The problem is
that she
doesn't kill the mice, she just brings them into the house and lets
them go.
This is resulting in me running all over the house with a jam jar
trying to
catch them and take them outside.

Guess it's just part of the splendor of having an outdoor cat. Was it
really a lot better when your cats killed the mice? Either way, they
carry disease, fleas, etc.

I think I read somewhere that, the mother cat has to specifically show a kitten
how to kill the prey. A lot of kittens born to indoor mothers would never
learn this lesson. I have a great mouser who carries them gently around the
house like a kitten. The others aren't so gentle though, and this is a
horrible way for any creature to die. Mice are intelligent and relatively
sensitive creatures, and, like most prey animals, they experience fear very
intensely. If you can avoid the play-and-kill sessions, please do.

I think I read somewhere that, the mother cat has to specifically show a kitten
how to kill the prey. A lot of kittens born to indoor mothers would never
learn this lesson. I have a great mouser who carries them gently around the
house like a kitten. The others aren't so gentle though, and this is a
horrible way for any creature to die. Mice are intelligent and relatively
sensitive creatures, and, like most prey animals, they experience fear very
intensely. If you can avoid the play-and-kill sessions, please do.

"Scruffy892" wrote in message

The others aren't so gentle though, and this is a
horrible way for any creature to die. Mice are intelligent and relatively
sensitive creatures, and, like most prey animals, they experience fear
very
intensely. If you can avoid the play-and-kill sessions, please do.

I think that the majority of the mice she has caught and brought in have
died later from the shock as I have seen a number on my garden path, dead
but with no sign of any actual cat inflicted injury.. I would rather that
she killed them than playing with the poor things until they are so stressed
that they die anyway. I think you are probably right about their mothers
teaching them to hunt AND kill though. I wondered if she would maybe work
it out on her own when she got older but from what you said this is
unlikely.

Jeannie

"Scruffy892" wrote in message

The others aren't so gentle though, and this is a
horrible way for any creature to die. Mice are intelligent and relatively
sensitive creatures, and, like most prey animals, they experience fear
very
intensely. If you can avoid the play-and-kill sessions, please do.

I think that the majority of the mice she has caught and brought in have
died later from the shock as I have seen a number on my garden path, dead
but with no sign of any actual cat inflicted injury.. I would rather that
she killed them than playing with the poor things until they are so stressed
that they die anyway. I think you are probably right about their mothers
teaching them to hunt AND kill though. I wondered if she would maybe work
it out on her own when she got older but from what you said this is
unlikely.

Jeannie

"Jeannie" wrote in message
...
My cat has recently decided that she's a mouser. The problem is
that she
doesn't kill the mice, she just brings them into the house and lets
them go.
This is resulting in me running all over the house with a jam jar
trying to
catch them and take them outside.

Over the past month she has brought about 6 mice in (all of which
I've
caught....I think!). All the other cats I've lived with have caught
the
mice, played with them for a while and then killed them, but Lily
doesn't
seem to be interested in this at all. Has anyone else come across
this
behaviour? Will she grow out of it? She is only about 2 years old.

Jeannie


Hi Jeannie,
My cat does this too, she is 5 . Females cats bring home live mice
to teach their kittens to kill but I've also heard that males cats do
this sometimes.
Alison

"Jeannie" wrote in message
...
My cat has recently decided that she's a mouser. The problem is
that she
doesn't kill the mice, she just brings them into the house and lets
them go.
This is resulting in me running all over the house with a jam jar
trying to
catch them and take them outside.

Over the past month she has brought about 6 mice in (all of which
I've
caught....I think!). All the other cats I've lived with have caught
the
mice, played with them for a while and then killed them, but Lily
doesn't
seem to be interested in this at all. Has anyone else come across
this
behaviour? Will she grow out of it? She is only about 2 years old.

Jeannie


Hi Jeannie,
My cat does this too, she is 5 . Females cats bring home live mice
to teach their kittens to kill but I've also heard that males cats do
this sometimes.
Alison

Jeannie wrote:
My cat has recently decided that she's a mouser. The problem is that she
doesn't kill the mice, she just brings them into the house and lets them go.
This is resulting in me running all over the house with a jam jar trying to
catch them and take them outside.

Over the past month she has brought about 6 mice in (all of which I've
caught....I think!). All the other cats I've lived with have caught the
mice, played with them for a while and then killed them, but Lily doesn't
seem to be interested in this at all. Has anyone else come across this
behaviour? Will she grow out of it? She is only about 2 years old.

Jeannie



Your cat is quite smart. She has found an elaborate way of having some
fun... she has learned you will chase the mouse too if she doesn't eat
it. ;-)

--
"Its the bugs that keep it running."
-Joe Canuck