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#11
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Cats as mousers: nature or nurture?
Brian Link wrote:
On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:04:52 -0800, "Bill Graham" wrote: dgk wrote: On Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:10:25 -0600, Brian Link . wrote: For the first time in the 12+ years we've lived here, we've got mice coming indoors. We've got a 16 year-old moggie adopted from a farm cat litter, and a 9 year-old F7 Bengal, both males. They've slain two mice so far (we found the carcasses on the kitchen floor), but we've seen a few more and witnessed the cats hunting them. The Bengal is the most energetic and enthusiastic, but the most clumsy. The moggie is patient, precise and determined. I read somewhere that female cats are the main hunters, and that only when they've been properly taught by their mothers. Also that male cats will hunt mice for food when feral. They both seem pretty interested in the mice we've seen, but don't deliver killing blows, thus allowing the mice to escape. So, any hope that our two cats will figure out how to cleanly dispatch a mouse? I suspect that the corpses we found were probably scared to death, or inadvertantly killed by play. My guess is that the Bengal is thrilled that we somehow bought him the BEST CAT TOY EVER!! Thanks for any ideas. BLink I've only had a mouse three times in 16 years but my cats seem hardwired to do them in. I did manage to rescue two of them before they were killed and sent them on their way (outside). My one girl does seem to be the best at tackling them but I did pick her up off the street so she might have learned out there. My, "B-K" brought a chipmonk in last year, and he lived under our stove for the whole Winter. All the cats tried to get him but easily the fastest thing on four feet is a chipmonk.... they didn't have a chance. We fed and watered him all Winter, and when the weather warmed up, I left the sliding glass door open a crack at night and after a few days, he "escaped"., by then, the cats had accepted him as another pet, and were unconcerned..... I know. We've always said Tiger is our cat, and Louis is Tiger's cat. Now Louis has a pet/pets too. He just has to learn how not to break them. BLink We used to have one that ate ants.... She was a real winner! She would lap them up right back to whatever hole/crack in the wall they were coming from. She kept the ants out of our kitchen for many years until her death about 8 years ago. |
#12
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Cats as mousers: nature or nurture?
On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:07:57 -0600, Brian Link .
wrote: On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:37:48 -0500, dgk wrote: .... Still, I go through 40 lbs of seed a week and change the water in the bath every third day so the birds still come out way ahead. Thanks for this - I remember that I was involved with birder groups when I was last active on Usenet. The birders would holler about cats eating songbirds, and the cat folks would holler "THAT'S WHAT CATS DO! GET OVER IT!". Still, I'm not a fan of letting cats outside. Tiger prolly couldn't have made it to a ripe old age if he'd been an outside cat. Saw the neighbor's cat get plowed down in the street a couple years ago. Nobody should ever have to see that, cat-lover or not. He was just out for his evening constitutional, and a car came roaring through. How many tears have been shed for a cat eaten by dogs, or run over by some dude driving too fast? BLink Ah, I tend to agree, which is why the backyard is fenced in. The cats probably could get out if they really tried but it's designed not to let them do that. The fencing curves in at the top so they really can't climb over. The only way out would be to climb one of the trees and jump over but they don't, or at least haven't done that. And I have little tracking devices on their collars (loc8tor) so I can find them if they do get out. Useful for finding them inside the house as well. Scooter actually does have out privileges since I took him off the street about 18 months ago. The few times he asks to go out the front and visit his old friends generally ends about five minutes later as he comes racing back. He knows where the soft life is. |
#13
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Cats as mousers: nature or nurture?
On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:04:52 -0800, "Bill Graham"
wrote: dgk wrote: On Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:10:25 -0600, Brian Link . wrote: For the first time in the 12+ years we've lived here, we've got mice coming indoors. We've got a 16 year-old moggie adopted from a farm cat litter, and a 9 year-old F7 Bengal, both males. They've slain two mice so far (we found the carcasses on the kitchen floor), but we've seen a few more and witnessed the cats hunting them. The Bengal is the most energetic and enthusiastic, but the most clumsy. The moggie is patient, precise and determined. I read somewhere that female cats are the main hunters, and that only when they've been properly taught by their mothers. Also that male cats will hunt mice for food when feral. They both seem pretty interested in the mice we've seen, but don't deliver killing blows, thus allowing the mice to escape. So, any hope that our two cats will figure out how to cleanly dispatch a mouse? I suspect that the corpses we found were probably scared to death, or inadvertantly killed by play. My guess is that the Bengal is thrilled that we somehow bought him the BEST CAT TOY EVER!! Thanks for any ideas. BLink I've only had a mouse three times in 16 years but my cats seem hardwired to do them in. I did manage to rescue two of them before they were killed and sent them on their way (outside). My one girl does seem to be the best at tackling them but I did pick her up off the street so she might have learned out there. My, "B-K" brought a chipmonk in last year, and he lived under our stove for the whole Winter. All the cats tried to get him but easily the fastest thing on four feet is a chipmonk.... they didn't have a chance. We fed and watered him all Winter, and when the weather warmed up, I left the sliding glass door open a crack at night and after a few days, he "escaped"., by then, the cats had accepted him as another pet, and were unconcerned..... That's hysterical. One summer I found a dead squirrel in the basement. Blood on his chest and smack in the middle of the floor. One of the cats must have done him in and left him there. In the summer the back door is open and they can come and go as they please so I have no idea who did the deed. |
#14
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Cats as mousers: nature or nurture?
dgk wrote:
On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:07:57 -0600, Brian Link . wrote: On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:37:48 -0500, dgk wrote: ... Still, I go through 40 lbs of seed a week and change the water in the bath every third day so the birds still come out way ahead. Thanks for this - I remember that I was involved with birder groups when I was last active on Usenet. The birders would holler about cats eating songbirds, and the cat folks would holler "THAT'S WHAT CATS DO! GET OVER IT!". Still, I'm not a fan of letting cats outside. Tiger prolly couldn't have made it to a ripe old age if he'd been an outside cat. Saw the neighbor's cat get plowed down in the street a couple years ago. Nobody should ever have to see that, cat-lover or not. He was just out for his evening constitutional, and a car came roaring through. How many tears have been shed for a cat eaten by dogs, or run over by some dude driving too fast? BLink Ah, I tend to agree, which is why the backyard is fenced in. The cats probably could get out if they really tried but it's designed not to let them do that. The fencing curves in at the top so they really can't climb over. The only way out would be to climb one of the trees and jump over but they don't, or at least haven't done that. And I have little tracking devices on their collars (loc8tor) so I can find them if they do get out. Useful for finding them inside the house as well. Scooter actually does have out privileges since I took him off the street about 18 months ago. The few times he asks to go out the front and visit his old friends generally ends about five minutes later as he comes racing back. He knows where the soft life is. Yes. My five outside cats seldom leave the property. One came from across the street, and she sometimes goes back there to visit. I lost one from a neighbors weed killer last Summer, but in the past 15 years, he's the only one harmed in any way from being allowed to roam the neighborhood. Once cats know they can go wherever they want, they are usually content to stay at home. |
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Cats as mousers: nature or nurture?
dgk wrote:
On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:04:52 -0800, "Bill Graham" wrote: dgk wrote: On Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:10:25 -0600, Brian Link . wrote: For the first time in the 12+ years we've lived here, we've got mice coming indoors. We've got a 16 year-old moggie adopted from a farm cat litter, and a 9 year-old F7 Bengal, both males. They've slain two mice so far (we found the carcasses on the kitchen floor), but we've seen a few more and witnessed the cats hunting them. The Bengal is the most energetic and enthusiastic, but the most clumsy. The moggie is patient, precise and determined. I read somewhere that female cats are the main hunters, and that only when they've been properly taught by their mothers. Also that male cats will hunt mice for food when feral. They both seem pretty interested in the mice we've seen, but don't deliver killing blows, thus allowing the mice to escape. So, any hope that our two cats will figure out how to cleanly dispatch a mouse? I suspect that the corpses we found were probably scared to death, or inadvertantly killed by play. My guess is that the Bengal is thrilled that we somehow bought him the BEST CAT TOY EVER!! Thanks for any ideas. BLink I've only had a mouse three times in 16 years but my cats seem hardwired to do them in. I did manage to rescue two of them before they were killed and sent them on their way (outside). My one girl does seem to be the best at tackling them but I did pick her up off the street so she might have learned out there. My, "B-K" brought a chipmonk in last year, and he lived under our stove for the whole Winter. All the cats tried to get him but easily the fastest thing on four feet is a chipmonk.... they didn't have a chance. We fed and watered him all Winter, and when the weather warmed up, I left the sliding glass door open a crack at night and after a few days, he "escaped"., by then, the cats had accepted him as another pet, and were unconcerned..... That's hysterical. One summer I found a dead squirrel in the basement. Blood on his chest and smack in the middle of the floor. One of the cats must have done him in and left him there. In the summer the back door is open and they can come and go as they please so I have no idea who did the deed. The guys that used to live across the street from me had a cat that would kill birds, eat them, and then leave their feet on her owners pillow. He didn't know whether she thought the feet were the best part, or was just proud of her accomplishment. My, "B-K" would bring mice, voles, and snakes into the house just to play with them, but didn't eat them. After a while, they would usually escape back outside. We have one cat that won't hurt anything. I saw a baby squirril walk over her while she was sleeping on the rear deck about three years ago. She paid no attention to it at all. |
#16
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I read somewhere that female cats are the main hunters, and that only
when they've been properly taught by their mothers. Also that male cats will hunt mice for food when feral. _______ Pua | pick up artist | Dating Coach Last edited by mickrio : March 12th 12 at 08:08 AM. |
#17
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Cats as mousers: nature or nurture?
In article , weg9
@comcast.net says... dgk wrote: On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:04:52 -0800, "Bill Graham" wrote: dgk wrote: On Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:10:25 -0600, Brian Link . wrote: For the first time in the 12+ years we've lived here, we've got mice coming indoors. We've got a 16 year-old moggie adopted from a farm cat litter, and a 9 year-old F7 Bengal, both males. They've slain two mice so far (we found the carcasses on the kitchen floor), but we've seen a few more and witnessed the cats hunting them. The Bengal is the most energetic and enthusiastic, but the most clumsy. The moggie is patient, precise and determined. I read somewhere that female cats are the main hunters, and that only when they've been properly taught by their mothers. Also that male cats will hunt mice for food when feral. They both seem pretty interested in the mice we've seen, but don't deliver killing blows, thus allowing the mice to escape. So, any hope that our two cats will figure out how to cleanly dispatch a mouse? I suspect that the corpses we found were probably scared to death, or inadvertantly killed by play. My guess is that the Bengal is thrilled that we somehow bought him the BEST CAT TOY EVER!! Thanks for any ideas. BLink I've only had a mouse three times in 16 years but my cats seem hardwired to do them in. I did manage to rescue two of them before they were killed and sent them on their way (outside). My one girl does seem to be the best at tackling them but I did pick her up off the street so she might have learned out there. My, "B-K" brought a chipmonk in last year, and he lived under our stove for the whole Winter. All the cats tried to get him but easily the fastest thing on four feet is a chipmonk.... they didn't have a chance. We fed and watered him all Winter, and when the weather warmed up, I left the sliding glass door open a crack at night and after a few days, he "escaped"., by then, the cats had accepted him as another pet, and were unconcerned..... That's hysterical. One summer I found a dead squirrel in the basement. Blood on his chest and smack in the middle of the floor. One of the cats must have done him in and left him there. In the summer the back door is open and they can come and go as they please so I have no idea who did the deed. The guys that used to live across the street from me had a cat that would kill birds, eat them, and then leave their feet on her owners pillow. He didn't know whether she thought the feet were the best part, or was just proud of her accomplishment. My, "B-K" would bring mice, voles, and snakes into the house just to play with them, but didn't eat them. After a while, they would usually escape back outside. We have one cat that won't hurt anything. I saw a baby squirril walk over her while she was sleeping on the rear deck about three years ago. She paid no attention to it at all. One of the cats to grace us with her presence was a 6.5lb black tabby named Emily. She came to us as a six week old kitten and the Keyron was dubbed as the cat person for Emily. That little cat was the absolute BEST mouser we've ever had. But there was one habit that puzzled us. She'd capture a mouse, gut it, and stash it in the house. We'd smell something but could never find the source. Then the 'gift' phase started. Keyron would go to put on a shoe and find a dead, desicated mouse in the shoe! We'd find them layid on the couch, any place Keyron frequented. We realized that when Emily was a kitten we'd get her those toy catnip stuffed mice. And she'd dig the catnip out when playing with the stuffed toy. |
#18
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Cats as mousers: nature or nurture?
"chaniarts" wrote in message ... On 2/8/2012 9:10 PM, Brian Link wrote: For the first time in the 12+ years we've lived here, we've got mice coming indoors. We've got a 16 year-old moggie adopted from a farm cat litter, and a 9 year-old F7 Bengal, both males. They've slain two mice so far (we found the carcasses on the kitchen floor), but we've seen a few more and witnessed the cats hunting them. The Bengal is the most energetic and enthusiastic, but the most clumsy. The moggie is patient, precise and determined. I read somewhere that female cats are the main hunters, and that only when they've been properly taught by their mothers. Also that male cats will hunt mice for food when feral. They both seem pretty interested in the mice we've seen, but don't deliver killing blows, thus allowing the mice to escape. So, any hope that our two cats will figure out how to cleanly dispatch a mouse? I suspect that the corpses we found were probably scared to death, or inadvertantly killed by play. My guess is that the Bengal is thrilled that we somehow bought him the BEST CAT TOY EVER!! Thanks for any ideas. BLink probably because they're toying with it rather than dispatching them. perhaps if they were hungrier? a friend that has an outdoor cat near the desert commented that during the winter, the cat lays around and eats inside food, but during the summer when there's more plentiful outdoor prey, he eats almost no indoor food but concentrates on pack rats and desert rabbits. Some cats are good mousers, some only play with them, and some cats do not pay any attention. It does not seem to have anything to do with hunger. My grandfather was a farmer and had lots of barn/farm cats. They were well-fed and got lots of attention. He always said that cats should be well treated and that it was "ingrained" in many of them to hunt mice. He even thought that healthy, well-fed cats were more likely to catch mice than "hungry" cats. It certainly worked well for him. When I was visiting my parents years ago with one of my cats (Amber - RB), I saw her literally throwing a mouse across the room, then chase after it and throw it the other direction. It was a game for her, and the poor little mouse was terrified. I was trying to think how to intervene and get the mouse outside when Amber suddenly flipped the mouse up in the air--and it landed in a wastebasket!! That gave me the opportunity to grab the wastebasket and release the mouse outdoors. My parents lived in a frame house (well over 100 years old at that time), and I worked on making it as "mouse proof" as possible. Over a period of time, I went through the entire house, from basement to second floor, and pushed steel wool into every crack and crevice I could find and especially around water pipes. That also seemed to work because mice stopped getting into the house. I had read somewhere that steel wool is one of the few things that rodents cannot chew through. MaryL |
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