Next time your cat brings you in a present ...

One of my cats will go after anything it can get its paws on. We've been brought home countless dead mice, birds and even squirrels. Welive right near a small farm and there are plenty of open fields for her hunting grounds. I know we've been brought at LEAST 5 squirrels! We had to put bells on her collar to give the birds and squirrles fair warning. Even with the bells she was able to get another squirrel. Maybe our cat just got the one deaf and dumb squirrel in the area! We don't see as many birds now, but more mice than ever.

My other cat couldn't catch a cold. She is a Russian Blue and it took her almost 2 years just to get her to warm up to our family! She was so scared of everything. When we would first try to let her out, she would just hide under the shed in a corner.

LOL. We had a collar on Lucy, but took it off in the end as it had to be irritating her (catching the bowl when she ate and rattling all the time) and wasn't making any noticeable difference in the number of animals she caught.

Apparently cats are smart enough to figure out that if they hold the bell with their paw it makes a lot less noise. Mine had a more direct solution to collars - scratch the catch until they came off.

Cat bells don't work. There are a number of problems with them:

1. The cat will learn to move more stealthily so as not to activate the bell, this will actually make it more efficient.

2. Most wildlife will not associate the noise with danger, particularly in an urban environment with all the noise of human activity.

3. Birds tend to be warned by movement rather than sound, unless it is a gunshot. If the cat moves more slowly, they will have less of a chance.

4. Cats are basically ambush hunters, so the bell is too little too late.

More here: http://www.users.bigpond.com/berrime/collbell.htm

:)

nihil: Thanks for that info. I never thought about it, but it makes sense. I've actually caught her stalking prey. She basically would move very slowly as close to the ground as she could and try to hide herself. She likes to be in tall grass and she spends a lot of time in the fields behind the house. Though, lately she hasn't been back there as much. I've spotted a couple of foxes back there and I suspect she is avoiding them?

I never much cared for the idea of putting bells on her. I thought it was natural. Even I would even join in on the fun with a bb gun. ;) It's the females in the family who felt bad for the squirrels and birds. Though, they don't have an issue with the cat going after the mice. lol

yeah, I always found it ironic when people yell at their cats for killing a bird then tuck into a 8oz steak.

It's the fact that cats don't just kill the bird, they play with it in a cruel manner first. At least your 8 oz steak had a humane death.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Moira

At least your 8 oz steak had a humane death.

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I wouldn't count on it. In my younger days, I worked kill crew in a
slaughterhouse...lasted all of 30 minutes with those boys. They were
the cruelest, coarsest people I ever met...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Moira

It's the fact that cats don't just kill the bird, they play with it in a cruel manner first. At least your 8 oz steak had a humane death.

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I wouldn't even bet that my steak had a humane life, never mind death. In fact if its cows, its a slaughter house. If its humans we would call it a concentration camp.

Well, maybe. It doesn't mean I have to accept my cat playing with an injured bird or mouse though. What gets me more is people who are anti hunting, but who own cats that bring in prey which they kill in a cruel manner after playing with first.