cats fighting over mice

Hello

Last night i heard a loud growling snarling smacking noise I thought a dog broke into my house or something lol

but one of my cats caught a mouse and had it between her paws and was snarling and spitting at the other cats who were just sitting there watching


is that normal? I havent seen cats fight over prey like that you would think they wouldnt since they all have food available 24/7 but the one cat acted as though it was a tiger protecting its kill lol

It is normal. They do seem to be very territorial over anything they have caught. Mine even do that sometimes with a toy that has feathers on it.

Lily does that with fuzzy glitter balls, especially if they're brand new. I don't think it's anything to worry about, although I'd be looking into how she found a mouse in the house.

The minute I hear that protective growl I look round to see which of them has something they shouldn't! It can be a live mouse or other prey, a toy or a piece of food. I heard it tonight and discovered Wellington had snitched a large piece of meat out of a bowl and Ellie and Persil were trying to get their share.

Yes, its common. We had barn cats and they would sometimes argue over prey.

If you really want to see true instinct, put some shredded cooked chicken on a plate for 6-8 week old kittens! They will instinctively growl and claim pieces of the chicken and dare you to try and get it.