shocking intelligent predatory behavior!

Hello


WE keep a flock of small bantam chickens in our backyard. THe cats are usually really good with them. However the other day there was a GROUSE (chicken like wild bird) in my flock of chickens. Grouse is about the same size as my chickens also and kinda looks the same. ANyways my cat quickly picked up that one of the birds in the flock was NOT a chicken and went after it in an INSANE manner and as the grouse flew away my cat acttually LEAPED in the air in an attempt to grab it but only got a feather.

SHocking to see a cat pick out a wild bird in a flock of domestic birds and try and predate on it!


Can anyone explain the reason for this behaviour?

My only guess would be smell.
You cats know the scents of 'their' birds very well I'd imagine, and so the unfamiliar scent of the grouse told them that there was an intruder in the flock.

I think it would be smell also.

Wow, that's so neat!!! What good kitties!