prey drive stronger in some breeds?|

chausiefan

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just curious what breeds of cats tend to have a higher prey drive>?


It was very interesting to know after visiting a bengal breeder that bengals have a much higher desire to hunt and kill then most other cats

I was also told that keeping bengals and small dogs isnt a very good idea because they tend to treat them like prey

what do you all think about this? other then begals any other breeds that have this quality?

it is very aparent in some dog breeds but had no idea that it was also in cat breeds!
 

goldenkitty45

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I have no idea about the Bengals vs other breeds/cats. But will agree some "breeds" tend to be better at hunting prey then others. Most of the shorthair cats are better hunters then longhairs (except maybe the Maine Coons, Norwegians, and Siberians).

I know a Cornish rex breeder who told this story. They moved to an old house that came with mice. When they first moved in, every night they would go to bed with several cats loose - and in the morning find a row of fresh killed mice. Now these cats had NEVER hunted in their lives and were born/raised as indoor cats - but they had enough natural instinct to hunt mice and kill them.

I know that both Charlie (purebred Ocicat) and Ling (mixed breed barn cat who came inside and stayed from 5 weeks old) would both be quite capable of hunting any mouse that came in the house and kill it.
 

epona

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Radar who is half Cornish Rex caught his first mouse when he was still a baby, just 3 months old. He didn't know what to do with it when he caught it mind you, DH had to help him out.

In general, the more active and energetic the breed, the stronger its prey drive.
 

kitytize

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I live in an area high in field mice and when it starts to get cold outside the mice try to move in. There was week this past year when my Somalis caught and killed a mouse everyday that week. The Somalis seem to move a lot faster than my 3 moggies.
 

abymummy

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Considering the fact that my Abys can catch flies, I would say that some breeds' prey drive is way stronger than others!
 

kai bengals

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Originally Posted by chausiefan

just curious what breeds of cats tend to have a higher prey drive>?


It was very interesting to know after visiting a bengal breeder that bengals have a much higher desire to hunt and kill then most other cats

I was also told that keeping bengals and small dogs isnt a very good idea because they tend to treat them like prey
It really bugs me when bengal breeders put out such stupid statements like the "small dogs" comment.

A bengal cat's prey drive is no higher than any other active cat. They certainly don't prowl around looking for living animals to kill. (like small dogs)

What bengal cats are famous for is a very active play style. They love to play and will do so for hours on end. A small dog may not be able to keep up, but it certainly won't be stalked and injured or killed by a bengal cat.

With any cat, I think one has to be concerned about claws and the dogs eyes and nose, but I have sent many many bengal cats to homes with dogs of every size and once they become accustomed to each other there is harmony in the houshold and many become best of friends.

Bengals seem to genuinely love dogs!
 

gingersmom

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I must say, my newly adopted bengal boy Max (9 mos old) definitely has the highest "hunt and POUNCE!" drive of my four cats, but he certainly isn't dangerous. He enjoys pretending to attack my forearm when I go to tickle his belly, but he's very careful not to use his claws when "hunting" me.

His need for play is SO high that it is contagious: he has my normally staid and snooty 2 year old tortie, Ginger, playing like a tiny, gleeful, mischievous kitten again, and the sound of Max and Ferris rolling around the floor thumping into everything as they wrestle is becoming just normal apartment background noise for me. (I have no idea what the downstairs neighbors think of the continuous thumping and bumping that goes on up in my place!)

For the domestic cat, while hunting is instinctual, it really is "play" and not a need to "kill," although if given the chance, they will so they can show us what good little hunters they can be.
 

epona

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Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

It really bugs me when bengal breeders put out such stupid statements like the "small dogs" comment.

A bengal cat's prey drive is no higher than any other active cat. They certainly don't prowl around looking for living animals to kill. (like small dogs)

What bengal cats are famous for is a very active play style. They love to play and will do so for hours on end. A small dog may not be able to keep up, but it certainly won't be stalked and injured or killed by a bengal cat.

With any cat, I think one has to be concerned about claws and the dogs eyes and nose, but I have sent many many bengal cats to homes with dogs of every size and once they become accustomed to each other there is harmony in the houshold and many become best of friends.

Bengals seem to genuinely love dogs!
People actually think that about Bengals?


There's a huge leap of the imagination between having a strong hunting instinct (ie. ability and desire to hunt prey animals, and putting that into practice/substitution by active play) and aggression towards small dogs - dogs are not, and never have been, among the species that a cat would instinctively view as prey. I would imagine that for a start, they don't smell like food to a cat!

Now if someone said don't let a pet mouse/gerbil/hamster run in front of its nose because the cat may pounce then all well and good, but small dogs? I can see situations where cats (any cat) may attack a dog - if cornered or feeling threatened or frightened. Anyone who thinks there's a particular breed of normal domestic cat that routinely snaps small dogs in half needs their head examined - or if they have experienced a problem with their cats, they need to stop raising overly aggressive lines! And that applies to any breed.
 
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chausiefan

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she said she wont sell her cats to a house with a small dog because of the number of complaints she got from people saying that the cat was terrorizing the dog

aparently the cats have a habit of wait up in a high place they wait fo the dog to pass below then jump on its back

anyways this is what she told me shes a very well respected breeder here in canada and has won at many shows so im sure what she says has some substance

we are forgettingn how fragile many kinds of toy dog breeds are and probably couldnt handle a strong rough play from a hyper bengal

My friend has a tiny female yorkie and we both decided after a bad encounter between the dog and my calico that its best if we keep her dog and my cats totally seperate from each other as the incident almost cost us our friendship!

Big dogs and bengals however the breeder told me often do wonderful and have great bonds
 

epona

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Hmmmmm now my 2 cats (not bengals) do that to each other - that's fairly normal cat play, I can see how a small dog may not appreciate it though, as dogs play differently and wouldn't understand what was going on - a big dog would probably not feel threatened by it though, from a cat that was an accepted member of their pack. But that's not the same as aggression at all, the cat is just trying to play wrestle and the dog looks about the right size for a wrestling partner - I can see how that would happen - but it's not specific to Bengals I'm sure.
 
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chausiefan

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nope i dont think she meant it as an agression thing just an energy thing, play/prey drive

I saw the way her cats played actually the breeder is the reason why i DIDNT get a bengal, they would be to much cat for me at the point in my busy life, to much energy they run play rough non stop which is why i just got a domestic shorthair instead, my other choice was pixie bobs as they were much much calmer then the bengals but i decided to rescue instead

in the future i will get 2 bengals when im ready for a cat like that not yet tho
 

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Originally Posted by GingersMom

I must say, my newly adopted bengal boy Max (9 mos old) definitely has the highest "hunt and POUNCE!" drive of my four cats, but he certainly isn't dangerous. He enjoys pretending to attack my forearm when I go to tickle his belly, but he's very careful not to use his claws when "hunting" me.

His need for play is SO high that it is contagious: he has my normally staid and snooty 2 year old tortie, Ginger, playing like a tiny, gleeful, mischievous kitten again, and the sound of Max and Ferris rolling around the floor thumping into everything as they wrestle is becoming just normal apartment background noise for me. (I have no idea what the downstairs neighbors think of the continuous thumping and bumping that goes on up in my place!)

For the domestic cat, while hunting is instinctual, it really is "play" and not a need to "kill," although if given the chance, they will so they can show us what good little hunters they can be.
Max sounds a lot like my Bengal,Simba. He LOVES to play and pounce, and he loves pouncing on my big old Siamese cat, Shane, as well as my little Bengal girl, Angel. Unfortunately, neither Shane or Angel appreciate it, and they will NOT play back with him, but run from him and get upset with him. My little SunLee will play back with him and he loves it. Of course he has more energy than all of my other cats combined.
 
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chausiefan

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wow shane is a siamese though! im suprised! My siamese LOVED To wrestle play play play had so much energy my other cats couldnt ever keep up! Im suprised urs run from ur bengal and not welcome it with open paws


I really do love high intesity high energy playful rough breeds its just right now I cant have a cat like that cause of my life style and i also got an older senior cat whos 16 and i dont think it would be fair 2 him
 
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chausiefan

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PS most of us view prey drive as a good thing! How many times have you seen a big nasty cockroach or a huge centipede/wolf spider or mouse and having ur cat take care of it?

at night i was to scared to sleep in my own bed sometimes cause this mouse would ALWAYS run around me at night well my cat found out about it he took care of it for me! In a way cats can be our protector/rescuers this is why they were domesticated in the first place by man
I know im safe in my bed at night now giant wolf spiders crawling on my head when my cats sleep with me lol
 

goldenkitty45

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The actions of the bengal cat from the breeder is no different then any other. Charlie is 10 lbs of muscle - and he could easily hurt a little toy breed weighing less them him. But he would not do it on purpose - its how cats play.

Now I have heard from Jack Russel Terriers to NOT trust them with cats cause they will turn on them and kill them as prey sooner or later. This came from a owner of JRT's who lived with cats. Everything was fine for a few years - one day she came home to find one cat dead and barely saved the other cat from the jaws of the JRT who would have killed that one too.
 

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My bengals are high energy but their prey drive is no different than any of my other cats. They all react the same when a fly is an in the house. Actually my Tabby is one of the best fly catchers around. Takoda and Magnum can't sit still long enough to concentrate.

I have two big dogs and one small dog. Takoda and Magnum love Tails our little dog. They wrestle, fight, chase and sleep together.

I have also on occasion had our Iguana out running around and the bengals are curious but definitely not on the hunt.

The high energy my two boys have is unreal. They can wear EVERYONE out in my house including the humans.


Bengals aren't for everyone though. I wouldn't recommend one for my parents who are looking for a kitten. Their activity level is more Ragdoll.



Originally Posted by chausiefan

just curious what breeds of cats tend to have a higher prey drive>?


It was very interesting to know after visiting a bengal breeder that bengals have a much higher desire to hunt and kill then most other cats

I was also told that keeping bengals and small dogs isnt a very good idea because they tend to treat them like prey

what do you all think about this? other then begals any other breeds that have this quality?

it is very aparent in some dog breeds but had no idea that it was also in cat breeds!
 

mbjerkness

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I have a found on the lawn ? , Kitten,she is a tiny girl. she hunts my toy pom constantly, with her anything that moves is fair game, I don't think it is a breed thing as it is a cat instinct.
 

kai bengals

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Originally Posted by chausiefan

she said she wont sell her cats to a house with a small dog because of the number of complaints she got from people saying that the cat was terrorizing the dog

aparently the cats have a habit of wait up in a high place they wait fo the dog to pass below then jump on its back

anyways this is what she told me shes a very well respected breeder here in canada and has won at many shows so im sure what she says has some substance

we are forgettingn how fragile many kinds of toy dog breeds are and probably couldnt handle a strong rough play from a hyper bengal

My friend has a tiny female yorkie and we both decided after a bad encounter between the dog and my calico that its best if we keep her dog and my cats totally seperate from each other as the incident almost cost us our friendship!

Big dogs and bengals however the breeder told me often do wonderful and have great bonds
I just want to add a few final comments, as I don't want to argue this point to death.


If the bengal breeder you visited is concerned about her cats injuring small dogs due to considering them prey, then I would be inclined to suggest she choose different lines to work with! We bengal breeders have been working our tails off to make these cats as sweet and affectionate as possible in order to dispell the false rumors that bengals can be aggressive. (mostly started and perpetuated by CFA people)
I would trust my own cats with any small dog. Considering that some small dogs are roughly the size of a kitten, this breeder must not trust her adult cats to play with the kittens either. My adult cats love to play with the kittens and there are never any injuries or other problems.

The problem I have with what the breeder in Canada told you, is that it is only her opinion and probably only applies to her cats, but you have taken it as a general trait of the breed as a whole.

I have been breeding bengals for 10 years and I have yet to ever have a client with a small dog come back to me with complaints about my bengals behavior towards the dog, and this includes yorkie owners.
 

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I will also add that I had a Pomeranian, that I had to rehome because I was no longer able to take him for his walks, due to my inability to walk any distance. I can tell you that my most active Bengal never tried hurt the dog at all. Bengals are very sweet cats, very loving and very affectionate. They love to play, but they don't try to hurt other animals.
 

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My Abyssinian's prey drive is through the roof. The few times he's actually caught something (a cricket and a centipede) it's over before we even notice. The rest of the time he's hunting every nook & cranny, hoping to find something under the rugs, blankets, clothes, bookcases, and so on. Mostly he just catches dust bunnies.

I feel sorry for any mouse that wanders into the house -- it won't suspect a thing until it's much too late.
 
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