Cat instincts and the 'gifts' they bring us.

[jtbo]

I did hear some mouse like sounds from downstairs, so I did pick up Panther from upstairs and set him off with my best attempts to explaining that there is a mouse he needs to catch. Sure enough, he did start to explore area I did show to him and after a hour he was stalking of something. However this time mice were too shy, must try soon again as evening darkens and things quiet down.

It is that time of year when mice have depleted most of natural food sources, also it has been so warm that snow has almost disappeared, so they seek some shelter from indoors, so cats can do their job fomr ancient times.

 

[tammat]

We don't have any mice - thank goodness. My girls have access to an enclosed verandah though so they bring moths and spiders inside through the cat flap. Granny knits mice and rats for Neffie and she brings them to us all the time. She also makes a very strange noise. Sometimes I think it's a child crying or someone in pain but no it's just Neffie bringing a gift. Oh I love my cats.

 

[nycats]

Not sure if they were gifts, but my girl would trill and drop her little toy pom poms by my head in bed. I wasn't sure if she wanted to play (she loves it when I throw those for her to chase) or offer to me.

 

[allenkm]

My cats don't have access to any live critters but Bear will bring me something at least once a week. Lately he has been bringing
Nerf darts from my kids room and leaving them on my bed for me. He has also brought other random things he can find around the house like puff balls. He even brought Chinese handcuffs once.....I make sure to thank him every time.

 

[tammat]

Here's a cute story. I was waiting a the vets a few months ago and a lady came in with a tiny kitten. Her neutered male cat brought it home and left it on the back door step for her. She thought it was a dead rat until a closer inspection. She had been working around the clock to keep her gift alive. The kitten was only days old.

 

[2crazykittens]

Great thread!

My 9 month old kitties are still learning the art of the kill and they have yet to bring me any gifts.They have helped to keep the apartment clear of any bugs! They have not been on the balcony yet but that has not stopped them from finding things to kill,stalk and eat! 

Simon loves to hunt down the biggest spiders that find their way into the place. He makes sure to growl and let everyone know it's his kill. He even saved the day once when I was in the bath and a huge spider decided to join me. Simon came to the rescue and took care of that problem for me without hesitation.

  Praise of course commenced.

Both little fellows are learning some great skills tossing around their little mice toys, flipping them high in the air and carrying them around for all too see. They both are excellent fly chasers as well, looks like I will have another bug free spring/summer this year! Thanks boys, keep up the good work!

 

[mservant]

Here's a cute story. I was waiting a the vets a few months ago and a lady came in with a tiny kitten. Her neutered male cat brought it home and left it on the back door step for her. She thought it was a dead rat until a closer inspection. She had been working around the clock to keep her gift alive. The kitten was only days old.

   Amazing.  I wonder how he found the little kitten?  And if he helps to keep it all warm and snuggled up?  I guess we will never know if it survives but she is an angel for taking it in and giving her heart to try and save it.   Nice story.

for the little kitten where ever the little thing may be.  

 

[david's steph]

Oh, I wish I had nothing to share in this thread, but unfortunately I do.  

A few days ago Dave and I were half asleep on the floor when we heard a terrible crash/boom in the kitchen.  2 seconds later,  we see Lilly with us in the living room, chasing a small grey mouse.. ugh.. I jump up and grab a container to hopefully catch it, which I did TWO times, but when I tried to slide something underneath the container to flip it over, the mouse kept escaping!!       It then ran under the stove (this was at midnight) so I thought, well, I will go to bed, the mouse will probably find it's way back to safety.  Wrong.  5 minutes later, Lilly lays the injured (she had hurt its eye badly) still alive mouse at my feet!!  ugh, so sad, I'm not too very upset when the cats kill them, but I can't stand to see any living creature just suffer, ugh... had no idea what to do, except take the poor thing outside in the snow, and prayed that he would die very quickly from the cold.  It was horrible.  

AND, back in April, again, I was half asleep on the floor (I watch tv on the floor before I go to bed, lol), when I sensed a presence behind me.  I rolled slowly to my other side, and there is sitting Lilly - - not even 3 inches away from my face - - with a beautiful, large, fat CHIPMUNK hanging lifeless in her mouth... I LITERALLY SCREAMED, I was so freaked out , I felt like I was in a horror movie!  

But my favorite story is this one:   Years ago, Lilly was sitting in a chair next to me in the kitchen, sleeping, I was in another chair, and David was awake on my lap.  From under the refrigerator, a little mouse ran right in front of Lilly (who remained clueless and sleeping the whole time), the mouse ran towards me and Dave --  and Dave was so scared, he jumped right off my lap, terrified, into the living room, and the little mouse escaped unharmed back into the bowels of the basement.  It was hilarious 

 

[mservant]

 
Oh, I wish I had nothing to share in this thread, but unfortunately I do.  

But my favorite story is this one:   Years ago, Lilly was sitting in a chair next to me in the kitchen, sleeping, I was in another chair, and David was awake on my lap.  From under the refrigerator, a little mouse ran right in front of Lilly (who remained clueless and sleeping the whole time), the mouse ran towards me and Dave --  and Dave was so scared, he jumped right off my lap, terrified, into the living room, and the little mouse escaped unharmed back into the bowels of the basement.  It was hilarious 

At least no one runs from mice in my household I guess. 

   Mouse might try and pat them on the head from time to time but no fear.   I'm pleased to see Dave seems less frightened of little critters now (unless he managed to sleep through the whole saga).

 

[susank521]

I have been "blessed"(?) with many great hunters, but my sweet Miss Milly is not one of them. Milly was a bottle baby and the last time her toes came close to touching anything not under a roof was 11 years ago when she was ~2 weeks old. She has never shown much interest in the toy mice, or bugs, or any type of "hunting". Also, Milly is not the brightest bulb on the tree, if you get my drift.

Last Thanksgiving DH and I were away overnight and came home to a dead baby bird on the floor in the kitchen. The cats always have access to their catio so we're assuming somehow the bird got in there and one of the cats brought it inside the house. Ever since the dead bird in the kitchen incident, Milly has turned into the greatest, and LOUDEST, toy mouse hunter the world has ever seen. At least once per evening she "catches" a mouse and carries it throughout the house yelling to all who can't avoid hearing what a great and mighty hunter she is!

 

[mservant]

 
........... Ever since the dead bird in the kitchen incident, Milly has turned into the greatest, and LOUDEST, toy mouse hunter the world has ever seen. At least once per evening she "catches" a mouse and carries it throughout the house yelling to all who can't avoid hearing what a great and mighty hunter she is!

Awww, sweet Milly. 

  Lots of purraise and rewards for Milly and her new found gift for mousing. 

 

[jtbo]

Now mine brought following items:

One blue lizard minus the tail (we certainly don't have blue lizards living in here!)

One 3 foot long poisonous snake, Adder minus the head

One surprisingly small snake head

Cat was extremely happy, kneading while sitting next to his collection and waiting for his pettins and worship from his efforts and valor of saving the kingdom (or our tiny piece of lawn) from moving things that hiss and maybe even bite.

After receiving pettins and rolling on back while receiving bellyrubbings he again disappeared to shadows, who knows what he brings next, but I don't think here lives any blue lizards at all, so who knows maybe he finds scorpion or something equally horrifying things which don't live in here.

I have attempted to get him understand that it is critters like mice and rat etc. he needs to hunt, but getting message trough seem to be bit difficult, of course snake was bit brownish and it has kind of tail, so confusion is understandable, also lizard did have legs, now he just needs to combine these two in single creature to find proper things to hunt

 

[littlewolf]

My boyfriend's cats are ruthless killers. Mice, voles, baby birds, frogs... Everything. Left all over the carpet and bedding just to rot

My Eli has only ever brought a mouse in twice and both times it was still alive. The first died of shock and I kept it to make a teeny tiny mouseskin rug instead of throwing the poor guy in the bin like my ma told me to. The second survived after a bit of food and water so I let him go the next day.

 

[mservant]

My Eli has only ever brought a mouse in twice and both times it was still alive. The first died of shock and I kept it to make a teeny tiny mouseskin rug instead of throwing the poor guy in the bin like my ma told me to. The second survived after a bit of food and water so I let him go the next day.

  I am so glad you told us about the second mouse being fed, watered and let free coz I'm a bit concerned at how much I'm laughing about the teeny tniy mouseskin rug! 

 

  

 

 

[catsandkittens]

Our cat Misty bought us a mouse (which was still alive!). We then went and explored to see where she had got it from, and there, right next to our garden was a shattered little mouse nest. There was only a poor scared little mouse in there, so we took it and made it a home in a big plastic box. The two of them lived in the box (with shredded kitchen roll, grapes etc...) for 2-3 days, living of milk and fruit. One morning we came to look at them and they had unfortunately passed away overnight. They still needed some of their Mummy's milk. 

I just wanted to say that be careful when picking mice up because they are covered in fleas, which you can hardly see.

 

[mservant]

 
Our cat Misty bought us a mouse (which was still alive!). We then went and explored to see where she had got it from, and there, right next to our garden was a shattered little mouse nest. There was only a poor scared little mouse in there, so we took it and made it a home in a big plastic box. The two of them lived in the box (with shredded kitchen roll, grapes etc...) for 2-3 days, living of milk and fruit. One morning we came to look at them and they had unfortunately passed away overnight. They still needed some of their Mummy's milk. 

I just wanted to say that be careful when picking mice up because they are covered in fleas, which you can hardly see.

What a sad story.  How lovely that you tried to keep the little ones alive.  On that last bit of advicee though,  eeew!  That means my boy might have introduced loads of tiny fleas to my bed!  

 

 

 

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[jtbo]

They had brought some kind of small bird, grey one which I could not tell what bird it was, but it did look like if it would of been swallowed as a whole and then puked out, which I think is not possible, anyway you get the picture how eeeew that was.

They seem not to bother with those big ants, even they do hunt them bugs otherwise, also they seem to eat mosquitoes that I catch by quickly grabbing them from the air, now days they become anxious everytime I catch mosquito and beg to have it. While writing this I have caught three of them already, there is just too many of them.