Are all cats good hunters?
Discussion
Not all cats are great ratters/ mouse's. Many will catch the odd one but it takes a special cat to be a proficient hunter, especially when rats are involved. They are a tricky catch for cats. Good rafters make it look easy.
I'd be tempted to see if any local farms have kittens from a good ratter cat.
Males or females can be good. Ex colleague had a fantastic ratter who kept rats down at her stables. He lived a good life til he was 13. Within weeks of his death she was seeing rats again, she got another cat but he wasn't quite as good. Ambrose was a lovely cat and incredible at his job, hard to find.
I'd be tempted to see if any local farms have kittens from a good ratter cat.
Males or females can be good. Ex colleague had a fantastic ratter who kept rats down at her stables. He lived a good life til he was 13. Within weeks of his death she was seeing rats again, she got another cat but he wasn't quite as good. Ambrose was a lovely cat and incredible at his job, hard to find.
We had the latest two from the cattery, the mouser is the tom of uncertain parentage, the tortoise shell makes a lot of a song and dance but is useless at it. I think she is his spotter....
Had a few rats in over the years (alive and dead) and think the toms have had the edge? Totally unscientific observation and probably incorrect.
Edit. The tom we have at the moment is the worlds original scardy cat. He would not come near me for weeks when we got him, suspect abuse in his previous ownership as the mrs could get close. Yet he seems a proficient hunter, just the humans that he only tolerates, just. Tortoise shell is any ones who will tickle her tum.
Edit 2. Thinking back our last great mouser was a ginger tom but he was soft as a brush and sit on your shoulder. Luck of the draw?
Had a few rats in over the years (alive and dead) and think the toms have had the edge? Totally unscientific observation and probably incorrect.
Edit. The tom we have at the moment is the worlds original scardy cat. He would not come near me for weeks when we got him, suspect abuse in his previous ownership as the mrs could get close. Yet he seems a proficient hunter, just the humans that he only tolerates, just. Tortoise shell is any ones who will tickle her tum.
Edit 2. Thinking back our last great mouser was a ginger tom but he was soft as a brush and sit on your shoulder. Luck of the draw?
Edited by jmorgan on Friday 31st August 08:36
Edited by jmorgan on Friday 31st August 08:40
We have a male and female, just mixes of breeds. The female regularly brings in field mice at this time of year, the male seems to sleep a lot and be very east going... but then he did surprise us recently by catching a bird. definitely the female in our house is the keener hunter though.
I know this thing about leaving dead mice in the house is supposedly the cat trying to impress its owner with gifts and all that...but our female took it to extremes this week. Wife opened the kitchen door the other day to find a dead mouse...attached to 1 of the wild flowers from our garden, which had been uprooted and brought in intact...
I haven't had male cats for years, we had a Maine Coon and a Persian, the Maine Coon was good at hunting dogs/skunks etc whilst the Persian was soo good at hunting birds that he would share the top of the shed with them and would be eating the bread thrown out with them all dancing around him trying to eat it first.......
We then got some females and they are quite aggressive with their hunting unfortuately.
We then got some females and they are quite aggressive with their hunting unfortuately.
bexVN said:
jmorgan said:
OK, I have just had toms that were the mousers.
I should have quoted your last post as my reply was meant for it but I was a bit slow to reply!My cat was, I'm very pleased to say, utterly hopeless at it despite best efforts. Her total catch over 20 odd years was....2 live frogs who sustained no injury, several worms, and hundreds of leaves. She one took a bat out of the air but totally by luck ( I was there) and just legged it when it hit the floor (bat was fine)
You'd be lucky to get a cat that would do much about rats though......
You'd be lucky to get a cat that would do much about rats though......
Getting one every couple of days from our ~2 year old neutered male. The other one who's much older, let one of the buggers the young cat bought in run past him without even flinching. Couldn't care.
Yet when it comes to toys. The older one will chase anything, while the younger is way too cool to get involved (probably knackered from catching real ones).
Yet when it comes to toys. The older one will chase anything, while the younger is way too cool to get involved (probably knackered from catching real ones).
FTC (the female) is the better ratter and fox fighter, Horatio is a much more active hunter.
Before i moved and they were in a high prey enviroment she killed a few mice, a few voles and a about 20-30 rats in the last 2 years.
He had 20+ squirrels last year (his personal favourite) but was seen by my neighbours with a selection of birds/mice/voles and lizards more than once most days. He doesn't require much feeding.
Before i moved and they were in a high prey enviroment she killed a few mice, a few voles and a about 20-30 rats in the last 2 years.
He had 20+ squirrels last year (his personal favourite) but was seen by my neighbours with a selection of birds/mice/voles and lizards more than once most days. He doesn't require much feeding.
Nightmare said:
You'd be lucky to get a cat that would do much about rats though......
The best ratter i know off was a farm cat barely bigger than some of the rats she brought down, the farmer claimed she was worth at all of his other cats twice over. Are all cats good hunters? No
Point in case. I have had 5 cats over 20 years (from a teenager at home with my parents to now in my own house) Of the 5
1. first pet, she didnt do any hunting and was very much a house cat.
2. Was a stray that "adopted" us, it was mental. We fed it once every few days, the rest of the time it fed itself happily. I once saw it take out a Crow that was nearly as big as it, drag it kicking and screaming it our back garden where it promptly set about eating. There was blood every where. Rats it had no issue with dispatching.
3. Was in between, small birds and a like.
4. Was too stupid for his own good, sweet natured friendly cat, but it couldn't have caught his own tail.
5. Is a proper hunter, we see him every day, but he only really comes into to be feed 3 or 4 times a week (more in winter), the rest of the time he'll go after pigeons/mice/frogs and the handful of rats that rarely venture too far from the local river near us. Though he did get himself stuck up an oak tree going after the parrots that use it. That said he is rubbish company, if he comes in, he wont sit on your lap, and you have to go to him to stroke him. If fact the only person I see him give any affection to is the 14 year old girl over the road and he can often be seen sat in her bed room window when it rains.
If you want one to hunt mice and alike, you might well end up a bit disappointed, so would be better getting a few traps.
Point in case. I have had 5 cats over 20 years (from a teenager at home with my parents to now in my own house) Of the 5
1. first pet, she didnt do any hunting and was very much a house cat.
2. Was a stray that "adopted" us, it was mental. We fed it once every few days, the rest of the time it fed itself happily. I once saw it take out a Crow that was nearly as big as it, drag it kicking and screaming it our back garden where it promptly set about eating. There was blood every where. Rats it had no issue with dispatching.
3. Was in between, small birds and a like.
4. Was too stupid for his own good, sweet natured friendly cat, but it couldn't have caught his own tail.
5. Is a proper hunter, we see him every day, but he only really comes into to be feed 3 or 4 times a week (more in winter), the rest of the time he'll go after pigeons/mice/frogs and the handful of rats that rarely venture too far from the local river near us. Though he did get himself stuck up an oak tree going after the parrots that use it. That said he is rubbish company, if he comes in, he wont sit on your lap, and you have to go to him to stroke him. If fact the only person I see him give any affection to is the 14 year old girl over the road and he can often be seen sat in her bed room window when it rains.
If you want one to hunt mice and alike, you might well end up a bit disappointed, so would be better getting a few traps.
omgus said:
FTC (the female) is the better ratter and fox fighter, Horatio is a much more active hunter.
Before i moved and they were in a high prey enviroment she killed a few mice, a few voles and a about 20-30 rats in the last 2 years.
He had 20+ squirrels last year (his personal favourite) but was seen by my neighbours with a selection of birds/mice/voles and lizards more than once most days. He doesn't require much feeding.
You have and know some damn unusual cats.....a cat which has killed 20 squirrels is some sort of ninja of the cat world! Or you live round the worlds stupidest squirrels Before i moved and they were in a high prey enviroment she killed a few mice, a few voles and a about 20-30 rats in the last 2 years.
He had 20+ squirrels last year (his personal favourite) but was seen by my neighbours with a selection of birds/mice/voles and lizards more than once most days. He doesn't require much feeding.
Nightmare said:
You'd be lucky to get a cat that would do much about rats though......
The best ratter i know off was a farm cat barely bigger than some of the rats she brought down, the farmer claimed she was worth at all of his other cats twice over. 
. One cat that adopted us at our last house was a fantastic hunter - of crisp packets. We would hear the cat flap go, followed by meowing that would only stop when you went to look at her prey, so you would find her sitting proudly by a family size Dorito's packet with two neat puncture marks. The refuse collectors must have thought we had some sort of potato addiction.
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