Preventing a cat from hunting

mikedragon32

One of our cats is a terrific hunter. In the last year he's brought us home rats, mice, pigeons, sparrows, wasps, bees, moths and even a bat.

We decided a few weeks ago to buy him a collar with a bell in the hopes that this would reduce his success rate and for a while it worked. Since last friday he's brought home a couple of mice.

Is there any way to stop him hunting or to make him less successful?

We don't want to declaw him.

alexdenby6

he's a cat. cats hunt let him live his life as a cat.

galah

you can't stop him hunting. You can, however, prevent him from bringing his prey home by checking (depends on your set up, I guess - our cats come in through the window, and we can "screen" them before we let them in)

The collars with bells don't work, and are cruel - imagine you had to listen to a bell everytime you move - it'll drive you demented. They don't stop the cat hunting, either...

peasant

You could minimise the damage a bit by ensuring the cat is inside during dusk and night (their favourite hunting hours)

stovelid

Look on the bright side, each mouse and rat he brings home is one less you may find in your house.

scribs

they grow out of it

Nala

You can't stop a cat hunting. You are right about declawing, it is a barbaric practice.

tallus

stovelid wrote:

Look on the bright side, each mouse and rat he brings home is one less you may find in your house.

I agree with Stovelid, I'd rather see a dead rat than a live one.

peasant

If only they were all dead :rolleyes:

mikedragon32

Indeed, part of the problem is they're not always dead when he brings them home.

I've been looking around a few sites and it seems that they bring the prey home because they're far sighted and nervous about making the kill in unfamiliar territory, hence the prey is taken home where the cat knows the terrain inch by inch and can ware out the prey until there is no chance of any sort of fight back.

I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on him bringing the critters in!

Thanks for the posts all...

anniehoo

galah wrote:

The collars with bells don't work, and are cruel - imagine you had to listen to a bell everytime you move - it'll drive you demented.

Oh pleeeeease are you serious???Next you'll be saying name tags on collars are cruel too! Bit of perspective here!

h8red

anniehoo wrote:

Oh pleeeeease are you serious???Next you'll be saying name tags on collars are cruel too! Bit of perspective here!

Cats' ears are uniquely designed to draw sound into the ear canal, which enables them to hear sounds like a mouse rustling in the brush 30 feet away. By the same token, their ears are more sensitive to higher amplitude of sound.

If I was a cat I certainly wouldn't want a frickkin bell RINGING in my ears all day.

How's that for perspective?

Nala

In fairness they get used to the noise of the bell, same as we get used to the noise of traffic at night, washing machine etc. You stop noticing it after a while.

anniehoo

h8red wrote:

Cats' ears are uniquely designed to draw sound into the ear canal, which enables them to hear sounds like a mouse rustling in the brush 30 feet away. By the same token, their ears are more sensitive to higher amplitude of sound.

If I was a cat I certainly wouldn't want a frickkin bell RINGING in my ears all day.

How's that for perspective?

Laughin away here....perspective is trying to protect native wildlife from being killed by a well fed and bored cat! If it takes a bell to do that than so be it. Please dont give me the speel about their ears being more sensitive...we all know that. Do you tip toe around your house in slippers or lower the volume on your tv just in case your little cat freaks out at the loud noise. My perspective is treating my cat like a cat...it needs a collar, bell and name tag...i very much doubt a little tinkling bell is high on the list of cats troubles do you???

Nala

h8red, I do have my tv blaring and the cats just lies in front of it asleep. The window is open so they can go out if they want but they're too busy snoring.

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

anniehoo wrote:

My perspective is treating my cat like a cat...it needs a collar, bell and name tag

anniehoo

Mira Strong Pussycat wrote:

Ok yeh i know what you mean...a cat doesnt "need" these as such ..i was just tryin to emphasise the "not-mollycoddlying your cat" idea..a collar,bell and a tag is realistic..not having a bell because of the worry of causing annoyance to your cats sensitive ears is not..thats all!!;)

galah

still don't see the need for a bell - my cats brought just as many critters home with bells on their collars as without...(funny though, when they stilll had bells on their collars, they would mysteriously "lose" a lot of these collars...without the bells, they don't any more...)

And yes, I see the need for a collar and a tag - but bells are just useless, cruel, and pretty pointless.

And if you treat your cat like a cat, surely you shouldn't object to their hunting?

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

i dont like the idea of collars, could get cought in a fence of somthing. the last thing you want to do is piss off a cat, they will take the wheels of your car!
http://lolcat.com/catsstealinwheelz.html

moneyblues

I double bell all my cats as one little bell hardly makes any noise. This was advice given by Birdwatch Ireland. One of my four cats still manages to catch mice and shrews but less than before. The rate of bird kills has gone right down though. In early spring I reguraly have to rescue common lizards from the cats as the lizards are very slow when they come out of hibernation.

I never heard of bells being cruel to cats - they don't seem bothered by the bells to me. I love my cats but I love the wildlife too and think its right to try to lessen the killing if possible.

stcatherine

If you seriously want to reduce the amount of 'prey' your cat brings home the best thing you can do is dont allow the cat out after dark.

Use a lockable cat flap and kitty litter, you will be amazed the difference these small changes can make.

HunterS

I'm old school regarding this. No collar and definitely no bell. If she brings home birds n mice after hunting she doesnt get fed. They eventally learn that eating tinned tuna and freshly cooked chicken is nicer than rat entrails.

badolepuddytat

Hi all, this is my first post on this forum and I'm bumping up an oldie, hope it's okay Our cat's known as Jason Bourne, he's a bit of a psycho, we keep him in most of the time now and monitor his comings and goings. Not always successful and like the op there have been some memorable live 'uns (rats/mice/rabbits not to mention the mutilated corpses).

Do they calm down much at any stage? He manages 3-4 kills a day easily so locking him in at night doesn't do much, will try the not feeding him. I had sewn 5 bells onto his collar previously and he came home 20 minutes later with a rabbit......got a beeping collar attachment that gives a sound supposedly set at a frequency that will warn prey of his presence which was as effective as the bells. Maybe the wildlife in my area are dense or maybe we've harboured a monster Any advice? We're really starting to think we aren't the right owners for him, I wouldn't leave him outside where we live, a friend has a farm but I'd hate to see him go.

Intothesea

What a prolific hunter Puddytat! If he has
that many bells on him and still snares rabbits
he must move like a shadow.

I think the bells are good, also you
can get him used to being fed at a later
time (so that he will come home and can
be locked in). The keeping in at dusk and
night is a critical move I think.

Another option is to wear him out with
a few cat toys (feathers at the end of
twine on a stick etc). With energy like
that he'll probably thank you (and so
might the wildlife).

Hope that helps

cotton

no point

badolepuddytat

Thanks intothesea, he has no interest whatsoever in cat toys, he's one of these snooty "What am I meant to do with that" characters. We had some catmint growing in the garden and he got a bit obsessed with toys with a leaf rubbed into them but I was afraid he'd end up in rehab! He chewed the leaves for a while but isn't interested in it anymore. Nothing left to us today which is great, we'll play it by ear with the locking him in and adapting feed times.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Research has shown bells to be nowhere as effective as most people believe. A bell is not a natural indicator of danger in Nature so those birds, or small mammals, who react to the bell do so usually do to past experience. A lesson hard learned by many!