Cat behaviour before killing mice

CtrlSource

When i came home last night, our cat was near the front door looking very excitedly at a rather dazed field mouse hyperventilating close by.

For the next hour or so i kept looking out the front room window to see him chasing after it, picking it up in his mouth, tossing it in the air and even flinging it against the window a couple of times!

It's not the first time i've watched the ritual of a cat tormenting a mouse before finally killing it (or it just dying if a heart attack), but it's the first time i've seen this particular cat doing it.

One time a few years ago one of our cats was doing something similar and then inexplicably fecked off into the night, leaving her prey still alive. On that occasion i felt sorry for the badly injured rodent, went outside and put it out of its misery.

So this time got me thinking, why do they do this? i know that many cats will trap and quite quickly kill a rodent or bird. But why do some toy with them for so long? Is it because my cat is still relatively young (1.5 - 2 years old) and is just treating it as a game?

It was fascinating to watch at times. Several minutes would elapse where both the hunter and the hunted would lie quietly a few feet apart, without moving. Then, the mouse would make a dash for it and the cat would pounce!

i tried researching this quickly tonight and found plenty of info on why cats hunt and why experts think they present dead prey to their owners, but not much on the torture / game aspect of the kill. Anyone have any thoughts?

cowzerp

This behavior is just play, like when you get a bit of string and shake it about at them and they chase it, if it runs its a great toy..mice are small and die easy so the play kills them most the time..

Peyton Manning

To be honest, I think there are some very deep-rooted issues that you and your cat need to address. This is perverse behaviour. By delaying the death and toying about with the rodent, your cat is showing classic signs of power complex. It wants the rodent to plead for its life, to disregard all dignity and beg. Inevitably, mousey will give up pleading for its life, only to plead to be put out of its misery. Your cat adores the position its in, and obviously gets off on this. I dont know if its a sexual thing - have you ever seen the cat ejaculate on the mouse during this behaviour? Either way, your cat is a sociopath, so you have two options. You have to confront the cat. If it is genuinely remorseful, perhaps keep all this on the down low and offer to pay for flights out of the country. If the confrontation turns sour, your own life may be at risk so you'll have to contact the authorities. I really feel for you in this situation, hope it all works out.

CtrlSource

Archimedes wrote: »

To be honest, I think there are some very deep-rooted issues that you and your cat need to address. This is perverse behaviour. By delaying the death and toying about with the rodent, your cat is showing classic signs of power complex. It wants the rodent to plead for its life, to disregard all dignity and beg. Inevitably, mousey will give up pleading for its life, only to plead to be put out of its misery. Your cat adores the position its in, and obviously gets off on this. I dont know if its a sexual thing - have you ever seen the cat ejaculate on the mouse during this behaviour? Either way, your cat is a sociopath, so you have two options. You have to confront the cat. If it is genuinely remorseful, perhaps keep all this on the down low and offer to pay for flights out of the country. If the confrontation turns sour, your own life may be at risk so you'll have to contact the authorities. I really feel for you in this situation, hope it all works out.

You're so right. i want to thank you most sincerely for illuminating the psychological profile of both my cat & i. Your deep insight into the situation has brought me a certain calm and peace not enjoyed since before his adoption! :P

afatbollix

its a game to them... most of the time my cat brings something to the door bird mouse rabbit... ill ussally give him a treat for his nights work... to be honest he is only taking out the weak... so they deserve to be killed off before they die beside the house casueing a smell and attacting more of them...

saying that the morning i opened the door to the naghbours white rabbit on the mat and himself walking in was a bit weird

CtrlSource

Yeah but they'll already be dead, right?

Our man in Havana

Archimedes wrote: »

To be honest, I think there are some very deep-rooted issues that you and your cat need to address. This is perverse behaviour. By delaying the death and toying about with the rodent, your cat is showing classic signs of power complex. It wants the rodent to plead for its life, to disregard all dignity and beg. Inevitably, mousey will give up pleading for its life, only to plead to be put out of its misery. Your cat adores the position its in, and obviously gets off on this. I dont know if its a sexual thing - have you ever seen the cat ejaculate on the mouse during this behaviour? Either way, your cat is a sociopath, so you have two options. You have to confront the cat. If it is genuinely remorseful, perhaps keep all this on the down low and offer to pay for flights out of the country. If the confrontation turns sour, your own life may be at risk so you'll have to contact the authorities. I really feel for you in this situation, hope it all works out.

Thanks there Sigmund for your insight. Don't call us we'll call you.

MsFifers

This behaviour is the one thing I really hate about cats - they just find live "toys" the most fun and don't kill them because they get more craic from them when they try to run away. I guess cats don't have the empathy gene.

The worst was a few weeks ago I woke up to find the kitten from next door under my bed torturing a live mouse. :eek:

Haven't left the bathroom window open since.

Archimedes wrote: »

To be honest, I think there are some very deep-rooted issues that you and your cat need to address.

I think thats the case between most cats and their owners!

peasant

Stop feeding the cat and it will despatch mice rather quickly from now on as it won't have the luxury of playing with "food" any more.

ukgalwaymcguire

peasant wrote: »

Stop feeding the cat and it will despatch mice rather quickly from now on as it won't have the luxury of playing with "food" any more.

very apt op name... DONT stop feeding your cat, one they can pick up all kind of nastys from rodents and its not nice really for a cat.

i breed bengals and i have one who gos out who was constantly getting mice and bringing them in the house, she would play with it until it was basically not moving then leave it ( cow)
its as others have said its just play, big cats do it after they have killed sometimes
think the funniest thing i have ever seen is a cat trying too get a mole,
up pops the mole cat ready pounces, mole goes down the hole, cat puts head in, no mole,, cat looks completly pis**ed off and confused
mole pops up again,,, this went on for over an hour lol..:)

Whispered

ukgalwaymcguire wrote: »

very apt op name... DONT stop feeding your cat, one they can pick up all kind of nastys from rodents and its not nice really for a cat..:)

I would imagine peasant was joking?

junkyard

That's the main reason I'd never have a cat, killing machines, I hate the things tbh.

bigpinkelephant

anto-t wrote: »

its a game to them... most of the time my cat brings something to the door bird mouse rabbit...

saying that the morning i opened the door to the naghbours white rabbit on the mat and himself walking in was a bit weird

Your cat gets rabbits? I have a rabbit and none of the cats have any interest in him whatsoever. He's not afraid of them either, goes bounding over to them and they run off.

Having said that my cats have been brought up with rabbits since they were babies and vice versa.

CtrlSource

junkyard wrote: »

That's the main reason I'd never have a cat, killing machines, I hate the things tbh.

Same goes for many dog breeds too though

junkyard

My dogs only attack intruders.;) And I'm ok with that.