Cat is a Killer

CeNedra

OP here. Thanks for all the discussion and debate, it gave me lots to think about.

A few points. This cat was wild and moved in with the dog when young. Maybe dropped off or maybe feral.

He befriended our dog, like cats or dislike cats we couldn't turf him out.

He is able to hunt large birds and rodents and does.

I have grown to like this fella, I did t choose him but I like him. More importantly my dog likes him and that's enough for me. The husband walked into the dog house yesterday and both cat and dog were curled up together asleep. Seems really unusual behaviour but they are company for each other.

I Have never seen him with a small bird, just crows, pigeons and rodents. A huge rat one and the cat was injured that time. The dog kills swallows by the way. If they nest in his house he catches them. They are on his turf so I don't blame him. Swallows are dirty birds anyway.

I live in the sticks. There is no containing a cat on our property. Obviously the dog is contained. How in Gods name could you control where a cat goes?

I bought a bell. I am conflicted though as I am happy to see him kill rodents, but I will give it a go.

I am a practical lady who lives on the side of the bog, I will not ever jump over a dyke with 3 kids watching on to save a half dead crow. That's madness. I laughed at that one tbh!!!!

Thanks again and I hope this cat will be ok when our dog passes on.

Irish Stones

Hi, I admit that I only read part of this long thread.
My intervention is about the collar with the bell. I'm against it for two reasons, which probbaly have been discussed already along the thread. Apologise if this is the case.
First reason, the most important, if a cat is free to roam around and has a collar, it is likely he could get harmed by his own collar. It's not unusual that cats with a collar get hung on some branch and choke to death! There are safety collars on the market, with a quick release buckle in case of hanging, it's better to check this before putting it on the cat, though I still don't trust them, they might not work when it's needed. I also witnessed more than once cats who had their jaw entangled in the collar while grooming and/or trying to remove it. In this case the cat is so scared by the situation that might run away from you, you couldn't be able to help him and the cat may die a terrible death. They also can get one of their front paws entangled in a slightly loose collar, with similar outcomes. On the other side, if the release works fine your cat will be returning home without his collar every second day. I tell you this from my personal experience.
Second reason, that ringing bell in his ears all day long everyday can drive him nuts. In his highly sensitive ears it is like having a cow bell constantly tormenting his hearing. This could lead to a stressed cat. For this reason most people buy a fine and elegant collar for their cats but remove the bell before putting it on or replace the bell with a tag with cat's name and phone number. At least it's clear that the cat has an owner and is not a stray or a feral. But the issues in the "first reason" remain.
That said, your cat is behaving as a cat. As he grows older his prey drive will be decreasing.

CaoimheSquee

We don't let our cat out without a collar (have the very one you posted OP). One reason is for the wildlife and second is just in case of any cars there is a reflective colour (she is pure black and likes to hide). I always test them before I put them on to make sure they release ok. In 5 years all been fine - our vet okays them too. In 5 years of a VERY active cat all has been well. We take it off when she comes in and honestly it doesn't seem to bother it at all - the tinkling annoys us annoys us more !

kylith

I think they get used to the tinkling. Dogs live with it all the time, after all.