Understanding cats.

Don't think I will ever understand how their minds work.
Not my cat's, just the neighbourhood's cats.
We have this Persian type moggy around that is a real hunter, it started hiding in the under growth and suddenly dashes out and grabs young starlings.
I saw it get one yesterday and shouted at it, it ran off with the bird.

So I blocked off the area so it couldn't hide there.
I was just doing a bit on the allotment a few minutes ago, I turned round and there was a dead magpie on the path behind me.

Never saw or heard the cat.
Almost like saying, I can still catch them what ever you do.

 

It is not possible to understand cats, although I think I can understand why they kill things. It must be a thing from when they were wild and had nobody to feed them.
What I don't understand is why my cat catches field mice, brings them in the house, lets them go in the living room, and then tries to catch them again.
And why does she sit by her food dish meowing, and waits for me to put food down for her, and then runs down the garden instead of eating it.

 

We have had many birds brought in, even a baby owl we caught in the sink.. We had a rabbit much bigger than the cat dragged through the cat flap once. We have had mice and rats. The favourite catch is geckos (often tailless), cicadas and crickets. Munchkin likes anything that moves, Van is fond of geckos. Also had a baby snake. We rescue the majority and put them in the orchard ... two geckos this week so far. Cats are doing what comes naturally ... not that I approve! A few catches ...

 

It's a killer, I saw it actually jump up 4ft, onto the bird table and drag a magpie to the ground, that time bird got away in the scuffle.

 

Some cats prefer to play rather than kill outright, I think some may have lost the real killer instinct.
Bit like most dogs, if you run they will chase you, once they have caught you the game is over.
Unless you get a bad one.

 

Statistics on the average house cat from Wikipedia:
"Cats average about 23–25 cm (9–10 in) in height and 46 cm (18 in) in head/body length (males being larger than females), with tails averaging 30 cm (12 in) in length.
This means the average cat will be 46 cm / 18 inches in body length, and thus that:
The average cat can jump approximately 2.3 m (7.5′) to a whopping 2.76 m (9′)!!"

This is true with almost every cat that has lived with us. I did watch Munckin eat a gecko the other day ... I couldn't rescue it! I have never seen Van eat one, just play with it. Cats often just eat the heads off mice and leave the body behind.

They were presents from various past cats. All of those lived (I don't photograph the deceased ones). The little owl was unharmed and happily flew into a nearby tree. We try to retrieve catches as quickly as possible ... especially the screaming bunnies.

 

Lucky we don't have a problem with cats, only now and again one or two come in. CCTV is very good when one gets hit, funny thing is that when you watch the cctv back the vehicles never brack and the cat alway run the wrong way, no road sence

 

Too true! When we were looking for this house, it was a condition we were nowhere near the road. We are 200 meters down a dirt lane from the two lane road and only a couple of vehicles pass us daily. Although we did have one killed on that road some years ago aged 11 months. Although she was spayed she was a Lady of the Night! Munch and Van like sitting on the gatepost and watch the tractor to and fro.

 

My girl strutted very proudly across the living room carpet - with a magpie in her mouth....which she'd got in through the cat flap. When I pulled out the chair she'd taken it behind....she jumped, dropped the magpie - which was then flying round the living room. I can't do birds....they flap and peck....I opened the kitchen and conservatory doors and thank goodness the bird flew out, hotly persued by very indignant cat. She also catches - and eats - frogs, mice, slow worms. She's a scaredy cat when it comes to people other than me.....she's a rescue who had had a very bad experience. Love her lots....and keep door between living room and hallway firmly closed when she's outside, in case of still-mobile gifts.....