Your pets

Guldbamsen wrote: Dean wrote: Guldbamsen wrote: I know what you mean, but it is in their nature. I read somewhere, that the only animals who kill for sport are humans, cats and a few primate species. I don't think cats kill for sport, even though we see them "play" with what they catch, they kill for food because they are predators. In the wild cats do not eat every day, which is why they sleep so much, also as kittens they learn to hunt by playing with prey their parents catch for them before eating it. In domesticating cats we keep them in an adolescent state and feed them regularly which screws around with their natural instincts - they act both as fully grown cats and as kittens, so they continue to "play" but rarely eat what they catch because they're not hungry. I think you're right. Also when you see natural films about wild big cats - you often see these macabre scenes where the mother of these small kittens catches whatever prey and brings it back to them. This is obviously a lesson on how to kill and how to hunt.  Many of our pets never experience the full training, because they are sold before any kind of bond has developed between parent and child. Plus, the parent could be a "victim" of the same procedure, as to which there is no real rebound. Of course they have instincts, but the swift clean kill is something that is taught methinks. There might be a few exceptions to this I gather though... On another note, there are indeed many animals who play around with their prey. Killer whales play tennis with sea lions fx. Looks absolutely gruesome.

 I'd like to add that when prey is brought home to you it is most likely your cat trying to teach you... You should be hunting these things and it's their way of showing you whats out there and what you should go and find for yourself. Mommy cat does this routinely with her kittens. Starting with dead prey and after kitty takes an interest moving to the half dead prey. Since you never show any interest except for trashing it you are never promoted to half dead things :) The quick kill thing is mostly instinctual I believe. This I know from bringing kittens home and raising them as barn cats. They grow up and learn to hunt just fine with no parenting.

Guldbamsen wrote: I know what you mean, but it is in their nature. I read somewhere, that the only animals who kill for sport are humans, cats and a few primate species.

I don't think cats kill for sport, even though we see them "play" with what they catch, they kill for food because they are predators. In the wild cats do not eat every day, which is why they sleep so much, also as kittens they learn to hunt by playing with prey their parents catch for them before eating it. In domesticating cats we keep them in an adolescent state and feed them regularly which screws around with their natural instincts - they act both as fully grown cats and as kittens, so they continue to "play" but rarely eat what they catch because they're not hungry.

Spike will take down a rabbit, and then devour all but the tail and "innards". I arrived home one evening a few weeks ago to see a white van parked by my house with the driver searching the hedgerow with a torch. Assuming we was looking for something that had fallen off his van, I parked up and strolled down the drive to see what the problem was and offered to help. He said a black and white cat darted out of the drive opposite and hit his van, but he could not find the injured cat - fearing it was Spike I grabbed a torch from the car and joined the search, but after 30 minutes no trace could be found. In the end I thanked the guy for stopping and decided to wait for Spike to limp home (if he were able - though logic dictated that if was fit enough to run away and hide he couldn't be too hurt). More than a little upset, I went inside the house to find the kitchen floor covered in blood, further adding to my distress, I frantically searched the house to no avail and then took a mop and bucket and cleaned the house before my wife returned home. I fed the other three cats and went outside again to see if I could find him - and there he was sat on the fence as right as nine-pence without a scratch on him. I can only assume the blood-stained kitchen floor was all that remained of a hapless bunny, perhaps one Spike chased into the path of the van.

The thing I don't like is when Marcel, the one of our cats who is the most dominant and "macho" of them all kills a bird and brings it home to show it off, he does't try to eat it or anything, he just wants to show that he protects the house and he is really proud of it, we shout at him that he may not do it but we can't get too angry at him, he means it well.

Marvelous creatures all!

^ Thanks. Yeah, she's quite the nougat  . Now, she looks sweet, but you'll be damning her and yourself if you walk her out. She's quite a rascal. 

Edited by Dayvenkirq - May 05 2012 at 06:32

Atavachron wrote: the adorable alarm just went off in my house, thanks a lot !

 

smartpatrol wrote: I have a cat named TJ. He's the cutest thing ever and is the most important thing in the world to me. He's about 3 human years old now. Although today we had to pop an abscess/infection in his ear with an exacto knife (yes, it was satrilised), and I hated doing that so much. Well, luckily my dad did that, but I was right next to him and it made me cry a little. We squeezed the puss out and put some poroxide on it and now he's doing fine.

Well that's part of loving them, same as with people, if you love them you have to be there for the good and for the bad.

Gerinski wrote:

the adorable alarm just went off in my house, thanks a lot !