Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: JackSpratt on June 23, 2007, 12:16:04 PM
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My oldest tom has just come in making his "I've got you a present" noise. I went to see what the fuss was about and found him looking very proudly at me with a dead baby bird in his mouth. :scared:
He dropped it for me and let me pick it up. It's unmarked but definately dead.
I've put it in a container to bury it later.
I was just wondering what everyones reactions were to presents from their cats? I find myself trying to explain to my old tom that I don't want any more pets! :shy: (He's the only one that really brings anything in.) I never really tell him off, as I feel it's part of his nature and I'd be telling him off for basically working on instinct. What does everyone else do?
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I dont tell mine off either - its natural !
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Very natural. Even though Menue had just "eaten" my hamster, I didn't shout at her even though I was upset.
My dad's cat, Gerry, keeps bringing home baby rabbits and tormenting them to death before anyone can catch the rabbit. It's kinda sad I guess but natural for cats to hunt and bring presents.
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My Harry likes to bring the prezzies home alive! If all is well and they can still fly I manage to catch them and set them free. If its dead obviously nothing can be done but I take them away from him anyway, if it is dead he just brings it home and leaves it, he doesn't eat them.
He has had a few birds some being lucky and some not so. He brought a bird and I had to take it to the vets to be PTS it was paralysed. He brought in another and put it down on the floor, I thought it was dead so went over to move it and just heard this big heckle noise and the poor thing started coughing blood, it was awful! I just had to leave the room and let it die. :(
Now Macey she is a breath of fresh air :) She likes to bring me feathers and long bits of grass which I can most definitely cope with. I watched her one night coming down the street, across the road and she came in the house with a bit of grass for me. I just say aww thanks babes and give her a good stroke. :)
I also say thanks to Harry and give him a stroke but I'm not really that pleased. :sick:
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Swap it for something more appetising.
Although the time my cat ate my neighbour's canary that I was baby sitting (opened the cage door and removed bird for christmas dinner) I was a little vexed. But what can you do?
Went to enormous lengths to get replacement matching canary only to be told (having paid a premium price) that my neighbour was rather sick of the bird anyway....... :-:
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Wee I guess its natural but got fed up of all the dead mice recently and a dead bird, not even a sparrow but some sorta black and white headed finch, never seen one in garden and guess I never will now >:(
I dont get crosss with them,how could I ;D
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Rescued a baby sparrow from Meg's jaws the othe day, but most of the time they kill them for fun - poor things. The only time I wasn't pleased was when Meg brought in a bird, still very much alive and had to show it to me in my bedroom - that was fun trying to catch a bird flying round the bedroom! Have had frogs too - and I'm not keen on them!!! But it's only nature, although I love birds and wish they wouldn't kill so many!
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I've had frogs [alive] in the kitchen but generally my lot go for the birds, Dave's the worst culprit so I've fitted his collar with a huge bell which apparently does cut down on bird/mammal fatalities.
I know it's natural for them to hunt but it does make me cross. I don't tell him off though...if I call him he'll come trotting over with the bird in his mouth and either drop it on the floor or let me take it from him. I've saved 3 so far that way but even if the bird's dead I give him a little stroke just so he'll keep coming back when I call. The worst is when they're dying - I lay them on a towel in a cat carrier and then put that in the shed where it's quiet and away from the cats.
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Before I got cats this time around I used to see fledglings slowly perishing every year. Although the cats play with them before killing them, I think it's a quicker death for the birds than just wasting away. That doesn't mean I like it of course, but it's a bit less upsetting.
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I've found it is important not to make a big thing out of it and go chasing them round the kitchen because they then stay well clear of you and its impossible to get the creature off of them. I just keep my voice super calm and very casually go to them and remove it with no fuss at all usually.Usually armed with a plastic sandwich box
My next door neigbour has traumatised one of my cats so badly that she won't eat off any plate or bowl now , She drags her food off onto the carpet or lino Grrrrrrrr
he obviously caught her eating something off his worktop or plate and frightened the bejeezus out of her. :censored:
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I normally approach my cat say "thank you" in a slightly sarcastic tone and he drops it for me. If it's alive it's put in a tank to regain its composure before release and if its dead I bury it. (Yup, I bury it. I tried putting them in the bin but felt mean!)
Out of the four, the oldest tom appears to be the only one that brings me presesnts. Parsley didn't care much for hunting either.
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I bury the dead mice and birds too and sadly have quite a grave yard of mice :'(