Questions about cats

PapaFrita

PapaFrita

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Dumas is 7mths old. He shows little if any inclination to catch anything although will play with something that has died of natural causes and can be seen to stalk pigeons rather half-heartedly. He WILL however, chase dogs away!
Sooo, at what age do cats start to catch things? Might it be that he catches and eats the evidence? Is it enough for him to just be around in order to deter rodents?
My cats in the UK hardly ever seemed to catch anything either, but then again once they arrived the tack room stopped smelling of mouse wee!
Ideas anyone?
 
he is prob just not bringing the evidence home !!! mine scares dogs off and occassionaly brings bread home for us (obviously thinks we do not eat enough!!)

we know she catches things but rarely brings them home. Him being around is prob doing the job aswell !!!
 
Don't think cats normally leave much evidence of their killing, except maybe the odd head!! Although my brother-in-laws cat did once bring home a frozen chicken!!!
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I'd say my cats were a good 10 or 11 months old before they perfected their killing skills, so I wouldn't worry.
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I think it depends on the cat. One of mine was a ferral so pretty much as soon as she was allowed outside she was hunting, killing and eating (whole) all sorts! My other little cat always seemed a bit useless as a hunter, like yours he would play with dead mice etc and try and chase birds but never actually managed to catch anything. I catch him with the occasional rabbit or mouse these days, but Im not convinced hes hasnt robbed it off the other cat and is trying to pass it off as his own!
 
Like Tia, I wouldn't worry too much yet...7 months old is still quite young and tbh they can still be honing their hunting skills on worms, insects, leaves etc at that age. Don't make the mistake of thinking that a starving hungry cat makes a better hunter than a properly fed one...loads of expert advice and evidence that underlines the fact that the chase/kill instinct of todays domestic cats is triggered by more than just hunger. One last thought, is mogglet wormed, well etc? Could it be lethargy due to not feeling 100%? Maybe a check by the vet? Don't know if you get feline Immuno Deficiency virus in where you are but it is a deadly, highly contageous virus in the UK and is prevalent amongst strays/feral cats. x
 
Depends on the cat - our male brought home mice/frogs from about 4 months blackbirds and a pigeon from about 5 months

Don't get one morning a week where brekkie isn't brought in for us!
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Our female cat couldn't ever catch anything but a cold. When male brings still live mice/voles/moles etc in she just sits and watches them - no attempt to catch and vet aged her at around 5 when we rescued her. We don't know her history and may well have been a house cat that wasn't played with as she doesn't seem to even know how to do that. She's good at eating and sleeping though
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Lucky you! I spent most of Friday night trying to catch a bat that was flying round our house after our cat bought it in! Having said that I have 2 cats both girls Polly is our hunter Frogs Bats & Squirrels! Jezobel on the other hand will not eat meat ( she only eats crunchies ) & looks at Polly with disapproving horror every time she brings something in.
 
I wouldn't worry a bit. My current guys are 6 months old now. Joey has brought me a mouse (live) but only the one. Phoebe seems more interested in bugs - spiders, daddy-long-legs, wasps!!!!

I've had cats all my life and they've varied so much. You only have to watch to see how their stalking skills vary so widely. 2 cats I had years ago - one was all stealth and tact from the minute he was allowed outside, the other was a great big, stupid lump of ginger fur, but he eventually, somehow mastered the art of sneaking up on things.

They'll figure it out in the end, but like most other people have said, they don't always bring their 'presents' home.

And anyway they're ALWAYS worth having around - if nothing else they're much better value than, say, a TV license :-)
 
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