cats vs rats

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rob_van_riel
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cats vs rats

Post by rob_van_riel »

My cats take their jobs as rodent control officers very serious, if the amount of spare parts I find is any indication. And it's just that, parts, since they make an effort to eat what they kill (some kills are too large for the stomachs though, to the noticable distress of the cats). With one notable exception: rats just get executed, never eaten. Not a byte.

What I don't get, is why? They'll eat anything, so why not rats. Rats seem to be the only things they hunt and kill for sheer kicks. Any theories, anyone?
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Gregers
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Re: cats vs rats

Post by Gregers »

Possibly that they see rats as more 'enemy' than prey. Large for a rodent and a challenger for resources. When I lived in Methley my house backed onto a farm yard and my two cats regularly went there hunting rats, rarely did they bring them home though and like your cat, never eaten. Mice and voles they did bring home, sometimes still alive which caused much amusement for the cats watching our attempts at catching them.

All the best.

Greg
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iggie
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Re: cats vs rats

Post by iggie »

Now you mention it, the only rat our cat has brought in was still alive, and she showed no signs of wanting to do anything to it other than leave it on the mat for us to deal with.....mice on the other hand get terminated with much prejudice almost exclusively. Strange......

The only exception for dead mice ended up living with us for a year in a spare cage we had, and was named Lucky :grin:
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Jim
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