Best Pet Articles
Search

Your Cat The Hunter

Web Search

Many cat owners believe that their good little kitty would not even dream of going hunting.

After all, their cat is loved and well fed. Why should their pet bother hunting down birds, mice and other wildlife? If a domestic cat has any access at all to the outside world then it will hunt, no doubt about it, it's all part of being a cat.

Here are some of the myths and old wives tales about cats and hunting.

Pet cats are just too lazy to hunt.

In no way is this true, domestic cats may sleep away two thirds of their day but they are shallow sleepers and alert to all sound, and movements, that take place around them. Cats are designed to use high levels of energy in relatively short bursts, and then rest to recuperate.

A cat that is well fed will not hunt.

This is simply untrue. A cat will hunt whether it is hungry or not, hunting is an instinctive need within your cat. The fact is a well fed and healthy cat is more likely to be an effective hunter of prey, than an ill fed feral cat.

Cats that have been declawed will not hunt.

This is a misconception. A cat that has been deprived of its claws will use its front legs to give a paralyzing blow to its prey, and then, as any cat does, use its powerful jaws and needle sharp teeth to bite its victims neck. Declawing a cat for this reason would be pointless - in any event declawing is a cruel and unnecessary process.

Domestic cats prefer hunting mice to hunting birds.

Cats are opportunistic hunters and in metropolitan areas where rodent populations are kept under control, the most plentiful supply of prey is birds. In country areas some studies have shown that birds make up only twenty percent of a domestic cats prey. You may see cats catching more birds than mice, voles and rats, this is because the birds are prey that is available during the daytime, rodents are usually caught at night.

Kittens must be shown how to hunt by their mother.

Only partly true. Kittens are born with a natural hunting instinct, but if the mother cat is on hand to teach her kittens the necessary skills, they will be able to become more proficient hunters.

About The Author

Larry Chamberlain is a lifelong lover of cats and lives in London England. He is the webmaster and owner of http://www.best-cat-art.com. If you have a pet related web site and you wish to reproduce the above article you are welcome to do so, provided the article is reproduced in its entirety, including this resource box and live link to http://www.best-cat-art.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

San Francisco Chronicle

The healing power of pets
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 14 hours ago
Over the years, a plethora of data has been collected on the larger role dogs and other pets play in the health of people all over the world. ...


Holiday feasts are not for pets
Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 13 hours ago
You’ll see our warnings about feeding repeatedly because around this time of year, every year, we see pets brought in with very preventable illnesses caused ...


Officials offer amnesty for exotic pets Saturday
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL - 35 minutes ago
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will conduct one of its "pet amnesty days" on Saturday at the Jacksonville Zoo. ...
FWC to hold Pet Amnesty Day at Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens Chipley Florida Online Newspaper - Foster Folly News
Jacksonville Journal Florida Times-Union
all 3 news articles


Heartworm Disease Prevention Protects Pets, Wallets
MarketWatch - 15 hours ago
BATAVIA, Ill., Nov 19, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The American Heartworm Society strongly urges pet owners to continue year-round heartworm prevention ...


HOLIDAY SHOPPING GOES TO THE DOGS!
Seattle Post Intelligencer - 7 hours ago
It's all to benefit the Seattle Humane Society and there will be professional holiday-themed photos for pets and their owners, several pets available for ...
Pet Food Bank helps four-legged friends in need Issaquah Press
all 2 news articles


Pets Feeling the Tough Economy
KWCH, KS - 7 hours ago
Caring for pets however, is getting tougher. Many Americans simply can't afford the costs. And area vets say they've noticed a change over the past few ...


Pet Scoop: Christmas Market event is just for the pets
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN - 1 hour ago
By Cindy Wolff (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal Even though we haven't celebrated Thanksgiving, there are already holiday events to do with your pets. ...


Tales from Paw Print City: Senior living options opt-in pets
Northwest Voice, CA - 8 hours ago
With the increasing integration of pets into the lives of people and ever-mounting evidence for the benefits of having pets in our lives, it makes sense ...


Copycats exhibit weird behavior, pets prone to infection need medicine
Norman Transcript, OK - 1 hour ago
If I try to pet him when he does this, he meows loudly. He does this for a couple of minutes then jumps down and licks his privates. ...


Pets also victims of a bad economy
KTKA.com, KS - 7 hours ago
As the country slips into an economic tailspin, some pets are getting more TLC than others. Veterinarians say some pet owners are cutting back on ...

Pets - Google News

home | site map | SubArticle
© 2008