My cat just brought home a small dead bird

[baby_bear]

Am I wrong to be angry with him? He left it in shreds on my back door.

I shut my cat in the bedroom for over an hour. I had to go out and pick up the bird and dispose of the poor thing.

I feel very conflicted right now. Not sure I want to sleep with my cat tonight...

But, he doesn't understand.

It sure ruined my day/holiday.

s_m

[mmm]

1. you should have praised him

This was a great honor.
You should be scolded.
Let that cat out and give him EXTRA kitty feast.

[Booberdawg]

2. He thinks he did you a favor and brought you a present

It's what cats do. Instinctive.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

3. Your cat was just following instinct

That's what they were made to do. Obviously, your cat sees it as a contribution to the household.

[mitchum]

4. We've just returned home to our three cats after two days away

They were left inside with plenty of food, water, etc. Within 30 minutes of being let outside, one of them brought a freshly killed mole to the doorstep. This particular cat averages one kill a day (unless I can thwart her) While the dead bird was upsetting, please don't be upset with your cat. It's what cats do.

[aquart]

5. How could you?

There he was, pulling his weight, contributing to the household. A fine and mighty hunter.

You shouldn't have a cat if you want a vegetarian peacenik. It's not the cat who doesn't understand here.

You blew it.

[mmm]

6. You are angry and claim the cat does not understand...

Indeed, it is you who does not understand the cat.
All cats are perfect hunting and killing machines.
The reason cats bring you their prey is debatable, but all
explanations cast the cat in the most honorable light.

By the way, house cats should be kept in the house.
Big time.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. You should feel honored

the cat shared with you his take... this is an honor and I am not
even a cat person...

This is normal pryde behavior... poor kitty, he must be confused...

Now I will keep my conure away from kitty though

[mmm]

8. Sleep with your cat tonight...

he is a very good boy.

[baby_bear]

9. You are all so open-minded

I just went out and buried the bird. My cat was shut in the bed room (with cat box). I find it very difficult. There are feathers all over my back porch. The cat now wants to get out there and I am snubbing him.

I guess I am ignoring nature/reality. But fergawdsake, I give him so much food, he doesn't need a damn bird.

Just makes me cry, to be honest.

s_m

[BlackVelvetElvis]

11. I'm sorry

Cats have to hunt. You can't undo thousands of years of breeding. It doesn't matter how much food you give him. Ever watch kittens play? Almost all of it is about learning skills to hunt with.

[Liberal Veteran]

18. It's kinda hard to see the Mr. Hyde side of our furry freinds...

...but it's what cats do.

I had an outdoor cat growing up that was walking around with a live young rabbit in her mouth and had to nurse it back to health and free it.

I knew it was natural, but I felt so sorry for the bunny she caught.

[pansypoo53219]

27. if you do not want to deal with dead things

make him an indoor cat.
i don't want to deal with dead things, ESPECIALLY a dead cat, as i live on a busy street. but i always had indoor cats. and they can kill all the centenpedes they want.

[mouse7]

10. Don't bitch... it can't have Mad Cow.

Considering how much stuff by-products from cattle processing go into, at least you're sure you have an uncontaminated food source.

Use some garlic to cover the gaminess and you'll be fine.

[NashVegas]

13. No, But There Are Other Things to Worry About

Birds and small creatures pick up plenty of diseases.

A relative's cat once got 'Songbird fever' and nearly died.

It's a tough call these days, whether to have an indoor or outdoor cat.

My old queen used to bring home everything from snakes to Blue Jays and lived to a ripe old age. I would praise her kills all the while I scooped them up and brought them to the garbage.

[carpetbagger]

12. Cats kill 200 million-plus birds in America each year.

That's a very, very conservative estimate. The real number could be in the billions.

That's what cats do when they go out, fed or not.

He thought it was a nice Christmas present. Be honored.

[many a good man]

14. Start warming up the electric chair

after a fair trial, of course.

Sorry, I'm a bird lover and a cat...not liker for this very reason. In other words your cat is just being a cat. I guess you gotta take the good with the bad.

Do they make mouthwash for cats?

[mouse7]

23. "mouthwash for cats" remind me of roommate's dog

Stupid dog would eat ever crumb of feces it or the cat would drop in the yard... and then run up to lick your face. My roommate bent down for a welcoming face licking every day when she got home from work.

Cat kills just don't seem so bad after watching that for more than a year.

[Zuni]

15. You got a gift!

Kitty was just trying to show his appreciation and wanted to contribute to the household. My cat has brought me mice before. Remember, cats do not understand we do not want dead creatures in our house. They think bringing home a dead mouse, bird or rabbit is a great way to surprise us and show their love. Really.
Cats are hunters. Remember, they are the same as tigers, lions or panthers except they are small and sleep on our beds and sofas. They are predators by nature. They can be cute and loving but they revert to their instincts in the wild.

[Zomby Woof]

16. they're hunters

If they were fully domesticated, they'd had never survived these past few millenia since they were welcome in our homes.

We used to have a cat in Tennessee who brought us snakes he had killed (or were near death, which was always fun). We have had bird sacrifices and other prey brought to us by various cats over the years.

Luckily I have an indoor cat who brings me nothing more threatening than a wine cork - but it is just as much prey to him as the bird was to your cat.

[baby_bear]

17. Some of you guys are pretty harsh on me

Yeah, I've had cats all my life and I should understand their instincts.

And maybe I shouldn't let Rocky outside at all.

He's 15 years old and doesn't go beyond the patio.

Am I really a crummy person because I cried when I buried the bird he killed?

Maybe unrealistic. But I just feel so bad for the fallen bird, and, secondarily I suppose, whatever complicity I had it its death.

Call me naive.

s_m

[Zomby Woof]

19. mourn for the bird

That is more than quite alright!! You are allowed your humanity as much as he is allowed his felinity. :-)

I thought I was fair to you, but my poll is awfully twisted. :o

[baby_bear]

25. Yeah, your poll is twisted allright, Zomby!

What rock did you crawl out from under tonight? Not enough snow in Flagstaff to keep you occupied?

Wish you were here in Seattle to have a tall cold one with. I could use it.


:beer:

s_m

[Zomby Woof]

26. from one cat lover to another!

No dammit! Only ONE inch! Maybe more later tonight. I'd play in it, but the wind chill is 11 degrees, and spamming the Lounge is much more fun. :D

I love animals, and am soft enough to have cried for the bird too, but with cats, you just gotta forgive 'em and hope for better next time. :beer:

[carpetbagger]

39. If you are crummy, join the club.

My dog once came to the door with a yellow-rumped warbler in mouth. It couldn't fly once I made the dog drop it, and then it died 36 hours later despite my gathering plenty of the kind of food the thing eats in winter.

[Bertha Venation]

20. I'm sorry it ruined your day, moon. I'd be upset, too,

for the bird. But I'd've praised the cat. He doesn't understand being punished for doing what cats do, nor does he understand being punished for bringing you a gift.

Try not to think of the bird, and if you can't help it, think of the food chain. It's perfectly natural for your cat to have killed a bird.

Give your cat lots and lots of loving. Sleep w/ him tonight. Praise him next time.

[forgethell]

21. Yes, your'e wrong

cats will be cats. If you don't want him killing birds, or little warm fuzzy mammals, keep him inside and keep the doors shut. He'll probably still kill the occassional spider, moth, or cockroach that wander in during cold weather. we have a cat that is fantastic at this.

Cats are predators. Learn to live with it. there are no vegetarian cats.

[Zomby Woof]

22. did you read her post?

She knows about cats, and feels guilty as it is.

Then again, I am a sicko who posted a poll in poor taste, so what do I know?

[baby_bear]

31. Thanks for sticking up for me, Zomby

Some posters here don't realize it's my own guilt I'm dealing with.

Now, back to that tall cool one....


s_m

[Zomby Woof]

33. one thing I MUST say

If I didn't know you in real life, I would have NEVER posted that joke of a poll. Somehow, that makes it okay... maybe. ;-)

*Hands a Mogollon Ale to Sierra*

[forgethell]

51. I realized that, too

and I still think you are wrong to blame the cat. Keep it indoors is what I would, and do, do. I have 2 cats, currently, and have owned many more over the years.

And you shouldn't feel guilty. there is much more important stuff to feel bad about in the world. But best wishes

[forgethell]

50. Yeah, I read the post

Cats kill. OK, she's sorry for the bird. but birds get killed all the time. So do cats. so do people. It's OK to be sorry for the bird, but it is wrong to blame the cat, and punish it. It's a cat.

[dreissig]

24. Blame Humans, Not Cats

Cats can't risk losing their ability to hunt because humanity is fickle. During the Middle Ages, cats were killed almost to extinction because they were considered "evil". What nonsense! And it had a disastrous effect for humans, too: the rats multiplied, causing the great plague.

If humans weren't given to stupid purges, cats might be able to risk finding food on their own. Blame humans, not cats.

[arewethereyet]

28. cat did what cats do. this is not a problem

actually the cat did you a high honor in making a gift of it.

Feel bad about the bird ? They don't often die of old age. And there is no proof that cat even killed it.

Worried about vermin ? Then you have an outdoor cat and not an indoor cat.

The only problem here is you. Probably need to switch to a fish if you can't deal with nature.

[baby_bear]

30. I hope you are nicer to a significant other

or even a fish, if you have one.

It might have left you by now, come to think of it.


What a meanie!

s_m

[Bertha Venation]

32. yeah, that was pretty cold

as were some of the other replies. Hope you're feeling better about kitty.

[baby_bear]

41. Yes, well, we've sort of made up

I won't let him go back outside, (he was looking at the feathers still on the porch, through the sliding glass window) but I did pet him and gave him his dinner.

He's sitting in the hall waiting for me to go to bed.

We'll be fine. It's just one of those things, I know. I'm sure he has no idea why I was/am upset. He also doesn't understand how I am determined to keep mad cow beef out of his diet! But that's another story.

We love our pets, don't we?

s_m

[arewethereyet]

36. actually all my animals love me as I understand and accept them

as they are supposed to be and love them for it.

I also love my wife as I also understand her and accept her for being as she is supposed to be. The feelings seem to be mutual.

If you find me mean I can accept that. If you refuse to accept that animals are animals how can you truely love them ?

And please do yourself a favor and never buy a horse. That attitude will get you killed.

[baby_bear]

46. I didn't know horses caught birds. Thanks for the heads up. n/t

[burrowowl]

29. Try a small rabbit

with the bile duct and liver dumped on the floor. Stains.
The cat was just doing what cats do.
The rabbit saved 2 days of cat food, she was stuffed.

[Dookus]

34. Sorry, Sierra.....

I know how bad it feels. I have three cats - one of which is a pretty accomplished hunter. I hate when he brings me "gifts", but I know he means well. I've never punished him for it.

More amusingly, my young female (6 months old) has just started hunting. Twice this week she's come in the cat door meowing up a storm - making that special "I caught something" sound that cats make. Both times I went in to see what she'd caught and it was a paper towel. She was SO proud of herself, I just hadda laugh. The funny part, is they're not MY paper towels - I don't know where she's getting them.

[baby_bear]

44. Paper towels are not a bad idea

I used to fold a paper towel into eighths and then tie a long string around it and play with my cat when he was a kitten. I supposed I was reinforcing his prey nature. Still, he sure did look cute shredding that paper towel, and it didn't make me cry or leave feathers on my porch...

I know I am hypocritical in wanting my cat to respect the life of birds and bugs, but I can't help it. I'm just a sentimental softy.

As an aside, a friend of mind told me that his roommate wants to withhold food from their communal cat so it will catch more of the mice and rats in the area where they live. I find that totally gross. (Luckily so does my friend.)

Thanks for your thoughts, Dookus. Really. This was a tough night for me!

s_m

[NJCher]

35. talk to your cat

The first time my cat killed a bird I cried my eyes out, too. Then I sat down and had a little heart to heart talk with her and told her to "gum it" with the birds. My spouse heard me and told me I was a total lunatic.

Well, from there on my cat brought birds into the house but she never punctured their little bodies. She would bring them in and they would fly around the house until I opened a window and they flew away. Usually I would lock her in the bedroom until her prize escaped.

I told my husband the cat and I had come to an understanding and he informed me the birds still had puncture wounds but I just couldn't see them. Finding the idea that I was releasing injured birds unbearable, the next few times it happened I took the birds to the Raptor Center. The Center told me both times there were no puncture wounds. They refused to believe that my cat caught the birds.


Cher

Edited to add:

p.s. and you want to talk about bird people with attitudes about cats...

[baby_bear]

42. That's such a neat story, NJCher....

A real tear-jerker, as it were...made me feel much better!
I have to admit I have not handled it well when one of my cats in my life has brought in a live bird and let it loose in the house. It's so hard to direct them back outside, and they are so terrified.

I guess Rocky and I will have to have a heart-to-heart tomorrow morning. I am too wiped out tonight.

Thanks for your story, NJCher. It's very heartening. I needed that!

s_m

[jonoboy]

37. little birdie's in heaven..don't blame pussy

[corporatewhore]

38. My cat used to bring dead mice to me

when we lived in the country. She even brought it to me when i was tstil wking up in bed!!!! i read some where when cats bring you their prey they are tryin to teach you to hunt.Relax that is a cats natrual instinct.Fell honored that he.she wanted to teach you how to hunt.

[Bertha Venation]

40. mildly funny story about a cat and a live mouse who stayed alive....

...maybe this will make you laugh.

Back when I lived in a duplex with an enclosed yard, I'd let Harry & Richard out occasionally to roam. One afternoon Harry came into the apartment with that garbled, stuffed-mouth MROWRL that can only mean one thing: the cat has brought me a present.

He had brought me several whipping lizard tails that summer, and that's what I expected to see. Instead he dropped a live, unharmed mouse at my feet. The mouse ran about ten yards across the room before Harry realized it was running. He ran after it and -- just like in a cartoon -- actually caught it by slapping his paw down on its tail. He picked it up and brought it back to me; I picked him up and took him outside. Putting him down, I praised him and petted him vigorously until he dropped the mouse again. I picked Harry up before he could chase the poor mouse again, then brought him into the house and gave him tuna.

I couldn't believe he actually caught the thing by slapping his paw on its tail....

[baby_bear]

43. That's where they got the idea for the cartoon...

That's a great story, Bertha. I can just see it, especially you carrying the cat with the mouse in its mouth. It's strange but they really don't seem to hold them harshly (whether mouse or bird). So I will remember your technique next time Rocky brings me a "live one," though I'm not exactly looking forward to it.

Thanks, you made me feel better.
:bounce:
s_m

[SheilaT]

45. Even a well fed cat will hunt.

When we first moved to the house I now live in, the cat we had then gifted me with fresh kill within hours of letting her outside the first time. I was actually quite touched that she so quickly made sure I knew she was planning on doing her share of the household chores.

One of my current cats on two different occasions has brought baby rabbits inside for me, and has looked very disappointed when I didn't kill them but instead put them back outside.

Cats hunt. It's their nature. Birds, rabbits, mice, and other small things are their prey. It is best to keep your cat indoors at all times, but if you ever let it out, then you may well have to deal with the result.

[kskiska]

47. My daughter's cat used to leave headless squirrels

right where she parked her car in the driveway. This was at a time she was rehabilitating baby squirrels who'd fallen from trees, and the cat wasn't allowed in the house.

Today I was walking her dog on a nature trail and witnessed a dog across the creek in the act of killing a raccoon. It was brutal. Like something out of "Wild Kingdom." Horrible to watch.

[baby_bear]

48. That's a horrible story, kskiska

I don't think I would let my cat out if I were rehabilitating baby squirrels; they are so tiny and vulnerable. On the other hand, raccoons are formidable; a fight between one and a dog was probably pretty brutal. You don't say what kind of dog it was, but I'm surprised the raccoon succumbed, unless the dog was mcuh larger.

Either way, not a pretty thing to contemplate. I declined to buy a house in north Seattle a few years ago because of the predominance of racoons. They are sweet to look at but not great neighbors, so I hear. Or maybe should I say, humans shouldn't encroach on their neighborhoods.

s_m

[kskiska]

49. Yeah, it was awful.

I couldn't tell the breed of dog, but it was sort of big and kept shaking the poor raccoon, then started dragging it up the steep creekbank. I had to leave. The poor animal was still moving.

My daughter's baby squirrels were in the house, so the cat had to stay outside. Her neighbor said he saw the cat kill a squirrel one day (he doesn't even like squirrels), and was repelled by the bloody massacre. Now the cat is old and has lost its teeth, thankfully.

[private_ryan]

52. cats are animals

domesticated ones (for a few thousand years) but still animals. Animals hunt...

[amazona]

53. i would be more angry with myself

If you allow your cats outdoors, they will kill birds. Period. Over a billion birds are lost each year to cats -- the majority will be baby fledglings just learning to fly. The housecat is not a natural part of the North American eco-system, and they are responsible for systematically catching the easiest prey -- the young birds just learning their way around the world.

Since it is winter, the bird killed may have been an adult which was sick or chilled, which is at least a natural happenstance.

House cats simply don't belong outside in the Americas. You can't blame a cat for acting on its instincts. But I would ask you to keep your cat indoors where it cannot catch birds. In some areas, birds will be starting to nest as early as February. At the very least, consider keeping your cat indoors February through September. Year round would be better for the health of your cat.

It is our responsibility to protect the wildlife in our area. A cat doesn't understand.

My yard is a bird sanctuary yet neighbor's cats stalk and kill birds here every year -- mostly protected species, including warblers. I have witnessed this with my own eyes. Most people will not believe the science or the testimony of witnesses. But once the cat has brought its dead to your door, I think you have to believe. Our warbler population has dropped precipitously and eventually we will have to make a choice between outdoor cats and a great many species of birds. The birds can't live inside. So it is a choice to kill many species for our convenience in cat keeping...I wish our society was otherwise but it isn't.