Herd your cats here

[OneMoreYear]

A staff member here reports that one of her cats brought her a mouse.  Not so unusual--except that this mouse was still very much alive!  When it got loose inside the house, her other cat seemed at a loss what to do with it.  It eventually helped the boss lady to corner the mouse so that she could dispatch it.

We once had a very confused young squirrel come into the house through an open garage door. My fluffy calico looked up at the squirrel from her catbed and promptly went back to sleep. Our other cat at the time (FloppyTail) was spitting pissed at me that I blocked her from chasing it. Squirrel was successfully dispatched out through the garage again; FloppyTail stood sentry for hours afterward growling at the door.

[Volhiker78]

A staff member here reports that one of her cats brought her a mouse.  Not so unusual--except that this mouse was still very much alive!  When it got loose inside the house, her other cat seemed at a loss what to do with it.  It eventually helped the boss lady to corner the mouse so that she could dispatch it.

Our tuxedo cat, Booboo, is a cold blooded killer and everything she catches is a goner.  But my wife's first cat, a beautiful Maine coon named Whiskers, liked bringing back live game!  I didn't meet Whiskers until she was elderly but even then,  she caught mice,  chipmunks, and one time, a bat.  The bat was the most problematic in getting out of the house.  It didn't help that both my wife and I are afraid of swooping bats!

[AmLitHist]

I wish one of these girls were a cold-blooded killer, or even a half-assed hunter.  Once in a great while Little Cat will go after a spider on the kitchen floor (usually putting a paw on it, then lifting it up to see if the critter is still alive) until she gets tired of it. 

I graded from 7 a.m. - 6 Sunday evening and was toast, so naturally there was a good-sized stink bug that managed to get in and buzz around the shade of the table lamp.  I was too lazy to go after it, and LC was, too, though she wasn't shy about digging her claws into my leg as the bug would get a little too close for her comfort.

ALHS and Fela were downstairs, thus no help.  As I told them both the next day, I don't know why I keep them around, if they're not going to defend me and LC from bugs.

[the_geneticist]

I wish one of these girls were a cold-blooded killer, or even a half-assed hunter.  Once in a great while Little Cat will go after a spider on the kitchen floor (usually putting a paw on it, then lifting it up to see if the critter is still alive) until she gets tired of it. 

I graded from 7 a.m. - 6 Sunday evening and was toast, so naturally there was a good-sized stink bug that managed to get in and buzz around the shade of the table lamp.  I was too lazy to go after it, and LC was, too, though she wasn't shy about digging her claws into my leg as the bug would get a little too close for her comfort.

ALHS and Fela were downstairs, thus no help.  As I told them both the next day, I don't know why I keep them around, if they're not going to defend me and LC from bugs.

All three of ours are "the mightiest of mighty hunters" when facing bugs, cat toys, stolen hair ties, and random bits of fluff.  They are doofuses when it comes to trying to catch anything else.  Lady Jane managed to grab a bird from the feeder by leaping about 6' straight up, and immediately let it go upon landing.  She seemed confused that it flew away instead of holding still and letting her smack it.

[smallcleanrat]

I wish one of these girls were a cold-blooded killer, or even a half-assed hunter.  Once in a great while Little Cat will go after a spider on the kitchen floor (usually putting a paw on it, then lifting it up to see if the critter is still alive) until she gets tired of it. 

I graded from 7 a.m. - 6 Sunday evening and was toast, so naturally there was a good-sized stink bug that managed to get in and buzz around the shade of the table lamp.  I was too lazy to go after it, and LC was, too, though she wasn't shy about digging her claws into my leg as the bug would get a little too close for her comfort.

ALHS and Fela were downstairs, thus no help.  As I told them both the next day, I don't know why I keep them around, if they're not going to defend me and LC from bugs.

All three of ours are "the mightiest of mighty hunters" when facing bugs, cat toys, stolen hair ties, and random bits of fluff.  They are doofuses when it comes to trying to catch anything else.  Lady Jane managed to grab a bird from the feeder by leaping about 6' straight up, and immediately let it go upon landing.  She seemed confused that it flew away instead of holding still and letting her smack it.

hahaha

When Maestro pounces on a toy, he can take ages finding just the right direction and angle of attack. Pounces are often preceded by some of the longest kitty butt wiggles I've ever seen. A real prey animal would have been long gone.

A while back I had a nightmare in which cats had become illegal for some reason. Armed forces were going door-to-door forcing people to surrender their cats for destruction. SO and I saw them coming up our street and were desperately trying to convince Maestro to make a break for it into the woods. He kept looking at us with confusion. "What, me? Live in the wild? On my own?" I woke up just as we were coming to the despair of realizing our pampered little critter was probably doomed.

I told SO it's time to get him chipped, because losing this cat would be a real life nightmare.

I've toyed with the idea of leash-training Maestro so he could enjoy some outdoors time. I want him to experience trees and birds and squirrels - get the full feline experience. But SO had a frightening episode of almost losing a cat during a cross-country move when she slipped out of her harness at a rest stop and nearly ran off for good. So he is adamant the cat can only leave the apartment when secured in a carrier.

[mamselle]

Those little hulas they do before pouncing are indeed funny.

Getting Maestro chipped is a very good idea.

So many more "lost kitty" stories end up happily when the chip is read and the owner is found.

Glad you're all three having fun together.

M.

[the_geneticist]

Yes, the feline butt wiggle is hilarious!
I like to tease mine "Do REAL panthers wiggle theirs butts out hunting?"

I also support getting Maestro chipped.  And update the information any time you move or change phone numbers.  If you haven't already, get a cat-safe collar with his name and your phone number on it.  Much easier to find and return a cat that is obviously an owned pet.

[Larimar]

+1 to the microchip. All four Larimar cats have them. They can save critters' lives. Collars are all very well, but not all cats will tolerate them. I've known several cats who couldn't abide collars, and who found very creative ways to slip out of or break them. They cannot break or lose a microchip.

[smallcleanrat]

+1 to the microchip. All four Larimar cats have them. They can save critters' lives. Collars are all very well, but not all cats will tolerate them. I've known several cats who couldn't abide collars, and who found very creative ways to slip out of or break them. They cannot break or lose a microchip.

We'll probably try a collar and tag as well. I haven't had much luck with getting him to come on command, but I have taught him the name of his favorite kitty treat. So I know if he's ever lost but nearby, I can sing out the name of that treat to get him to come running. At least, that's the hope. It never fails at home.

SO and I are close friends with another couple who recently had to put down their dog of eleven years. He was their first fur baby as a couple and he'd been with them almost since the beginning of the relationship. This is heartbreaking for them. SO and I were very fond of him as well, so the mood here has been a bit somber.

When we got the news, SO turned to Maestro and said, "You stay with us for a good long time, you hear me?"

Maestro got extra treats and skritches that night. He was puzzled but pleased.

[clean]

Do any of your kitties have Christmas Trees to play in/with?

In the olden days, our kitties would bat the balls, and sleep on top of the boxes.

We had to move the candy canes to higher levels as the dog was  helping himself. 

(The dog had to have a stocking gift, rather than an under tree gift as he was able and willing to open his own presents and not willing to wait for Christmas to start)

[mamselle]

The first year I lived with my kitten I had to guy wire the tree into the window sill.

She loved to climb and would have had it down in no time.

M.

[FishProf]

In a previous feline iteration, I had kittens that precluded ornaments on the lower 4ft of the tree.  The would fling themselves into the tree and tumble down knocking everything off.  Then they would do it again.  And again. At 4am.

[OneMoreYear]

One of my childhood cats loved Christmas trees. From the moment it was set up in the house, she claimed a spot on the tree-skirt and hung out under the tree all day. She did not attempt to climb it or bat the ornaments, but the tree was her happy place.
We haven't put up a tree since adopting our current kitties. I'm confident Ricochet would be at the top of it.

[Catherder]

Speaking of hunters, yesterday Daughter's Cat had a run in with a bat that had somehow invaded their basement apartment.

Major crisis. It involved a trip by public transport to the vet, a refusal of a rabies booster by the vet, apparently because the cat had given my daughter a tiny scratch, orders to quarantine the cat for 10 days, and instructions to contact the local public health authority.

This despite no evidence that the cat had been bitten or scratched by the bat (which escaped the way in came in).

My poor daughter is in panic state because she adores her puss. But the puss is eating and playing as usual.

[onehappyunicorn]

My wife has a love for clear glass ornaments so the tree is closed off in the sitting room with no kitties allowed. The cats were very excited when we brought the tree in and they maintain a deep disappointment that they aren't allowed to run amok.