Cats killing chipmunks...neighbors complaining...

ABT, even if they're honing their skills, what is it that makes cats play with their food? I mean, I've read some terrible stories of cats torturing animals. One I'm thinking of, and I can't remember if I read it here or elsewhere, was a cat that carried a mouse in and dunked it in its water, and when the mouse popped up out of the water, the cat would take its paw and push it back in, then release it to let it get itself back up, and then push it in again. What is that about?

Kimmy, I'm sorry to hear you have so many neighbors who don't like cats. Aren't cats currently the #1 pet in the United States? They were for a while, anyway.

Love Gilda Radner...!
And, yes, Maven, they DO torture their prey! I have watched in dismay as they frolick with a mole or chipmunk, only to leave it uneaten on the porch or deck.
I talked to the vet about this and asked her if putting a bell on the cats would help, and she thought it would. I'm going to try!
Patty

I hope it works!

seeker

The animal control person must be terribly bored to come out to save rodents from being eaten by cats!

All instinctural behaviour. It appears they are playing but they are not. They are honing timing skills.

As for taking from nature. There is nothing natural about not allowing the natural killing of animals by any other animals . Actually, the more rightful thing for ALL of the animals is to allow them all to live the way God intended them to. That entails the cats outdoors, killing for food and the chipmunks running for their lives. This is what animal rights intends...for the animals to live as they were intended to and that means that the cats should be allowed to live as their instincts tell them to. You cannot be a good animals rights activist and choose one animal over another. You have to be for all animals equally and therefore, in our animal kingdom, it entails knowing some must die to feed others. Just like bugs must die to feed birds, we must treat bugs as equals to the birds and like the birds must die to feed the cats...etc.

We cannot pick and choose because we are animal lovers. For it is because we are animal lovers, that we understand that they must be free to live as God and nature intended them all to live,,,,not just some of them. We cannot pick and choose because we have an agenda. It is not how society works...

Imagine how your community would feel if one human species were allowed to die or would have to stay indoors because human rights activists said that should be so, but others should be allowed all special rights because they are....'chipmunks' so to speak. Ok this is starting to make no sense I think but it does make perfect sense to me.

Just remember that we should not pick and choose. We are either pro animal rights or not. All for one and one for all....not some.

ABT

Thank you Zen and Amature!! Here's to ALL animals and here's to bored animal controls people!!

Happy days are here again.

patty, remember Butch? we can't pick our neighbors, but we can choose how we handle our own stuff. you hang in there, woman.....love you........pat

Thanks all of you for you feedback on this problem!
I am keeping the cats in more and they are still protesting, but in the past when I've done this, they do settle down, and seem to like being inside more. I'll still let them out in the later hours, and also go look for catproof bell collars!
Thanks and love ya!
Patty

At this point I feel I should lock this thread.