![]() Young cats refine their hunting behavior by watching their mother hunt and going with her on practice hunts. At the very least, the prey will be stunned, giving the cat an opportunity to deliver the killing bite.Īnother reason that cats may play with their prey is that they have little experience with hunting. But this technique may cause the prey to fall to the ground forcefully, and its bones may break. Only when the prey is subdued will the cat go in for the killing bite and sever the spinal cord.Ĭats may toss their prey into the air, which may appear playful. By wearing down their prey until it is exhausted, the cat has a better chance of avoiding injury. Birds’ beaks are pointy and can cause damage, too. Mice and rats have sharp incisor teeth that can bite and injure your cat. But in reality, the cat is tiring out the animal until it’s safe to go in for the killing bite. ![]() When a cat bats around its prey after the initial pounce, it may seem like they want to “play” with their catch. Indoor cats hunt, too, but their prey is toy mice or balls, which your cat may deliver to you as a gift, even though the toys can’t be eaten. They are sharing the bounty of their hunt, just as their mother may have done with them when they were kittens. Why does my cat bring animals or birds as a gift?ĭoes your kitty drop “gifts” of dead mice on the doorstep? (Or worse, a mouse that is still alive!) This may be a sign that your cat considers you a part of their family. Therefore, your cat may hunt even if you provide easy access to nutritious food. Your little furball may not need wild prey for survival, but their hunting instincts are powerful. If a cat waited until they were desperately hungry to hunt, they might be too weak to capture prey. In the wild, cats hunt all the time, even if they are not hungry, because they never know when their next meal will come. Hunting comes as naturally to a cat as eating and sleeping. Therefore, they retain their ancestral hard-wired hunting behavior. Why does my cat hunt if they are well-fed?ĭomestic cats have not been selectively bred as much as dogs have. The cat’s sharp canine teeth pierce the spinal cord and the powerful jaw crushes the windpipe. In both cases, the prey is killed with a bite to the throat. ![]() They’ll hide, wait patiently for the right moment, and leap onto their prey. When the cat is within striking distance, they’ll spring forward onto the prey. These cats locate their prey, then crouch low to the ground and slowly creep toward their prey. Many felines use the “stalk and pounce” technique to hunt their prey. But your pet cat’s hunting technique is very similar to that of a lion, leopard, bobcat, or mountain lion. Their prey is not a large antelope, obviously, but something more appropriately sized like a songbird or mouse. Your cat is a scaled-down version of that African leopard. After a brief high-speed chase, she brings down her prey with a powerful swat of her front paw and delivers a killing bite to the antelope’s throat. With a wriggle of her hindquarters, the leopard springs forward. Every muscle is tensed, and she is laser-focused on an antelope grazing nearby. ![]() Picture a leopardess crouched on the African savannah. Indoor cats employ hunting techniques in their everyday life through play. Domestic cats that live outdoors will act on their hunting instincts by capturing mice, voles, birds, or even rabbits. These expert hunters are your cat’s direct ancestors! These domesticated kitties were not pets – they had to find their own food every day. The cats were kept by people to kill mice and other pests that ate farmers’ stored grain. Over many centuries, small species of wild cats developed relationships with humans. Wild cats hunt other animals so they can eat the meat and feed themselves and their young. Cats are born with all the equipment they need for hunting: sharp teeth, lightning-fast reflexes, excellent nighttime vision, superior hearing, and speed, power, or cooperative hunting strategies, depending on the species. Keep cats inside at high prey activity timesĪll cats, wild and domestic, belong to the animal group known as felines.Make feeding time interesting and nutritious.Make your outdoor cat noisy and colorful.Redirect cat hunting behavior through play.What are the health risks for cats that hunt?.Why does my cat bring animals or birds as a gift?.Why does my cat hunt if they are well-fed?.Feline hunting strategies and techniques.
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