Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Jun 23, 2017 18:49:39 GMT -5
We had almost double our normal rainfall this year. We've got a bumper crop of weeds and grasses and therefore a bumper crop of rodents; voles, moles and our local "Dusky-footed Packrat".
My 14 year old cat has been on a tear. I cleaned up body parts from eight rodents left on the front porch and had to wash off the blood stains with soap and water in anticipation of a friend's arrival.
Remind me why I love my cat?
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msventoux
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Post by msventoux on Jun 23, 2017 18:55:54 GMT -5
Because he does his mayhem and carnage outside and doesn't toss a partially disemboweled, still alive shrew on you in bed in the middle of a very dark night? That would be unpleasant. Ask me how I know. 😡
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dee27
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Post by dee27 on Jun 23, 2017 19:14:25 GMT -5
Bonny, You are lucky except for the messy porch. The old cat is a very good hunter and keeps the rodents from encroaching on your indoor, living space.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Jun 23, 2017 19:20:32 GMT -5
Because he does his mayhem and carnage outside and doesn't toss a partially disemboweled, still alive shrew on you in bed in the middle of a very dark night? That would be unpleasant. Ask me how I know. 😡 Lol, I have a story like that. When we first moved to AZ we used to keep one of the sliders open cat-width so the cats could let themselves in and out. Our old beloved Siamese used to like to sleep with us. One night he was really active and he woke me up. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him playing with a ball-like toy with a yarn tale. Then it dawned on me that he never played with that toy. I jumped out of bed and found him tossing a dead pack rat up in the air and let it fall on the bed.
I kicked DH out of bed and said "get up, we've got to get the sheets cleaned; Nikki's been playing with a dead pack rat in our bed". DH didn't see the problem. I explained about the flea problem and he still didn't see the problem but at least he let me strip the bed and put everything in the wash. We slept in the guest bed.
After I found a dead, partially-eaten dove under the dining room we stopped leaving the sliding door open.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2017 19:21:48 GMT -5
Is your cat neutered? Why do you let it wander around at night and kill things? I guess I'm not an animal person but I've never understood people who let their at wander at night and shrug when they kill small, fuzzy animals. Not that I like rodents either, but I'd never tolerate finding their little tiny body parts on my front porch.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Jun 23, 2017 19:21:58 GMT -5
Bonny, You are lucky except for the messy porch. The old cat is a very good hunter and keeps the rodents from encroaching on your indoor, living space. If we're not careful and inspect her before she comes in she will bring them into the dining room to "share".
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dee27
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Post by dee27 on Jun 23, 2017 19:22:34 GMT -5
Yuck
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Jun 23, 2017 19:25:06 GMT -5
Is your cat neutered? Why do you let it wander around at night and kill things? I guess I'm not an animal person but I've never understood people who let their at wander at night and shrug when they kill small, fuzzy animals. Not that I like rodents either, but I'd never tolerate finding their little tiny body parts on my front porch. She is fixed and comes in at night. We have too many coyotes and even mountain lions here.
These are day-time kills.
We adopted her from a German shelter. We believe she was probably feral for a while.
She's always been a good hunter but this year is exceptional. I've never seen so many rodents.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Jun 23, 2017 20:39:06 GMT -5
Does she want to visit Colorado? I need to find a cat that can do that for us!
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busymom
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Post by busymom on Jun 23, 2017 21:28:31 GMT -5
I've got a dog who does "critter control". Bad Boy Puppy was a rescue dog. He was a stray before we got him. Unfortunately, once he sees a critter, whether it's a mouse, vole, or whatever, he doesn't even hear me, as he runs to catch it.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2017 6:54:59 GMT -5
Is your cat neutered? Why do you let it wander around at night and kill things? I guess I'm not an animal person but I've never understood people who let their at wander at night and shrug when they kill small, fuzzy animals. Not that I like rodents either, but I'd never tolerate finding their little tiny body parts on my front porch. Circle of life and all of that ... cats and dogs are going to kill small rodents. Day or night, neutered or not, old or young. It's what they do. Believe me tiny body parts on the porch are preferable to tiny droppings in your cupboards or tiny footfalls in your bed. Why yes yes mice will try to crawl in bed with you...ask me how I know Thanks- I'm not a pet person so I didn't realize how instinctive this behavior was. I know about having to keep mice out of the house but prefer to leave them little poison presents so they don't die in front of my eyes. I also have a different standard for critters inside my house- OK to kill them but not the ones outdoors unless they're being destructive ((e.g. moles or grubs in the lawn).
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Jun 24, 2017 7:08:54 GMT -5
I had a dog that would occasionally bring me a present of a dead rodent of some sort. Gross. The dogs I have no aren't allowed to roam, so they haven't brought me any surprises yet.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jun 24, 2017 8:49:16 GMT -5
Is your cat neutered? Why do you let it wander around at night and kill things? I guess I'm not an animal person but I've never understood people who let their at wander at night and shrug when they kill small, fuzzy animals. Not that I like rodents either, but I'd never tolerate finding their little tiny body parts on my front porch. It's what they do. Dogs and cats are predators. I was outside with my dog in broad daylight when she leapt into the air and caught a bird. It was pretty impressive to be honest. God then there was the time she killed a rabbit and ate it whole. How do we know it was a whole rabbit? She barfed the pieces all over the house and if we had wanted to we could have reconstructed it.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jun 24, 2017 8:55:41 GMT -5
That's why cats were domesticated in the first place. Dogs somewhat too, though the various breeds may have had more specialized jobs.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jun 24, 2017 9:35:12 GMT -5
Is your cat neutered? Why do you let it wander around at night and kill things? I guess I'm not an animal person but I've never understood people who let their at wander at night and shrug when they kill small, fuzzy animals. Not that I like rodents either, but I'd never tolerate finding their little tiny body parts on my front porch. Circle of life and all of that ... cats and dogs are going to kill small rodents. Day or night, neutered or not, old or young. It's what they do. Believe me tiny body parts on the porch are preferable to tiny droppings in your cupboards or tiny footfalls in your bed. Why yes yes mice will try to crawl in bed with you...ask me how I know All of my cats have been indoor only cats except for the first three. I did turn them in to indoor only, but it was always a battle with them wanting their freedom again. I had two kittens when I lived in a small mountain town in Colorado. I had seen mouse droppings so I knew I had mice. One day I am in bed and the kittens were playing, at least that is what I thought. One jumped in the bed with the mouse in it's teeth. I screamed. Silly kittens didn't kill the mouse. I was walking to get my mail and the felt something crawling on my legs. Yep. It was the mouse. I swear the entire town heard me scream. They did learn to make the kill as they got older.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jun 24, 2017 9:47:56 GMT -5
In my old, old apartment, my BF adopted a stray kitten--polydactel (sp?). He had giant mitts for feet. In the middle of the night, I awoke to an ear-piercing noise. The kitten had caught a bat! (I was terrified--been terrified of bats ever since.) BF said the kitten let go, bat was flying around, and the kitten leapt and caught him again in mid-air! I loved that fiesty kitten, though he drive me crazy...he's probably 14 yo now, and and old man/cat.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jun 24, 2017 10:21:24 GMT -5
Circle of life and all of that ... cats and dogs are going to kill small rodents. Day or night, neutered or not, old or young. It's what they do. Believe me tiny body parts on the porch are preferable to tiny droppings in your cupboards or tiny footfalls in your bed. Why yes yes mice will try to crawl in bed with you...ask me how I know Thanks- I'm not a pet person so I didn't realize how instinctive this behavior was. I know about having to keep mice out of the house but prefer to leave them little poison presents so they don't die in front of my eyes. I also have a different standard for critters inside my house- OK to kill them but not the ones outdoors unless they're being destructive ((e.g. moles or grubs in the lawn). Only problem is that they come inside to get warm. We not only get mice, but rats too (and let me tell you the kind of destruction they do to insulation!). We have traps inside and out now, but it is going to cost upwards of $1000 to repair the damage they've done to the furnace room. Fortunately, that is as far as they got. Can't even blame the cat for not hunting them. He couldn't get to them.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jun 24, 2017 10:31:21 GMT -5
That's why cats were domesticated in the first place. Dogs somewhat too, though the various breeds may have had more specialized jobs. Did you know dashhounds were bred to hide hunt badgers in Germany? My boss told me that their name literally translates to badger hound. Their long narrow bodies are perfect for fitting into badger dens.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jun 24, 2017 11:35:42 GMT -5
That's why cats were domesticated in the first place. Dogs somewhat too, though the various breeds may have had more specialized jobs. Did you know dashhounds were bred to hide hunt badgers in Germany? My boss told me that their name literally translates to badger hound. Their long narrow bodies are perfect for fitting into badger dens. Yeah, actually I did. I used to like watching the dog shows on TV, and they mention those types of things a lot.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Jun 24, 2017 11:49:23 GMT -5
That's why cats were domesticated in the first place. Dogs somewhat too, though the various breeds may have had more specialized jobs. Did you know dashhounds were bred to hide hunt badgers in Germany? My boss told me that their name literally translates to badger hound. Their long narrow bodies are perfect for fitting into badger dens. The name is Dachshund which literally means roof hound (or dog). I suspect that they originally hunted roof rats.
I wouldn't want to see a mix-up between a badger and a smaller dog. I don't think it would end well for the dog.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Jun 24, 2017 11:51:32 GMT -5
Does she want to visit Colorado? I need to find a cat that can do that for us! Lol, I told my next door neighbor that she owes me because my cat is also patrolling her yard. My neighbor is promising to buy the best cat food she can buy to keep her over there!
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jun 24, 2017 12:02:59 GMT -5
I always forget what woodchucks are called when I see them and call them badgers, even though I know they're not it. (Just had to ask my husband). I usually see them at the golf course, and not in my backyard.. .until last week. Crazy, as I am located in suburbia, 1/4 acre lot land.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Jun 24, 2017 14:10:08 GMT -5
I always forget what woodchucks are called when I see them and call them badgers, even though I know they're not it. (Just had to ask my husband). I usually see them at the golf course, and not in my backyard.. .until last week. Crazy, as I am located in suburbia, 1/4 acre lot land. Just call them marmots. The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck, or whistlepig, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. -wiki
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jun 24, 2017 14:20:07 GMT -5
I always forget what woodchucks are called when I see them and call them badgers, even though I know they're not it. (Just had to ask my husband). I usually see them at the golf course, and not in my backyard.. .until last week. Crazy, as I am located in suburbia, 1/4 acre lot land. Just call them marmots. The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck, or whistlepig, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. -wiki lol--okay! I hope I remember that. (ground squirrels?? weird) I also have a hard time with chipmunks--I tend to call them gerbils, I don't know why. I know damn well what they are--just my filing system in my brain is screwed up.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Jun 24, 2017 15:43:28 GMT -5
Is your cat neutered? Why do you let it wander around at night and kill things? I guess I'm not an animal person but I've never understood people who let their at wander at night and shrug when they kill small, fuzzy animals. Not that I like rodents either, but I'd never tolerate finding their little tiny body parts on my front porch. It's what they do. Dogs and cats are predators. I was outside with my dog in broad daylight when she leapt into the air and caught a bird. It was pretty impressive to be honest. God then there was the time she killed a rabbit and ate it whole. How do we know it was a whole rabbit? She barfed the pieces all over the house and if we had wanted to we could have reconstructed it. Gross! My GSD caught a groundhog one day. Ran to catch it, and picked it up and shook her head hard enough to snap its neck and then dropped it. We didn't think she had it in her. That dog wouldn't hurt a fly. Well, I guess she would if it was a groundhog.
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Jun 24, 2017 16:43:53 GMT -5
I always forget what woodchucks are called when I see them and call them badgers, even though I know they're not it. (Just had to ask my husband). I usually see them at the golf course, and not in my backyard.. .until last week. Crazy, as I am located in suburbia, 1/4 acre lot land. Just call them marmots. The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck, or whistlepig, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. -wiki Thank you for that. I didn't realize that groundhogs and marmots were related but it makes sense. I did see marmots for the first time on my John Muir Trail hike. The guidebooks warn you not to leave food in your pack when you hike Mt. Whitney. Most people drop their big backpacks at the trail junction and hike the 1.9 miles to the 14,500' peak with a day pack. Apparently they are quite aggressive and will rip through the pack pockets to get food. I met a young woman along the trail who lost her chocolate bar that way. She wasn't a happy camper!
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Jun 24, 2017 18:08:41 GMT -5
Is your cat neutered? Why do you let it wander around at night and kill things? I guess I'm not an animal person but I've never understood people who let their at wander at night and shrug when they kill small, fuzzy animals. Not that I like rodents either, but I'd never tolerate finding their little tiny body parts on my front porch. It's what they do. Dogs and cats are predators. I was outside with my dog in broad daylight when she leapt into the air and caught a bird. It was pretty impressive to be honest. God then there was the time she killed a rabbit and ate it whole. How do we know it was a whole rabbit? She barfed the pieces all over the house and if we had wanted to we could have reconstructed it. Eww 😷
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Jun 24, 2017 18:15:43 GMT -5
Just call them marmots. The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck, or whistlepig, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. -wiki Thank you for that. I didn't realize that groundhogs and marmots were related but it makes sense. I did see marmots for the first time on my John Muir Trail hike. The guidebooks warn you not to leave food in your pack when you hike Mt. Whitney. Most people drop their big backpacks at the trail junction and hike the 1.9 miles to the 14,500' peak with a day pack. Apparently they are quite aggressive and will rip through the pack pockets to get food. I met a young woman along the trail who lost her chocolate bar that way. She wasn't a happy camper! You're welcome. I only knew that because of French people complaining about "les marmottes" in their gardens.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2017 18:15:48 GMT -5
God then there was the time she killed a rabbit and ate it whole. How do we know it was a whole rabbit? She barfed the pieces all over the house and if we had wanted to we could have reconstructed it. Thank you for reinforcing my decision NOT to get myself a pet to keep me company!
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Bonny
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Post by Bonny on Jun 24, 2017 18:25:37 GMT -5
God then there was the time she killed a rabbit and ate it whole. How do we know it was a whole rabbit? She barfed the pieces all over the house and if we had wanted to we could have reconstructed it. Thank you for reinforcing my decision NOT to get myself a pet to keep me company! Awwww but they're so cute.
Besides, look at what a conversation piece they are.
I tell people that at least my cat doesn't cost me braces and a college tuition.
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