Pet Lovers

[Thebig I]

I have had him for years. i will not bring him in because I have other pets and I know he is very used to the outdoors. I also have immune system   weakness and I know he has been exposed to everything outside. I have feed him for about 5 years, both canned and mixed. he has bedding in the garage and heated cage in th  winter. Here is the problem and I can not tolerate this...he has starting eating little animals and The killing floor has been the garage. I am sooo upset. One week it was a little bunny foot I found, another time a pile of bird feathers, the other day I walked in on a mouse meal. Iam sick to my stomach over this.  What to do?? Speak up cat people.

[kitcat51]

Cats are hunters & it doesn't matter if they're feral or not, if they have an opportunity to kill a small animal they may eat all or part of it....my indoor cat does it when a mouse gets in the house. You could trap & take the cat to a shelter but I doubt you want to do that so there's really nothing to do but accept it.

[Kachina624]

That's why many people dislike cats.  There isn't a darn thing you can do about it.  He's a predator and these small creatures are prey.  He's doing what nature intended.

[Catty2]

@Thebig I

I guess the most extreme thing you can do is stop feeding it and providing a comfortable place to sleep.  You'll have to decide what is best for you. 

[newagain888888]

You’ve provided a comfortable safe place where he can be himself and live as he prefers. It’s in a feral’s nature to do exactly what he is doing. I understand how upsetting it is, but this is who he is. I adore birds and when the feral we care for began killing my favorite songbirds and leaving parts of them on our patio, it was traumatizing. We slowly began making her more of a domesticated pet and the hunting decreased dramatically, but it will always be in her nature to hunt.

[Nonametoday]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

That's why many people dislike cats.  There isn't a darn thing you can do about it.  He's a predator and these small creatures are prey.  He's doing what nature intended.

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@Kachina624 Not always.  My poor cat ran from mice  Had no idea what they were.  She is talking about feral cats.  Domestic cats are not so inclined but there is a place in society for feral cats and they do kill undesirable creatures like rats which were not caught and killed by snakes.  Same for rabbits and mocking birds.  The world without cats would be an insane asylum.

[shopperqvc]

It's what they do. I don't like it when my neighbor's cat comes up on my porch and kills a bird, but there is nothing I can do to stop it. I try sending it back home, but it likes to hunt and they other birds and animals come to my yard since I'm the only yard on the block without a dog. A hawk sat up on my old antenna tower and had his lunch the one day and dropped part of it on my sidewalk. I wasn't pleased about that either. It's not just cats. I have 2 indoor cats and I'm quite sure the one could find a way to survive out on the street. She is a hunter. The other, not so much. People hate cats for many reasons, but their nack for killing birds is one reason. The way they seem to act like they own the house and you are the maid is another. There are some dogs that will also kill small animals. It's just they way they are.

[AuntG]

You can't change basic instinct, but the bed in a heated garage is getting close.

[Jaspersmom]

Not only do cats generally have a hunting instinct, they will bring their dead prey to you as a "gift."  The fact he's dropping everything off where you've provided food and comfort to him tells me he wants to show you what a good hunter he is.  I have had indoor cats for years and years, but I had a cousin who lived in a wooded area and her cat hunted every small animal possible.  I was horrified when I saw the remains of a squirrel it had killed dropped on my cousin's front porch.  As upsetting as it is, I don't think there is much you can do for the time being.  You could ask a vet for suggetions.  Please don't stop feeding him.  He's relied on you for years and would probably suffer greatly if that were to stop.  

[NickNack]

I do understand how upsetting this would be, but please please don't stop feeding him.  He depends on you for his food and comforts.  He would suffer and most likely die without you.