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AIBU?

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Original poster

To be really upset with my cat

226 replies

elprup · 11/08/2019 08:00

I adopted a young male rescue cat last summer. He’d been living stray and had a difficult start in life, so I thought I was doing a good thing.

About six months after letting him outside he began catching quite a lot of mice, which although not ideal, I could just about cope with.

However, he has now moved on to birds and has caught about four in the space of two weeks. I’m so, so upset by it.

This morning he came into my bedroom for a snooze and then went outside into the garden. I went down about 20 minutes later to find him in the kitchen with another dead bird in his mouth. I can’t believe he’s managed to kill another one just 20 minutes after being let out this morning.

He’s a lovely cat apart from this but honestly, I’m really regretting adopting him now.

I’m considering a collar with a bell but have read they can cause injury to cats if the quick release mechanism fails or doesn’t work fast enough.

I just hate to see all these lovely birds being slaughtered. What can I do? Sad

OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
Fridaysgirl · 11/08/2019 08:02

He's a cat and you can't exactly reverse millions of years of evolution.

Get him a bell. Stories about cats getting injured wearing collars are exaggerated.

squee123 · 11/08/2019 08:03

try a bell with a safety collar

Nautiloid · 11/08/2019 08:03

Well, he's a cat. You can't really get upset with him. It's what they do.

SirTobyBelch · 11/08/2019 08:04

If you don't like birds being killed, don't keep cats. Killing birds, rodents, etc. is what cats do.

glenthebattleostrich · 11/08/2019 08:05

Bless him, he's trying to provide for his family. You should be glad he's so settled with you.

StillMedusa · 11/08/2019 08:06

Hes impressive!
And please don't regret adopting him...you did a lovely thing.

But a collar and bell should work fine.. ask your vet or local pet suppliers for a recommended type.
He's young and agile but cats do slow down with their hunting (and the local wildlife will learn to avoid your garden!)
I had one who was a prolific hunter in her younger days but as she got older she didn't bother anymore.

Another thought is check his diet is good..decent cat food not supermarket stuff... in case he is supplementing minerals for himself. (probably not but one of mine hunted much less when full of really high meat content food!)

TheQueef · 11/08/2019 08:06

My old lady cat is a slayer.
She's had a collar and bell for a few years and it has reduced the gifts but occasionally she finds a mouse or baby bird.

Lllot5 · 11/08/2019 08:06

He’s a cat that’s what they do. Mine always had collars, not sure they helped much because they still brought home presents.
Not much you can do.

Peony99 · 11/08/2019 08:07

If you don't want birds brought in, you shouldn't have an energetic young cat.

TopBitchoftheWitches · 11/08/2019 08:07

Collar stories are not exaggerated!

One of mine badly hurt herself after getting cigar somewhere for two weeks with her collar under her leg pit and still around her neck. Safety didn't work and she had a nasty injury where the collar dig into her fur and skin.
Vet look and explained she had damaged her elbow badly as well as an open wound.

OP
Cats kill things, it's nature.

Original poster
elprup · 11/08/2019 08:08

When I was growing up we had two cats and neither of them ever caught a bird as far as I remember. I guess this one just seems to be a really prolific hunter!

I’m a meat eater so I suppose it is somewhat hypocritical. But I’m really angry/upset with him all the same.

I honestly half wish I could return him as I’m so cross about it. I also feel for DH who’s had to dispose of the dead bodies and has been quite traumatised by it.

OP posts:
Ponoka7 · 11/08/2019 08:09

Collars don't cause injury and you should have researched that mire and got one when he started hunting.

Chartreuser · 11/08/2019 08:10

Where are you OP? We are riddled with mice here, could do with a decent purge.

DM has 4 cats and stood on a decapitated frog left half way down the stairs at 6am the other morning. One of the cats will just hunt ANYTHING (including the DCs). Poor DF leaves for work about 5-30 and more than once as our his show on to find some semi alive creature in one, frogs especially play dead and then decide they're not leaping out and giving poor man a heart attack.

Sorry, no help just solidarity

DrinkSangriaInThePark · 11/08/2019 08:11

Every cat I ever had growing up wore a collar with a bell and not one ever died from it! Just get a bell and enjoy your cat.

Ponoka7 · 11/08/2019 08:12

OP did ypur childhood cats ever live as strays?

Sone males after being neutered stop, but most strays don't lise the hunting instinct.

Do you not eat chicken/turkey? It's exceptionally hypocritical.

Also start to be aware of the global damage your meat eating is causing. As well as any gardening/lifestyle choices.

FooFighter99 · 11/08/2019 08:13

Collars don’t work for our cats, the birds they catch are babies in the nest and can’t get away regardless off the warning from the cats bell... it’s just something you have to live with as a cat owner. At least the ones he’s bringing you are dead, we’ve had quite a few live ones flapping around the kitchen 😭 and putting them back outside just results in them being caught again because they’re not old enough to fly yet.

Beautiful3 · 11/08/2019 08:13

This is just what most cats do. If you weren't feeding him, he would need to hunt for food anyway. Get him a collar with a bell.

AGenericUsername · 11/08/2019 08:13

Don't regret rehoming him! He's doing what come naturally to him and he's providing for you too. You can't be angry at him for that. My old cat used to bring in birds, mice and even squirrels! He loved me that much that he used to bring me live mice to play with at 3am. He had a safety collar and 2 bells but it didn't stop him. It might have helped to reduced the amount he was catching though.

FenellaMaxwell · 11/08/2019 08:13

He’s a cat doing what cats do. You’d seriously consider returning a cat for being a cat??

user1493413286 · 11/08/2019 08:14

He’s a cat; it’s nature and completely normal. Did you think about this before you got him? I’ve had cats that constantly caught birds and ones who virtually never caught them. I noticed that birds didn’t come into our garden as much after a few weeks.
It’s not really fair to be upset at the cat and to rehome him because he’s following his instincts is quite cruel.

buzzwizz619 · 11/08/2019 08:14

Unfortunately you've said your self he was previously living as a stray, in the time he had to learn to hunt or starve, it's completely expected that he will have a higher prey drive than a cat that's has easy access to food since the day it was born. Maybe his ability to hunt is what kept him alive long enough for him to enter your life.... instead of being frustrated try being proud of his determination 🙂

Original poster
elprup · 11/08/2019 08:14

Collars don't cause injury

Well, clearly they do - just look at TopBitch’s comment!

He’s fed a very high meat content diet so I don’t think it’s anything to do with food. He’s always been very into his toys (chasing them round the house etc) so seems to just love hunting.

OP posts:
Dahliachlo · 11/08/2019 08:16

Get a safety collar with a bell.

I also have a rescue cat who’s a prolific hunter. It’s just who they are. You can’t return a cat for being a cat.

Crochetymum · 11/08/2019 08:16

I'm with the bell collar, my cat and my neighbours cat has got one, and I've even seen mine start to get stuck (when he was smaller) and the quick release did work, and I've found the collar round the house a few times when I had it too loose, strong cats can get out of them if they're trapped in. A bell will definitely help the local birds,also do you feed birds in your garden? You could be providing live bait ☺️x

Dahliachlo · 11/08/2019 08:16

Safety collars release instantly if they get caught.