I need a cat breed which is a good hunter

[ratflavouredjelly]

Hello! Can anyone recommend a cat breed which is:
A: brilliant and ruthless at killing mice/rats
B: fine around children (3 and 4).

Am i asking too much? We have moved into a property near a river bank - huge garden, outhouse etc. We found remains of an old 'problem' and have caught a mouse in the attic yesterday.

I used to have a black moggy - lovely but she was rubbish at catching anything - used to play with mice and set them free in our old house.

I was advised to get a farm cat, but don't want my kiddywinks to be scratched. Any advice? I read tabby's, american shorthair and kittens over 6 month born to a feral/semi feral mother are good.

Thanks :-)

You need a Terrier, not a cat. I've never met a Terrier yet who is a rubbish rat catcher. We have them in the alley due to being right near a park, but the mere prescence of my Terrier in my yard keeps them out of my yard. On the one occassion one did venture in it was swiftly decapitated .

I have had two bengals that were amazing mousers- however they are very independant. Beautiful to look at though!

Yes Maryz, keeping a semi-feral as a house cat is not without difficulties. Mine doesn't mark his territory but he will wee in inappropriate places if he gets stressed and one of his stress triggers is not being allowed to go out when he wants to, usually when I don't let him out first thing as he has a vet visit or a trip to the cattery.

We have a female Serengeti cat who is the best huntress - catches everything mice, spiders, frogs etc. She is great with the kids but on her terms. Also have a male Selkirk Rex who couldn't catch a cold but is the best lap warmer!

Just anecdotally, my black male cat never seems to hunt. We had tortoisehell kittens at my mum's house (sisters) and one hunted loads - but did bring live ones in to torture - and the other barely did at all.

A tabby! I have a 9 year old female tabby and she catches mice, rats, bats rabbits and pigeons

Hi rat, I would think most breeds are good with children (unless feral), so wouldn't worry too much about that. Also anecdotally, my black and white moggy is a brilliant mouser (and slugger/spider catcher, thank god!) but my tabby boy simply can't be arsed! Then again he is 14 and only has 3 legs, he basically just sleeps!

Our tabby has just started hunting at 16.5 yrs. We have just moved to the country and he has dropped his metropolitan cat about town persona and adopted a country lifestyle. I'm surprised he hasn't ordered a full set of tweeds. He was always a snob that cat.

I think the reason tabby cats come out well in the hunting stakes is down to pure camouflage. When my tabby is sitting under the hedge I can barely make her out even during the day.

have found that girls are usually the keener hunters - tabby and black and white girls, both small, both with ear splitting calls and mean as hell (but darling cuddlies) - of the boys I have had -1 ginger cross siamese/moggy
(the owner of the mummy siamese was VERY cross) who was a brilliant hunter
but the others boys i have had, tabby and 1/2 feral moggy could not have give a shit about hunting

The colour, whether it be ginger, black or tabby is irrellevant- they are all domestic shorthair, as is the source of your cat- whether you get a kitten from a farm or a rescue centre won't make any difference to it's ability to hunt, it is just individuals personality and cats vary enourmously. Our cat is a rescue cat and has never caught anything in her life, not even a spider.

Maybe there are certain breeds out there that are better, I don't know...

Agree completely that the colour is irrelevant but cats that have been brought up in a wild environment HAVE to learn to hunt at a young age, otherwise they simply won't survive. Which is why I think farm/feral cats are better hunters.

My borninahouseneverlivedrough tabby is a rubbish hunter. Even playing with both cats and a da bird toy it is very obvious that he just doesn't have the reflexes that the ex-feral cat does, nor can he leap as high etc. Many cats who've never lived wild are great hunters I know this from experience, but you're much more likely to get a good hunter if you go down the feral route IMO.

Some cats may learn to hunt by themselves but most good hunters are taught by their mothers. Of course many mollycoddled kittens of indoor cats won't get that chance, which is why farm and feral cats are a better bet if you want a good hunter.
articlewild.com/How-Kittens-Learn-To-Hunt-145300.html

I would also say that I have found it to be the female cats I have had that have been the better hunters. Much more ruthless!

I'd agree about females generally being better hunters than males, I guess evolutionarily they needed to be.

Needing to be taught to hunt by their mothers, meh, my female siamese (well, oriental short hair) is a real ninja, she kills her prey with great efficientcy (and eats too).

I know for a fact that her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother never, ever, were allowed outside. I met them. The breeder made us sign to say we'd keep our cat in too. I may have lied.

She's black. Camouflage must help.

I have a Maine Coon who is the Cruella de Ville of the rodent world. Also very soppy and loves my 8 yr old DS - they climb trees together

Tabby girls - killing machines ! Although she never kills birds ??