Cat hunting mice...

[BustyDeLaGhetto]

...and catching them and bringing them still half alive into the house. I had to kill a mangled one with a brick today :(

I don't buy into the notion that he is presenting me with a gift. He is absolutely in love with himself and his hunting prowess. He is so proud of himself, it's his NEW FAVOURITE THING.

I lock him in at night so he has started bringing them in in the day. He's just returned now with another poor thing hanging out his mouth, half dead. It's the third one today. Last night I had to go to bed at midnight after waiting up for him to come back (since the afternoon!) and he woke me up chasing some poor bastard round my bedroom.

I bought him a bell and collar which clearly isn't working - in fact it's got worse since I did. He has lots of toys. He is very young and active and keen to be out all the time. Anything I can do to curb this? I don't mind the odd occasion but it is all the time. We have my mum coming to stay soon and will have to keep him in the whole time she is here as she has a pathological hatred of rodents :(

It sounds like you have an infestation of mice, I'd buy some traps or get the local Council in to set traps. If you set the traps yourself it is a little gory but less costly, having done that I'd get the Council in. Good luck.

Oh god, reminds me of when we used to find live mice in coat pockets, partridges running about in the house, half (always half for some reason) baby rabbits, then his grand finale were a family of young stoats.
he did gradually calm down when he got to the age of around two.
The bell doesn't work, they learn to stalk without setting it off, making them even more stealthy.
I don't think you CAN do anything to stop the hunting behaviour, it's a cat's instinct to chase small, fast, furry things. A couple of humane mouse traps around the house may help round up the ones he doesn't finish off himself?

Keep him in at night and early morning. It's all you can do really.

You can buy anti-hunting cat bibs but you have to ask yourself is it worth making them the laughing stock of the neighbourhood?

Poor cat

My young female cat seems to love hunting. This is her latest conquest which luckily was still alive and after lots of hilarity and screaming by my two teenage daughters was rescued and taken back outside. I can cope with the mice but it's the birds that finish me off. I'm terrified them and last time she brought one in I locked myself in the bedroom whilst my daughter chased the cat to get it to release it. I don't like the idea of her hunting but realise it's their natural instinct.