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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

How to discourage hunting

4 replies

JaceLancs · 22/06/2021 22:40

Any suggestions?
I know it’s a natural part of being an out and about cat but hunting is getting a tad out of hand here!
Older Dcat not that bothered anymore - chases the odd spider and spies on neighbours Dcat
Dcat 4 is very small but an ambitious prolific hunter - everything from squirrels and rabbits to birds and rodents - the only think he’s missed out on so far is the fish in the pond as he’s not keen on getting his paws wet
It’s the quantity that’s the issue - last night within 2 hours he managed a pigeon - a bat and then a vole
Tonight a blackbird and a starling so far but the night is young
Someone told me bells on collars are cruel for the cat! I’m actually thinking bigger bell or something else collar wise that could warn prey
Im guessing anything with a high pitched sound would distress him? Flashing light? Bright colours? Fluorescent jacket?
Has anyone had success with higher protein diet or similar
That said he doesn’t always eat them - sometimes we intervene and are able to rescue - sometimes he just likes a play - other times we just find the leftovers!

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 22/06/2021 23:25

A curfew & more play. Cats like this need a lot of stimulation. There’s a good market for interactive toys now.

RedSquirrelRoar · 23/06/2021 00:06

A (safety release) collar with two or three bells fastened at different points - one bell doesn’t stop my adorable little serial killer but 2+ reduces the casualties significantly.
Never heard of bells being cruel - doesn’t seem to bother mine at all and surely it’s more cruel to let them torture other animals? I only have bells on her in the summer though as she’s too lazy to bother hunting in winter Grin

JaceLancs · 23/06/2021 00:15

I have tried quite a few interactive toys and even feeding systems
I’m not sure a curfew would work as Dcat can have days off hunting then swap to evenings then swap to nighttime/twilight
I’m glad that bells are not cruel - big bells may be the way to go!

OP posts:
JoanOgden · 23/06/2021 07:52

I read some research recently that feeding really high-quality wet food reduces the urge to hunt. So maybe worth trying?

(No personal experience as my cat is far too lazy to hunt.)

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