Could I request a non hunting cat from a rescue?

[JKLMNO]

I desperately want a pet and have done for years. The thing is I know I couldn’t cope with a cat bringing rodents in the house or anything else dead or alive. I would plan to get an adult cat from a rescue. Is it possible that they could tell which cats are less likely to be hunters having got to know them?

It might depend also on your circumstances.

We have a cat.
We lived in a cottage with dry stone walled gardens and thousands of mice living in them.
he brought in at least one mouse every single day.
Then we moved to somewhere with normal suburban garden and he hasn't brought any animals in at all in 8 years.

We have had a lot pf cats, many of whom hunted and I don;t think any of them caught a squirrel though. Mice and rabbits yes.

and there is an argument which says well fed cats are better hunters!

An older cat is much less likely to hunt.
We were lucky, got a 4 Yr old rescue. When younger she brought a bird or mouse in about once a year (so not a keen hunter).
She is now 13 and hasn't hunted for a few years.

I don't like collars on cats as they can strangle them if they get caught.
Also, most cats just lose their collar if they don't like it!

I think the worst of the hunting is overnight/early morning, certainly most of the 'presents' I have received over the years are left on kitchen floor overnight.
So if you kept your cat in over night (with litter tray) then you would probably reduce the chance massively

We have a lot of squirrels in our garden. The cats have never caught one, despite their best endeavours. They've never hunted, the only things they've ever brought in were leaves. And that quickly stopped when they realised we were not appreciative enough of their "kills"

MIL's cats are awful. One of them is a physically disabled cat and she's the most skilled hunter I've ever met. Same with my mums old cat. She caught more after she had one eye removed than she ever did with two eyes in her head.

You can ask them for a non hunting cat but most cat sanctuaries won't know this because the cats have spent their time in cages.

Actually just to say we don’t have a cat flap, and have a utility room between the kitchen and back door, so we can generally intercept bodies. We also keep her in overnight.

Look at her murderous little face though.

See if you can get an older cat or a partially sighted cat, they may struggle to hunt

My 14 yo female rescue cat (we got her when she was 3) has always hunted. But 9/10 if she catches a mouse she eats the whole thing other than the liver so not too much to clear up!

Just to assure you OP I have two cats ages 10 and 7, a girl and a boy, both speyed/neutered and they’ve never brought anything home. I don’t think they’re interested really. Boy cat catches the odd leaf from the garden but that’s it

@Anguauberwaldironfoundersson squirrels are the worst 🤮 you have this vicious germ infested rat like thing in your house.

Worst was the one with the broken back that could still climb up the exterior brick walls

Then emptying the nest one baby at a time... thank goodness the reds haven't made it to where we live yet.

Mine have never brought anything in, even though one of mine definitely hunts (I’ve seen him from upstairs in the field next door). I’ve saved a vole, a shrew, and a baby bunny from their attention in the garden.

We don’t have a cat flap so, other than in the summer, we control their access in and out.

Or maybe they don’t love me enough to share their hunting trophies

We have a leaf hunter too. If she's feeling particularly brave, it's sometimes still attached to the twig!

The others bring all sorts in but it's pretty rare. Mice, birds, voles, a bat.... Sorry, but its impossible to tell.

My cat and my mums cat weren’t hunters at all. We never got presents, they didn’t wander far out the back garden, but then they didn’t sit on furniture or climb on kitchen worktops. Not proper cats 😹

@RachelHasThoseInBurgundy

Just to assure you OP I have two cats ages 10 and 7, a girl and a boy, both speyed/neutered and they’ve never brought anything home. I don’t think they’re interested really. Boy cat catches the odd leaf from the garden but that’s it

Yep.

My old gimmer has never shown the slightest interest in hunting. Even the birds seem to know that they can land a couple of inches in front of him and he won't even be arsed to swish his tail.

I think it is luck of the draw. We rescued 2 cats at the same time, one had been living as a stray and does hunt and likes to bring back gifts. The other was abandoned quite young and is far too soft to be able to hunt successfully, we have had her 6 years and she has never even no much as killed a spider! She's pretty useless when it comes to being a cat but she's a perfect lap cat!

There's no guarantee. My 10 year old (rescued 8 years ago) was never a hunter. Until the past couple of months. She's bought in loads of mice recently.
I think it's something you have to accept with a free roaming cat. I don't like it but I love my cat and having a cat.

Mine are both kept in overnight which may be the difference between a mouse in the house and not!

I've had 5 cats. Currently have 3. 1 has never ever left me a gift. One is still a kitten so I don't know yet but one is a relentless hunter. In the summer it's every single day. Birds, rodents and everything in between (frogs) bells don't work and I can't keep him in. It's the luck of the draw

Rachel alas not as ours were always in overnight but Boy cat still managed despite bell to bring gifts.

He tried to take on a seagull once and unsurprisingly failed, the dead rat with mouse trap still attached was fairly memorable too.

You can request a non hunter definitely.

Doesn't mean you will get one though 😂😂

Maybe go for a dog instead?

You really cannot tell.

Boy cat - prolific hunter, absolute murder fest. Might eat everything but a liver, might leave you just a head, might not eat any of it. Might leave you a live or dying present (the worst). Big roamed, in and out whenever.

Girl cat - “hunts” elastic bands or the plastic pulls from bottle tops or maybe - maybe - a moth. Only goes out into the garden accompanied. Won’t use a cat flap. Never left the property.

Both adult rescues, both totally unpredictable character-wise.

You’d love my girl cat. Unfortunately I do love her too so she’ll have to stay here.

You can try asking, but I’m not sure anyone at the rescue centre will be willing to stake their life on it!
Don’t get a goldfish. They are a lot more work than cats.

Someone posted a link to cats needing homes earlier and I had a look and drool.

They had lists of 'overlooked cats' who were older, or quite badly disabled (blind/deaf, one was)
That could be your answer.

the dead rat with mouse trap still attached was fairly memorable too.

I honestly feel so lucky mine don’t hunt. I couldn’t cope!

My ragdoll boy doesn't hunt.

We also don't have a cat flap which prevents my girl cat bringing her numerous kills in.