Cats bringing in their kills - I’m too squeamish to deal with it

[ThierryEnnui]

Sitting upstairs on my bed nearly in tears because there is another dead mouse downstairs and I haven’t got the mettle to go down and deal with it. It’s intact so not even particularly gruesome. I’ve had a rough day anyway and it’s just really tipped me over the edge.

The cats were always indoors up until recently when I moved to a more rural area and felt safe to allow them outdoor access. I fear I’m past the point of making them indoor cats again but don’t know what to do with my apparent total fear of cleaning up corpses.

Up until now I’ve had a roommate kindly help me dispose of them but I’m on my own this time and just feel paralysed.

Any advice? 😢

Swap for a dog ? Can you grab a towel and just pick it up and pop outside, I'm sure something else will be along to eat it.

I'd invest in a long handled dustpan and brush, pair of rubber gloves and some disinterest spray. Put them in a bag straight into the outside bin.

You won't have to get that close. I do sympathise because I can tell how upset you are, but you'll need to find a way to help you to stay calm. Hunting cats do tend to hunt less eventually, but that happens with age. You'll also find they do it more in the summer months.

Try to separate your emotions and think of it as an object rather than animal. Surgeons, vets, nurses...all have to do the same, it is possible to learn to detachment.

If you have foxes that pass through your garden, you can get away with leaving the remains in the garden. They should have gone by morning.

Deep breaths and do it as quickly as possible, a shower will help you feel better afterwards :)

Is there any way of keeping them out until you check they're not carrying anything in?

Empathy here - I'm petrified of mice/rats but thankfully my cat couldn't catch a cold

My neighbour has this issue - came home to half a baby bunny the other day .

I went round with a garden fork and scooped it into a nappy sack , tied it and put it in bin .

Cats are nasty little fuckers aren't they ?! Mine never hunted but suspect she is special needs....I've watched her try to sway a butterfly and howled laughing at her pathetic attempts!

Get some rubber gloves , some dog poop bags (biggish ones ) and a trowel. That's cats for you . Little Fuckers .

I know the feeling! My little sweetie is a killing machine. My strategies are: if it's cool, keep the outside door/catflap closed so she can't bring anything in. if she does bring in a dead one, throw a designated teatowel over it so you can't see it, then pick it up or use a dustpan, then dispose under a hedge or another unused spot. Dead things outside: leave it and predator birds pick them up pretty quickly. Live ones indoors: help her catch it then chase her outside. Or compete with her to catch it, let her win, then she runs away with it. If all fails, use the teatowel again to corner it, scoop it up and throw outside. Gross any way, but they are so sweet otherwise!

Another vote for a long handled dustpan and brush set. Be thankful it's dead.....our cat proudly presents us with live baby rats.......

Thank you so much to all of you for replying to me, I really appreciate it. I was sat here going a bit insane!

I found an old, huge ASOS bag and chucked it over the poor mouse. I think it’s the sight of them that upsets me the most so once I couldn’t see it it felt a bit easier to deal with (I like the idea of a designated tea towel!)

I have put the whole thing in the bin. Scrubbed my hands raw and whilst doing so, offending predator cat waltzed in with no idea what a hideous hour I’ve just had thanks to her!

I’ll definitely get a litter picker for next time. God, it’s so horrible. I never ever thought I’d feel this viscerally revolted and upset about it - have always been fairly unbothered by creepy crawlies and other household horrors but dead rodents seem to really freak me out.

I am praying that I never have to deal with anything more substantial/more bloody. That was horrible enough (by the time I plucked up the courage to go down and deal with it they had done it some damage so I had a bit of blood and bone to look at/wipe away. Ugh 😓)

thank you all so much again for replying to me. It really did help ❤️

This is why I can't have a cat! I feel your pain OP

I had two cats - have rather . One can't hunt. Sen cat
Other was a twat

But if she brought live ones in I would happily wrestle them off her and relocate them to a local allotment. I couldn't let her kill them ! But mice /rats/ rabbits/ voles/ shrews/ birds don't scare me and I'm happy to pick them up - never ever been bitten . They are usually bloodytraumatised and happy to run away. Poor mites.

Incidentally did you know in some states of Australia they are now maki g it illegal to let cats roam....because of the detriment to wildlife. The law is you can let them in your garden but that's it ....

I do kind oif get that when you see how much they kill .

Op hate to break it to ya but next doors cat , tiny y as she is , keeps bringing home baby bunnies. She tears them in half . She dismemberes the paws . Takes out the heart , liver and internal organs , eats the head , leaves the rest in bits . My neighbour can't stomach it and calls me to deal with the remains .

Cats are fuckers .

Bell on collar helped reduce hunting behaviour in ours. They seem to have settled down a bit since. I second the approach of using a dustpan and brush with a long handle. But preventing letting them in until they've been checked is a good way of making sure they don't bring them in.

I don’t think I could stomach that at all. I haven’t yet had a bird or rabbit and I dread the day it happens

Get up, go downstairs and deal with it. Millions of people deal with far. far worse every day of their lives. You'll manage.

Thanks Upsy - I have ordered a quick release collar with a bell (I have 3 cats but am fairly certain it is only one of them who is hunting), and am going to get a cat flap put in as a matter of urgency so that I can check them before they come in. (They use the window at the moment)

I’m quite the opposite - delighted when my Madam murders the local vermin! My house backs on to barley fields and I’d be inundated with bloody field mice if she didn’t keep them down.
My previous idiot cat brought a large live rat in though, which went for my throat when I tried to chase it outside. I ducked and it went flying over my shoulder. Much more upsetting than dead remains- at least you know you won’t get bitten by a deceased mouse!
You’ll soon get used to it, OP. It’s either that or rehome your cat.

There’s a crowdfunder going on for a cat flap that detects whether the cat entering is carrying anything. It’s more expensive than I’m prepared to pay especially since our cats frequently come in through open doors and windows but you may be interested. It’s called Only Cat.

Field mice are protected .

Sorry no harvest mice are protected- but I'd wager cats do t ask for ID 😂

I do realise that, Aquamarine. Like I posted initially, I’m struggling with what seems to be a newfound fear and was just looking for some practical things I could do either to alleviate my anxiety or to make it all a bit less gruesome.

In all seriousness, a practical thing you can do to manage your anxiety is to get up and deal with the issue, right now. Continuing to sit and ruminate only makes your anxiety worse. Inaction breeds anxiety.

I have dealt with it. I had dealt with it before your first post..

Playing with your cats on a regular basis is a way of reducing their hunting drive.
Our resident asshole has brought in one live mouse that he deaded the next day. Partner dealt with it. One mouse that was dead, DD threw into the garden. Three frogs all alive, glass and cardboard and return to the pond next door is the way I dealt with those. Frogs make horrible noises in those circumstances. Think he nearly had another one the other week but pretty sure it called some magpies down who chased him off, so that was interesting.
Think the noise they make might actually sound like baby magpies but it's not a proven thing, just a musing.

If you find it hard you can’t help that. There’s things I can’t face either and I’m usually stoical.

Get a long handled dog pooper scooper - you don’t have to handle anything and it all just goes into a plastic bag already put on the scoop bit. Just tie the handles and job done. No need for any scrubbing and will
deal with messy kills easier than a dustpan or litter picker.
you can leave it primed with a bag for the next time. That way it’s dealt with before your mind has chance to process what’s happened.