Chasing bunnies

[Crewella]

OH made the mistake of leaving the back door open and unguarded this morning, and I suddenly heard the dreaded 'crunch' coming from the fireplace that means that Daz has managed to catch a bunny and bring it indoors. Merrick was hanging about with a 'lean and hungry' look, and when I went to try and confiscate the bunny Daz growled at me! He NEVER growls at me!

I got a bit nervous so tried to retrieve the bunny with a stick, which was a mistake as I fudged it and Daz then grabbed the bunny ...... and the chase was on ...... Daz with his bunny, pursued by Merrick, followed by me, followed by Pugwash ..... all running round and round the dining table. All we needed was the Benny Hill theme tune!

I eventually managed to grab Daz round the middle and pick him up, still clutching his precious bunny, and put him outside.

[Lilith]

LOL! I can just imagine it, brilliant!

I remember the dreaded 'crunch' from the days when I lived in a rural area and though the garden was supposed to be secured, George (the Beast of Bodmin) couldn't be confined. He'd come walking up the fence with something in his jaws...'George. Is that dead?' Crunch! 'It is now,' George said. He knew I'd let him keep it if it was dead.

He was horrible really - I know it's only in a cat's nature but I once found a headless mouse...with a very pregnant belly still heaving with young...for a while I bred rabbits and George discovered how to open a hutch and eat the whole litter. I caught him red-pawed, sitting atop the hutch, washing his whiskers. Felt very sorry for mama rabbit!

With birds he got his comeuppance. Angry magpies used to chase my brave black panther down the field, and once he came in after an evening's hunting...'Owwwowwowwwow!'

'What's the matter, George?'

'Owowowwwow!'

'George, you aren't going to be...'

'Owwowwowwwow!!!!'

'Sick?'

He was. All over the carpet. A nestful of wood pigeons, it looked like. Eyes and beaks and all...

Don't you just love cats?

[Crewella]

Oooooooh that sounds horribly familiar. You're right, the 'Owwowwowwow' is even more dreaded than the 'crunch'!

I'm not keen on it either, I love our bunny population here, but I know that Daz lived for at least two years as a stray and that's how he got by, so I can't blame him. At least he does despatch them quickly, and he does always eat them. I'm also grateful for the fact that he doesn't seem all that interested in birds.

George sounds a real character.

[Baggypants]

We lived in the countryside before we moved here and Jerry's way of thanking us for allowing her to move in was to leave half eaten rabbit carcasses (headless!) under the spare bed... she also kindly brought a live rat home one day - she plonked it down on the living room carpet, rolled on her back showing me her belly so I wouldn't scream at her - she was then very surprised when the skankiest rat in the world limped off under the sofa... where it took us three hours to shepherd it out of the house

And her mum (Milly the farm cat) also liked to come for breakfast - leaving a dead rabbit in one of the food bowls!!!!

Bagheera - the baby - brought a couple of baby rabbits home (alive) - I only found out by investigating what the noise under the bed was! Baby rabbits hopping around the bedroom!!! I never teased her again by asking her to chase the dust bunnies under the bed

[Lilith]

Lol dust bunnies

Once I thought my lot had brought in a HUGE RAT - it was under the phone table and BAWLING...it was a tiny...FROG! I did rescue it.

Yeah Crewella, George was amazing; he was born in '83 to a friend's Siamese who craftily went out and mated a local Siamese crossbred, naughty girl. He was so pretty I named him after Boy George. By the time I moved from that house he was elderly and didn't hunt any more - he used to pinch the next door cat's kills and bring them home...poor chap. At this house he settled in ok and lived to be almost 18, luckily he needed a quiet life by then; finally he couldn't cross the room and come for a cuddle without being out of breath, his appetite had gone, and it was time...I'll always remember my gorgeous George - and his horrible savage ways, and the Mouse Dance...

Stand on your back legs, throw mouse up in air, pounce, chuck it away, repeat performance...hours of pleasure (mouse had to be dead of course.) Poor chap had to be wormed regularly though!

[bobbys girl]

Daz then grabbed the bunny ...... and the chase was on ...... Daz with his bunny, pursued by Merrick, followed by me, followed by Pugwash ..... all running round and round the dining table. All we needed was the Benny Hill theme tune!

Brilliant I can just see it!

Been there, done that! Well actually it is usually birds or mice. But once they were all gathered around a large planter in the garden and I knew they had cornered something. It turned out to be a lizard! We are surrounded by bog - I always thought they lived on dry, sandy heaths. He was fine, if tail-less and later in the day I let him go.

Tommy once cornered a stoat, then, thankfully thought better of it. We don't get rabbits - they'd need snorkles.

As you say, cats, don't you just love them?

[Lilith]

A stoat! They can be evil, gorgeous critters though.

Again in the rural days, I was walking the dog (errm right now I'm trying to type with Emily on my lap and getting wet nosy kisses and covered in Emily snot...where was I?)

Oh right yeah, walking the dog, when out from the wasteland across the road came something that looked like an undulating furry hammer!

It was a stoat, with a big vole gripped in its jaws. As soon as it saw me it dropped the vole and backed off. I put the vole in the undergrowth in the hope that Mr Stoat might return to lunch later; on the way back it had gone, so hopefully, he had

[Walesgang]

I can picture it now

When Squeak was still a farm cat she caught, killed and brought a weasel home - I must admit, I had very mixed emotions on that one - pride, shock, horror but a real honour to be able to have a close look at such a beautiful animal. I did not feel it appropriate just to dump it's body in the bin. I buried it!

[greenkitty]

I know I shouldn't but these did make me laugh!!

Noodle has only caught 2 birds and a mouse, she makes such a racket that I know something is afoot. The first time she caught something it was a Blackbird between the bird and her they were making so much noise the neighbour came out to find me and Noodle chasing round the garage area. It escaped unharmed but the same can't be said for the Blue **** and Mouse

The downside to being a cat slave!

[HRHFluffy]

Reading these I'm relieved that Fluffy no longer hunts. When she's feeling well and it's good weather she might half heartedly stalk a wood pigeon. Always goes for the birds that are practically as big as her.

Helen from what I've read, rabbit is supposed to be one of the best raw foods for cats. Daz is doing his own food shop . How thoughtful of him!!!

[bobbys girl]

Daz is doing his own food shop . How thoughtful of him!!!

[Lilith]

Lol - the great hunters eh? I used to hint to George that I wouldn't mind a present of a nice plump rabbit or even half a rabbit, but no go...

His worst misdemeanour was to bring home a baby rabbit. So, yeah right, a baby rabbit. But this one was white...oops...later I found out that a neighbouring household used to let their pets, including rabbits, roam out of the garden. I kept shtum.

Then there was the time he brought home a hamster. A rigid hamster. He was very proud of it, mind, growled away like mad, but it was far too cold and stiff for him to have killed it. This was before the days of wheely bins, so although I don't know where he'd bin, he'd bin raiding...

[Crewella]

Daz is doing his own food shop . How thoughtful of him!!!

Perhaps Daz should have a word with HRH, Carol - if the Duchess went self-catering it would certainly make your life a lot easier right now!!

I'm relieved my 'Great White Hunter' is not the only offender, and not the worst by the sound of it!

[nannymcfee]

My first proper stray cat used to bring baby bunnies home, straight into dining room, headless or not, many the time i would walk a few miles back to rabbit warrens over fields, with said bunny, only for Fishface.... ( yes i know not a brilliant name that!!! i must have been having an off day ....but he was the most incredible intelligent cat i have ever known ) to be following a few paces behind.

We went on holiday once ....for 2 weeks, neighbours fed him for a few days, but then he vanished,heartbroken me and my dad went out looking for him as soon as we got back, suggesting we go over about a mile of fields and woods,as i thought he would have headed that way ...i spotted a lair under blackberry bushes, dead rabbit, and fur....and called him, ....within about 20 minutes he appeared from deep in the woods........he had survived....never went on holiday again, ....for long....

He never caught birds , just baby rabbits...

[HRHFluffy]

Perhaps Daz should have a word with HRH, Carol - if the Duchess went self-catering it would certainly make your life a lot easier right now!!

So true Helen

[Cussypat1974]

I tried to save a mouse from 3legged Mama Puss a while ago and the mouse bit me and wouldn't let go. Neither would Mama. I eventually got a sweeping brush between her and the poor creature, but then Ribena came up and got him. She killed and ate him instantly. mama was playing with him and would have done so for hours. I love the cats who still have their feral instincts, but who I can handle!

Seriously..... Mama was really torturing that mouse.....