Eating Mice

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SuttonRider
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Eating Mice

Post by SuttonRider »

My cat is catching up to 3 mice a day, he brings most in to the garden, some make it as far as the house. He has just started eating the smaller ones. Is he just being a cat or am I not feeding him enough. His weight is 5 Kg which is constant, he has 2 100g pouches a day plus 50g of dry and the odd treat.
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Mollycat
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by Mollycat »

Hunting is a basic instinct, though not so many nowadays have the skill to kill. You could try offering more food but I doubt it would stop the trail of death to your door. Your cat is just being a cat. If they just want food they tend to demand or go to the neighbour's, it's much easier.
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by alanc »

He's just being a cat. Feeding more doesn't stop the carnage, only increasing age! Now she is 9, my Tilly seems to have retired from the mousing business, she hasn't caught anything that I know of for at least a year.
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Ruth B
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by Ruth B »

I have to agree with the others, he is just being a cat, some eat what they catch, some don't.

However, there is a chance that for some reason his normal food isn't providing everything he needs, normally this occurs when a cat is fed a special diet, or cat foods that aren't 'complete' in which case the cat realises they need something else and will supplement their diet themselves. If, when he isn't supplementing his diet with rodents, he seems a little lethargic or under the weather then it would be worth getting some blood tests done just in case of deficiencies. It's unlikely but worth mentioning.
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SuttonRider
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by SuttonRider »

Thanks everyone for the great replies. I'm feeding him on 2 pouches a day of Felix double delicious with some Whiskas dry, so I think that's complete plus as I said he gets the odd treat from time to time such a bit of tuna and small amounts of cheese. Yesterday he had his diner, demolished 90% of it and within an hour was tucking in to a mouse. I wonder if they make mouse flavoured cat food. Anyway as I said thanks for the replies: He's just being a cat.
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by MooBag »

Just one thought to add here - you may already do this, but it would be a good idea to keep your cat indoors at night. That should reduce the number of mice your cat catches, but also it lowers the chances of cats getting into danger themselves.
If he's not used to being kept in at night, it may take a little perseverance to acclimatise him, but cats will get used to a new routine after a while, especially if there's an added incentive to coming in at night, such as a couple of treats or extra playtime.

I agree with alanc too, advancing age can reduce the 'catch rate'. One of our cats has pretty much given up on regular mouse-catching at age 10. He used to bring in a regular stream of small furries in his younger days, but this year thankfully, hardly any! (hope I'm not speaking to soon...)
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by SuttonRider »

He does come in a night around 7pm, but he goes nuts to go out again just before dawn.
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Mollycat
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by Mollycat »

This sounds bad but at least they are dead. My Henry was a little sod for bringing them in still alive, sometimes fit and well, sometimes in need of a little help along the way. Luckily he didn't care and carried on playing with the bodies. And a previous cat we were looking after temporarily used to bring in live birds and frogs for us to deal with. Henry's best catch ever was a mouse that got away and spent a full 24 hours loose in the house with 3 cats, that eventually ended up so exhausted I was able to catch it and release it physically unharmed. I figured if the little thing could manage to survive 24 hours in the house with 3 cats it deserved a chance at freedom. Henry got called a few names though.
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by Ruth B »

Saturn brings us mice and the occasional bird, he has also managed a couple of rats in his time, but he is now 4 and does seem to be slowing down a bit this year. Fortunately they were normally dead, sometimes in the night we would hear him playing with one on the landing (the bedroom door is kept shut at night), and we would leave him to it until it went quiet when he had grown bored of throwing the mouse around. It would then be put in a container in the bath with the door shut and dealt with in the morning. I did have one time when I went in next morning to find what I thought was a dead mouse up and exploring the container, fortunately it hadn't got out and i still hope the bath would be enough to contain one if they did.

Freyja on the other hand like moths, she will very carefully carry them in alive and let them go to play with inside, at the moment I am clearing two or three dead moths a day out of the dining room in a morning, they seem to congregate in there.
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by alanc »

Tilly and I have had a good many mouse hunts, my mouse catching ability has certainly improved, so I think I have saved about 50% of the mice she caught and brought in alive. When Badger was alive and the two of them were hunting in tandem, my success rate wasn't so good!
Certainly, feeding doesn't stop the hunting. Next door's Toto is decidedly tubby, but still causes carnage to the local mouse population.
Badger and Tilly's hunting ability must have been instinctive as they certainly were not taught how by their parents, grand parents or great grand parents, none of whom would have seen a mouse.
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by lilynmitz »

Could you keep him in a bit later in the morning? Mice are nocturnal/crepuscular feeders, and less likely to get caught in daylight. You could also try fittings a safety collar with a couple of bells - that would reduce the kill rate a bit. Do make sure you worm him regularly too - mice are a common source of worms.
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by SuttonRider »

Thanks for the replies everyone. He gets his worming stuff from the vets every 3 months, so I hope that's enough. He also has a collar with a bell, it's cut down the bird kills, but not the mice. If I tried to keep him in later in the mornings much past dawn he would drive me mad. I would have to go out. I hold off as long as I can. At the moment it's around 05:30.
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by Catotum »

Don't worry, SuttonRider, your cat is normal. His food sounds perfectly adequate, too - very similar amounts to my own, although they demand variety :roll: I imagine your cat is fairly young. They mouse more when young although some do it permanently.

A regular worming is fine but keep an eye on him as he might pick up worms from his diet. Wormers are usually (always?) a one-off kill-all treatment, given every few months as a safeguard. However, a hunter might well need more frequent treatment. If you see worms in his faeces, notice irritation around the anus, or he appears unhappy & his coat suffers, he will need treatment. Asking your vet's opinion would probably be worthwhile.


I expect you are aware that worms can also be picked up from fleas (which contain larval stages) which is why regular flea treatments are essential.
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by alanc »

I spoke too soon! Tilly deposited 1 very dead rat on the doormat this afternoon.
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by Catotum »

Oh, yummy!
Sarah868
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by Sarah868 »

God, that's a lot!
Maybe you should consider getting 2 cats, there seems to be room for more ;)
Uh btw, how many kcal is a small mouse?
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Re: Eating Mice

Post by SuttonRider »

He only eats the heads now so I guess only half the kcal. :lol: He leaves the rest for me. :mrgreen:
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