How can I be cross?

[bobbys girl]

I have just gone into the kitchen to make a cup of tea, only to find Freddie standing over the body of a shrew. He almost smiled when he saw me and lifted up one foot, before backing away from his prize. The last time I saw that behaviour was when my dog, Bonnie, wanted me to throw a ball she had just bought me. It was if he was saying, 'look what I got for you mum!'

There was no attempting to grab it back or any growling, like the others would do, and it was obviously a quick kill.

How could I be cross? I told him flowers would do next time and gave him some biscuits.

[Ruth B]

You just can't be cross with them can you.

My Saturn keeps bringing home his prizes and as long as I give him time to feel he has finished with it he will happily let me have it in exchange for a good fuss and a bit of praise. Letting him finish with it also means that it is dead not half dead I don't mind him bringing home 'toys', but I don't really want him to have his own 'pet'. His proudest moment was definitely when i found him almost curled around a dead rat, the look on his face was a picture, and he had all the right to be proud of that kill.

[MarySkater]

Yes, you can't be cross. Cats kill small animals, it's the way they are. The first summer I had my garden enclosure, Rocky killed several shrews. He hasn't done it for a while - I assume he has now eliminated all those who were daft enough to move into a small area which smells of cats. Darwinism in action!

[Lilith]

And isn't Freddie the 'homebody' while Billy's the bold one? Bless them.

I've always understood cats won't eat shrews, that shrew-meat is repellent in some way. But he must have been so proud

It's awkward if the critters are still alive ... my George (the one who was known as the Beast of Bodmin) understood this. He'd march along the fence with something in his jaws and I'd say - 'George. Is it dead?'

Crunch. 'It is now,' he'd reply. He knew I'd let him keep it if it was. There was though the sad episode of the headless pregnant mouse. One minute pootling happily along in the undergrowth, expecting to give birth any moment, and then George struck. I found her with her head chewed off, but with her belly still heaving ...

Not a damn thing I could do

[bobbys girl]

Ooooh that's sad.

[MarySkater]

I've always understood cats won't eat shrews, that shrew-meat is repellent in some way.

I heard that, and certainly Rocky's victims had no visible bite marks. On the other hand, I tried a couple of times offering him a raw chicken wing as a tooth cleaner, and he wouldn't touch it, even when his late pal Bridie was happily chomping away at hers, so I think Rocky prefers his meat cooked. I wasn't offering to cook his victims.

I once found Ria, who was still a small kitten at the time, playing ecstatically with a dead vole. Again, not eaten. I imagine Rocky killed it and then lost interest when it stopped moving, but Ria thought it was the most wonderful toy.