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The litter tray

Surely 16 is too old for hunting?

19 replies

500smiles · 19/07/2014 12:38

ASBO cat deposited a mouse next to DDs bed at 3am this morning, she was full of glee, bouncing around, pouncing on it and throwing it in the air while DD and I ran round screaming Blush

Surely I would have thought at 16 she would have stopped mousing? Up until last year she could scale our 6ft fence, but she seemed to be slowing down a bit lately, we've never had such a long lived cat so I don't know if it's normal to still be hunting at such a grand old age?

OP posts:
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cozietoesie · 19/07/2014 12:50

She's probably a bit slower and stiffer but I guess if the mouse was a chancer and ran across her path? Maybe that was the cause of her glee - that she actually caught it!

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Cornettoninja · 19/07/2014 13:02

I think cozie is on to something there. She was probably well chuffed to have had the opportunity present itself bet she had a great snooze after all that Grin

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Preciousbane · 19/07/2014 13:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WitchWay · 19/07/2014 20:34

My parents' old cat sprang vertically from a bush to grab a pigeon when she was 15.

Mum's Codger (ex-stray so age unknown but clearly ancient, creaky & arthritic) brought in a rat the other week perhaps it was already dead

Grin

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Queenofknickers · 19/07/2014 20:42

My old cat was still catching baby rabbits (shudder) at 19!!!!

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MirandaWest · 19/07/2014 20:44

Dcat is 14. Last week I came home to a dead frog Envy

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Fluffycloudland77 · 19/07/2014 21:05

I've been listening to squeaking for an hour thinking it was kids playing, found the cat eating a baby rabbit in the middle of the lawn.

He's not killed anything for a year to my knowledge. Now he's killed a rabbit in full view of the neighbours.

He's only 5 so I've got years of this.

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Rollypoly100 · 20/07/2014 08:25

Mine is 14 and has no teeth. Caught a shrew who he gummed to death. Poor Shrew - he had no wounds to his little grey suit just a big wet jaw imprint. Cat was thrilled with his kill.

Surely 16 is too old for hunting?
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cozietoesie · 20/07/2014 09:23

Oh he's wonderful. I don't know if that picture was actually post-event but whenever it was taken, that's one happy cat!

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500smiles · 20/07/2014 14:40

Gorgeous cat Rolly..I'm half hoping that some other cat caught the mouse and discarded it and then ours decided to claim it for her own, otherwise judging by the other cats on this thread, we could have more dead creatures gifted to us in the middle of the night.

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Beautifullymixed · 22/07/2014 10:23

I'm so glad mine are indoor cats,these tales have me shuddering in horror although strangely fascinating to read Grin

All of London would hear me screeching if these creatures were in my house, and as for blood, feathers, bones and entrails Shock

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BikeRunSki · 22/07/2014 10:25

My 16 yo partially blind, partially toothed cat still brings in a few rodents a year. He's always well chuffed with himself.

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cozietoesie · 22/07/2014 10:28

I hate to tell you but the last time I caught The Lodger mousing it was inside my house. (And all the family's indoor boys were indoor mousers in their youth.) Admittedly, we've always lived in older houses but still.......

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DramaAlpaca · 22/07/2014 10:38

I heard my cat, who is 13 but seems older because of his arthritis, making an enormous fuss outside on the drive one day last week.

I went outside to see what was going on and there he was, sitting beside a very large dead rat, looking extremely pleased with himself.

I'm just glad he didn't bring it in through the cat flap Grin

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greenhill · 22/07/2014 10:40

Our cat is 20 in a few months and still catches mice, she can climb 6 foot high fences too. Last week she was delighted with herself as she had fought with next doors much younger cat and was triumphant.

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haggisaggis · 22/07/2014 10:44

Current cat only 2 but a real mouser. dh, ds and I spent an hour from midnight to 1 am this morning chasing a mouse the cat had brought in. Cat had had to negotiate 2 cat flaps and up a fight of stairs with mouse. Manages to bring in live rabbits and birds the same way too...
Old girl cat who died at 21 was still hunting past 16.

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BuggersMuddle · 25/07/2014 22:04

Buggers cat has in the last 12 months brought us:

  • 1 x Seagull
  • 1 x decapitated pigeon
  • Multiple mice - roughly 3 per month (I am okay with this)
  • 3 x goldfinch
  • 2 x bluetit
  • A rat
  • Multiple sparrows
  • A starling
  • The regurgitated bones of god knows what (at least once a month)
  • A half eaten snail Hmm


He's 16 years old.

Unfortunately we got him about age 10-11, so couldn't really do much about his brawling, hunting nature. I chatted to the vet about it and she reckoned if of that nature, that would be his nature until his dying day.

Buggers cat has a 4ft and 5ft jump to get out of the garden. He has a much larger jump to get back in (where his cat flap is). I do worry he's getting a little elderly for it as he's increasingly wanting to be let in the front window, but then he is also a lazy cat...
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MedusaIsHavingaBadHairday · 25/07/2014 23:25

Portia (14) brought me the garden Robin a little while back.. sob..

She looked IMMENSELY pleased with herself!

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greenhill · 25/07/2014 23:36

Oh that's sad medusa our garden robin was standing on a football yesterday and begs for worms when I empty the compost bin!

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