| Martin 2005-11-01, 6:21 pm |
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<intheswamp00@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1130860913.944638.175330@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> We have a 15 year-old female cat that is a "mouser supreme". From
> growing up in the country I've been around cats most all of my life.
> All cats are not created equally in their mouser-abilities. The
> females tend to be the best mousers, but there's a trick to it. The
> trick is letting the female have at least one litter of kittens. I
> don't know what this does to the female, but after raising the litter
> they turn into a death machine for mice, rats, moles, etc.,.
This is true - podgy old Bagpuss Toms have no motivation to catch anything as a
rule, apart from un-neutered female cats of course.
They catch them to feed their litter, that's the motivation, but there is more -
they also use their victims to train their kittens to hunt and kill, which is
why cats sometimes seem so cruel (by spinning it out and not dispatching things
quickly). It is deeply ingrained of coursed, and they will behave this way
whether they need to or not, both male and female.
Part of this is the provision of little dismembered 'presents' for their owners
(so often discovered with a bare foot when stone cold with their entrails spread
across the floor). Hence that 'hurt' expression when it is rejected with harsh
words and expressions of disgust (esp. when hung over at 6AM).
I have heard that small, slender females are the best of all when it comes to
mousing, but whether that's true, or due to them being a bit more agile, I don't
know. Whatever, what you said is a matter-of-fact and well proven... the reasons
are obvious really?
Cheers
Martin
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