Understanding Cats as Hunters
When a housecat is welcomed into the home it is usually viewed in terms of a family pet. It is going to be expected to provide some entertainment and companionship to its housemates, but it is also a creature full of natural instincts too. This is often the reason that young cats will “stalk” humans who are asleep in bed, the feet of all passersby, and even other cats or pets as well.
Cats are natural-born hunters with instincts that simply cannot be overridden or eliminated in any way at all. This is something that must be accepted if the animal is going to be comfortable and happy in the home. It helps to understand that cats were domesticated and taken from the wild strictly because of their abilities as hunters. Many ancient civilizations had a great deal of respect and admiration for cats because they captured disease-brining rodents and kept food supplies secure.
While you may have also actually acquired a cat for the purposes of keeping your home free of invading mice or rodents, you will have to still accept the way that the cat goes about its “business”. For example, cats are not spring-loaded mousetraps that will tend to kill their prey in a single pounce or swipe of the paw. Instead they tend to perform what seems to be an extremely cruel game, known universally as “cat and mouse”, during which time it is not clear whether their prey is to be killed or simply used as a temporary toy.
Many owners do not know what to do when their house cat walks into the room proudly carrying a mouse (alive or dead). The first thing to consider is the health of the cat and the people in the home. Yes, a cat is a very skilled natural hunter and it may have all of its shots and vaccinations, but a mouse is still a wild animal with small and sharp teeth and claws which will easily pierce human and feline flesh. This means that it is perfectly acceptable to interfere with the classic game of cat and mouse and remove the prey from the cat in the safest way possible.
If, however, the cat presents its beloved owners with the “gift” of a dead rodent (which is a sign of affection from the cat towards the housemates) it must not be scolded for this behavior since it is entirely instinctual. Instead the prize should be disposed of in a sanitary manner and the cat should be then monitored for any signs of fleas or worms that can be readily acquired from rodents.
