My sadistic furball almost brought a live rat inside! 🤦🏻‍♀️

[danteshuman]

So next time he tries to bring a baby lizard of now a rat should I just shut the sliding glass door instead of trying to rescue his prey? (The rat scampered off, I pulled my furball inside & gave the rat an hour head start.)

I feel guilty for screwing up his hints. I have pried baby lizards from his mouth & I jerked on his leash.... startling him so he dropped the rat..... & worse; picked him up so he couldn’t re-catch the rat.

I have been letting him outside at night since it has been to hot to take him outside in the afternoon (& I still don’t have a new screen door for my apartment.) I think the night time activity is why he caught a rat.

 

[bear]

Depending on where you live, there may be other things coming out at twilight looking for lizards and rats.
I live in coastal California, so my cats stay indoors to avoid things like Nancy P and Bob that like rats and small cats for evening dinner.

 

[Kflowers]

Whoa! I would not be going out myself,

 

[game misconduct]

this heat wave is gonna bring the coyotes out of the hills into the suburbs looking for water and food

 

[rubysmama]

The baby lizard sounds cute, but the rat, not so much.

 

[JulietteTruong]

Depending on where you live, there may be other things coming out at twilight looking for lizards and rats.
I live in coastal California, so my cats stay indoors to avoid things like Nancy P and Bob that like rats and small cats for evening dinner.
View attachment 385699View attachment 385700

Omg that bobcat is so pretty

 

[bear]

If your apartment complex has palm trees or ivy, those are the most likely places that the rats stay in the day.
I have been sitting in my car in parking lots just after sunset, and you can see all the rats descending from the palm trees.
It can be a bit unsettling. I have had hundreds of dollars in repair bills from rodents chewing on the wires on my truck I used to park in my driveway overnight. To help the earth, some large international car manufactures have moved away from plastic wrapped wires to using more natural soy based product to wrap the wires. It seems rodents are even more attracted to the soy based wires. Rodent damage is not covered on your new car even if still under warranty. On one auto forum, I read posts of car owners having $1,400 and higher repair bills. Through the years, I removed all palm trees and ivy to reduce their numbers, yet they are everywhere. Both vehicles now stay in the garage and traps in the garage.

If their is a HOA or Apt Manager Group, they may treat for rats when reported. This usually means poisons or some type posion + traps. You don't want your cat eating poisoned rats.

Edit: Adding that some auto insurance policies exclude rodent damage. Some cover it on comprehensive yet you will pay the deductable.

 

[danteshuman]

No coyotes yet but I keep a very close eye on him at night. I have seen king snakes, squirrels, lizards, a rat, owls, falcons, vultures flying far away, possums & lately raccoons.

I also leave a gallon size water bowl outside, all year long..... because the heat is so unbearable here. I leave a twig, emergency escape exit for any lizards or bugs that might fall in.

Yes we have palm trees. There is a bush & tree barrier between my apartment complex & the 1 lane road/golf course on the other side. It has around 3-5 inches of leaves and twigs on the ground. The squirrels like it & I think that is where the rats live.

 

[Kflowers]

All those birds, in particular those birds - owls, falcons, vultures - will take grown cats and kittens and small dogs. However, the falcons and vultures will take them during the day as well. (Okay, the very small falcons can't carry off an adult cat.) Second however, from what I sense about you from your posts you've got a lot of bushes for hiding under in your yard. Even a falcon will try not to fly into a holly bush.

 

[danteshuman]

Kflowers I have a patio with giant pots on it (& a birdbath) along with the yard areas for the apartment building (that is landscaped with drought resistant bushes.) Because I’m in the back, Jackie pretty much had that corner area of communal yard to himself. Then there is an ally, then the divider bushes/trees/hedge. I planted the huge pots so I would have something pretty to look at!

Honestly though I just hear an owl sometimes at night. I don’t see any falcons near by but I see them flying over the wild parts of the hills. My apartment is in the more urbanized area ..... still I keep a very close watch on Jackie at dusk or night; just in case a coyote is nearby. The wild life tends to stay in the hedge.

He ran into the hedge and within seconds caught something. I was walking him back to my apartment when I noticed something in his mouth..... he had a 5 or 6 inch rat not counting the tail in his mouth!!! At which point I stopped, startled him a bit and he dropped the rat, then I pulled him back by the leash, slid the sliding glass door shut a bit to block the rat from running inside my apartment & picked Jackie up..... taking him inside. I ruined his fun & first rat catch. I kept him inside for an hour; to give the rodent a head start. Jackie was screaming for about 15 minutes that he needed to go back outside! Which honestly does make me feel a bit guilty for messing up his hunt ..... that biology tells him he needs to do.

He has a blast outside! He rolls in the dirt, climb trees & lays under a Bush watching birds. He loves his short walks around my apartment building & some of the condos. It will be cool enough for me to go outside by 9 pm tonight! MS & heat do not mix! So I turn into a vampire every summer & fall (& go out at night & early morning.)

 

[game misconduct]

Kflowers I have a patio with giant pots on it (& a birdbath) along with the yard areas for the apartment building (that is landscaped with drought resistant bushes.) Because I’m in the back, Jackie pretty much had that corner area of communal yard to himself. Then there is an ally, then the divider bushes/trees/hedge. I planted the huge pots so I would have something pretty to look at!

Honestly though I just hear an owl sometimes at night. I don’t see any falcons near by but I see them flying over the wild parts of the hills. My apartment is in the more urbanized area ..... still I keep a very close watch on Jackie at dusk or night; just in case a coyote is nearby. The wild life tends to stay in the hedge.

He ran into the hedge and within seconds caught something. I was walking him back to my apartment when I noticed something in his mouth..... he had a 5 or 6 inch rat not counting the tail in his mouth!!! At which point I stopped, startled him a bit and he dropped the rat, then I pulled him back by the leash, slid the sliding glass door shut a bit to block the rat from running inside my apartment & picked Jackie up..... taking him inside. I ruined his fun & first rat catch. I kept him inside for an hour; to give the rodent a head start. Jackie was screaming for about 15 minutes that he needed to go back outside! Which honestly does make me feel a bit guilty for messing up his hunt ..... that biology tells him he needs to do.

He has a blast outside! He rolls in the dirt, climb trees & lays under a Bush watching birds. He loves his short walks around my apartment building & some of the condos. It will be cool enough for me to go outside by 9 pm tonight! MS & heat do not mix! So I turn into a vampire every summer & fall (& go out at night & early morning.)

he is in the process of teaching you to hunt thats why he doesnt kill the rats right off

 

[Talien]

All those birds, in particular those birds - owls, falcons, vultures - will take grown cats and kittens and small dogs. However, the falcons and vultures will take them during the day as well. (Okay, the very small falcons can't carry off an adult cat.) Second however, from what I sense about you from your posts you've got a lot of bushes for hiding under in your yard. Even a falcon will try not to fly into a holly bush.

Actually, that is thankfully a myth. Falcons and most Owls cannot physically lift an adult Cat unless it is either very small or severely underweight, we're talking 4-5 LB max. They prey on rodents, lizards, snakes, and they will take Kittens if given the chance but not a full grown adult. The exception being Great Horned Owls which are reportedly able to lift up to 8 LB, but even they usually prey on rodents and reptiles because they risk injury when trying to take larger prey. Birds do not generally heal quickly, or very well, and a broken wing is usually a death sentence.

Eagles, on the other hand.....hide yo Cat, hide yo Dog.

Vultures are strictly carrion eaters and do not take live prey. Even wounded animals they won't touch, they just circle overheard until it dies.

 

[danteshuman]

Thank goodness Jackie weighs 13.5 pounds!

 

[Jcatbird]

Some birds of prey kill the prey by dive bombing it with such force it is mortally wounded. They eat it there. If prey is scarce, they must get what they can. They don’t fly off with it. Some buzzards will take frogs and such alive. Desperation during hunger. I’d be more concerned about large predators. Hunting for you is very considerate! For you, not the rat!! I release the catch of my cats efforts too. I really don’t want the cats ingesting the parasites they carry. We all hate to stop natural behavior. Maybe you could try putting a toy on a fishing rod line and do a bit of cast cat fishing without the hook? It would cover that hunting instinct. Good kittty for being a good provider for family though!!

 

[Caspers Human]

The great horned owl can take prey as large as an opossum or raccoon.

Up to two feet tall and weighing up to five pounds, a great horned owl can easily take out a cat if it wanted to.
They normally prey on smaller animals like rabbits but they have been known to take foxes or young coyotes.
I have even heard legend that a great horned owl can kill an eagle. I wouldn't doubt it but I think that's probably just a story.

Owls hunt by swooping down and hitting their prey with their feet and gripping with their talons. They will either suffocate smaller prey by squeezing and puncturing it with their talons or they might break the prey's spine. Then they use their beak to eviscerate their prey, pretty much, on the spot.

I wouldn't say that great horned owls are a big threat to cats but, if an owl is hungry, it could kill a cat.

There are other large species like the spotted owl or the barred owl. They don't often take prey larger than a rat but, if they are hungry enough, they might try.

 

[Maurey]

There are other large species like the spotted owl or the barred owl. They don't often take prey larger than a rat but, if they are hungry enough, they might try.

To my knowledge, most, if not all owls eat prey whole, or, at the very least, in very large chunks with the bone. I don’t think even a desperate owl would kill something too large for it to swallow.

 

[bear]

Helping a little with bird classification.
Vultures usually are large and will eat cold road kill.
Buteos are frequently called buzzards (not vultures) and eat warm prey. One example of buteo is red tail hawk. These beautiful birds come in different shadings and markings, just like our cats. They weigh from 2 to 5 lbs, yet the largest can have a up to a 5 foot wingspan and average 20 year lifespans. Imagine if you strapped on a feather suit and only weighed 5 lbs? Do you think you could fly? I have gotten too close to a red tail on the ground while taking an image. She/he drove me off with a talons forward charge into the air (my face high). My hips immediately went to the ground, face went down into arm cover, yet the camera remained elevated to separate us. I think she was OK with just "adjusting my understanding" of "too close for her comfort". Yes, I remember and somehow survived my invincible younger days.

 

[Kflowers]

Yipes, bear

Good cover danteshuman that makes me worry less. Go Vampires! the summer sun is too much!

I've heard stories of people losing their cats and small dogs to hawks (maybe that's the difference, though I thought a hawk and a falcon were the same sort of bird) and owls. It's fast, a quick death. When I'd take the big dogs out, 50 lb each, if there was a hawk in the area they were silent and still until it left. We had large hawks - white chest with brown spots- the city acquired to catch pigeons.

This may have been an accident, but it cause a fear fur shed in our house. On the second floor. Kit and I were standing by the sliders when a huge black bird (later was told this was a red tail hawk fledgling) smacked into the slider. Kit raced out of the room and went under the furniture for the rest of the day. I stood and stared because I'm so very good at reacting to situations. In time the bird stood, shook himself and flew off.

I've also read that vultures blind capybaras and wait for them to die. I'd really like to think that this is not true and would appreciate assurances that they don't do this.

Talien I ask this question separately because I thought you might have been referring to North American Vultures. The ones I heard about were in South America. I do appreciate you answer to my post.

 

[Kflowers]

Let me assure everyone that even at the time of the hawk accident my sliders would never have been in a window cleaner ad. Since that happened, and not wanting dead or injured birds, I've left the sliders alone. Being in the hot and humid they are now coated with a layer of yellow green pollen that doesn't move. It is to be hoped that birds will consider this a wall not an open passage.

 

[Talien]

Talien I ask this question separately because I thought you might have been referring to North American Vultures. The ones I heard about were in South America. I do appreciate you answer to my post.

Anything is possible even if not very likely, they are large birds with big talons and sharp beaks afterall.