Cat killing animals

Catmam2OceanBlue

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My 7m old cat has just recently been allowed to be an outdoors cat due to him crying to be out so much and it has really calmed him down which is a godsend because he used to wake my 2yrold up as soon as I put him to sleep by barging into his bedroom and doing zoomies around the room. I tried everything to keep him out and still be able to hear if my son wakes but our boy kitty bleu insists on sleeping in that particular room or he Wales and cries which in turn wakes my little boy so can't win.

However last few nights he's been on his nighttime adventures outside he has brought home a dead baby bird and it petrifies Me because he takes them up into my sons bedroom and further chews on them. I know this is instinctive for cats to hunt but it hurts heart for the poor birds & the idea of a dead animal being dragged into my sons room. I keep his door adjar always for safety so can't fully close the bedroom door. I don't know how to stop my cat before he zooms up the stairs without giving me the chance to stop him

I would love some advice how to deter this behaviour? I usually feed the kitten when he gets bk from his travels around 4am but I don't want this to seem like a reward for his gifting of a dead bird. He always looks so proud of himself.

I feel so uncomfortable birds being brought in because no doubt now he's started it will be mice and allsorts next and the thought scares me.

He has a good mate kitty who is abit older and streetwise who he goes on travels with but she's a hunter too so I think he's copied this behaviour and it's abit instinctive too. I know pigeons carry many germs we call them flying rats here in UK so that's a worry when I have an infant and I'm also pregnant so don't want germs brought into the home if it can be avoided. It doesn't make it any less heartbreaking to see another poor defenseless animal has been killed by your own.

Advice appreciated
 

LTS3

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Do you have a yard in which to build a small catio? Or can you take your cat out for walks on a leash and harness or in a pet stroller?

This product works great to keep the bedroom open enough so you can hear your son. You can adjust it so the cat can't get inside with dead animals. Amazon UK sell it https://www.amazon.co.uk/Door-Buddy-Adjustable-Convenient-Installation/ Other similar child safety door strap would work as well.
 

iPappy

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I second the catio idea. Just make sure it's covered, secure, and has something smaller than chain link around it to prevent birds and small animals from coming in.
Remember, nighttime adventures can end with your cat not coming home. A catio might be the best option. He can go outside, stay safe, and keep wildlife safe too.
catio ideas - Google Search
 

maggie101

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My 7m old cat has just recently been allowed to be an outdoors cat due to him crying to be out so much and it has really calmed him down which is a godsend because he used to wake my 2yrold up as soon as I put him to sleep by barging into his bedroom and doing zoomies around the room. I tried everything to keep him out and still be able to hear if my son wakes but our boy kitty bleu insists on sleeping in that particular room or he Wales and cries which in turn wakes my little boy so can't win.

However last few nights he's been on his nighttime adventures outside he has brought home a dead baby bird and it petrifies Me because he takes them up into my sons bedroom and further chews on them. I know this is instinctive for cats to hunt but it hurts heart for the poor birds & the idea of a dead animal being dragged into my sons room. I keep his door adjar always for safety so can't fully close the bedroom door. I don't know how to stop my cat before he zooms up the stairs without giving me the chance to stop him

I would love some advice how to deter this behaviour? I usually feed the kitten when he gets bk from his travels around 4am but I don't want this to seem like a reward for his gifting of a dead bird. He always looks so proud of himself.

I feel so uncomfortable birds being brought in because no doubt now he's started it will be mice and allsorts next and the thought scares me.

He has a good mate kitty who is abit older and streetwise who he goes on travels with but she's a hunter too so I think he's copied this behaviour and it's abit instinctive too. I know pigeons carry many germs we call them flying rats here in UK so that's a worry when I have an infant and I'm also pregnant so don't want germs brought into the home if it can be avoided. It doesn't make it any less heartbreaking to see another poor defenseless animal has been killed by your own.

Advice appreciated
Catio is an excellent idea! If you don't want dead birds in your house, you can keep him interested when he's alone. Kittens like to play before and after eating so chew toys,trixie puzzle,ripple rug, toys you can attach to a door,boxes,cubes, Tom and Jerry cartoons! He might like your sons room because there's so much to play with! Make your living room just as fun
 

Margot Lane

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Ptedation by house cats is the #1 threat to all wild birds, many of which are endangered. There have also been other discussions that it’s dangerous for your cat to be outside…could be run over or also predated. (Not typing this to freak you out, I just agree w/ the whole catio idea).
 

ArtNJ

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There is no way to entirely prevent dead birds in the house if the cat is allowed to roam free outside, with access via a cat door. You could put a bell on the cat, which would help the birds some, but not 100% prevent this. And a bell has its own annoyances.

It *is* possible to have an indoor/outdoor cat without a cat door, even if you don't have a glass patio door, but it comes with additional risks that the cat will get bored waiting and wander off. We had a glass kitchen door, but somehow one of the cats got in the habit of waiting at the front door anyway. Sometimes we heard the chirping, sometimes we just opened it to check on him and he came in. Of course, this doesn't save the birds, it just keeps them out of the house -- if your good about looking out the window or peephole before letting the cat back in.
 
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Catmam2OceanBlue

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Ptedation by house cats is the #1 threat to all wild birds, many of which are endangered. There e also been other discussions that it’s dangerous for your cat to be outside…could be run over or also predated. (Not typing this to freak you out, I just agree w/ the whole catio idea).
Yes I was never keen on the idea of letting him outside but he just yearned to be out so badly it got troublesome with waking my son and the constant meowing . There was only so much feeding I could give him when he whined. He always jumped at the chance to run out whenever we opened our door and I would spend hours retrieving him from under cars etc
 

danteshuman

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Build him a catio, that he can go into whenever he wants?

My mom had a clever kitty who (despite being front declawed & wearing a bell) kept catching lots of pigeons!!!

Jackie in his harness has only caught one fledgling bird but he catches a baby lizard a month on average. I give my guy 22 feet of freedom to do as he wishes in his harness/leash but the birds know to stay clear of his area when he is outside. I also bought a tall bird feeder pole & put pots under neath the bird feeder so he could not jump up from under the feeders.

This is how Jackie spends most of his harness time.... hunkered down and hunting things. Outside time calms him down a ton. A set outside time helps them learn the schedule so they are not crying to go outside all the time.
 

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iPappy

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Yes I was never keen on the idea of letting him outside but he just yearned to be out so badly it got troublesome with waking my son and the constant meowing . There was only so much feeding I could give him when he whined. He always jumped at the chance to run out whenever we opened our door and I would spend hours retrieving him from under cars etc
Would a catio be an option? You don't need a ton of floor space outside to do it. You can make it small but built it a bit tall (human walk in size) and put shelves in. Most cats really just want to "be" outside, and only roam because nothing is stopping them.
 

Cat McCannon

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Keep your cat indoors and don’t let them out unsupervised.

Stop acting like cats killing birds is a horrible thing. Cats are predators and the killing is a part of nature and life. Don’t try to hide it from your son, he’s gonna find out anyway.

Remember- Each critter your cat kills is because you let it out.

Catify your home and play with the cat.Teach your son how to play with the cat. Cat favors him anyway.
 

Alldara

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Check out Catification videos on YouTube for ways to keep your cat busy. If you can engage him with a toy after your toddler gets in bed, that might distract the zoomies. Jackson Galaxy has many good videos and so do many other people.

Here's one:
Never underestimate the power of a toddler, a string and cat to tire out both toddler and cat! Play time before your toddler's wind-down time will get them both ready for bed. You really want to wear down your cat before children go to sleep. It's also a great lesson for your LO on pet care and responsibility in such a fun way!
 

danteshuman

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If you are going to keep the cat inside I recomend a cat proof aquarium with crickets or dart frogs inside & bird feeders by a window outside. Put the feeders by a window with a sturdy screen the cat can’t escape from & a cat tree or cat ledge or chair by the window. They sell pet proof screen your cat can’t scratch through (though I think you have to install it in your screen’s frame.)
 

Kflowers

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Pesticides kill most of the birds who die early either from direct contact or from killing the insects the birds need for food. Cats kill the birds who are old, sick, or weak, often from the effects of pesticides. Most cats don't actually chase birds, they tend to specialize - small animals, snakes, lizards, fish, birds. (Birds of prey and coyotes also kill birds, as do people with guns and even air guns.) People like to keep saying that cats kill birds because it's easier to blame cats than people or corporations, particularly giant systems like agra-business. After all if people started really admitting how many birds pesticides kill, they might start questioning how many people pesticides kill and we wouldn't want to go there, would we?

You might also want to consider whether it's kinder to let an old or sick bird slowly starve to death or die quickly by a cat. Your world view will determine your answer to that.
 

tiggerwillow

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Pesticides kill most of the birds who die early either from direct contact or from killing the insects the birds need for food. Cats kill the birds who are old, sick, or weak, often from the effects of pesticides. Most cats don't actually chase birds, they tend to specialize - small animals, snakes, lizards, fish, birds. (Birds of prey and coyotes also kill birds, as do people with guns and even air guns.) People like to keep saying that cats kill birds because it's easier to blame cats than people or corporations, particularly giant systems like agra-business. After all if people started really admitting how many birds pesticides kill, they might start questioning how many people pesticides kill and we wouldn't want to go there, would we?

You might also want to consider whether it's kinder to let an old or sick bird slowly starve to death or die quickly by a cat. Your world view will determine your answer to that.
The flipside of that, is it might not be a cat that gives the bird a quick death, a fox/bird of prey, etc won't turn away from a easy meal, the bird - if it's too weak to escape - will get caught fairly quickly by the fox or bird of prey
 

danteshuman

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Yeah my cats never killed the birds quickly. They played with it, released, caught, released until the poor thing died. I have however learned lizard TLC since my cat keeps pestering baby lizards! I have pried them out of his mouth, stuck them in a critter cage with home made flavorless gator aid and under my bathroom’s heat lamps ..... before I release the poor dears back into the wild.
 

Kflowers

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danteshuman, I think your cats were never hungry and were taken away from their mothers before she finished teaching them how to kill their prey. My mousers were instant it was through the wall into the room slam broken neck job done. Mine that hunted snakes would bring them to me unharmed because she knew I wanted a pet snake and would have had one too, if Mom hadn't kept letting them lose in the woods.

I never had one that hunted birds. I've only known one that did and he was a quick kill (which either mom teaches or after the first bird gets away.)

Non-cat exciting moment was when a hawk brought down a pigeon landing with it a few feet away from my car.
 

Willowwombat

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Cats are very adept predators and they can easily catch any small bird, young or old. Cat predation is killing off songbirds all over the world. We owe it to our bird populations to keep our cats indoors or leashed.

Your cat is also in danger all the time he or she is outside. Cats are small animals that are easily preyed upon. They don't need to hunt for food, and you can give them all the mental stimulation they need with toys and play.
 

Kflowers

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Yes, keep them inside so they won't get in the yards people spray with pesticides which will poison them and so they won't eat the birds and other animals poisoned by pesticides and die from that posioning.
 

danteshuman

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Cats are very adept predators and they can easily catch any small bird, young or old. Cat predation is killing off songbirds all over the world. We owe it to our bird populations to keep our cats indoors or leashed.

Your cat is also in danger all the time he or she is outside. Cats are small animals that are easily preyed upon. They don't need to hunt for food, and you can give them all the mental stimulation they need with toys and play.
My boy is a hyper terror without outside time!!! My last cat, Dante was the hyper-est cat I have ever known! I could not wear Dante out with play & he bullied my other cat when he was bored! So no, you can’t always provide enough stimulation!

I think a catio would be ideal (& protect the birds) but I can’t build it at my apartment. So my boy gets daily harness time, plus he gets to look out the screen door. I honestly keep an eye out for snakes, falcons & owls, so they don’t injure my cat.
 
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