how to deal with a serial killer cat

[canucksfan1]

ok gotta loveable baby Tonkinese kitty that gets fed well at home, lotsa treats but prefers homemade treats so we make em.
thing is she kills & eats everything in our neighborhood.
she started out killing rodents, squirrels & birds but since she allegedly killed my neighbors pet rabbits she started killing the local feral rabbits & smaller mammals & when i see the neck damage folks know its her cuz shes been caught killing animals like that.
i dont mind her killing what she wants to eat but her breath smells literally like death.

 

[Katie M]

I would strongly suggest keeping her inside.

At home, is she on a raw diet?

 

[susanm9006]

You could try a bell on her collar to maybe slow down her success rate, but she is still going to hunt. Not only a danger to wildlife but to her if she wanders too far for her prey. How about building her an outdoor enclosure, aka catio, so she can catch some insects and get fresh air while still staying safe?

 

[Tik cat's mum]

The only way to stop her is keep her indoors. Cat's hunt.

 

[rubysmama]

Here's a TCS article you might want to read: Why You Should Never Let Your Cat Hunt

 

[canucksfan1]

I would strongly suggest keeping her inside.

At home, is she on a raw diet?

she wont stay inside man unless she wants to.
she really likes hard kibble n our homemade cat cookies, if we fed her meat she gets our cooked meat we eat but what she really really likes is eating from animals she killed for some reason, ive caught her eating some animals if its smaller she will pick it up n run to eat in privacy but if its like a rabbit she will kinda make a stand to me from taking it lol
she does share though cuz shes dropped off fresh rodent, bird or rabbit on our door, the rabbit she mustve worked hard to get home so i always giver loving & take it away

 

[abyeb]

she wont stay inside man unless she wants to.
she really likes hard kibble n our homemade cat cookies, if we fed her meat she gets our cooked meat we eat but what she really really likes is eating from animals she killed for some reason, ive caught her eating some animals if its smaller she will pick it up n run to eat in privacy but if its like a rabbit she will kinda make a stand to me from taking it lol
she does share though cuz shes dropped off fresh rodent, bird or rabbit on our door, the rabbit she mustve worked hard to get home so i always giver loving & take it away

There are other ways that you can satisfy her needs for outside time without letting her hunt. You could take her for leash walks, or invest in building a catio. I’ll attach links that give more info about both of these options:

Harness And Leash Training For Cats

Cat Enclosures

Building A Cat Enclosure

Remember, there are other dangers lurking outside, such as other cats (and strange dogs and other predators), and cars.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. There are a few members on this site who buy mice (I think frozen?) from a supplier for their snakes - and, if I recall correctly, at least one of them has given mice to their cat(s). So, along with a catio, and prey like toys/games, you could consider feeding her mice.

The problem with letting her hunt prey is that one day she is going to kill someone's pet/animal (whatever that might be) and that person could potentially be mad enough to set a trap and poison her for it. I have heard and read of cases like this, so while it may not be frequent it does happen. As you noted, you already have one neighbor whose thinks she has killed some of her pet rabbits. I'd be very wary.

 

[canucksfan1]

yeah that chick that alleged Taz ate her rabbits bought a small dog but hes like 12lber my cats cruising 10+lbs so that dog got beat up a few times fighting over the fence line eh, if she went far enough to recruit a dog she might do something else.
my cat has dragged home feral rabbits her size, so smart $$ says she could kill that dog if it forced a good fight

 

[Caspers Human]

i dont mind her killing what she wants to eat but her breath smells literally like death.

she mustve worked hard to get home so i always giver loving & take it away

smart $$ says she could kill that dog if it forced a good fight

Are you trying to stop your cat from hunting and killing or are you bragging about it?

On one hand, you say you want to stop your cat from hunting and killing but, on the other, you tell us how your cat could kill a dog. (If there was a fight.) That's confusing language to me. How confusing is it to the cat? She doesn't know whether or not to stop hunting because she's not getting clear signals from her human.

If your cat brings home a fresh kill and you praise her, you're never going to stop the behavior.

You are the human. Your cat looks up to you as the leader. You need to set the rules and you need to communicate those rules to your cat or she'll never stop.

 

[canucksfan1]

i get you man
im just tired of my neighbors blaming her for every pet death & telling me i got a feral cat, so i'd like it if she kinda stopped dragging animals into our yard for a bit so theyd cool off on her
i wasnt bragging just noting the dogs a small 12lber vrs my 10+lb cat on deaths ground, im putting money on taz cuz this cats like a veteran

 

[marmoset]

I hate to say it but eating kills does not equal breath of death- sounds like a vet visit is in order to check dental health. Back in the day (before it was common to keep cats wholly indoors) when even I let cats be indoor/outdoor and had successful rabbit/ squirrel and bird killers they didn't stink unless they had a bad tooth somewhere.

 

[Caspers Human]

Cats bring their kills home because it's their instinct to bring food home to their clan.
Basically, she thinks of you as part of her clan.

While you'll probably never completely stop her hunting and killing unless you keep her inside, you can probably minimize it by not encouraging her.

Whenever she brings something home, pick it up, put it in the trash (or bury it) but otherwise ignore it.
As soon as you fuss over it, she gets encouragement.

That's about the only thing I can think of.

im just tired of my neighbors blaming her for every pet death & telling me i got a feral cat

Don't forget that there are other animals out there that hunt and kill. Coyotes and foxes are chief among them.
Either one of them could easily take out an animal as big as a rabbit. They can kill cats too.

Here's the thing... many people blame pet deaths on coyotes and foxes but they only do part of the damage.
Owls are a big threat that many people don't even consider. Great Horned owls, Barred Owls and Snowy Owls are big enough to kill an animal as big as a cat. It's actually pretty common.

Many people will blame their pet's death on coyotes or dogs or things like that when it probably was an owl.

Judging by your user name, I'm guessing that you are from The Great White North or therabouts.
And it IS heading into winter. Owls are coming out and about, this time of year and they are looking for food.

So, definitely watch out for owls.

And, maybe, it might do some good to pass the word on to neighbors that there other things out there that kill pets.

 

[Antonio65]

Here's a TCS article you might want to read: Why You Should Never Let Your Cat Hunt

In my area/country vets are generally against leaving cats out, because of incidents and disease, but especially for the hunter side in them. The damages they do to the wildlife are huge!

 

[canucksfan1]

Cats bring their kills home because it's their instinct to bring food home to their clan.
Basically, she thinks of you as part of her clan.

While you'll probably never completely stop her hunting and killing unless you keep her inside, you can probably minimize it by not encouraging her.

Whenever she brings something home, pick it up, put it in the trash (or bury it) but otherwise ignore it.
As soon as you fuss over it, she gets encouragement.

That's about the only thing I can think of.



Don't forget that there are other animals out there that hunt and kill. Coyotes and foxes are chief among them.
Either one of them could easily take out an animal as big as a rabbit. They can kill cats too.

Here's the thing... many people blame pet deaths on coyotes and foxes but they only do part of the damage.
Owls are a big threat that many people don't even consider. Great Horned owls, Barred Owls and Snowy Owls are big enough to kill an animal as big as a cat. It's actually pretty common.

Many people will blame their pet's death on coyotes or dogs or things like that when it probably was an owl.

Judging by your user name, I'm guessing that you are from The Great White North or therabouts.
And it IS heading into winter. Owls are coming out and about, this time of year and they are looking for food.

So, definitely watch out for owls.

And, maybe, it might do some good to pass the word on to neighbors that there other things out there that kill pets.

yup them owls are some badazz mthrfers
ive seen them fight golden eagles & win bigtime, golden eagles are apex predators so you know theyre tough if they beat them in a fight.
in bc canada we gotta lot of owls, smaller 1s on flatter land but monsters up in the mountains.
my cat is a known proven hunter my neighbors hate but she respects what is owned by another family, she beat up some neighbors pets over territory but never killed them, i know this cuz i saw 2 male cats (about 8-10lbs each) trying to gang up but as soon as she did her neck chomp thing really bad on 1 the other ran but Taz let the prick go even though i wanted her to finish the prick

 

[Jcatbird]

If she senses you wanted her to finish a fight, that’s not good for her. It’s only a matter of time before she losses a battle. I know she is a gorgeous bundle of muscle. I bottle raised a Tonkinese and adore him. He is the ruler of his home with my nephew. He was at the top of his game as well..... until a snake got him. I would never have allowed my nephew to have him if I had known his father would allow him out. Human predators are the worst though. They tend to torture before killing. It’s never the quick end. I’ve watched large rabbits be carried off by hawks. I’ve pulled cats from their talons. I’ve also seen what humans do. Have you ever seen a cat that has been abused? Your neighbors have probably already marked Taz. If you don’t save her, nobody will. I am sure that if you lost her, it would be a terrible blow. The question of what happened to her would probably leave you angry and with an empty space in your heart. She sees you as her Alpha cat. She trusts you to lead her to a safe and content long life. I have studied ferals for many years. An Alpha male will lead other cats away from threats. Prey that is contaminated would be buried by the Alpha cat. Many prey animals are filled with parasites. Her breath could be bad because her intestines are being invaded. (She could be getting bad stuff from angry neighbors too) She can die from anemia if she is infested. We tend to think of hunting being okay for cats. They are mousers. The natural world is no longer so healthy though. I hope you and she have a wonderful long life together. She sounds like she is totally bonded to you. Please protect her as she would protect you. Any photos of her?

 

[Caspers Human]

If you want to put a stop to this behavior you're definitely going to have to take the lead.

Cats kind of look up to their humans as the leader of the clan. They'll do what they think you want them to do. If she picks up hints from you that it's okay to hunt and kill she'll keep doing it.

You might not think that she understands you but she does read you. Cat's don't understand words the way dogs do but they are very good at picking up on body language, tone of voice and the actions you do. They are smart enough to put two and two together.

If us humans are sitting on the sofa, watching TV, and Casper decides that we are paying too much attention to that "box" on the table, across the room, and not enough attention to him he will start doing things to get our attention.
He'll scratch furniture, right in front of us, while staring right at us. It's like he's saying, "Look! I'm scratching your chair!"
Then, when we pause the show and play with Casper, he'll calm down.

If Casper has figured us out like that, it's an easy bet that your cat has figured you out, too.

You're going to have to make sure that she gets the message, by word and by deed, that you don't want her to kill things or get into fights.

 

[danteshuman]

OK you have irate neighbors, deadly owls, dogs, cars, other cats & god knows what else; eventually one will get her! So build an enclosure, add a purfect fence topper or harness train her so you are out there with her.

Hunting is a learned skill. I have a bottle baby that at a year old has caught 2 lizard tails and some flies. His siblings have caught some finches but given that my mom has many multiple feeders, at least 40 finches year round & bushes for hiding right next to a low hanging feeder ...., those cats basically have a bird blind. So she must have learned how to hunt bunnies from another kitty (& a bunny could injure her!)

My mom’s reformed feral cost $200 to get a post to put his ear flaps back together after he got an abscess in it & scratched it open. (He got bit in the ear by another cat.) Just a bit ago, Nick lost over half his tail by climbing into an adjoining tree to our neighbors yard .... where their husky tried to pull him out of the tree by his tail (& degloved 1/3 of it!) That was a thousand dollars! My point is your mighty huntress can live a very long happy life hunting critters in your yard, if you build a catio or the fence toppers for cats. Here are pictures of Jackie having a blast in his harness and 26 ft leash (he loves to loop around things) & a pictures of Nick with his new tail before & after his fur grew back.

*come winter does she really want out that much?

 

[canucksfan1]

she will be pissed though cuz shes got a couple cat friends she sometimes runs around with eh but yeah someone or something is gonna punch her clock 1 clock 1 day to break my heart 1 day, i'll go to the pet store looking at catios thanx

 

[canucksfan1]

OK you have irate neighbors, deadly owls, dogs, cars, other cats & god knows what else; eventually one will get her! So build an enclosure, add a purfect fence topper or harness train her so you are out there with her.

Hunting is a learned skill. I have a bottle baby that at a year old has caught 2 lizard tails and some flies. His siblings have caught some finches but given that my mom has many multiple feeders, at least 40 finches year round & bushes for hiding right next to a low hanging feeder ...., those cats basically have a bird blind. So she must have learned how to hunt bunnies from another kitty (& a bunny could injure her!)

My mom’s reformed feral cost $200 to get a post to put his ear flaps back together after he got an abscess in it & scratched it open. (He got bit in the ear by another cat.) Just a bit ago, Nick lost over half his tail by climbing into an adjoining tree to our neighbors yard .... where their husky tried to pull him out of the tree by his tail (& degloved 1/3 of it!) That was a thousand dollars! My point is your mighty huntress can live a very long happy life hunting critters in your yard, if you build a catio or the fence toppers for cats. Here are pictures of Jackie having a blast in his harness and 26 ft leash (he loves to loop around things) & a pictures of Nick with his new tail before & after his fur grew back.

*come winter does she really want out that much?


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hey just asking but ive built 1st class sheds off blueprints for $150 that sell for $2000+ is it better to build a seperate catio or extend 1 off my porch?