My 3 outdoor/indoor cats keep killing birds, mice and bugs!!?

Question

Every once and a while we find a nice little DEAD bird or mouse or bug in the house, it's so gross! We enjoy letting our cats wander in and out of the house as they please and they are pretty tame well mannered cats for the most part. This morning we discovered 3 birds in the house, and i just found another underneath the kitchen table! The cats are so used to going in and out and i dont want to have to keep them inside on nice days, but how can i prevent them from bringing these little presents into the house? or better yet, not kill them?

Answer 1

try getting your cat's a collar with bells on it. The birds and other critters can hear them coming and be better able to escape. I too have a great white hunter among my 3 cats. Just the other day, he proudly came through the cat door with a bird in his mouth, so I know what you are going through. When I got the collar with the bell, it cut his kill ratio by about 75%. I don't think there is any thing you can do to totally stop the hunting.

Answer 2

Part and parcel of having a cat. Why so upset? You have acknowledged they are gifts to you and that is true.
I try to save those that can be saved without offending the cat too much (after all, it is in its nature). If I can't rescue one, I give it a decent burial. If it is eaten, then that is what Nature intended.
We can't put our morals onto a different species, as close as we are.
People say that a bell on the cats collar alerts birds to the cat trying to prey on it. You could try that.
Then again, say an earthquake or some horrible disaster happened ... if your cat can survive that and can get food for itself, you'd be happier for knowing it.
Cats have been targeted as villains yet again. First persecuted in witch hunts and now for destroying wildlife.
Excuse me? Destroying wildlife? They were once respected for their hunting skills.
Yes,. it is sad if they are killing another animal when there is enough food for them at home, but is that food good? Is it really what they need? Too many artificial flavours and chemicals, maybe?
Oh, doesn't freshly killed prey tatse so very good to a cat, and the cat knows it is getting all the natural vitamins it needs.
Yes, they do not distinguish between suastainable sources. Yes, they kill birds. But mostly sparrows, who overbreed where i live to compensate.
In fact, I am a great bird lover. My cats never go for my pet birds.
I feed the wild birds all year round. The cats will only show interest in hunting the young sparrows in late spring. The sparrow parents can have a second clutch after that, and they do. In fact, my neighbours complain that there are too many sparrows!.
People who say birds are not a cats natural food know nothing. Cats were bred to hunt birds in Ancient Egypt, centuries ago. Even a pet cat has to learn how to survive for itself should anything happen. They will never eat that many birds as to cause extinction.
They will hunt as many as necessary to perfect their survival skills, then just a few more to stay in practise.
I love birds. I have bird feeders all over my garden. I also have 10 well-fed cats.
I am not happy when they kill mice or sparrows or cicadas just for practise. I'm happier if they kill them for food. But cicadas and sparrows and mice increase; in a way it all balances out.
It is sad, but on the other hand you can relax that should anything awful happen, your cat could survive without your pet food. Who do you love most - your cat or the bugs or mice or birds?

Answer 3

My cat is two years old and is one of the most spectacular wee terrors of birds and mice. We leave the back door open and used to get a few 'presents' in the house. She seems to have stopped that now and leaves them in the garden after they stop moving. She has a bell on but I think it must be the deaf birds and mice she catches . lol. I'm not sure if its a female cat trait, I was once told it was. I would never imprison her in the house, but here in Scotland we do not have that many 'Yeehas' shooting them, cars yes, but they soon become streetwise to them in the suburbs. Don't feed the birds in the garden it goes without saying and you don't really want mice in the house anyway so the cat is doing you a favor there anyway.

Answer 4

I don't think there is a solution to this. Hunting is just natural for most cats. Are they bringing them in the morning, during the day, or at night?

I don't think cats should be out when it is dark. There are predators then who will go after THEM. So I would close the cat door after the sun goes down. Feed them their dinner at dusk, they will come in for that.

During the day let them out, close the cat door and let them stay outside. At least they will leave their killed prey outside your house, making them easier to dispose of. If they come to the door with something in their mouths don't let them in.

I am always sorry about the birds and there is no solution to this. You can't make a rule, mice OK, birds NOT.

Answer 5

They are cats... thats what they do...

its them loving you and feeding you...

What to you think cat food is... you cant have a vege cat... someone killed the anilam that was cat food just as your cat killed the bird... the hat simply can mince it and can it.

So you can't stop it but unless you want to take it to cat therapy all you can do of hug and thank your cat for contributing to the house and loving you and sharing its food and supporting you like a mum does for its kittens...


Oh get a bell to warn the birds and mess up its hunting...

It goes with the turf like furballs and clawed stuff and you getting wacked now and again and bleeding

Answer 6

Its is instinct for cats to hunt. It doesn't mean they are hungry, they just do it anyway.

It is also natural for them to bring you presents of dead animals. Try not to act displeased when a cat brings you a present because it will think the present isn't good enough so will bring you more.

Try acting delighted when one of your cats brings a dead animal into the house and they might decide they don't need to bring you any more.

Answer 7

Try getting more toys for them, it might help but cats are very similar to us in the fact that they kill because they want to not just for food.
Sad but true.

I dont like them but 1 of my cats used to kill loads of birds so we got him an anti strangle collar with a bell that way the birds will hear him coming.

Answer 8

There are only three ways to prevent it...keep the cats inside, get a cat tunnel for outside (i've seen them, they're mesh...a safe way for them to be outside), or only allow them outside when on a leash and supervised. Outdoor cats, regardless of their demeanor, KILL BIRDS, etc!!!! Do your cats have all their claws and all their vaccinations, as well as flea & tick preventative? If not, they shouldn't be going outside. Keeping them inside is not inhumane, regardless of what some people want you to believe. If you want them to experience outside, put some grass in a planter in the window...get them a window perch and let them enjoy the fresh air coming in through the screen.

Answer 9

you don't. it's instincitve for them to do this. they are hunters after all. now that they have been successful at doing this they will continue to do so every time. like they you can take the cat out of the jungle but you can't take the jungle out of the cat? something like that. it's instinct. cannot change it unless you stop letting the out of the house. then they'll get bored and start scratching up everything. might wanna get one of those wind up mouses? might take the edge off of them for awhile. that or get them REALLY fat so they're unable to catch the faster birds and mice

Answer 10

My cat bring me dead bird. I guess it's some from of gifts or something. Put a bell on they collar and the hunted will hear them coming