My cat is on a slug / caterpillar hunt every night, how do I stop her?

Question

My beloved cat NIBBLER (yes, I am naming & shaming) goes out almost every night now, and eats slugs / caterpillers then comes home. The result is, at normally around 4am, she throws up everywhere.

The wife is not too happy due to the lose of sleep and the fact we are about to have a new carpet put down.

Any ideas ?????

- Ideas already discounted
A) getting rid of the cat
B) locking her out at night / shutting her away(Nibbler not my wife)
C) keeping her in & using a litter tray (again Nibbler, not my wife)
D) Not getting carpet

Thanks

Answer 1

The only win - win would be keeping the cat indoors.

The cat is not smart enough to figure out these are not good to eat. Catepillars LOVE to eat poison and if they get into it,.. they get full of it,.. even when they change over to Butterflies it still stays on/in them. So for the life of the cat,.. keep it indoors.

The only answer I saw so far was for Trays of Beer. That's some times hard to work out and cats/dogs still go in after them. Then you may have a cat that also has alcohol in their system. If you want to do something like this,. you would need to have very large cages or fenced off areas (includeing the top) with an attracting dead center for the critters of the night and these to be big enough the cat can't paw in and with a lid/cover the cat can't enter through.

There are some things that repulse slugs, I think they are ashes, salt, quarts and charcole,.. there are some plants too but I can't remember those right now :( And I know one of the plants doesn't work well enough unless it's a double wall of it around the area you want them out of,.. other wise they just ignore one plant and wander around everywhere else.

Try to get rid of sitting water. Maybe attract some types of birds that like to eat Slugs and Catepillars.

P.S. I forgot to tell you. One of the things that happens at night with Dogs and Cats is they are supposed to be with their Pack or Pride,.. so by nature if they are cut off their instinct is to cry their little hearts out until they can get together with you. Alot of people decide to lock Cats and Dogs out of their bedroom,.. then they hear it so loudly,.. it's because it's directed at you and outside your bedroom door. I have to do this because my male cat is destructive,.. he rarely cries but at first him and my female cat would carry on,... they got use to it and now they will cry until I am still in bed for about 10 minutes then be quite (if it is one of their crying days).

Answer 2

Folks? when you post a question it is very important, particularly when discussing cat issues, to give all the information you can. Breed is crucial as each has it's own personality and characteristics. Household/family changes? Changes in general: relationships, work, children, etc. All that said? IF THIS cat was once an outside cat and now forced to be totally inside? How long ago did that happen? I'd guess, let's say "about 3 years ago"?!! If not, then what DID happen 3 years ago? And lastly, generally rewarding "bad" behavior is NEVER the answer to correcting it.

Answer 3

For the slugs, I say put a small tray, small enough the slugs could climb in, and put a tiny bit of beer in it (2-4oz. maybe) -- the slugs come to beer like moths to a light, climb right in and drown in the beer.

My sister did that for her gardens. Works like a charm. The cat prolly wont try to eat them if they are dead in a pool of beer.

-edit-
My girlfriend says -- it depends on the consistency of the vomit. It could just be hairballs or another underlying problem. How sure are you that the can is eating slugs or catapilars? She also says you should take her to the vet (Nibbler, not your wife). I personally think you should check out this website "Diarrhea & Vomiting: When to See Your Veterinarian" before you decide whether to take her.

Answer 4

Phew!

Please be very careful what species of Caterpillar your kitten is hunting. Some species are toxic. As for allowing your cat to roam the woods at night, again that is not safe for your pet.
Cats are nocturnal by nature so that usually is their time for hunting.
I noticed that you discounted not allowing your cat outdoors at night. Rethink this.
You can build an outdoor enclosure so that you cat can not roam the countryside when outside. But slugs and caterpillars along with other insects will be able to get in the enclosure.
The only way to ensure that your cat does not come into contact with unsavory insects is to limit her exposure to them. That means keeping the cat indoors at night no matter how much she yowls in protest. It's YOUR house and she is a resident there even if she acts otherwise.
Be well friend.
PS. My cat hunted cicadas and would bring them into the house still alive, take them directly to my son's bedroom and set them free. I knew she was "teaching" my son to hunt but it was still annoying to no end. Especially when the poor child would wake up with a couple of cicadas flying around his room. Ever see one before? They are the size of a B-54 bomber. :(

Answer 5

Simple . You Don't . Cats are natural born hunters and short of keeping her in or following her around all night there is really not much you can do about it . Try asking your vet for some advice or call the Cats Protection League and ask them . Good luck .

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Dont know how to stop nibbler (my cat brings home worms!!!!) but you need to be careful. SLUG PELLETS etc can be extremely poisonous to cats so if something like this has been used on the slugs she catches it could be quite nasty.

Answer 8

keeping the cat indoors is alot safer for the cat than allowing it to eat all that good stuff she eats while doing her job--protecting your home/her home from these invaders. keep the litter pan in the bathroom, keep the screens tight, keep her in at night and wenjoy your new carpets and love your cat. she's only trying to protect you from bad guys.

Answer 9

This is a hard question to answer as all cats have a hunting/killer instinct.

Answer 10

At night keep her inside or if you have a garage keep her in there.