A question about Cats, True or False and why. please help?

Question

Isn't it true that when a cat kills a bird, or a lizard or somthing like that it will take the dead animal to the front door or porch of their owners house? Or inside their house -- or somewhere where they can show it off to their owner? they think they're doing something good?

Well my cat used to do that but a couple of days ago i found feathers in my garag and i'm pretty sure that my cat did somethign deadly to bird to get those feathers. Now i' wondering if my stupid cat has rabies. We have this small rug there and theres a bunch of feathers spread over the rug. black feathers. obviously from a bird. can anyone explained whats happened. i expected - if my cat actually did somethign awful to a bird. shouldnt a dead bird be on m porch? i've gotten plenty of dead lizards.

++ we have two cats. one is 6 and fat. the other is about 1 1/2 and thin. and very hyper

Answer 1

Most of the time when a cat kills an animal and brings it to its owner its to show that they are a good hunter and worthwhile keeping them around. They want to show their owner some gratitude and hopefully get praised for doing a "good job".
Cats won't always bring in the animal - sometimes they will kill something and eat it or leave it where it dies - maybe it didn't kill the bird but just got a few feathers. The cat might have caught the bird but the bird got away - I don't think u have anything to worry about.

Answer 2

It is true that when cats kill a bird or something else, they'll usually bring it to their owner to "bring you a gift" that shows their skills.

Remember, of all domesticated animals, cat behavior is the closest to their ancestors - the lions. They stalk their prey and kill it and sometimes eat it. I've had that happen, unfortunately. I have rescued many birds and mice that my cats have brought in to show me first. It's possible that the bird got away from him with just the loss of a few feathers. It's also possible that he ate the bird - hard to tell. Most often they'll just play with it, but one of my cats has also eaten the bird.

If your kitty has had a rabies shot, he/she should be fine even if he killed and ate the bird. If not, you may want to call your vet to see what the likelihood is he'd get rabies from eating the bird. In actual fact, your cat is far from stupid - being able to capture a bird is no small feat. Sad to say for the bird.

The best solution is, of course, to keep your kitty in the house. If your kitty is used to going outside, that might be impossible. (there's no way I could keep mine in - they're too used to going outside.) The best thing is try to keep your eye on him/her, don't put out bird food - common sense type things. Keep him in late at night - that's when they not only get in trouble, but when trouble finds them.

Answer 3

Try this book for a better answer than what I am about to give. Guide to Caring for Your Dog and Cat by Martin Goldstein D.V.M.

Cats are natural hunters. If you let a cat outside, it will probably hunt. You have to accept this fact or keep your cat indoors. Nothing can stop this behavior. She brings you the dead animals because you are her "Alpha" - the leader in her "pack. it is respect for your position. the one where there is no body? She ate it. I would bet she probably doesn't have rabies. However, if she gets alot of wild critters, she may need to go to the vets and get dewormed. Call your vet for more details on rabies in your area and how to quaritine a suspected rabies case. Note that if you say you think the cat has rabies, they will take it away and charge you for the quarantine. Read the book and please, be more tolerant of natural behaviors. I know that feeling as I wanted to be a vet.

Answer 4

Birds do not carry rabies. The most common carriers of rabies are raccoons, bats, and coyotes. Keep your cats up-to-date on their vaccinations whether they live indoors or outside.

I have 4 cats, all of which are supposed to be indoors, but 2 of whom sneak out when they can. One is an excellent hunter and often brings rodents to the door or inside the house (which gets him chased back out!). Last summer he collected a pile of 4 or 5 critters under a tree before I discovered what he was doing.
It's more difficult for a cat to catch a bird. The bird may have gotten away, or the cat may have devoured it, or some other critter may have stolen the bird.
No matter how long cats have been domesticated, many of them are still instinctive hunters. The only solution is to try to keep them inside. Rodents in particular can carry parasites (tapeworm) and fleas, both of which can spread to your cat. Make sure to keep your cat on a monthly flea/tick preventative. There is no preventative for tapeworms, so watch your cat's stool for evidence of tapeworm segments if you have a rodent-eating cat.

Answer 5

I don't think you need to worry about rabies unless your cat shows symptoms. It is extremely common for cats to attack and kill anything little and fast! Honestly it is a good thing that he killed the bird because even if he had just scratched it, the bird wouldn't have survived. The reason you don't see a dead bird is probably because some other scavenger (a black bird or another cat) took it away.

Answer 6

Yes, that is ever so true. When I first started out on my own. I had 4 cats. I had one cat, black and white, I called him MIttens. I took him in as a stray and couldn't have found a sweeter more loving cat. He used to bring me "gifts" as they are known, every day! First it would be a mouse, he would sit at the door and meow to come in. I would open the door and there he would be on the door mat with this dead mouse laying in front of him. Next, it was a dead bird, same thing, sitting on the mat, meowing at me. Then, one day he came home with a rabbits foot! It was obviously a rabbits foot. I would pick it up and throw it over the chain link fense. It was a big field sort of thing owned by a big manufacturing company. The next day, sure as the world, I would open the door and find the darn rabbit's foot on my door mat. This went on for quite some time, until I got tired of it. I called my vet, not really knowing the reason this cat was doing this every day. He told me that my cat is bringing me gifts as a sign of affection and love that my cat had for me. He was the only one out of the rest of my cats that would do this every day. So, take it as a sign of love and affection for you. Which ever cat is doing this, really loves you a lot and is showing his affection towards you. As far as rabies go, if you have them vaccinated when ever it is supposed to be done. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Answer 7

I've never heard of a cat getting rabies from a bird. Rabies is a strictly mammilian disease. (make sure all your kitties are caught up on their rabies vaccinations and you won't have to worry about that)

Cats will bring their kill to their owners (they want to make sure you don't starve, isn't that sweet? I've even had a cat bring me a half-dead shrew so she could teach me to hunt) but not always. It could be that bird is a lot tastier than lizard and they wanted to keep it to themselves. It could be that one of your cats is leaving her kill for you and the other is eating what he kills.

We had a cat that would bring dead animals to our neighbors too. (He was a very prolific ratter).

Hope this helps

Answer 8

I would hope that you would have had the vet give the cats thier shots and be spayed/neutered. Especially most places it is illegal to have a cat or dog roaming around without a rabies shot. Its a simple solution though, dont have an outdoor cat if you dont expect that type if behavior. Its too dangerous for outdoor cats in this world anyways. Bring them inside. Ive seen MANY horrible cruelty cases of cats outdoors at the hands of humans and what happens to them.

Answer 9

Check in the catbook if your cat was vaccinated against rabies.I think the law requires that too, so if you've done everything as the local vet said then it should be.
Plus the feathers might be from a bird that actually got lucky this time and escaped.

Answer 10

I have several cats who occasionally hunt outside, maybe once every two weeks. It seems they enjoy draging in a mouse or a lizard inside, but they have never brought a bird inside, and I have found feathers outside from something they caught..