how can i stop my cat from hunting?

Question

thanks
and for the smart ##from before am human and make mistakes

my cat loves to be out side in the sun
its good for him
i live in the woods and its very nice life for my animal.
i cant ponish my cat not to leave inside it will be cruel to do that.
animals need to be out in the sun

Answer 1

Feed him just before you let him out, and put a bell around his neck, with another one bell just next to it.
It's complete instinct, but this makes his chances less likely for success causing him to want to hunt less.
Don't keep him inside just cause he's being a cat, good for you for letitng him outside.

Answer 2

Bryan38K pretty much nailed this one.
Consider this cats have been domesticated for over 4000 years and are not a part of the natural system, about the same as a cow loose in the wild except due to how people perceive cats / culture / how people were brought up they believe it's natural... It's not cruel to keep them indoors, that's why it's not wild cat but instead domestic cat, you just have to keep them busy and treat them well so they're happy. If you feel the need to have them go outside don't let them roam; get a harness + leash and either walk them around or tie the leash onto something and keep an eye on the cat that way it gets to go out and doesn't go around killing everything that moves, it might take your cat a bit of time to get used to the idea of a harness but he'll get used to it in the end. Not to mention it's also safer for the cat (ever see what happens to a cat when it runs into a coyote ? or gets hit by a car ?, etc.). Bells don't work, cats get around that pretty fast, negative reinforcement (aka hitting the cat) is stupid and doesn't work, hungry vs. full cat doesn't matter; they don't kill to eat, they kill to kill and that accounts for quite a bit of wildlife as it is only bringing back a fraction of what it is catching, anyways indoor cat best option, harness+ leash when outside.

Answer 3

The problem is it is natural for a cat to hunt. Just like the big cats. I had a cat who pretty well devoured the neighborhood birds. Keeping a collar with a bell on it will alert the outdoor wildlife and run from your kitty. Sometimes, with the new elastic collars and breakaway collors are safe for your kitty, but not for your wildlife. Keep a small supply of collars on hand. If you kitty has brought you one of it's kills, it is proud and rewarding you. Other than keeping your kitty in with plenty of toys for it to "hunt". You really won't resolve the outdoor problem.

Answer 4

That animals need to be out in the sun is an assumption.

The only way you will stop your cat from hunting is to keep him indoors. Even then, he won't stop which is why he goes after anything that dangles.

Answer 5

Your cat hunts b/c it's instinctive, and it brings the kill to your house infront of the door b/c it loves you and knows you provide for it so it wants to contribute to your household as well by bringing you food.

NEVER hit or punish your cat for that! It will confuse the poor thing! It's how it says thank you. ALWAYS pet your cat approvingly so it feels good about it's gift.

If you want to prevent this behavior:
You can try putting a bell on your cat so that potential prey can be warned and stay clear, or just keep it in doors if you don't want it to hunt.

Answer 6

Unfortunately, if you allow the cat outside, it will hunt & kill - it's instinct, and there is nothing you can do to prevent it as long as he goes outside.

If you want to allow him outside, whenever he brings you something, just give him a pet and tell him "Thank you! Your'e such a good hunter!", and get a bag to pick up the dead animal and throw it away or bury it (while your cat isn't watching, so it won't hurt his feelings). He brings you his 'prizes' because he considers you his family, and wants to share.

Answer 7

You mentioned earlier that your cat was leaving dead items at your front door. Your cat is proud of what's it's done and wants to share this with you. They do this by leaving the carcass in the one place your sure to find it. The only way to keep your cat from hunting is to keep it indoors. It's their natural instinct to hunt. Be it live animals or that play mouse or string, it's all hunting instincts.
Tempstad, it is not cruel to have a cat indoors and hitting or smacking it won't do either. If you really don't want it to hunt when it's outside your gonna have to go out with it and keep an eye on it.
Keeping it's belly full won't help either. Hello ....it's instinct people. It's like telling the fox not to hunt the chickens, he's gonna do it no matter what.
For cats it's "the thrill of the hunt" they don't care if their full or not it's the movement of the prey, it's exciting to them.

Answer 8

The only sure way is of course to keep it inside, but I wouldn't do that to a cat if I lived in a woody area either, much too mean!

I would suggest getting a collar with a bell on, this is supposed to stop the cat from being able to sneak up on unsuspecting prey! You're cat won't appreciate it of course, but that's just tough really! Keep in mind, I've known clever cats who learn to hold their bells in their mouth when they stalk to stop them making a sound...

You're cat is just being a cat of course. It's a shame for the local birds and mice, but it is just the circle of life really! The only harm it will do the cat is if it catches worms from its prey (common). I say, get a bell for your cat and worm her regularly (every three months with proper veterinary wormer, not useless petshop stuff).

Chalice

Answer 9

The best thing I can tell you is you can't. Hunting is a natrual instinct. Keep the kitty indoors and give it lots of toys. Set up situations where the kitty has to hunt, like put the toy mouse inside a shoe box and cut holes in the sides of the box so kitty can reach in and bat at it. I know there are books with creative games to play with kitty that should satisfy it's hunting instinct. You can buy one or maybe check one out from your library. Or maybe you can google it. (Oops, sorry Yahoo). Good luck.

Answer 10

bryan38k is 100% right. The end.

Also, very helpful suggestion regarding the leash and harness!