How do cats learn to hunt?

The hunt is something partly instinctively and partly a skill that the cat learns of the mother. The activities to hunt, fighting and to feed are controlled by different zones of the brain. There are well fed cats and neutered males who can be so enthusiast and sagacious for hunting as an un-neutered cat.

A huntress mother takes a prey to her litter when this one has approximately 5 weeks. Initially, the kitties tear her into pieces to eat up a bit, as an alternative to the mother milk. However and little by little, the kitties learn to play with the unfortunate captive before killing it and to eat up it.

There are several theories to explain why the adult cat does this, seemingly so cruel. There are those who think that it is a consequence of the game that perfects the skill of the cat to hunt; and there are those who affirm that, in the moment to kill, the cat is in conflict between two different instincts: of killing and of escaping. The behavior of the cat according to advance and get back- looks like a game, but it can be a skill of survival; when he faces a big prey, any mistake of the cat can cause him a wound.

Essay the hunt is an important element in the game of the kitties. The brothers of a litter start being stalked some to others to 3 weeks of age. When they are 5 weeks old, they have already developed three basic skills of the hunt: to rush, to crash the prey and to give him a claw.

Q/A How can I find a cat that does not devote itself to hunt birds in my garden?

All the cats are predators for nature. If you want to have more probabilities of safeguarding to the birds, choose a kitty of a cat that do not be a huntress and take him to house when he is 6 weeks old. Be interested him in a wide range of toys or have another kitty, in order that they could amuse together. Have good fed to the kitty (or kitties). This will not eliminate his hunter instinct. but can reduce the desire to hunt the prey to eat it.

We have just inherited two adult cats raised in the field. They pass the day bringing mice and dead birds home. What can we do?

Try to surprise to the cats when they put their victims in the house and spray them with a water pistol or do a strong noise to scare them. This only will give result if you catch them forthwith; once they leave the dead bodies in the floor it's too late. After sometimes, they could get the message that the death bodies are not received well in the house. But be affectionate with them the rest of the time, in order that they do not think that they are received well either.

If my cat always hunts birds and mice, Do I need to give him normal food besides that?

Certainly that your cat can live of what he hunts, providing that there are great hunt and not too many competition in the zone. However, if you do not give him anything of eating he can escape looking for better areas of hunt) or a more generous neighbors. Also the danger exists, if he eats only hunt, that he gets the tape-worm, or, even, that he poisoned with birds or rodents. Do not push his cat to hunt by hungry.