At what age do cats start catching mice

So my 10-year-old woolly Briton has stopped catching mice in the garden altogether, why? After all, bowls of delicious food are always full. However, even before it particularly did not strain, catching more for fun: catch a mouse, play with it, and let the whole and unharmed.

The cat is 4 months old. He is too young to catch mice.

Please advise, the cat is four and a little over a month, is it really young to exterminate the rodents? The first floor of a nine-story building, mice scratching, took a cat, it got better BUT, I sit in the kitchen working, I hear the mice came rustling something behind the refrigerator, and this vivatinki sleeps in his room, I bring him, close the window on the balcony and the door so as not rushed away again panting, and this Istribitel meow, and then the food crunch so that my neighbor in the next floor all fled. Isn't he still young? :nud:

I don't know at what age cats and cats start "working," but I can tell you for sure that not all animals will catch mice at all. Did his parents catch mice? After all, even dogs of hunting breeds will not all work well, let alone cats. Of course, from the "working" parents – cats are more likely to get the same kid.

The thing is, that both the father and mother, kitty, as scary to chew rodents, they live in a private house in which there are no mice not only inside, but in my opinion, in the yard and garden. Including birds, and the dogs get from their parents. Hmm.

The point is that both the father and mother, kitten, and how terrible sting rodents, they live in a private house in which there are no mice not only inside, but in my opinion in the yard and garden

and the kitten saw it? maybe he was taken early and he has no idea what it is? or his mother taught him? we will have to teach him ourselves and set an example

well, at two and a half. Man, I guess it's not without its tricky side. My wife wouldn't understand if I offered to change my pet. Maybe he's got some more time, huh? Although, imho, it's a little late for that. He sleeps all day and runs around like crazy at night. I took him for a purpose, but my wife's for the soul. I'm gonna go wake him up cause he ain't sleeping. Maybe you should feed him a little less.

That's why it won't catch! Neighbors started giving theirs this junk – so he gave up on mice! Now they don't give it to him, he's going hunting again.
It's too early for me.

Should you let your cat eat mice and rats?

Absolutely all cats, even the sweetest and fluffiest, are predators by nature. Since ancient times, cats have hunted rats, mice and birds, so today catching rodents is not a whim, but an echo of their hunting instinct.

Many owners ponder whether cats should be allowed to track and eat rodents. "Murkosha" hastens to enlighten you on this difficult question from all angles.

There are many reasons why cats hunt and eat tailed rodents. All pets are very different, so they have different motives for this behavior. Here are the most basic ones:

Right now, cats are primarily pets. It would seem that the need to hunt them should have disappeared, but sometimes instinct takes over. For cats hunting mice and rats is a natural need, a kind of reflex that can't be restrained. And it's not only a fate of yard cats. Even a purebred cat will chase a mouse when he sees one.

When hunting rats and mice they try to keep themselves healthy on an instinctive level. The fact is that the rodent brain contains an important substance – taurine. It is very important for the health of the animal, namely:

Please note: If your cat suddenly starts hunting mice, it may be a signal that he is not getting enough vitamins. You should consult your veterinarian and, if necessary, adjust his diet.

However, harm from rodents for cats is much more than good. Mice and rats carry a whole "bouquet" of infectious diseases, dangerous for both the pets themselves and for their owners.

– Rabies is an infectious viral disease that almost always ends in death. If a domestic unvaccinated cat regularly hunts for mice, the possibility of infection is very high.

– Trichinellosis is a disease that affects muscle fibers. This virus is not terrible for humans, because you can't catch it from a pet. But for a cat, however, it is a severe and difficult to cure disease.

Stages of training

Having decided to train, you need to have patience and endurance, to prepare the necessary details, as well as to allocate time and a place where no one will interfere. The steps are as follows:

1. Prepare the mouse moulage. It is desirable that it be soft, mobile, accompanied by sound. When launching it, the goal is to arouse the cat's keen interest in catching it, grabbing it and clawing it firmly. Some cats, tempted by such actions, start to catch real mice, but do not eat them. They perceive them as a positive outcome of their hunt or just a toy. But that is not important. The main thing is to develop a taste for hunting.
2. Develop a training scheme for working up habits and running skills: place the cat in the center of the room, with different amplitude and speed movements of a tethered mouse trying to arouse its keen interest. At first the cat's eyes "light up" and focus its gaze on the target, then it freezes and takes aim. The final step is a jump – sharp and impetuous. The exercise is repeated several times with baits placed on different sides and at different distances. The more the cat fails, the angrier it will get and try to reach its goal.
3. If the previous step began to have results, the task should be made more difficult. The cat should understand that the mouse does not run in a straight line. It moves chaotically, turning sharply and changing its trajectory. This also needs to be staged, for this purpose we should put obstacles and barriers on the way, to make hard-to-get places. On the obstacles themselves it is possible to strengthen interest of the animal by tying to the thread a piece of its favorite treat. Note: to "help" the cat to catch the mouse, you have to train it in the place of its supposed movement. Movements along familiar routes are always faster, more impetuous and more effective.
4. Sound stimulus training. You can develop the instinct to hunt by sound during training. By downloading a live mouse squeak from the Internet and turning it on in different corners of the room, it is necessary to make the cat perceive this sound as a signal to hunt. When he understands this, it is necessary to encourage the hunter. Such training is called bearing.
5. An important condition for successful training is the general physical preparation of the cat. It should not be allowed to develop laziness in him. Let him move more, jump for food or a toy, sharpen his claws and teeth. He should not be overfed or made overweight. Apart from digestive and musculoskeletal problems, it will not cause anything.

The main signs of a male cat

In order for a kitten to turn out a good rat cat in the future, it must be taken from a mother who has well-developed hunting instincts. And so that she had time to pass her skills to her offspring, it is recommended to take the baby not earlier than 4 months.

For your information. If a kitten is taken from a stray mother, there is a high probability that it will grow into an excellent mousetrap. Pedigree animals have blunted hunting instincts, especially if several generations of their ancestors were kept in apartments.

You can determine which kitten will catch mice in the future by its appearance. It is believed that a good hunter should have the following features:

1. A triangular head with powerful jaws, long whiskers and erect ears topped with tassels.
2. Camouflage Coloration. Cats with tortoiseshell, mottled, gray, red, black, striped or spotted coats are thought to have an easier time remaining undetected.
3. Short coat. A thick, long coat makes it difficult to hunt and, when wet, develops a characteristic smell that discourages mice and rats.
4. Well-built body with a strong backbone, well-developed muscles, and large paws.

Why do cats hunt mice?

Behind hunting behavior is an instinct that each species will have different characteristics that will determine when and how cats begin to hunt their prey. Logically, cats hunt for food., although this may not be necessary for everyone at this time, since they are well fed by those who care for them.

Mice are ideal prey for cats because of their size and numbers, especially in the old days. For this reason, they have specialized heavily in their hunting, which does not mean that they give up other prey. Cats are also capable of hunting birds, even of considerable size, such as pigeons or thrushes. And although cats are thought to hate water, they manage to be very good fishermen.

Do cats eat mice or just kill them?

Cats may eat mice, but not always because of their living conditions. Cats are skilled predators with a sophisticated and precise technique for killing their prey. It will be easy for them to hunt and eat. But sometimes instead of inflicting a lethal bite, we may find the cat playing with the rodent, hitting it and tossing it in the air. This behavior is seen in fed cats who don't need to hunt for food. They do this not out of cruelty, but because catching prey is an exceptional event for them, they delay the moment as much as possible.

The same behavior is observed in a female who wants to learn how to kill her kittens. This may explain the greater tendency of queens to delay the death of their prey. On the other hand, more inexperienced cats may present a less effective hunting technique, so that because they do not look confident, they beat their prey with their paws before daring to approach its face to give one last bite. Either way, the goal is to eat the prey, although after killing the rodent, the cat may wait to relax from the stress of the hunt before swallowing.

Finally, we insist that the desire to hunt is not dependent on hunger.Therefore, it is incorrect that we should reduce the cat's food in order for him to hunt. In fact, it forces him to expand his territory in search of food. On the contrary, he will stay close to home and therefore be able to hunt for rodents that roam around the house.

At how many weeks old does a kitten start catching mice? Opinions?

I had no experience raising kittens, but had to learn the science.

We got our first cat when he was three weeks old. The cat's owners called and said that our kitten had grown and should be taken away, which we did.

As it turned out later, the kitten could not eat independently and had to feed him from an eyedropper for a week, until he learned to chew.

From this fact, we can conclude that at the age of a few weeks, up to a month, the kitten will definitely not be able to catch mice. At that age, he is completely helpless.

It is recommended to take the kitten away from the cat at the age of three months or older.

By this time, the cat will have taught it how to hunt; we observed such "lessons" when a cat gave birth to kittens at work. She brought half-living mice to her children and showed them how to chase and catch them. We watched the whole educational process when we had free time. But not all of the kittens caught mice, some were absolutely indifferent to them.

At what age do cats start to catch mice (Explain the answer)

Generally speaking, at any age, since some cats successfully live to a ripe old age without catching a single mouse!

Some don't catch mice all their lives, and some start hunting rodents and birds from the age of two months – their hunting instinct and skills develop.

That's an interesting question. Which raises counter questions. Does the cat live in the house? Do you feed it regularly and well? (because if she is full, she will not catch mice) However, as well as sitting at home. Kittens tend to take them as a game, and they in turn just run away. Cats also differ in temperament, the cat's whole life living at home, suddenly going to the country or in the village will long adapt to the nature and even more to the instincts and hunting. And most importantly, be careful with mice. They can be carriers of rabies.

If the kitten's mother is a hunter, she'll teach her kitten to hunt as soon as he's a bit older.

From three months old. I used to have a cat, a rat catcher, for my aunt brought a kitten, she was in the hospital. The kitten was brought 1.5 months old, the cat got used to him for a week, then began to drag him strangled mice, and at 3 months, already at my aunt's house, he brought her a mouse on the blanket. The cat thinks the hamster is her child. We took a kitten from the street, the hamster escaped, the kitten caught it, the cat slapped the kitten on the neck, the kitten let the hamster go, and the cat yelled and licked the hamster. The hamster survived, the constipation on the cage was changed, now chubby, gnawing on the cage. The kitten was placed in a private home, catches mice. The cat sleeps on the chair.

My cat has been catching anything that moves – mice, lizards, frogs – since he was two months old.)

Do all cats catch mice?

All cat owners like to play with their pets. But not everyone knows that it's not just a fun activity, but an ancient instinct, which has its roots in the habits of distant ancestors. It is the instinct to hunt.

The Murkoshi team will tell you all about the relationship between cats and mice, the importance of play for pets, and raising a great hunter.

Hunting is a natural activity for a cat. After all, all feline ancestors were brilliant hunters. Some lived in steppes and forests and hunted rodents, birds, and lizards. Others lived near bodies of water and were excellent fishers. And in hot countries to this day cats even hunt snakes.

Cats are predators by nature; hunting is firmly fixed in their genes. So you shouldn't be surprised when you see a cat hunting a mouse, a bird, a frog or a rustling wrapper.

This peculiarity has played a decisive role in the history of relations between humans and cats: in ancient times kittens were respected and loved by humans because of their ability to catch mice. Animals protected the house, vegetable garden, the farm from the "unwanted guests". Some cats in rural areas (and not only) even now actively hunt.

About five weeks after birth, the mother cat begins to teach her kittens how to hunt. Before that, the babies play among themselves, "wrestling". For them, the game is primarily a preparation for the hunt.

Initially, the mother cat cat cat catches a mouse, kills it, brings it to the kittens and eats it before their eyes. Then she brings the mice to the kittens, giving them a chance to eat them themselves. And finally, when the kittens reach the age of 2.5 to 3 months, the cat brings the mouse still alive, letting the kittens kill it themselves.

Usually the cat watches from the side to see how they do. If the prey manages to slip away, the mother cat cat catches it again and returns it to the kittens, giving them another try. Kittens have an excellent attack instinct, but it is often not justified. If the mother sees that the kittens' actions are ineffective, she uses her own example to show them how to do it.

Why do adult cats stop catching mice?

Many people have noticed that cats, especially those with kittens, catch mice well, while cats do not.

Cats catch mice up to the age of 2, and then they often stop doing it.

Last winter I even had to put a mousetrap in an enclosed oven (from a cat injury) . After I gave the cat a few times freshly caught mice (still alive, with a paw or tail pinched), the cat got a little better at catching mice.

Now there are a lot of mice, he seems to somehow sit and guard them, but I have not seen the results of the hunt. But outside of the property, he has caught a wood mouse.

Now they raised the retirement age for humans, but how to extend Cat's working life?

For a domestic cat(s), guaranteed a master's meal, hunting mice is no longer a necessity of life, but a pastime spurred on by instinct.

When they are young, cats are somehow interested in it, but then they become lazy. Why sit for hours tracking a mouse when you can take a quiet nap before dinner.

The cat's instinct suggests that the kittens should be trained to catch mice, so it catches them and brings them to the kittens, gradually training them to do such hunting.

If the cat lives in the house (especially in a village house) purely nominally, i.e. the owners don't take care of them, feeding them from time to time, then cats are catching mice out of necessity, for food. And here any laziness takes second place, even for cats.

Of course, you can give a lazy cat a mouse from the trap to remind it of its ancient instinct, but it will not last long. Laziness will soon overcome this burst of hunting activity.

Cats, especially cats, catch mice at any age, so you have a lazy cat, or not the breed that likes to catch mice, such are. If you have mice, why not buy a gray-striped cat, like the one on the picture, they are good at catching mice.

When will the kittens start catching and eating mice?

My mom carries mice to them and they play, but they don't eat them. she picks them all up. they don't eat raw liver – maybe they only eat raw meat when they are 2 months old? when will they start earning their living? so far they are not even leaving the house – only with their mom or with me.

If my mom brings them mice and they play – everything is fine and I have nothing to worry about.
And not all cats eat the mice they catch.
Generally it is believed that if motherless kittens are allowed to catch mice at 8-9 weeks, they will acquire the skill of hunting themselves. If not, you won't get a mouse hunter.
If the mother teaches, everything will fall into place very soon. And they will go hunting, give it time!

How many kittens in the litter? If two, that's not much. What do they eat besides mom's milk? When they're short, they'll eat anything edible. Raw liver and meat do not get carried away, better boiled, at 3 months, do vaccinations.

Picture a little differently: "Parasite five years old, and he goes to kindergarten and does not want to get a job. When is he going to get smart and start earning his own money? And he doesn't drink beer. Is that normal? "The kittens are five years old by human standards. Mama's teaching them how to hunt. A mouse cat will have kittens to be hunters, too. Later in life.

If cats are not yet three months old, they are not yet considered adults. As babies they are still just adjusting to life, their mother teaches them everything she knows how to do herself: bathe herself, eat, and hunt. Kittens learn everything from their mother and if their mother teaches them, they will hunt mice.