BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?

10 Jun 03 - 08:17 PM (#965483)
Subject: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Charley Noble

Well, Tilahun (Ethiopian for "My Shadow") just dragged a morning dove through the cat door and released her in our bedroom. Probably the release part was not intentional, given the feathers that I found here, there and everywhere. Fortunately, there were enough feathers left on the morning dove so that after I captured her on the shelf above the headboard she could still fly out through the now open window, to tell her tale of escape to all her fine feathered friends. Now I've got this scowling black cat that seems to think I don't fully appreciate the time and effort it takes to successfully capture a dove. What should I do to make amends?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

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10 Jun 03 - 08:29 PM (#965485)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: katlaughing

Mine just got fresh catnip and forgot ALL else!

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10 Jun 03 - 09:31 PM (#965513)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: catspaw49

One of my Weimaraners has brought in two dead possums which has pissed Cleigh O'Possum of profusely....not to mention scaring him a bit as well. It's the problem with a dog door. A friend on my favorite Weim site has one that keeps bringing in large tree branches and sticks through hers. It's also a problem because they can carry things out! Jaeger and Sissy both like to carry our clothes around. They never damage them, just like to cudd;e up with a shirt or whatever. It's okay til you find half your closet in your backyard.

Spaw

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10 Jun 03 - 11:49 PM (#965569)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Strick

My male cat used to bring little presents to impress the alpha female in the family. This is how we realized there's a big gulf between human females and male felines on the significance of half a mouse.

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10 Jun 03 - 11:55 PM (#965572)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle

My MudCat brought in a Laugh!

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

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11 Jun 03 - 12:12 AM (#965585)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: LadyJean

Ocelittle, my dearly departed, evil minded, tabby cat used to bring live cicadas into the apartment, and turn them loose. I don't know if she was saving them for later, or if she liked to watch the humans chase them. As one of my friends said, "Hours of fun for the whole famil."

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11 Jun 03 - 12:16 AM (#965589)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle

Holy Krouching-Kitty - that one got past "the on-board censors" for nearly a half hour....poetry here I come!!!

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

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11 Jun 03 - 01:03 AM (#965607)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Sorcha

Oh yes, things go out as well as in........The Kong, the empty 2 liter bottles, the Tug of War toys....but what comes in is worse......Glass tail lizards, cicadas, grub worms, "firewood" well chewed up, dead grass,leaves/etc..................We only 'own' 3 but often there are 5 here.....All Helping..............

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11 Jun 03 - 02:59 AM (#965636)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,Helen, at work

One of my cats very proudly left a dead pigeon in a very dark spot, in my direct path, where I nearly stepped on it. Squish squish.

I promptly buried the poor bird and not only upset the cat by being ungrateful and unimpressed with his prowess, but also took away his anticipated meal.

So, a couple of days later, same spot in the dark, there's the head only of a dead bird. Obviously the loss of a good meal made him creative in his offerings. And he must have realised that my food cravings didn't extend to dead pigeon so it would be okay if he ate that part and just left the "trophy".

Helen

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11 Jun 03 - 05:36 AM (#965667)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,Kingbrilliant

Amoret's cat brought her a frog two nights ago. She got it all the way upstairs and to Om's door, then dropped it. She must have been very determined to get this particular frog, as she was soaking wet & so I surmise she fell in the pond.
I had to chase the frog around & catch it before it sneaked through the hole in the bath surround. Not easy with a wet cat, hoppy frog, and no glasses on.
Om is now living in fear of waking up to find an assortment of frogs & toads in her bed. (ok - not much fear really, because she loves frogs/toads & all things slimey & they seem to like her too).

Kris

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11 Jun 03 - 05:58 AM (#965677)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Helen

I also had a female cat who was a good hunter, although small in build.

One day she proudly marched into the backyard with a white fantail pigeon hanging by the neck from her mouth, with the tail all spread out.

Another time she came home with a whole leg of lamb. One of the neighbours must have been screaming blue murder, but I never found out who it belonged to.

This cat had the dog next door well trained. She was in charge and he was her slave.

Helen

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11 Jun 03 - 06:38 AM (#965686)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: gnu

I stapled a small piece of carpet on the home made wooden storm door and Cheucie, a twenty pound kitty, used to rattle the door when she wanted in. Once, I opened the door for her but she just sat there, looking up at me and meowing. I realized she was kinda lopsided so I poked my head around the door jam and saw the large pigeon she had pinned under her left front paw. I looked back at her and I swear she was smiling proudly... probably wanted her picture taken with this obviously trophy catch.

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11 Jun 03 - 07:39 AM (#965707)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Gareth

In East Africa 30 years or so ago - a small, alive and furious Puff Adder.

Much fun seperating Cat and Puff Adder without getting bitten by either.

Gareth

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11 Jun 03 - 07:49 AM (#965714)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Trevor

Jenny, the Squilver cat, used to sneak into guest rooms, crap on the closest bed, pee on the next and then throw up on the next - birds legs, frogs eyes, hard boiled eggs which she'd nicked on one occasion, even the odd bunny at times.

We used to tell guests that if they got into bed and found something wet and sticky between the covers with any luck it was just catpuke!

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11 Jun 03 - 08:25 AM (#965732)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Charley Noble

Lots of material for a new song - "The In's and Out's of the Pet Door." Maybe it would work to the tune of "Oh, Dear, What Can the Matter Be?"

I really hadn't thought about "take-out" objects. Our cats only seem to collect and then drag in, deposit, play with, sometimes consume, sometimes throw up. I do recall my astonishment when my old cat Geraldine (now in kitty heaven) proudly brought back a hamburger, and then went back for more; we watched in fascination as she crossed the street, jumped onto our neighbor's porch, then through an open kitchen window...

Tejitu (Ethiopian for "Full of Mead/Spirit"), our long-haired calico, brought in a live mouse a couple of months ago. I found her playing with it on the mat in front of the kitchen sink. No, I wasn't surprised to see a mouse but this one was white with black spots, and very lucky that Tej believes in "catch and release." We've named the mouse Dilbert and so far he seems perfectly happy with his 15-gallon aquarium, with penthouse, tree branch, wheel, and plastic barn, and he shows no sign of wanting to affect another escape. We do wonder what neighbor's house he came from but not enough to make inquiries.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

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11 Jun 03 - 09:56 AM (#965786)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: mack/misophist

Some years ago my wife and I returned to our 2nd story flat to find the cat pacing proudly about with a live sparrow in hew mouth. We never could figure out where she got it.

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11 Jun 03 - 10:13 AM (#965799)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: MMario

Our cats don't bring anything into the house - but then again they are technically "barn cats" - though as they get older (and my B-i-L gets more maudlin) they spend more and more time inside.

However they do take down birds on the wing, and we tend to find tails and feet around the yard of various critters - plus they have the endearing habit of dropping live shrews into any footware left on the porch or deck. *THAT* is a bit of a shock if you don't check first!

The only time I've really gotton p-ssed-off at them though is the morning I came outside to find FOUR sets of Luna Moth wings on the front porch - the bodies neatly eaten out of the center. I have only seen one live ONCE in my lifetime... and the cats ATE four of them!!!!

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11 Jun 03 - 10:40 AM (#965813)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: katlaughing

And, it's not just cats who come through the flap. I've a friend who finally had to close hers up because something kept coming up the outside stairs, each night, in through the flap, open the cupboard door, then eat a lot of dog food. Finally one night she was able to see what it was: a mother raccoon and her babies, munching away quite happily on such a dependable and tasty meal!

From our days on the ranch when newborn bunnies and the tail ends of mice were left on our floors or brought to bed, I still wear sandals when I get out of bed, lest I step in something!

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11 Jun 03 - 10:49 AM (#965817)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: NicoleC

When I was a kid, we had a dog that used to like to carry big rocks around in his mouth. Big 'uns. In evitably, of course, he'd end up with turtles, but never hurt a single one.

On another occassion, he was discovered with 3 baby mice in his mouth, unhurt, safely warm and apparently unperturbed. We returned them to mama's nest in the old stump and she promptly moved the whole nest and we never saw HER again!

The worst my cat does is kill spiders and leave their dead bodies around the house. When she was a stray (with no claws), I bet she ate them, but now she prefers Iams. She doesn't go outside without a leash, as I'd rather not find her squished in the road. She does spend hours in the window watching squirrels in utter fascination, and occassionally can't resist running up to the window and thumping on it to see the birds fly away!

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11 Jun 03 - 01:28 PM (#965923)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Charley Noble

Kat -

Love your story about the racoon family. Of course they'd figure out how to get in, and their busy little hands can get into anything.

We used to have one as a pet on our farm, that our dog brought home. He amused himself by wrestling with the cats, chasing grapes across the floor, and he LOVED fried chicken. I remember my father getting tired of our pet begging for food at the supper table; he grabbed him by the scruff of the neck to throw him outside and the racoon reached out with one paw for a chair and the other paw for a drumstick! When my parents had overnight guests, my brother and I would sneak "Coonie" into their bedroom and eagerly await the screams. Racoons also enjoy singing, a lovely purring yodel.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

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11 Jun 03 - 01:47 PM (#965932)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Wuzzle

my cat bought in a bird that threw up red juice all over the kitchen, the joint of beef my neighbor had "put to rest" and a constant supply of mice, but worse was to come, last Christmas she bought home another cat, and it is still here!!!

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11 Jun 03 - 01:58 PM (#965938)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Bill D

It's hard to beat most of these stories, as my cats over the years have brought the usual assortment of mice, birds, bugs...etc...to proudly display what great hunters they were...

...but, one cat went WAY beyond hunting and into censorship and meddling when she discovered one of my socks under the bed, and came out with it held gingerly in her teeth and trotted over and carefully buried it in the litterbox.....I never heard the end of THAT one.

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11 Jun 03 - 02:46 PM (#965962)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Little Hawk

Ha! Good one, Bill.

We had a cat for awhile named Ferd. He was an orange tabby and he was very, very stupid. He was good at only one thing, as far as I know, and that was losing fights. He had hundreds of fights, and most probably lost every one of them, coming back all scarred and messed up. He would then practice by picking fights with his mother, Peanut, who was a similar looking cat, but a very smart one. This irritated Peanut no end. She would roll on her back, presenting him with a full set of claws extended and ready, while he stalked around, trying to find an opening. The fights with Peanut were not really serious ones exactly, just practice rounds, but it made Peanut very angry. She would always drive him off, because his fighting technique was lousy, to say the least.

Ferd's other big problem in life was Oscar, my parents' dachshund. At a certain point Ferd had to move in with my parents as I was traveling, and he stayed there for the next 3 years. This wasn't easy for Ferd, because Oscar was a professional cat killer...absolutely deadly to cats and other small animals. Ferd was not so stupid that he couldn't figure that out, so he got to live outside in a sort of little tree house which Oscar could not reach. Oscar was out there hunting for him regularly, and Ferd knew it.

Well, one day Oscar came in proudly with the last half of Ferd's long, orange tail in his jaws!

Ferd turned up later that day, with a tail that was at least six inches shorter, but other than that he was okay. He became even more paranoid after that incident, not surprisingly, and Oscar never succeeded in catching him again.

Three years later Ferd got run over by a freight train somehow. I think he was walking down the tracks when the train came, and instead of jumping off to the side he ran straight down the track. Typical Ferd. He was not what I would call "shrewd".

- LH

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11 Jun 03 - 02:51 PM (#965963)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: MMario

We used to have a cat that liked to play "dodge car" - would run straight at the cars and then crouch low and let them pass over him.- never got hit. Scared the crap out of a bunch of drivers though!

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11 Jun 03 - 03:00 PM (#965968)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Gareth

Just as well Robin Reliant "cars" are rare stateside MMario !!

Gareth

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11 Jun 03 - 03:16 PM (#965982)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Emma B

Cushie Butterpat (our dear departed - a great relief to local wildlife) regarded most rodents and rabbits as fair game and also was a regular visitor to the local pub garden where she could look winsome enought to beg anything! When the field mice inevitably moved into the house to overwinter however she would just sit and watch them with benign amusement.
The 'throw-ups' were the nearest thing I've seen to 'Alien'

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11 Jun 03 - 04:32 PM (#966019)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: mandomad

Kipper, our little joke who will never grow up( he was the runt of a litter, and has never got any bigger than half size) likes to emulate his (distant)uncle Buddy (after Holly!)but can't usually catch live things, has brought in:-
                A childs soother-dummy
                A pickled gherkin
                Chocolate wrappers (at least 30)
                Rubber bands(at least 50)
                Dead leaves
                Live leaves
                Twigs
                & one sleepy baby mouse, who Kipper made a friend of and played with all evening, till I got in from the late shift. Jingle, my good lady, was not amused.
       Buddy catches anything he can, and brings them home. A baby sparrow tonight.



                  mandomad

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11 Jun 03 - 05:05 PM (#966033)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: JeZeBeL

My cat Gandalf is not the brightest of cats...one could describe him as blonde I suppose, yes blonde is definately the right word... and he used to try and hide behind the stupidest of things and pounce on birds etc....he's hide behind a blade of grass and think that his beautiful black and white coat would blend in naturally with the grass.

I swear all the birds around here laugh at him. But now, he has it down to a fine art...he's brought us four of the lovely pressies.

Perhaps that was his idea all along, perhaps he was just ACTING the dumb blonde to lure the birds into a false sense of security.....

Nobody's laughing now, especially the birds...

He also keeps our house fly free. Best fly swater we've invested in and it didn't cost us a penny!! :)

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11 Jun 03 - 05:23 PM (#966042)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: SINSULL

My Fred has graduated from worms to birds. Only caught one so far and an egg???? He brought the bird in the house and it hasn't been seen since. I suppose i will smell it out when the weather gets warmer.

My LuLu used to bring my Dad a mouse every morning. Every morning at 4AM, his alarm would go off, he would drag himself out of bed and head for the bathromm...and step barefoot on a dead mouse. 10 minutes of #$@"!!!! and poor LuLu would skulk away with hurt feelings. It was a present after all.

I learned not to disdain a mouse gift years ago when my landlady's cat got into my bedroom through an open window and deposited a live mouse on my bed. I shrieked and cursed and Larry took offense. She tore the damn thing limb from limb and left mouse parts all over my room. After that, I cooed a grateful "Thank You".

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11 Jun 03 - 06:18 PM (#966071)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: wysiwyg

Live mouse, in the mouth, tail wiggling.... to my bed where I was up late one night, reading. She liked to play fetch, you see, and would initiate the game when she was bored, dropping a ball into my hand. Somehow she didn't realize it would be a bad idea to let the prey drop into my hand because it was ALIVE-- until our eyes met and her killer instinct reasserted itself, prompting her to run off with it still wiggling in her mouth.

And ten minutes later, after the adrenaline rush, a second one!

~Susan

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11 Jun 03 - 08:05 PM (#966145)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Bee-dubya-ell

Considering that we live in the woods where we see snakes all the time, it's odd that I've never seen any evidence of our cats (and we usually have 3 or 4 around) having caught a snake. Moles, mice, birds, squirrels, lizards and baby rabbits.... but no snakes. Either they're too smart to mess with 'em, too dumb to catch 'em, or they eat 'em with such gusto that they don't leave any scraps behind.

Bruce

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11 Jun 03 - 08:22 PM (#966156)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: vindelis

'Crabsticks', (three at twenty minute intervals), a small joint of beef, - never did find out where from! and the usual run of frogs starlings and the occaisional mouse. With two cats in the house I try to evict the bird/mouse and cat(s) to let nature take its course. The frogs get transferred to a friend's fish pond, where they then have to run the gaunlet of any cats in his garden.

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11 Jun 03 - 08:33 PM (#966166)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Alba

I have two House Cats, Simon and Molly Malone but they are a bit too lazy and therefore gifts from the Forrest is not their speciality.
I do however have what I call my Wild Cat "Tinker". He started visiting about 2 years ago and is now an Honorary Member of our household.   He wanders at night and stays around the outside of the House during the Day for cuddles and titbits and Catnip:>) He has, on several occasions, brought us gifts of Mice and Frogs and Birds and a Snake (harmless and alive but not among my favorite of creatures) but I thank him anyway, as he looks so pleased with himself every time he does it.
It is our Dog, Barney the wonder Dog who brings home the most unusual of gifts. His most recent...a Deer Leg, mostly bone with Fur attached..yuk!! as he is a Fox Terrier/Border Collie mix I assume he hadn't consumed the rest of the Deer!! and only last week a rather worse for wear Hiking Boot!! As we have no neighbors near our Home we wonder how the person that lost the Boot managed to hike back to where they came from!
A:>)

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11 Jun 03 - 08:55 PM (#966177)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Bee-dubya-ell

Alba, there was an entire thread about dogs and deer legs back in the Fall. CLICK HERE

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11 Jun 03 - 10:13 PM (#966202)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Alba

Thank You for the link Bee-dubya-ell.
I shall inform the "Wonder Dog" that he is not the only Woof that delivers Deer gifts..LOL....and brace myself for hunting season this Fall I suppose!!!
A:>)

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11 Jun 03 - 10:19 PM (#966209)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,Ely

Live birds (which she then released in our living room, which had a vaulted ceiling). We needed a 15-foot ladder to rescue them.

She left mice, shrews, lizards, and birds (dead birds) on our beds.

She also liked mint gum wrappers--catnip is a mint, of course. She would sleep in the garbage can if there were mint gum wrappers in it.

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11 Jun 03 - 10:54 PM (#966227)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Charley Noble

What joy!

Strange, the cat gang hasn't brought in anything today. Guess they're too busy reading these posts, sifting 'em for new ideas...

Charley Noble

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12 Jun 03 - 12:48 AM (#966275)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: LadyJean

And then there was Solomon, who used to bring us half a dead squirrel.
The bottom half. He was truly offended that we didn't appreciate his generosity.

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12 Jun 03 - 12:51 AM (#966276)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: LadyJean

I don't know how I could have forgotten! Solomon also caught a bat in the house! It must have gotten in through the bathroom window. My father, who was an impressively sound sleeper, said he'd felt Solomon jumping up and down on him, early that morning, but he hadn't thought anything of it, until I woke him up to tell him about the bat. (I was seventeen. I didn't deal with bats.)

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12 Jun 03 - 11:44 AM (#966422)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,CatsPHiddle at Work!!

Merlyn the Mognificent is far from stupid....she really intellegent (like me!!)

But when it comes to prezzies we differ.....I like good wine, clothes, jewellery etc...Merlyn brings me the head and tails of mice and if she really wants to show me how much she loves me she will bring a BIG live spider and eat it infront of me!!!

She always makes a fuss of any visiters we have...especially the male ones. Im just waiting for her to bring them prezzies too!!!!

Khatt!!

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12 Jun 03 - 11:53 AM (#966426)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,bbc at work

I have never, personally, owned a cat, but I lived w/ one for a few months in Korea, when we shared a house w/ another couple. Cats & dogs were useful in keeping the rat population down. I learned to wear shoes at all times, after stumbling on a mouse tail in the hallway at night. The cat's human was gifted w/ a lovely mouse head on her pillow one morning. The best was the live mouse left in the empty bathtub, presumably to be played w/ later! I continue to limit myself to a couple of hearty houseplants!

best from bbc

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12 Jun 03 - 12:32 PM (#966451)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Kim C

Dear departed Buddy Cat used to bring bunnies, birds, frogs, lizards, mice, and once he trotted up the sidewalk with a flying squirrel in his mouth.

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12 Jun 03 - 03:12 PM (#966497)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: beadie

So, one evening last winter, I'm sitting in front of the tube in our living room. This room has a seldom-used natural fireplace which frequently serves as a portal of entry for the house's rodent population. On this particular night, I turned around during a commercial to find all four of our cats neatly arrayed in a semi-circle around the hearth with a solitary common house mouse standing on his hind legs in the corner of the fireplace looking nervously about. I returned to watching the TV with no more than a passing thought to the mouse's likely fate.

At the next commercial, I looked back again to find that the cats had broken their formation and taken up your basic "loungecat" sprawl in various places around the floor. What was most astounding, however, was that the mouse was leaning up against the oldest cat's back, completely unrestrained and apparently of his own free will. It was if some unseen referee had blown the whistle and called a time-out.

The following morning, there was ample evidence that the mouse was indeed, (with apologies to Monty Python) "bleeding demised" so the ref must have called time-in at some time during the night.

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12 Jun 03 - 03:53 PM (#966521)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: katlaughing

Sheesh, some of you are as cool as the cats!**VERYBG** I could never just sit there and let nature take its course, partly out of compassion for the victim and partly because I don't like the possible parasites, etc. that my cats might get from ingesting their bits! LOL, but that's just me; part of why my cats don't go out, except in their run.

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12 Jun 03 - 04:01 PM (#966526)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Schantieman

My best friend has a large garden (~1 acre) and lots of fruit & veg. He (or rather one of his daughters) also has a cat (Leao) - scarcely more than a kitten. Last weekend he walked across the lawn carrying a half-dead rabbit nearly as big as huimself. John killed it ('to put it out of its misery') and gave it back to the cat. Very useful for protecting the garden. Trouble is, the rabbits breed faster than it can catch the little b*ggers!

One of my local cats craps in my yard. Does pepper work?

Steve

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12 Jun 03 - 04:08 PM (#966532)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: fat B****rd

My "Blue" Deacon (geddit ??) captured a Peach Faced Lovebird which I was able to rescue and return to it's owner.

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13 Jun 03 - 02:50 AM (#966722)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: the lemonade lady

"One of my local cats craps in my yard. Does pepper work?" Nope, but a water pistol does...tee hee.

Actually remind me when you get here, I've got some spray that works quite well. Lemon peel works well if scattered around the flower bed, they hate citrus fruit.

Mwah to you

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13 Jun 03 - 12:36 PM (#966812)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Kim C

Kat, our old Buddy Cat had an almost constant tapeworm. We might have made him a housecat, except that he was a stray, and already had certain habits he had no intention of giving up. However before he went to kitty heaven, he stayed in the house a lot more, because his heart condition (that was unknown to us) slowed him down a lot.

Our other kitty, on the other hand, is a housecat. Every once in awhile he will catch himself a little mousie.

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14 Jun 03 - 12:38 AM (#966884)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: katlaughing

Yeah, I understand about older strays, Kim. I didn't mean any offence. All of mine have been strays, but mostly younger when found. Though our six prairie/ranch cats went from 25 acres and more to roam, bringing in all kinds of things for me to rescue, to living inside full-time when we left for the east. I think they were so happy to get off of the airplane ride, they were just happy to be anywhere on the ground and adapted quite well to being inside, esp. when we ended two months in a motel room and finally got to move into our house!*bg*

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14 Jun 03 - 01:10 AM (#966890)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: leprechaun

In a previous life I had a house with a cat door. One morning I was in bed with the sheet over my head when I felt something land lightly on my nose. Then four cat feet pounced on my face. I got up and found a bat flying around the room, bumping into things. It stopped on a lampshade long enough for us to open the door so it could make its escape through the carport, with the cat chasing after it.

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14 Jun 03 - 03:25 PM (#966947)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Ely

Someone brought a cat in to our clinic that had brought down a bluejay. It was a big cat (eighteen pounds, with claws like big fish-hooks on all four feet) but we were pretty impressed that any cat could haul in a bluejay and not sustain some damage.

We've also had several (unrelated) cats come in who had shredded full-grown rabbits, and one that killed its owner's sister's Chihuahua. I can't really blame it for doing in the Chihuahua, but those little dogs can be pretty mean.

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14 Jun 03 - 03:26 PM (#966948)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Deckman

This thread is way too funny! THANKS! Not too long ago, I opened our back door to discover our cat "Kissa Poika" (boy cat, in Finn) standing there looking startled with a baby starling in his jaws. I slapped my hands, which caused him to open his mouth in astonishment and release the bird. The bird hit the ground, looked at me, and promptly flew away, scolding me all the time. Kissa glared at me and came in the house, looking very angry. The next morning, much to my upset, I discovered that he shit in my working shoes! Who says cats are dumb!. CHEERS, Bob(deckman)Nelson

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16 Jun 03 - 12:21 PM (#967051)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Schantieman

...and last October, shortly after my father-in-law had died and my father had had a stroke, I came home to find that not only did the central heating boiler refuse to light but that a cat had crept into my living room, crapped on the carpet & crept out again. Talk about adding insult to injury!

I have now sealed up the previous owner's cat flap!

S

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16 Jun 03 - 01:37 PM (#967091)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Charley Noble

Shitting in your workshoes, Bob, is certainly appropriate payback for depriving your cat of his catch. It's one hell of a way to start your Monday morning. The only thing worse, maybe, is coming home late at night and discovering the little darling has thrown up all over your bedding. For a musical interlude check out "No Hairballs in Heaven" on:Charley Noble Website

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

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16 Jun 03 - 06:57 PM (#967264)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Gareth

The last 3 posts. Now why am I reminded of those 60's/70's icons "The Fhreak Brothers" & "Fat Freddie's Cat".

Or am I just getting OLD !

Gareth

BTW I satill have a "Fat Freddie's Cat" T Shirt in the Wardrobe but as it's only XL it won't fit me these days !!

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16 Jun 03 - 08:30 PM (#967305)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Midchuck

We used to have a cat that would go out in the evening and catch bats - on the wing. She'd just jump as one flew over.

I have to be looking just in the right place to even see those things move!

Peter.

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16 Jun 03 - 09:01 PM (#967312)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: SINSULL

Deckman,
Your shoe story reminded me of another. My cat Homey - huge with eyes like fishbowls - had a blanket that was his alone. I had folded it in a chair in the living room one winter night just for him. But my nephew came home late with a friend who crashed on the living room couch. He saw the blanket and thought it was for him. Homey thought different. He went to the kitchen and ate every scrap of dry food. There was enough for five cats. Then he coughed it up deep within Sid's shoes. Poor Sid found out the hard way - stuck his bare feet in first thing in the morning. Vomit was Homey's main weapon and he used it frequently and effectively.

On Saturday Freddie caught another bird. This time I grabbed him and tossed him and his trophy outside. He was somewhat annoyed but took it behind the bushes to play with it. Sunday, he ran passed me with the same damn bird dropping ants and bugs along the way. Now it is safely tucked away in a ziplock bag in the trash.

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16 Jun 03 - 11:07 PM (#967348)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,leeneia

Keep your cats indoors. We are losing so many beautiful birds to pet and ferals cats, who don't need them for food. The cats prey most successfully on newly-fledged young, then the parent birds try to raise another brood. When the parents finally die, there is no new generation to take their place.

Cats which go outside can get tapeworms from mice. (I have had three cats who had tapeworms. My present cat stays inside.) Do you really want your cat dropping tapeworm segments around the house? What if I baby eats one?

Cats which go outside get hit by cars or mauled by dogs, and can get feline leukemia. If you love your cat, keep it inside.

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17 Jun 03 - 03:02 AM (#967400)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Kaleea

Sis, my indoor Kitty who will be 19--yes, 19 years old!--in mid July, spends her days napping & occasionally fussing at me when I don't hop to fast enough to give her her meals. When she & her sister, Prana--who went to kitty heaven 10 years back--were young & frisky, they would bring me all sorts of things. Critters creepy & crawly of all types which they found in the basement of a couple of houses where we once lived, were deposited on the floor next to my bed so that I would find them under my feet when I got up--sometimes during the night! Prana was the real hunter who loved to chase the mousies. Sis would crouch nearby & cheer her sister on, playing a little when she could get a paw in edgewise. Sis often brought me sox, pantyhose & other items which she enjoyed digging out of the hamper, mauling, chewing out big holes, & placing them in front of my feet when she was done with it--sometimes, instead, depositing the item(s) in the middle of the living room floor for me to find when I arrived home.
    Other kitties now gone to kitty heaven loved bring interesting things & trophies to me, too. One small tabby once brought a friend over for lunch in his bowl, a trip to the litter box, & then back out the unlatched screen door the same way they had come in.
    Cleo, who looked just like an Egyptian Cat Goddess--& behaved as if she believed it, was a homebody, but her brother Cal, like his sister, was also an all black kitty, but with a little white spot at his neck. Cal was a kinda laid back, but a little wild man kind of kitty, & used to come in through the back porch window, pull open the kitchen screen door with his paw, & trot in & proudly deposit various & sundry critters, mammal & insect alike, at my feet for me to adore him all the more! He once knocked a wasp right out of the air, removed a wing, & frolicked a bit with it before bringing it to me. Then there was the time that he decided to go on walkabout in the park across the street where there were 2 duck ponds. One of the white geese used to walk over to the edge of the park grounds & make quite a ruckus, teasing Cal. I would tell Cal not to leave the yard, or go across the street, but one day, he sneaked out the back, went out to the edge of the yard, & decided he couldn't take the teasing from the white goose anylonger--when I was studying, & not watching. Cal trotted across the street, yelled a few kity obscenities at the goose, & pounced on it! He was hopping around, with the neck of the goose in his mouth, shaking it to & fro--quite a feat when you consider that the goose was over twice his size. The goose was squawking quite a bit, & got the other geese & ducks riled up & squawking, too. My neighbor across the hall, who had a good view of the park from her windows, had looked out to see what the squawking ruckus was about near the beginning of the story, then came dashing into my place hollaring about how Cal was going after that white goose that was always taunting him! We both raced out my back door, down the fire escape to find Cal behind our building, as we attempted to figure out what to do about the dilemma. Wings flapping, feathers flying, beak squawing & snapping, kitty hopping about & making strange guttoral sounds, & yet we could not disengage the goose from Cal's teeth no matter what we tried! Finally Cal let go his hold on the goose, & it ran off, squawking all the way, with Cal chasing after it. He stopped briefly when he came face to face with a small flock of assorted squawking/quacking geese & ducks, then ran off to continue his chase. We finally caught Cal before he could do in any of the waterfowl & took him home. Later that night, he sneaked out the back window, & went off on a hunt. When I got up in the morning, I heard some strange sounds sort of like a small machine gun-ah,ah,ah,ah,ah,ah,ah,ah--as I was rummaging through my refridgerator for breakfast. I looked out on the porch to see what I might see. It was Cal, sitting up on his hind legs, looking over the deceased white goose. Proudly, he picked it up in his mouth, walked over to me & deposited the trophy at my feet, quite pleased with himself!

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17 Jun 03 - 03:10 AM (#967402)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Gurney

Strangest was a lot of tennis balls. He carried them in. Work that out.
Otherwise he was an animal collector, and brought 'em back alive for everyone to enjoy, through the catdoor. He was a Siamese, and, like all of them, smart but weird.
Our deaf, white cat tore a bamboo birdcage apart and brought the canary home. From next-doors lounge, whilst the kids were watching TV.
Must have been an interesting programme.

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17 Jun 03 - 03:38 AM (#967413)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: katlaughing

Poor goose!

leeneia, I agree, but I've also found out, just recently, that indoor cats can also get parasites, so one still has to be careful and have them checked.

kat

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17 Jun 03 - 08:41 AM (#967538)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Charley Noble

Well, yes, poor goose, but what a fine story!

I have little love for white geese myself, having grown up on a farm with a flock of them. What a nasty bunch they were, always sneaking up behind to take a piece out of your ankle. My mother finally got tired of slipping on the front steps where they liked to congregate and copiously deficate; she butchered the lot and stuffed them in the freezer. They made particularly satisfying meals, although very fatty.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

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17 Jun 03 - 11:31 AM (#967663)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: katlaughing

Charley, we had geese on our ranch, too, so I am familiar with how nasty the buggers can be, BUT the goose described above lived in a public area, apparently, and was doing no known harm. I mean the typically minded cat crossed the road to go get it!**bg** It did make a great story, but I still wish people would not allow such things to happen.

Our gander was a complete arsehole. His wingspread was eight feet and one day got my upper thigh with the top bone of his wing. I had a bruise about 10 inches in diameter that hurt like hell for a week or more from that nasty encounter.

I don't think this was funny and was devastated when it happened, but it did seem somehow poetically just: he liked to meet us up at the gate, then run in front of the car on the way down to the house. We'd slow down, honk the horn, yell at him, etc. trying to get him to move over to the side, instead. Well, one day, the onery cuss just miscalculated, Rog was driving and couldn't see that he'd fallen back and barely to the side; we had all three kids in the car, when he got his neck tangled up with the front left tire and that was all she wrote for that gander...his goose was cooked, you might say.

No, I'd never have geese again, but they were terrific for letting us know if someone was on the property and fierce to intruders and family alike, hissing and flapping like dragons. I don't see how any cat would have ever stood a chance and I guess the eagles, coyotes, etc. must've decided the same thing as they never attacked them.

Sorry, off the soapbox now.

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17 Jun 03 - 12:12 PM (#967710)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: ponygirl

Well, the landlord's barn cat, who's a tiny, black thing, and no youngster, turned up in the hayloft with a dead kestrel. Two bites in the back of the neck, a clean snap, and not another mark anywhere on bird or cat. I can only think she was trying to take out the competition for the mouse population, and decided i'd better stay on her good side.

Among my housecats, Pandora, the eldest female, hunts tea bags, in the hopes that these will involve catnip. And Otter, the big grey and white "alpha male" once did a turn as hunter/fashion consultant: i had brought up a load of laundry, and left it unattended while waiting for the last load to finish. Otter burrowed into the middle of it, dragged out a pair of underwear, and shredded it. I dismissed it as a bizarre-but-isolated adolescent cat escapade, until the next time i did laundry -- he burrowed into the clean load before i could fold it, dragged out the only other pair of the exact same style, and shredded THAT, too. He's never attacked another piece of clothing since, and it's been ten years now...

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17 Jun 03 - 03:41 PM (#967853)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,Sethw

One Thanksgiving about twenty years ago,our small calico, who had been left out of several thanksgivings, waited until the blessing had begun, came through the living room dragging a dead rat fully three quarters her size, past the gaping humans, into the kitchen, where she had her thanksgiving rat by herself, thank you very much. We couldn't find any spare parts later, but she came out with a big tummy,and slept for a long time.

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17 Jun 03 - 06:09 PM (#967962)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Charley Noble

Damn! The baby robins are kamakazeeing out of their nests again, into the waiting clutches of our kitty gang. Got home just in time to see their latest catch expire on the bathroom floor. Last year I managed to rescue 3 baby robins and tried nursing them back to health, feeding them the worms they so dearly love. However, I didn't realize that each one needs about 12 feet of worm a day. And I'm assuming they all died of starvation. When I put them out on the porch roof as an alternative, they just fly off again, into the waiting clutches of you-know-who or their neighborhood friends. Anyone had better luck feeding robins?

Charley Noble

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17 Jun 03 - 08:15 PM (#968058)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,pdc

Our cat Linus (who was Lucy when we got him until the vet set us straight) came up onto the verandah the other day with a long white thing hanging out of both sides of his mouth. It was a condom. Go figure.

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17 Jun 03 - 09:12 PM (#968085)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Charley Noble

Probably smelled fishy!

Charley Noble

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17 Jun 03 - 10:05 PM (#968099)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,Pelrad

Charley, one thing to keep in mind with rescuing kitty victims is that if they have sustained a puncture wound they usually die. We've had luck with baby robins only if we managed to find them before the cats did, and only if they were already feathered. If they still have down or pinfeathers the rate of success is very low. Best thing to do if they are close to fledging is to get them up off the ground but somewhere accessible to the parents, who hopefully will come back for them (happened a few times for us).

One of my cats used to bring us bunny feet. Just the feet. Yech!

(by the way, it was nice to hear you in the YTB Saturday night. And I didn't mean to stifle your conversation, I was being greedy and singing to hear my own voice in those great acoustics..._

Kim

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17 Jun 03 - 11:11 PM (#968131)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Franz S.

We haven't had a cat door for many years, but when we did the cats refused to use it. My daughter (it was really a dog door, all we could get in this town) used to use it to sneak in and out, though.

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18 Jun 03 - 08:48 AM (#968319)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Charley Noble

Kim-

I'm thinking a large box with high sides might work better for the porch roof but the damn things do try to use their wings well before they can properly navigate and they'll still probably flutter out. I was serious about reading that the little critters need 12 feet of worm a day. How much did you feed them? They happily gulped down whatever I dug them up. They generally are pretty well feathered by the time I'm presented with them.

Nor and I had a wonderful time at the Mystic Festival YTB. So nice to be among such wonderful singers. I only wish I was better at matching faces with names, but what songs were you singing?

Charley Noble

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18 Jun 03 - 11:14 AM (#968437)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,Pelrad

I think the only one I did after you came in was while I was packing up my stuff. There were only about five of us there at the time. I was singing "The Blacksmith" to myself, but everyone seemed to be listening so I sang the whole thing. I was standing next to Dick Swain, over in the corner.

My brother did most of the bird feeding around here, as he was the official rescuer. I think he fed a couple of worms every 2-3 hours. Usually if a baby bird is full he will stop eating.

Kim

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18 Jun 03 - 11:17 AM (#968440)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: GUEST,Pelrad

I should qualify that: if you feed them slowly, maybe take a minute in between worm bits, they will stop eating when their crop is full. If you feed them quickly, they won't realize their crop is full until it is overfull.

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18 Jun 03 - 12:54 PM (#968498)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Charley Noble

Kim-

Well, I'm sure I'll get ample opportunity to improve my worm feeding technique in the coming weeks. We do bell our cats but the birds are just so stupid.

Thanks,
Charley Noble

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19 Jun 03 - 10:22 AM (#969019)
Subject: RE: BS: What Has Your Cat Brought In?
From: Dave Bryant

My wife's cat was an excellent mouser. It would, however, eat nearly all of the unfortunate rodent and leave almost perfect circle (about 2cm dia) of backside with the tail sticking dead centre as it's trophy.

A friend's very large and aggressive tomcat, once dragged a furious fully grown Barn Owl into the kitchen and she suffered numerous injuries from both parties trying to get them apart.

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