9
votes
Accepted
Is not allowing your cat to hunt ok?
The bell will not prevent your cat from hunting. It my make it a little harder for her to sneak around, but my cat wears a bell and still brings dead voles and mice home regularly. The bell is more to ...
- 726
9
votes
Could my cat catch something from this oddly-acting mouse?
This sounds like perfectly normal behavior.
Imagine you were almost swallowed by a giant beast and then suddenly put into an unknown place. Wouldn't you turn around and try to orient yourself?
The ...
Elmy♦
- 32.4k
7
votes
Accepted
How to handle pet cat's prey when they're injured
There is no unequivocal right or wrong answer to what you asking. You simply have to decide what you think and feel is right here.
Many people believe animal's lives have value, that they should have ...
- 4,412
7
votes
Accepted
Why doesn't my kitten hunt like others?
Long ago, I had a kitten with similar behavior. I had gotten it particularly to catch mice. It just had no interest in chasing things. I even put the kitten in a large area with a live mouse and the ...
- 29.4k
6
votes
Is not allowing your cat to hunt ok?
The only way to keep your cat from hunting and killing other animals is to keep them inside. The question How can I prevent my cat from killing animals and birds? shows that putting a bell on the cat ...
- 29.4k
6
votes
Could my cat catch something from this oddly-acting mouse?
I do not think you need to be worried about your cat getting infected with Toxoplasma gondii; a very large number of cats do have this and it is not dangerous for a healthy cat.
The main danger from ...
- 19.5k
5
votes
How can I make my cat less lethal?
Never shout at your cat. She will never understand what her fault is and will instead become afraid of you.
Your cat loves you and considers you part of family. This the reason she is doing this. ...
- 4,233
5
votes
Do we really know if cats are "playing"?
Play is almost universal among animals with large enough brains to react/interact creatively with their siblings and surroundings. It is far from being specific to humans, and not limited to juveniles....
- 11.2k
4
votes
Accepted
Can killing a rabbit trigger a behavior change in my dog?
This really depends on the individual nature of your dog.
Some dogs find hunting highly reinforcing, and the more of it they do, the more they want to do it. Practicing a behaviour makes it more ...
- 1,409
4
votes
Do we really know if cats are "playing"?
My cats are very aggressive at play. Even after several years together, they still chase, tackle, wrestle, pin, and bite with a great deal of vocalization that sounds like they are tearing each other ...
- 2,117
4
votes
Accepted
How to teach my cat to give death bite to rodents?
While cats usually enjoy chasing rodents, my understanding is that cats aren't particularly fond of eating them. Most cats would rather play with them than eat them, and I don't think there's any ...
- 7,562
3
votes
Accepted
Is there a dog safe method for tanning animal hides?
The safest answer is to keep your dogs from chewing on the hide... I admit I doubt any dog could withstand the (for them) tasty smell of a freshly tanned hide, but if you want to keep the rug for any ...
Elmy♦
- 32.4k
3
votes
Accepted
Ok to let cat watch videos of birds?
It is okay to provide this form of entertainment for your cats.
I've actually seen this as a permanent feature in a few vet clinics in my area, with an elevated shelf to put the pet carrier and a ...
- 2,219
3
votes
How to handle pet cat's prey when they're injured
Ethically...
Your cat bring you a mouse: this is a gift it would bring its children too, to feed them, to train their hunting behavior.
You have three ways here:
kill it, dispose of it
kill it, ...
- 5,915
3
votes
Can killing a rabbit trigger a behavior change in my dog?
Well. I don't know about personality changes, but you might want to take some precautions to prevent any health issues from cropping up, since rabbits and other wild animals can carry dangerous ...
- 376
2
votes
Why doesn't my kitten hunt like others?
I taught my kitten how to hunt by balling up a piece of paper and fluttering it around in her face in an obnoxious manner until she'd bite and pounce at it in annoyance. After a while it turned into ...
- 186
2
votes
How can I ask my cat to bring me something?
It is possible to train you cat to do tricks. It will take considerably longer than with a dog because you first have to convince the cat that learning is worth the effort.
However, the only way I ...
- 11.2k
2
votes
How do some cats become friends with potential prey (like mice, or birds)
From what I understand, there are different factors that influence a cats behavior towards smaller animals:
Hormones: If a (female) cat has given birth to a litter, her hormones are different than ...
Elmy♦
- 32.4k
2
votes
How can i get my adult hound dog to come when called?
You've already realized the core problem:
Chasing animals is more fun than coming back to you.
As long as you are less fun and rewarding than whatever your dog is currently doing, he will ignore you. ...
Elmy♦
- 32.4k
2
votes
Accepted
Do cats learn how to hunt from their mothers?
Yes kittens learn this from their mothers,But they will learn from experience too.
The mother will bring dead prey to her kittens first and often throw it around a little in front of her kittens,this ...
- 19.5k
1
vote
How do some cats become friends with potential prey (like mice, or birds)
I actually have personal experience with this if they slowly get to know each other while they’re young that usually works.
- 11
1
vote
Can killing a rabbit trigger a behavior change in my dog?
More interested in hunting, perhaps. "Hey, I actually caught one" That was fun, let's try that again."
Other behaviour changes seem unlikely to arise. Why should they? Other dogs aren't rabbits, and ...
- 11.2k
1
vote
Can killing a rabbit trigger a behavior change in my dog?
I have a good amount of rabbit around my house because I live in the Forest and my dog got her first rabbit in 11 years of being here and she has tried again but has been unsuccessful with it. I was ...
- 63
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible