Having grown up in Russia, Siberia and other wintry European countries, their size and plush coats are no surprise — but they complement these qualities with grace and agility that are surprising given their size.
This breed has existed on this continent for almost as long as the United States has existed, and they have been held in high regard as mousers ever since the colonies took root here. Some cat experts believe this breed was brought over on sailing ships, where their coats would have been a blessing on the rain-soaked planks. American Shorthairs have a long and storied career. Urban legend has it there were Shorthairs on the Mayflower, helping the incoming pilgrims keep the mice out of the food stores.
In addition to their hunting abilities, Shorthairs are also quite affectionate, and for those two reasons they deserve the top spot in our cat breeds rundown.
Check out our guide on how to train your cat to hunt mice. How can you take the best care of your hunting cat? Make sure you keep them up-to-date on all of their vaccinations, especially if they spend a great deal of their time outside hunting.
Rodents such as mice, rats and voles have a tendency to carry diseases and parasites. Your cat can come into contact with these chemicals and become ill. Stick to natural products. Other than these basic tips, your cat should be fairly self-sufficient. Add to Cart. Add to Wish List Add to Compare. Your cat may actually be trying to teach you how to provide for yourself.
Sometimes, the reasons are simpler. If a strange cat has been leaving gory little presents by your front door, they may have been left there as an offering. Still, even without the telltale signs of distinctive, breed-specific markings, there are still a number of criteria you can use to make your selection: Demeanor : The demeanor of the cat in question will tell you quite a lot about its hunting instincts. Persian As far as cats go, Persians can be deceptive.
Japanese Bobtail Their name is a bit deceiving. Turkish Angora We continue our world tour of cat breeds with the Turkish Angora, which hails from the nation of Turkey. Manx The Manx is a breed that hails from the Isle of Man, a tiny, self-governing island that lies between Ireland and England. Burmese More than most of the other breeds featured here, Burmese cats have a habit of thinking with their stomach.
We have rats in the walls and she just sleeps on my bed all day :D. ItayaLightbourne: That's sweet, and probably for the best. Unless you have a serious pest problem, there's no need to kill the wee thing ;. Our kitty is an outdoor kitty that adopted us. I think he was initially owned by someone then either ran off or was dropped off in our area.
He loves patrolling the perimeter and finding moles and such to pounce on. Then he doesn't know what to do with them. LOL He brought one up to us that promptly jumped up and ran away when he plopped him down for us to inspect.
Silly kitty. My cat was definitely a feline pacifist That wasn't such a bad thing though. I once lived with a cat that would bring live mice and birds into the house. Lady Lorelei: I've met a few such cats, but my current feline companion is a terrific mouser!
I had one cat that was so lazy that a mouse ran by her and she just laid there and watched it go. It is funny how it works that way.
I adopted a feral kitten and this kitty is shaping up to be a fierce killer. He tries to kill my dogs. I stop him when he does this to Tito, who doesn't fight back. Libby is on her own, and she will put up with it for a while, then pen him on his back before he knows what's hit him. He loves to grab them around the neck, bite their faces, while pretending to eviscerate them with his back paws. It is a bit frightening.
My theory is if you find a cat from a feral litter, he will tend to be a strong hunter by natural selection. A kitty who has come from a long line of pampered housecats would be more likely to have gotten a gene or two that makes them satisfied with Little Friskies. I did have a killer cat. Funny story. I had a beautiful white Persian, named SeeaT. Culture Shock. We had never seen Giant Mice before, but Seeat did his job as if by He learned to catch mice as big as him and brought them to me for acknowledgement of a job well done.
Of course, he got a very special treat. I don't have a cat, but I do have a Beagle who is a mouse, bird and any other small animal killing machine.
He usually brings me something dead at least once a week. Nothing says love like a dead mouse on the back door step. While I don't have any cats at the moment, I have had at least 3 in my life. They were mostly outside cats, who only came home to eat and drink.
But I do recall on a couple of occasions finding a nice little mouse or rat all gift wrapped on my doorstep. Birds too Mariajomith: Mine's got serial killer leanings, as well JenwithMisty: Yeah, not a pleasant thing to deal with when it's not a behavior you want in your cat. If you've only got a few mice, perhaps a non-toxic repellent product or a havahart trap could get rid of them gently before your cats get a chance.
Unfortunately, I have mousers. They sit and wait and then play with the poor things until they are dead. My cat is definitely a mouser, but he likes to bring me his treasures.
Unfortunately, he usually plays with his catch, puts it down when it plays dead and then gets distracted long enough for the mouse to scurry away, only to be chased and caught again. At one point in my old year old house, I was tempted to get a mouser cat, but realized I didn't want a pet.
I just wanted the mice gone. Therefore, I didn't get one. Does borrowing someone else's cat work? For a cat hunting is a survival instinct. Taurine is an essential amino-acid — one of the building blocks of proteins.
Without taurine, no animal can survive for long, so cats make up for their taurine deficiency through their diet. Although dogs can survive well on a vegetarian diet, cats cannot. They literally have to kill to live. Or sub-contract the job to their humans. By developing that skill and practicing it, your cat will have the urge to pounce when it sees a mouse. Cat toys or games with strings or feathers they can chase are a good place to start.
Come up with creative games with your cat where they can practice hunting and then reward them with a treat when they are successful. Having your cat watch a seasoned, mousing cat will help them learn. It has been said that female cats are better mousers, simply because they teach their kittens to mouse when they are young. Have your cat learn from a professional.
Cat owners often find that their pet leaves a whole or piece of a mouse on the doorstep. Sometimes they will bring the mouse to you. They are trying to show you how valuable they are and praising your cat for its good hunting skills will go far. Keeping your cat underfed to develop hunting skills is never a good idea.
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