Cats are hunters, sometimes ambush predators. They much prefer to strike an unprepared foe from behind. They have a reason for needing to quickly overwhelm and subdue their prey, Rats have formidable teeth that can severely wound a cat in the delicate areas of the mouth and nose if confronted wrong-way-round. A wounded cat can weaken in a surprisingly short amount of time. They need several small high protein meals a day to remain in prime form. Cats, like many finely tuned predators, are like sports cars. They offer great performance but they can be remarkably delicate.
I once watched a large cat grab a squirrel. It got hold of the squirrel but didn’t quite know what to do with it once it had it. The squirrel took advantage of the cat’s confusion, spun its head around and sank its teeth deeply into the cat’s paw. The cat tried to drop the squirrel but ended up dancing around swing its paw while the rodent was still firmly clamped on. After a bit the squirrel let go and ran up the tree. The cat limped off with a bloodied paw that took several weeks to heal.
Another surprising predator/prey situation is between rodents and snakes. Most professional breeders shift their snakes to rewarmed frozen mice or rats as quickly as possible. Live prey are dangerous. If the snake is torpid, a bit too cold, or sleeping the mouse (rats are even more aggressive) can maim or kill the snake.
The text claims the otter’s size and bravery were the determining factors but I suspect that the ambient temperature had a whole lot more to do with it. The otter is, or course, warm blooded and can stay active even as water temperatures get into the 40s. The gator is, mostly (it can generate heat by working its muscles) cold blooded and it tends to be sluggish both mentally and physically at lower temperatures.
mnb0says
My grandparents already preferred small dogs to hunt rats. Cats are for hunting mice.
file thirteensays
When I lived in Sydney, our smaller cat was an avid hunter. She would drag in huge dead rats, bigger than her in every way and one and a half times her length (I measured one before throwing it out. Triple-bagged them, but it didn’t stop the smell. Nothing smells worse than a dead rat). My best guess is that they were sewer rats (rattus norvegicus) because of their huge size. I shudder to think where she got them from. On the bright side, at least she killed them before she brought them home.
She would have eaten them if I’d let her. A couple of times she was starting to strip the fur off the carcasses when I discovered them (in the hallway). I didn’t know cats did that.
sonofrojblakesays
at least something killed them before she brought them home
FIFY.
You use a cat to clear mice, but if you have a rat problem, you need a dog. Ideally a Jack Russell terrier or similar. Like Art said -- cats are sly, low-stamina stalkers with a low tolerance for pain. Dogs are ludicrously aggressive and just. Keep. Going.
rqsays
Some cats out there will do just fine with rats and have a high tolerance for pain.
You cannot have read much Shel Silverstein:
“Can anyone lend me two twelve-pound rats
“I want to rid my house of cats.”
You have not met my cat. Sometime long before he arrived here he was declawed.
I still curse the bastards.
The rat was committed.
They’re still making Tom & Jerry cartoons?
I put it down to Luxembourg’s tax haven status.
Cats are hunters, sometimes ambush predators. They much prefer to strike an unprepared foe from behind. They have a reason for needing to quickly overwhelm and subdue their prey, Rats have formidable teeth that can severely wound a cat in the delicate areas of the mouth and nose if confronted wrong-way-round. A wounded cat can weaken in a surprisingly short amount of time. They need several small high protein meals a day to remain in prime form. Cats, like many finely tuned predators, are like sports cars. They offer great performance but they can be remarkably delicate.
I once watched a large cat grab a squirrel. It got hold of the squirrel but didn’t quite know what to do with it once it had it. The squirrel took advantage of the cat’s confusion, spun its head around and sank its teeth deeply into the cat’s paw. The cat tried to drop the squirrel but ended up dancing around swing its paw while the rodent was still firmly clamped on. After a bit the squirrel let go and ran up the tree. The cat limped off with a bloodied paw that took several weeks to heal.
Another surprising predator/prey situation is between rodents and snakes. Most professional breeders shift their snakes to rewarmed frozen mice or rats as quickly as possible. Live prey are dangerous. If the snake is torpid, a bit too cold, or sleeping the mouse (rats are even more aggressive) can maim or kill the snake.
Another odd predator/prey relationship.
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140306-otter-alligator-florida-predator-photos-wildlife/
The text claims the otter’s size and bravery were the determining factors but I suspect that the ambient temperature had a whole lot more to do with it. The otter is, or course, warm blooded and can stay active even as water temperatures get into the 40s. The gator is, mostly (it can generate heat by working its muscles) cold blooded and it tends to be sluggish both mentally and physically at lower temperatures.
My grandparents already preferred small dogs to hunt rats. Cats are for hunting mice.
When I lived in Sydney, our smaller cat was an avid hunter. She would drag in huge dead rats, bigger than her in every way and one and a half times her length (I measured one before throwing it out. Triple-bagged them, but it didn’t stop the smell. Nothing smells worse than a dead rat). My best guess is that they were sewer rats (rattus norvegicus) because of their huge size. I shudder to think where she got them from. On the bright side, at least she killed them before she brought them home.
She would have eaten them if I’d let her. A couple of times she was starting to strip the fur off the carcasses when I discovered them (in the hallway). I didn’t know cats did that.
FIFY.
You use a cat to clear mice, but if you have a rat problem, you need a dog. Ideally a Jack Russell terrier or similar. Like Art said -- cats are sly, low-stamina stalkers with a low tolerance for pain. Dogs are ludicrously aggressive and just. Keep. Going.
Some cats out there will do just fine with rats and have a high tolerance for pain.