121–125 of 125 posts
Are modern cats even that good at killing rats anymore? Haven't we mostly bred cats that have very rarely even seen a rat their entire life?
I know you specifically asked about rats but domestic cats are killing machines. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23360987/ We estimate that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.4-3.7 billion birds and 6.9-20.7 billion mammals annually.
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And how often did that then actually happen? Maybe they left it there intentionally?
Bumblebees always seemed pretty docile in my experience. Come to think of it, I can't recall ever being stung by an actual bee. Asshole wasps are another story.
So one gets used to try to showe them away, collecting them in inverted glasses until the party is over, have something burning that might keep them way, or just surrender let them pick something and enjoy a couple of minutes pause until they take the little piece of food back to the nest (and then return).
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The strength of those instincts does vary from cat to cat though. I have two cats, and one is a cold blooded killer that'll attack anything that moves, including my toes. The other will just sniff spiders and cuddles rabbits and hamsters. It did once chase a small mouse, but once it had it cornered, it didn't do anything.
Cats and rabbits get along well because cats think grooming someone is dominant, but rabbits think being groomed is dominant, so they both think they're on top. (Domestic rabbits have surprisingly big egos.)
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The strength of those instincts does vary from cat to cat though. I have two cats, and one is a cold blooded killer that'll attack anything that moves, including my toes. The other will just sniff spiders and cuddles rabbits and hamsters. It did once chase a small mouse, but once it had it cornered, it didn't do anything.
Cats and rabbits get along well because cats think grooming someone is dominant, but rabbits think being groomed is dominant, so they both think they're on top. (Domestic rabbits have surprisingly big egos.)
I had a rabbit that we'd let out in the garden, and if the neighbour's cat came in the garden, the rabbit would chase it out, and even attack it if it wouldn't leave.
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I wouldn't say my cats are smart but you can definitely see they are natural born killers. Everything they set their eyes on dies. Flies, spiders, you name it. Nothing is too quick for them. I keep my cats indoors (we take them in to the garden from time to time under supervision) for a variety of reasons one of them being fluffy cute little murders who kill birds and such just for sport... There are also birds which…
What I find fascinating is the ability our cat has to mimic a crying baby - this really upsets my wife. As I am the main cat servant in our household when our cat wants services (food, cuddle etc.) it complains to my wife who then issues the relevant orders to me.