Nifty's Feral Kitty Adventure

[Nifty-Chicken]

"Kitty, stop playing with your food!!!!"

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Ugh. My Diva brings in live prey and I always know when she does because she can't help announcing it! I tell Gracie, my Sheltie, "Get the rat!" and she goes and looks at the cat and stands over her. Diva looks up at her, the prey gets away and the dog grabs it and runs out of the house with it. Good dog! I guess we don't have any mice or rats in the house, so Diva thinks she has to bring some in from outside ...

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

So, good news bad news....

Bad: I was away from the house for a bit too long. Came back to a horrible smell. Kitty had a really bad poop accident in the house. I wasn't really gone that long, and she's usually been amazing at just sleeping in the house all day and never getting up to do anything. We unfortunately do NOT have a kitty box inside.

Good: For some amazing reason, she deposited it into the bathtub! Of all the places she could have gone (all of them MUCH worse), she picked the easiest to clean up. AMAZING!

A few questions:

1) Why would she choose the bathtub? I'd think she would have found a much more hidden / private area, like the carpet under a bed or something MUCH worse.

2) Her mess was surprisingly watery... like diarrhea. Not sure if that's what caused her to be unable to hold-it, and not sure if it's something we need to be concerned about?

 

[N F C]

So, good news bad news....

Bad: I was away from the house for a bit too long. Came back to a horrible smell. Kitty had a really bad poop accident in the house. I wasn't really gone that long, and she's usually been amazing at just sleeping in the house all day and never getting up to do anything. We unfortunately do NOT have a kitty box inside.

Good: For some amazing reason, she deposited it into the bathtub! Of all the places she could have gone (all of them MUCH worse), she picked the easiest to clean up. AMAZING!

A few questions:

1) Why would she choose the bathtub? I'd think she would have found a much more hidden / private area, like the carpet under a bed or something MUCH worse.

2) Her mess was surprisingly watery... like diarrhea. Not sure if that's what caused her to be unable to hold-it, and not sure if it's something we need to be concerned about?

Sorry you had such a mess to clean up. Maybe she chose the bathtub because it resembles a giant box? Her watery poop could be due to something she's eaten outside. I wouldn't worry too much unless it continues.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I agree the tub probably resembles a litter box.

Does she get wormed or checked for worms? Most cats eating stuff they catch will need an occasional worming.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

We haven't taken her to the vet yet, but will in the next few months to get her shots. We'll ask the Vet to do his checkups, etc. then

 

[HomesteaderWife]

I'm just now catching this thread, @Nifty-Chicken bravo on you all for taking in these feral kitties needing a home and a job of great skill. I've had a few "formerly feral" cats over the years and they can make such great companions.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Kitty Update:

She's been doing great! It's insane to think the "wild kitty" from less than a year ago is so crazy needy of pets and attention. ALWAYS meowing for it!

This week has been especially exciting. After what seemed like a long time of no rats, she's caught 3 in the last 4 days!

... but tonight she caught one and it was FAR from dead. She kept dropping it, then chasing it, catching it... and repeating the process. Each time bringing it to the door and meowing like mad. My guess is she's trying to train me how to catch my own food. LOL!

It's kinda frustrating since I've seen her do this before and I've seen them get away when she's playing around.

It makes me wonder why most she kills instantly, and others she just plays with.

Oh, and other questions:

How is she killing them? Biting their necks? Suffocation?

Is she ever eating them, or just killing and walking away?

(Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, she had her vet visit, shots, and for the most part it was a slightly easier process than I expected it would be.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I think most of the time they snap the neck, sometimes suffocate. She will eat it if she's hungry, or bored with her cat food. (Good thing you probably just had her wormed, especially since she comes inside.) If you don't want her to eat them, you could give her a small treat for bringing you dead mice. Like a trade.
I'm glad she did well at the vet, you never know how they will react...
She's such a pretty kitty.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Most cats play with their prey. From what I've seen they kill it by biting them in the back of the neck or even eating their heads off.

Cats are one species that kills without being hungry, so sometimes they don't have the motivation to follow through, and they let things go.

Females especially will bring back live prey for their kittens to practice on, so it may still be an instinct even if the cat is fixed. From what I've seen a lot of times the victim dies anyways from the rough handling.