Nifty's Feral Kitty Adventure

[KaleIAm]

So... um... a question:

Do cat's eat all the bits of a rat?

I just stumbled on this:

Spoiler: gross pic

View attachment 3125904

Clearly bits of a rat.

Did she eat everything else? Is that possible with all the bones, tail, etc?

Did she maybe bring parts outside or inside?

... or am I going to find all kinds of stuff in other areas of the house?

One of my cats swallows rodents whole. Other cats of mine have eaten only little pieces. So I'd find the intestines and a tail. Usually only in one spot, but cats are individuals so yours might stash a liver here and an ear there.

 

[Isadora]

So... um... a question:

Do cat's eat all the bits of a rat?

I just stumbled on this:

Spoiler: gross pic

View attachment 3125904

Clearly bits of a rat.

Did she eat everything else? Is that possible with all the bones, tail, etc?

Did she maybe bring parts outside or inside?

... or am I going to find all kinds of stuff in other areas of the house?

I found it depends on the individual cat. Current barn cats I have right now eat the whole rodent.
The outdoor cats I had growing up would eat everything except the heart and a couple other internal organs.

 

[Blooie]

I was off BYC for almost 2 years, and just made a return the 29th of December. I’ve been back at my regular haunts on here but every so often I feel the need to explore back and see what I’ve missed, which is how I stumbled upon this thread.

You've been a busy boy while I was gone, Nifty! Inquiring minds want to know…..any plans to start a Backyard Kitties web site? I know, I know….get back in your corner, Blooie.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Current barn cats I have right now eat the whole rodent.

This is what we're leaning towards. The remaining big question is: Why are there zero blood stains on the carpet? We'd expect that if she was chomping up a rat, there would be some degree of blood let out during the process, no?

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

see what I’ve missed, which is how I stumbled upon this thread.

Well, I'm very glad you did!!!

You've been a busy boy while I was gone, Nifty! Inquiring minds want to know…..any plans to start a Backyard Kitties web site?

LOL! I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it a time or two

 

[Isadora]

This is what we're leaning towards. The remaining big question is: Why are there zero blood stains on the carpet? We'd expect that if she was chomping up a rat, there would be some degree of blood let out during the process, no?

Depends how long it was dead before she started eating it. In my experience there's very little blood from a cat kill.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'm always picking up various animal parts in my yard. No rhyme or reason to it. I try to keep my kitties well fed, so they don't eat them all up. The one rat ours killed they left it intact. I would not like to find whiskers like that.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Kitty found the catnip planter pot:

 

[Blooie]

Well, you weren’t planning to do anything with it anyway, were ya?

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Ugh, cats.

I'm realizing part of the reason why I'm historically a dog person, but also been reducing pets and related work / messes.

We found a HUGE NASTY gooey hairball pile this morning.

All growing up I heard stories of "hairballs" and just assumed that's what they were... mostly dry balls of hair.

... turns out that's not the case... basically just all the junk in her gut coming out

Makes me want to kick invite the kitty outside permanently.

The GF says the solution is to do more "kitty scratches" to remove excess hair. Basically, I've learned that while we're outside, the kitty LOVES it when I go behind her, and pet / scratch her VIGEROUSLY from head to tail in SUPER rapid succession. She meows and meows, and literally CLOUDS of hair are spewed into the air. ALL OVER!!!

The first few times I did it, I wasn't sure if KMM liked it or not. Well, that changed when the second I stopped, she'd chase after me, meowing loud, and then even start nipping and pawing at my calf to get me to come back and give her more scratches.

I have a mixed love/annoyed relationship with the kitty meow meow.