Outdoor cat owners, I need your advice!

[KikiDeAnime]

This thread is directed to owners of outdoors cats, please do not post advice if you're strictly indoor only owners.
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My co-worker's neighbor's outdoor cat had kittens and she's been helping them find homes for them since they're now 8 weeks old. My dad said yes to getting one to become our new mouser.
Our neighborhood is completely safe but we do have neighbors who take care of any cats that show up.

It's been a few years since we've had a kitten outdoors because we recent mouser made it 7 years(due to a disease). Most of our past mousers made it past 10 years old.
I need tips/advice for adjusting the new kitten to being a mouser.

 

[cassie]

This thread is directed to owners of outdoors cats, please do not post advice if you're strictly indoor only owners.
.
My co-worker's neighbor's outdoor cat had kittens and she's been helping them find homes for them since they're now 8 weeks old. My dad said yes to getting one to become our new mouser.
Our neighborhood is completely safe but we do have neighbors who take care of any cats that show up.

It's been a few years since we've had a kitten outdoors because we recent mouser made it 7 years(due to a disease). Most of our past mousers made it past 10 years old.
I need tips/advice for adjusting the new kitten to being a mouser.

They either mouse or they don't. If the mother is a good mouser, the kitten should be left with her about 12 weeks so hopefully she will be able to teach it something. FYI most breeders won't place their kittens before 12 weeks. Has to do with socialization issues. Mousing ability is part learned and part inborn. I am assuming you are going to be feeding this kitten so he has something to eat besides the mice he catches.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

They either mouse or they don't. If the mother is a good mouser, the kitten should be left with her about 12 weeks so hopefully she will be able to teach it something. FYI most breeders won't place their kittens before 12 weeks. Has to do with socialization issues. Mousing ability is part learned and part inborn. I am assuming you are going to be feeding this kitten so he has something to eat besides the mice he catches.

Unfortunately the kids are badly allergic so the kittens need good homes immediately

 

[Sussex19]

Don't expect the kitten to catch much until its about 6 months old, and make sure it's either microchipped or wearing a collar(or preferably both) if there's any chance of a well meaning person taking it for a stray.
Also kittens should really stay in the house until they're at least 5 months old, vaccinated and desexed.
And if it does turn out to be good mouser, make sure you worm it regularly; with our cat the ones that catch the most also need worming the most.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Don't expect the kitten to catch much until its about 6 months old, and make sure it's either microchipped or wearing a collar(or preferably both) if there's any chance of a well meaning person taking it for a stray.
Also kittens should really stay in the house until they're at least 5 months old, vaccinated and desexed.
And if it does turn out to be good mouser, make sure you worm it regularly; with our cat the ones that catch the most also need worming the most.

Already ahead with that

 

[Sussex19]

Already ahead with that

Great! I don't think there's much you can to encourage hunting; however I think most cat have it inbuilt so unless you're unlucky it should get there.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I have already learned a lot from what's been posted here, but I have two cats so I'll just share what I know from my own experience. One of our cats is a pretty good hunter. Not just a mouser, she takes everything from tiny moles to voles to mice to rats to young rabbits and occasionally birds. She does not always eat her kill, but often brings it into the house, I guess to show it off. Sometimes she brings it in alive, which makes for some interesting activity. Fortunately one of my dogs is willing to take her prey from her, take it outside and dispose of it. I don't know details: I don't ask. This cat is small; she weighs about 8 lbs. It's important to protect her from fleas as well as worms. I don't know how long she was with her mother / litter; she was an adult when we got her. She is over 10 years old now.

The other cat, who weighs over 12 lbs., seems to have no interest in hunting whatsoever. She will occasionally take down a dragonfly but that's about it. We got her at about 7 weeks of age. Her main activities are sleeping, snoozing and napping.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Great! I don't think there's much you can to encourage hunting; however I think most cat have it inbuilt so unless you're unlucky it should get there.

Sounds like, from what I was told, the mother cat roams around my co-worker's chicken coop all the time because that's where the kittens had been born. I'm guessing the mother cat was already somewhat of a mouser in a way

 

[raingarden]

Domestic cats kill about 2-4 Billion song birds each year in the U.S. The are responsible for at least three songbird extinctions.

I'm a bird person, not a cat person, not sorry.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Domestic cats kill about 2-4 Billion song birds each year in the U.S. The are responsible for at least three songbird extinctions.

I'm a bird person, not a cat person, not sorry.

And I don't judge