Ate a babby rabbit

3297 Views 23 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Jeanie, Aug 24, 2003

2cats

Discussion Starter · Aug 13, 2003

Well my cat Missy is crazy, she ate a rabbit and brought it into my kitchen and ate the whole thing, but left the tail and legs. And then she left all the intestines and guts on my floor, is this normal behavior? I can see eating a mouse or bird but not a rabbit. Some people say I should bring her to the vet b/c it's not normal behavior and then some people say it's totally normal.

Any suggestions would be great.

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

Ioana

· #2 · Aug 13, 2003

oh, poor baby rabbit and naughty old Missy -what was on her mind! If the animal was wild you could take the cat to the vet in case it had rabies or something as such. And then while you are there you could ask the vet whether it is normal or not
ps I saw ferral cats doing that but I don't know if it is normal behaviour for domestic ones

Chelle

· #3 · Aug 13, 2003

Cats are carnivores. They don't care if you think bunnies are cute. They see it as a nice little snack.

-Chelle

Jeanie

· #4 · Aug 13, 2003

When I allowed my cats outside, they sometimes caught baby bunnies. I always put them in a safe, quiet place, but they died-of shock, I guess. They never ate one, but I know of a large cat that killed an adult rabbit and ate it. My mother's neighbor owned the cat, and Mom saw the cat eating the rabbit. She was a real cat lover, but got really upset at that cat.

Ioana

· #5 · Aug 13, 2003

oh, Chelle...don't you think know that?that's the cycle of nature..it is still sad for an all-animal lover

Jeanie

· #6 · Aug 13, 2003

I was reminded of this poem. There is a companion poem about a lamb. The two illustrate both the beauty and cruelty of nature. I think Blake could have used mankind as a creation with both aspects. We can reason, but the tiger kills only to eat. Cats act on instinct or hunger.

The Tiger
William Blake

Tiger, tiger, burning bright,
In the forest of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, and what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
When thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand forged thy dread feet?

What the hammer? What the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dared its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did He smile his work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger, tiger, burning bright,
In the forest of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

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Ioana

· #7 · Aug 13, 2003

The tiger is both a creature of light and dark. To me the tiger = the humankind. It reminds me of the duality of man in Charles Baudelaire's poetry. It is unfair to stop here with the interpretation but I must remember I am not in literature class

kittygirl04

· #8 · Aug 14, 2003

I had a cat do that, too. He didn't eat the bunny--but I guess the bunny died from shock. I was really mad at Salem--I felt so bad for the poor baby bunny.

Chelle

· #9 · Aug 14, 2003

ioana said:
oh, Chelle...don't you think know that?that's the cycle of nature..it is still sad for an all-animal lover

I wasn't referring to your post, I was referring to the original post where (s)he said: "I can see eating a mouse or bird but not a rabbit."

-Chelle

DizzyJon

· #10 · Aug 14, 2003

It is kind of sad to see a baby rabbit being eaten, but it is all part of the food chain. A lot of cats just catch and kill things outside and never eat them. That seems like more of a waste. They can also get worms from eating infected animals.
I have never been brave enough to let any of my cats outside. Working at the veterinary hospital and being a pre vet student I have seen more then my share of cats with Feline Leukemia and FIV.

kittygirl04

· #11 · Aug 14, 2003

I think most cats just catch bugs and tiny animals because they are moving and the cat wants to play. If my cats go after a fly--they stop playing with it as soon as it quits moving.

Ioana

· #12 · Aug 15, 2003

To Chelle:
Gotcha! I didn't get it then but now it's all clear ..it came right after my post and got me a little confused there :roll: :wink:

Larry Chamberlain

· #13 · Aug 22, 2003

2cats said:
Well my cat Missy is crazy, she ate a rabbit and brought it into my kitchen and ate the whole thing, but left the tail and legs. And then she left all the intestines and guts on my floor, is this normal behavior? I can see eating a mouse or bird but not a rabbit. Some people say I should bring her to the vet b/c it's not normal behavior and then some people say it's totally normal.

Any suggestions would be great.

Here's a small coincidence. My son has 3 part Birman cats the smallest of which he named "Missy". She is a tiny thing, when you pick her up it doesn't feel like you've anything in your hand. Apparently she is a real killer, always bringing "kills" in through the cat flap. Field mice, birds, once she dragged a pigeon in that my son swore weighed more than she does!, snakes and snakes are not that plentiful in the UK.

She has several times brought in frogs, but lets those live, probably not to her taste.

It is a shame that creatures so cute have to resort to animal instincts, but after all that is what they are...
...animals, and we can't blame them for that, however much we want them to be our perfect pets.

Majicou

· #14 · Aug 22, 2003

Too true! All too often we forget they are carnivores with killer instincts. Recently my cat brought in a big thrush. It was lucky that I walked in when I did, as it was still alive - usually I find a dead animal on the floor, and Jet looking very pleased with himself. :roll:

Aonir

· #15 · Aug 22, 2003

I never really had a problem with my cats and my bunny. Of course, he's half their size!

A baby bunny is just like a mouse to cats. It runs, its small, and it can catch it! I've never eaten a rabbit before, and I don't intend to. So many times my familys wanted to eat my bunny! He's to small though

Lori

· #16 · Aug 22, 2003

Poor little bunny.

I grew up on a farm and of course we had barn cats. They used to catch shrews (little white animals about the size of a mouse with a long rat tail) and present them at the front door as "gifts". Apparently they didn't taste good! :roll:

2cats

Discussion Starter · #17 · Aug 23, 2003

Missy Strikes again.

She struck again. Today she killed and ripped apart a bird. And then got sick after. She's not a nasty cat at all, I don't know why she keeps killing animals from day to day. When I came home from work she was waiting for me and when I got out of the car, she would not stop meowing. Why does she keep doing this, is she reacting to me not letting her in the house from peeing and poopig on the brand new carpet? Is her acting this way normal?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Lori

· #18 · Aug 23, 2003

Re: Missy Strikes again.

2cats said:
She struck again. Today she killed and ripped apart a bird. And then got sick after. She's not a nasty cat at all

Oh, nobody thinks she is a nasty cat because of this. She is just being a normal cat. As the others have mentioned, this is what cats do by nature.

kittygirl04

· #19 · Aug 23, 2003

Majicou said:
All too often we forget they are carnivores with killer instincts. Recently my cat brought in a big thrush.

I was just wondering what a thrush is? :roll:

Jeanie

· #20 · Aug 23, 2003

A thrush is a relatively large bird. Robins are one type of thrush.

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