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Rikkitic

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#202120 18-Sep-2016 11:11
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First the context, to hopefully avoid unhelpful anti-cat remarks: I am a cat lover and I live in a rural area. This is farming country, not bush land, and it is already overrun with feral cats. It is not an area that harbours endangered species. The wildlife my cats bring home consists of mice, rats and the odd sparrow. 

 

My cats are pets but they are also farm cats. They wander freely and do an excellent job of keeping the rodent population in check. They have access to the house and I want to keep it that way because they like to sleep with me at night and I enjoy their company. 

 

The problem is that they have started stashing carcasses of their victims under my bed. Sometimes I discover them in time. Otherwise the smell alerts me. It is really disgusting, especially if I only become aware of it after I have already gone to bed. 

 

My question is if there is any tactic, product, idea or item that can prevent this behaviour. I know the cats regard my bed as their den. I raised them from tiny kittens and they have always slept with me. They never deposit anything horrible on the bed, but they seem to think the space underneath is okay. Can anything be done to stop this? 

 

I don’t want to get a dog instead, or lock the cats outside, or squirt them with ammonia, or anything like that so let’s please skip over those kinds of suggestions, but if anyone knows an effective way of teaching cats that a particular place is off-limits for depositing prey, I would really appreciate hearing about it.

 

 





Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

 


 


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geek4me
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  #1632406 18-Sep-2016 11:14
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Remove the legs of the bed so the cat can't get underneath it. Problem solved.




TwoSeven
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  #1635385 18-Sep-2016 12:02
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From my perspective, I would suggest that cats probably usually eat small rodents and insects when out and about, birds are kind of an opportunity thing.   Cats generally bring things back to you or a particular place as a social behaviour, it can mean that you are part of the [cats] social group and have bonded with the cat.    At the moment it is bird season for starlings and sparrows, so you may find the cat bringing in a few of the more stupid ones (that are not cat wise).

 

Personally, I would interact with the cat a bit more, encourage it to bring the animals to you directly and you can easly scruff the cat until it drops said animal, with a bit of luck you might get them early enough to be able to let them go.  Otherwise, just put it in your routine to check under the beds more often - you may also find that if they have brought something in, they make a bit of a fuss about it and will sometimes be vocal.

 

Since cats learn by observation, doing and repitition, I think it would be difficult to change the location of where they bring things back to -  you may find they actually walk around a bit first to find out where you are before heading for the defacto drop point, so it may be possible to intercept them a bit earlier.





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gbwelly
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  #1635388 18-Sep-2016 12:26
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Rikkitic:

 

 

 

First the context, to hopefully avoid unhelpful anti-cat remarks: I am a cat lover and I live in a rural area. This is farming country, not bush land, and it is already overrun with feral cats. It is not an area that harbours endangered species. The wildlife my cats bring home consists of mice, rats and the odd sparrow. 

 

My cats are pets but they are also farm cats. They wander freely and do an excellent job of keeping the rodent population in check. They have access to the house and I want to keep it that way because they like to sleep with me at night and I enjoy their company. 

 

The problem is that they have started stashing carcasses of their victims under my bed. Sometimes I discover them in time. Otherwise the smell alerts me. It is really disgusting, especially if I only become aware of it after I have already gone to bed. 

 

My question is if there is any tactic, product, idea or item that can prevent this behaviour. I know the cats regard my bed as their den. I raised them from tiny kittens and they have always slept with me. They never deposit anything horrible on the bed, but they seem to think the space underneath is okay. Can anything be done to stop this? 

 

I don’t want to get a dog instead, or lock the cats outside, or squirt them with ammonia, or anything like that so let’s please skip over those kinds of suggestions, but if anyone knows an effective way of teaching cats that a particular place is off-limits for depositing prey, I would really appreciate hearing about it.

 

 

 

 

If you find a fresh gift under the bed and know which one delivered it, place it into the cat's food bowl for a while. They probably wont eat it but the message gets through that you are not starving and in need of food deliveries.

 

 

 

 










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  #1635438 18-Sep-2016 14:39
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Shut the bedroom door during the day





Yogi02
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  #1635441 18-Sep-2016 15:00
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In a similar situation - I find they only bring friends back when we have forgotten to feed them to make a point. Been giving them little top ups in their bowls throughout day and it seems to have stopped.

 

Had headless baby rabbit, multiple birds, and the odd rat.

 

They like showing off


Brumfondl
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  #1635451 18-Sep-2016 15:19
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geek4me:

 

Remove the legs of the bed so the cat can't get underneath it. Problem solved.

 

 

I did not read that as 'Remove the legs of the cat'. Honest!






michaelmurfy
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  #1635517 18-Sep-2016 16:39
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Brumfondl:

 

geek4me:

 

Remove the legs of the bed so the cat can't get underneath it. Problem solved.

 

 

I did not read that as 'Remove the legs of the cat'. Honest!

 

 

You're not alone...

 

I used to put boxes under the bed to prevent this from happening - my cat would then leave its prey beside the bed which was far better since I could clean it up straight away.





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Rikkitic

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  #1635521 18-Sep-2016 17:07
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michaelmurfy:

 

Brumfondl:

 

geek4me:

 

Remove the legs of the bed so the cat can't get underneath it. Problem solved.

 

 

I did not read that as 'Remove the legs of the cat'. Honest!

 

 

You're not alone...

 

I used to put boxes under the bed to prevent this from happening - my cat would then leave its prey beside the bed which was far better since I could clean it up straight away.

 

 

At last, an idea I can use! Brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?

 

 





Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

 


 


sen8or
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  #1635871 19-Sep-2016 13:48
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5 birds heads left in one day is the record so far for our girl (Gareth Morgan would likely take out a hit contract on her, she loves hunting birds), 2 x "1/2" bunnies in one night the record for her brother (he even left a whole bunny under our xmas tree one year, I guess all the presents were there so seemed like a good place for his donation?).

 

I like the idea of leaving the remains in their food bowl, unfortunately their food bowl is in the kitchen next to the fridge, dead rodent next to the fridge doesn't appeal......

 

 


Rikkitic

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  #1635875 19-Sep-2016 13:59
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Nice idea but my cats don't eat the food they have. They prefer to shop for their own outdoors and leave the leftovers for me.

 

 





Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

 


 


TwoSeven
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  #1636021 19-Sep-2016 18:47
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I think putting something under the bed is probably the best idea.

Unfortunately a cats view of the world involves much more detail than we are aware of considering they can see in the ultraviolet, hear a wider range of frequencies and smell hundreds of times better. Their concept of space is much different than ours, it's also more three dimensional where ours is considerably flat. Their den is likely [part of] your bedroom, not the whole house, hence delivering things to the same place.

Hunting also isn't really related to hunger, for cats with a plentiful food supply will still actively hunt to some degree. Its like humans going fishing.




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JayADee
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  #1636271 20-Sep-2016 05:59
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It's kind of a yucky problem but an amusing thread. Lol.

tdgeek
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  #1636288 20-Sep-2016 07:32
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I don't have any experienced based ideas. All I ever got were a few monarch butterflies, sparrow, although one blackbird was seemingly de feathered in the kitchen.

 

What about taking the prey out, while in their view? So, they see you, part of their den/pack, removing them. They may take that for what it is, "thanks, but no thanks" Or place the prey in a semi open container, outside, out of the way, hoping they find that, and take that as the new drop off area.

 

Make sure you keep us posted!


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  #1636291 20-Sep-2016 07:39
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I inherited a cat. It's either sleeping or prowling. What a good life. And i have to clean up after him.

amiga500
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  #1636374 20-Sep-2016 09:58
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Hard one to solve!    Cats in country areas will often bring back their catches and leave them on the back door step or mat.   But if there is a cat door they will just bring it right on in.


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