Vole Surprise - My Office Kitty's Gift

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the behavior of cats bringing prey to their owners, specifically focusing on a cat named Bun who presented a vole. Participants share anecdotes about their own cats' hunting habits and the implications of these behaviors.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes their cat Bun bringing an unusually large vole and expresses surprise at the cat's behavior of placing it in their lap.
  • Another participant admires the ability to distinguish between mice and voles, expressing a fondness for the cat based on the stories shared.
  • A participant recounts a childhood experience where their mother mistakenly gave fresh voles to a snake, later learning that voles are considered poisonous.
  • Some participants share that their cats leave various parts of prey, such as heads or organs, and discuss the implications of these actions.
  • One participant humorously declines the offer of the vole, indicating they had already eaten.
  • Several participants recount humorous or interesting interactions between their cats and dogs involving prey, noting the dynamics of these encounters.
  • There is a suggestion that cats may bring live prey into the house to teach their owners about hunting, with some participants agreeing with this notion.
  • One participant describes their cat's behavior of pushing around dead prey to ensure it is dead, adding a humorous commentary on the sounds their cat makes during hunting.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of agreement and differing interpretations regarding the motivations behind cats bringing prey to their owners. The discussion includes both shared experiences and varying opinions on the implications of these behaviors.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about the behavior of cats and their interactions with prey are based on personal anecdotes and may not be universally applicable. There are also references to the potential toxicity of voles, which remain unverified in the context of the discussion.

Ivan Seeking
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My office kitty, bun, has a long history of bringing me dead things as a gift, but today was a first. She came in with an exceptionally large vole, which she would normally kill and leave on the floor by my chair as an offering. But apparently she was bothered by the fact that I didn't pick it up, so she flipped up into my lap! :bugeye:
 
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The fact that you can tell a mouse and a vole apart is impressive (to me). You have the only cat I have ever liked (as much as you can like an animal through stories you hear online).
 
We used to live on San Juan Island in the Puget Sound, and our cats always brought voles in. Well, my mother, not knowing better, always took the fresh ones when she went to drop me off at my babysitters in the early morning, and they had a large snake that she'd give the vole too. Eventually, she ended up telling the 'sitters, and they told her that voles are poisonous, which came as a surprise.
 
She must think you need a good meal!

Sweet Miss Phoebe always leaves the head on our front porch...and some greenish, tubular organ. Sometimes the butt but she usually eats that too.
 
Errr ummm no thanks, I think I'll pass on this vole. I had a pretty big dinner.
 
http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/funny-pictures-why-dont-you-like-breakfast-in-bed.jpg
 
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lisab said:
She must think you need a good meal!

Sweet Miss Phoebe always leaves the head on our front porch...and some greenish, tubular organ. Sometimes the butt but she usually eats that too.

Yes, normally I get the heads of voles and the decapitated bodies of mice. Moles are left whole, and apparently shrews are claw-licking good to the last dropping...but some are left and dried for shrew jerky.
 
Math Is Hard said:
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That reminds me of a guy who once dreamt that someone was screaming. As he awoke, he realized that his cat had brought him breakfast in bed, though not quite dead.
 
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Dog Cat Rat Interaction

My cat Buddy came scrambling through the doggie door one evening holding a large pack rat by the back of the neck. Buddy dropped the rat on the floor of the den. I stood there and watched for the action because pack rats have a way of playing possum that can fool even an experienced domestic hunter.

At that time my dog Blanca approached and watched the cat watch the rat. Buddy the cat watched the rat and the dog. The rat sensed a chance to escape and made a dash for the living room.

The dog got there first and grabbed the rat by the back of the neck. Blanca came back out into the den and put the rat back down on the floor. Now the cat was watching the dog watch the rat.

The rat once again decided to make a run for it. Buddy the cat got there first this time and caught the rat and then plunged quickly back out through the doggie door.

The whole event played out in just about 30 seconds. Afterwards my brother in law and I laughed hilariously.

I would have loved to have gotten that action on video.
 
  • #10
edward said:
Dog Cat Rat Interaction

My cat Buddy came scrambling through the doggie door one evening holding a large pack rat by the back of the neck. Buddy dropped the rat on the floor of the den. I stood there and watched for the action because pack rats have a way of playing possum that can fool even an experienced domestic hunter.

At that time my dog Blanca approached and watched the cat watch the rat. Buddy the cat watched the rat and the dog. The rat sensed a chance to escape and made a dash for the living room.

The dog got there first and grabbed the rat by the back of the neck. Blanca came back out into the den and put the rat back down on the floor. Now the cat was watching the dog watch the rat.

The rat once again decided to make a run for it. Buddy the cat got there first this time and caught the rat and then plunged quickly back out through the doggie door.

The whole event played out in just about 30 seconds. Afterwards my brother in law and I laughed hilariously.

I would have loved to have gotten that action on video.


Edward, you may not believe this but I witnessed the same behavior in my old kitty (passed on now) Mr Jones, and our old dog (with us no longer, either) Chester! I described it to my niece who's a veterinarian. She said it's textbook mom-cat-teaching-youngster-how-to-kill behavior. Only the youngster is a dog many more times bigger than the kitty.

I'll never forget the intense interest on Chester's face as he got his lesson...total focus!
 
  • #11
lisab said:
Edward, you may not believe this but I witnessed the same behavior in my old kitty (passed on now) Mr Jones, and our old dog (with us no longer, either) Chester! I described it to my niece who's a veterinarian. She said it's textbook mom-cat-teaching-youngster-how-to-kill behavior. Only the youngster is a dog many more times bigger than the kitty.

I'll never forget the intense interest on Chester's face as he got his lesson...total focus!

WOW that is it exactly:smile:
 
  • #12
lisab said:
She said it's textbook mom-cat-teaching-youngster-how-to-kill behavior. Only the youngster is a dog many more times bigger than the kitty.

I heard recently that this is what cats are doing when then bring live prey into the house. They are trying to teach us! Apparently, cats think we are quite stupid. :biggrin:

btw, Bun does like to toss things about a bit while she's killing them. I assume this was just a "lucky" toss.
 
  • #13
Ivan Seeking said:
I heard recently that this is what cats are doing when then bring live prey into the house. They are trying to teach us! Apparently, cats think we are quite stupid. :biggrin:

btw, Bun does like to toss things about a bit while she's killing them. I assume this was just a "lucky" toss.

My cat used to bring dead birds/field mice into the house. Then shed push it around with her paw and scoot it around a bit just to make sure it was dead. Hahah.

When she got the hunger for blood she'd go...memememememwwmmemewmwe...memewwmeemwwemmweemwwem...mewmemwmemwemwmeww...like she was laughing.
 

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