Is our cat best friends with a pet deer?

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A playful interaction between a cat and a resident deer in Tsu's garden has sparked a lively discussion, revealing that Tsu previously blamed the cats for garden damage. The deer, often seen resting near the house, is anticipated to have fawns, which raises concerns about potential garden destruction. Participants share anecdotes about deer behavior, including their playful nature and the possibility of them being a nuisance when it comes to gardens. The conversation also touches on the types of deer present, with some confusion about whether they are white-tailed or black-tailed deer. Concerns about the safety of the cat around the deer are mentioned, as well as humorous exchanges about the dynamics between the animals. Pictures of the deer are shared, showcasing their cuteness and the community's affection for them, despite the potential for garden damage. Overall, the thread captures a blend of humor, wildlife observation, and the challenges of cohabiting with nature.
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I caught the cat and resident deer playing in Tsu's garden this morning. And to think that all of this time Tsu has blamed the cats for tearing up the garden. :rolleyes: The deer was hopping around like a kitten, with our Bun kitty hot in pursuit. :smile: Last year the cats brought skunks into the house...

The deer often sleeps just 30 feet from the house now, under Tsu's Ocean Spray plant. :cool: We're hoping for babies.
 
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:bugeye: :bugeye: :smile: Your cat must be so clever!
 
Lisa! said:
:bugeye: :bugeye: :smile: Your cat must be so clever!
or very confused
 
zanazzi78 said:
or very confused

Just think, next year deercats or catdeers
 
Ivan Seeking said:
The deer often sleeps just 30 feet from the house now, under Tsu's Ocean Spray plant. :cool: We're hoping for babies.


Little baby Tsu Seekings, or baby deercats?
 
Lyme_Tick_1.JPG
 
Hitssquad has a pet too?
 
No, that's a Lyme tick.
 
hitssquad said:
No, that's a Lyme tick.
Looks like the one that bit BicycleTree.
 
  • #10
aww and cat and a deer having babies!


Young deers are cute, if they come in contact with another creature who dosen't want to eat them, they will play. Just think of Bambi, whith Thumper and Flower..
 
  • #11
hypatia said:
Just think of Bambi, whith Thumper and Flower..


and a nice bottle of chianti..mmmmmmm!
 
  • #12
hitssquad said:
No, that's a Lyme tick.
Even though it's called a deer tick, Lyme disease is spread more from deer mice than from deer.

But they won't be liking those baby deer so much when Tsu finds them eating everything in the garden down to bare twigs!

Venison anyone?
 
  • #13
I was a bit worried... I thought you maybe meant the .. other deer.
 
  • #14
Ivan Seeking said:
We're hoping for babies.
Bun and the deer? :bugeye:
 
  • #15
Moonbear said:
But they won't be liking those baby deer so much when Tsu finds them eating everything in the garden down to bare twigs!

By now Tsu is usually harvesting a bouquet of roses a day, but there's nothing but stumps out there. :smile: I think she would gladly sacrifice her entire garden for a couple of fawns. But today I noticed the buds for antlers on this one. Do the females get little antlers or is this definitively a male? We had two but one disappeared. It may have been this one's mother...? It must be too young to have taken a mate.
 
  • #16
Ivan Seeking said:
By now Tsu is usually harvesting a bouquet of roses a day, but there's nothing but stumps out there. :smile: I think she would gladly sacrifice her entire garden for a couple of fawns. But today I noticed the buds for antlers on this one. Do the females get little antlers or is this definitively a male? We had two but one disappeared. It may have been this one's mother...? It must be too young to have taken a mate.

Only the males get antlers...usually. In the captive herd I worked with, one of the females developed little horn buds for some reason, but they never developed more than that. This is the right time of year for them to start developing antlers and it's too soon for them to be mating...that's a few months away still. It's possible this one is a yearling and the other one with him was his mother. By now, the fawns should have mostly lost their spots, so other than size, it would be hard to tell the adults from juveniles (the juveniles/yearlings would still be a bit smaller this time of year).

You'll have to wait until spring for fawns, and they stay in hiding while very young (at least until the farmers plow the fields and find them and call Fish Game and Wildlife to come get the "abandoned" fawns). They are so cute at that age! :smile:
 
  • #17
Could you please post a photo of them here or in caption competetion thread?
 
  • #18
I DO have some pictures!11111 I will post them for you as soon as I get home from work. OK? :smile:
 
  • #19
Thank you very much. :smile: Very nice of you.
 
  • #20
First year males are called button bucks. Even tho they are small, when mateing season comes, they can become dangerous. They will fight just about anything, trees, garden statues, cars and you.
They are still with the female herd, but are being encouraged to go there separate way. They spend more and more time on there own.
 
  • #21
OK! HERE WE GO! :biggrin: :biggrin:

This is a close up of one in my newest garden that I will be planting...
http://hosted.yourimg.com/05/217/02/DSC00280a.jpg



This is both of them down by the creek (just down a little hill from our house)...
http://hosted.yourimg.com/05/217/02/DSC00293a.jpg



Here they are hanging out by my pile of Hemlock bark dust. The other one is behind the pile -- you can just see it's ear sticking out above the pile on the left. That's Ivan's office in the background. :approve:
http://hosted.yourimg.com/05/217/02/DSC00299a.jpg



And here he (?) is hanging out in my Ocean Spray shrub. He hangs out with me while I'm in my garden. Except... I want it to be a SHE! I want some baby deer to play with in the spring. :cry: :smile:
http://hosted.yourimg.com/05/217/03/DSC00406A.jpg
 
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  • #22
Neat... :smile:
 
  • #23
Wow!very nice pictures. Thank you very very much. :smile:
 
  • #24
Lisa! said:
Could you please post a photo of them here or in caption competetion thread?

Very nice pics, Tsu. Here's another one.

fxs78408.jpg

Oh man, I hope she doesn't find my other carrot!
 
  • #25
Such sweet deeries! I would give up..well at least part of my garden for them too.
 
  • #26
I think that Ivan and Tsu, should be voted the nicest couple on PFs, they are
just so cute, but a little strange. :biggrin: :smile:
 
  • #27
Lisa! said:
Caption competition thread?
I liked that thread...and now it's gone :cry:
 
  • #28
wolram said:
I think that Ivan and Tsu, should be voted the nicest couple on PFs, they are
just so cute, but a little strange. :biggrin: :smile:
Arn't they the "only" couple on PF? :smile: that makes voteing so much easier.
 
  • #29
Those deer are so cute. Great pictures!
What type are they? They don't look like any I see around here (England).
 
  • #30
matthyaouw said:
Those deer are so cute. Great pictures!
What type are they? They don't look like any I see around here (England).
They're white-tailed deer.
 
  • #31
DocToxyn calls them undercooked deer.
 
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  • #32
Ivan Seeking said:
DocToxyn calls them undercooked deer.
:smile: Since I'm moving to WV where I think their biggest "industry" is hunting, I suppose I have to say the same thing now. :rolleyes: They're really cute at a distance, not so cute close up and in tight quarters.
 
  • #33
Moonbear said:
:smile: Since I'm moving to WV where I think their biggest "industry" is hunting, I suppose I have to say the same thing now. :rolleyes: They're really cute at a distance, not so cute close up and in tight quarters.
Nooooo, NOOOOOO. I can't even think about killing one of those beautiful creatures. :cry:

Of course if it's already a rump roast, the only decent thing to do is eat it, in honor of it, of course, sort of a "Stranger in a strange land" grokking kind of way. :redface: :bugeye:
 
  • #34
Moonbear said:
They're white-tailed deer.
Actually they are Western Black Tail. Oregon has a very small White Tail population, they are localized in a valley about 100mi south of here. Our Black Tails are small, less the 100lbs dressed, often way less then 100 lbs. If you go to the other side of the Cascade mountains you will find a much larger Mule Deer.

My mom was born and grew up on a ranch in the Oregon Coast range. One year, as a child, she befriended a deer, later in the year her "pet" grew horns (ok, antlers). When it chased her across the yard and tore her dress, grandpa wasted no time...They had venison.
 
  • #35
I'd say the more immediate concern is the cat getting stomped.
 
  • #36
Integral said:
Actually they are Western Black Tail. Oregon has a very small White Tail population, they are localized in a valley about 100mi south of here. Our Black Tails are small, less the 100lbs dressed, often way less then 100 lbs. If you go to the other side of the Cascade mountains you will find a much larger Mule Deer.

Maybe it's the lighting, but the deer in the pictures don't look like they have black tails (the distinctive characteristic of black-tailed deer, not surprisingly). Other than that, it's pretty hard to tell white-tails from black-tails, at least for me :redface:.

Well, if they are black-tails, then those aren't such a vermin as white-tails, so we won't turn them into venison. Tsu can watch for fawns.

Ivan Seeking said:
I'd say the more immediate concern is the cat getting stomped.

Deer seem to know house cats can't really do anything to them. When I worked with deer, we had a stupid, highly annoying, loud barn cat that we thought we'd find stomped one day, but he seemed to wander among the deer all he wanted and they didn't really care. They can move a lot faster than the cat if they want to be left alone.
 
  • #37
Okay we have a solution. If this is a male, when the antlers start getting large I'm going to have Tsu go out and put little rubber tips on the ends.


[Reminds me a bit of how my grandpa told me to catch birds: Just put a little salt on their tail.]
 
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  • #38
I think she will need some practise...say, finger cots at 40 paces?
 
  • #39
Tonight I walked out the back door of the house and caught a doe playing with two of our cats, and only about five feet away. Of course as soon as the door shut she saw me and ran for cover; with two cats right behind her.

So now they are up to the door. What's next? Of course it beats skunks. :biggrin:

I once met a woman who, while taking a leisurely bath one day, looked up to see a baby Brahma Bull standing in the doorway of the bathroom and watching her.

0013-0410-1118-4138_SM.jpg
 
  • #40
Ivan Seeking said:
I once met a woman who, while taking a leisurely bath one day, looked up to see a baby Brahma Bull standing in the doorway of the bathroom and watching her.

0013-0410-1118-4138_SM.jpg
Brahma's are well known voyeurs.
 
  • #41
Last year the cats brought skunks into the house...

Was it a romantic, Pepe le Pieu, kind of rendezvous?
 
  • #42
revelator said:
Was it a romantic, Pepe le Pieu, kind of rendezvous?

We don't know of any funny business, but cats and skunks do really like each other. Well...that was until they met Bun. Until now our cats and the skunks liked to hang out, but Bun [barely a year old] is so high energy that she seems to have run them all away. I would see her chasing them all around my office, and then, one day, they were gone. :smile:
 

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