Except for my little monster. I once saw him stalk a mouse … the mouse turned around and threatened him. He backed off and the mouse went on his merry way.
I’m afraid in the wild he’d starve to death, unless he found a cat food tree.
That’s just a predatory instinct solo hunters have, because they cannot afford any sort of injury as that would mean starving to death. It’s why cats “play” with their food. They only commit to a kill when it’s guaranteed and safe. There’s also the fact that rabies and other such diseases exist and if you can’t get the perfect kill on the mouse (there’s a chance of it biting you), it’s not worth it. Plus, domestic cats hunt purely for simulation too, which makes chasing in that situation even less worth it.
I think he’s just inexperienced. He’s never been taught to hunt, other than toys, and doesn’t know exactly how.
My previous cat, a female, was an absurdly accomplished hunter. I watched her go after mice in the backyard - none of that hesitating and batting them about with claws, she pounded out of ambush, bit their necks, and they were dead in less than a second. They were dead without a single chance to defend themselves or escape. She even got some rats that way, and I didn’t even know there were rats in the back yard.
She was very selective in what she killed - she hated to go after birds, would only and exclusively kill (and if I didn’t stop her, eat) rodents. She never played with them and was all business, like a little furry assassin.
The contrast between my previous cat and my current one in hunting behaviours could not be more stark. My previous cat could easily have supported herself hunting; my current cat, bless him, is a hopeless hunter. He relies on being cute for his living!
Considering he’s right now curled up on top of a pile of soft pillows, with his tummy full of his favorite scientifically designed cat food (he’d turn his nose up quite literally at anything lesser), I’d say he’s chosen a pretty good way of earning his living …
I've got two brothers, and the bigger one (they were the kittens of a farm cat before the farmer passed away and can't stand being inside all day, but they don't leave their 'territory' i.e. my property) Holmes is a decent hunter, but he has that tendency to hesitate and be more cautious.
Watson on the other hand, is almost exactly like this cat in the YouTube clip. Like I've seen him leap out of a tree and take out a crow. He's tiny, like almost still kitten sized, the crow was like at least 2x his size. He's taken down a feckin seagull. I no longer have a mouse or rat problem on my property because he's just a tiny little fearless murder machine.
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u/Groningen1978 16d ago
With the domestic cat ranking 4th on highest success rate of all cat species.