New cat's first week outside...

[snags]

He's come in on three separate occasions today and dropped a small leaf, then a large leaf then a small stick at my feet, looked up at me, mewed then run back outside. Are these 'gifts'? Can we expect small birds, rodents and the occasional toad next?

[Barmaid]

Before you progress to small birds, rodents and frogs (generally not toads cos apparently they don't taste too good), I think the next offerings you are likely to get will be earthworms...... He's honing his hunting technique, bless.

[EvianBaby]

They don't always manage to kill their prey when they catch it either.

I cam home one day to find the cat sniffing around under the sofa. There was obviously something under there so I locked him in another room and put some gloves on to remove what I expected to be a dead mouse. On pulling at the sofa a huge bloody bird flew up straight to my face. I screamed. The bird spent the next 10 minutes flying around the lounge going beserk. I continued to scream. I was actually disappointed my neighbours didn't call the police, it must have sounded like I was being murdered.

[lardhelmet]

Never forget when management brought in a rat (the size of a bathtub) and left it (dead, luckily|) on the kitchen floor. I fixed the cat flap after that, so that he could takes things out but NOT bring 'em in!

[lardhelmet]

My neighbour told me off because he catches voley things as "they're protected you know". Don't tell me - tell the cat!

[ladybirder]

Evian, got to ask, why didn't you let the poor bird out? It was more traumatised than you:-(

[EvianBaby]

I was trying but it was flapping around the room. It did go out the window in the end.

[ladybirder]

Oh jolly good:-)

[Barmaid]

I've had rats (live ones), rabbits, a red legged partridge and the piece de resistance was a blinking live stoat. He's not too bad now we live here - at least he is now he's worked out that those swans are just nasty.......

[tiggerblue10]

Tigger used to bring in big worms. The one thing I have a phobia of :o(

[China Doll]

He's been hunting pidgeons this morning but he's not very good at it... Prevously I've had a cat who brought in live mice and put them on the bed I was sleeping in, he was banned from the bedroom. One of my mums cats used to love to bring in frogs as she was clearly amused by them, she used to sit and watch them jump and if they stopped moving then she'd bat them with her paw until they jumped again... I didn't realise frogs screamed as well as croaked. :c(

[pastafreak]

He looks gorgeous...*sigh* (noooooo-pasta-no more cats! one very noisy, deaf cat is enough)
Mine just retrieves fuzzy balls....he stands at the bottom of the stairs,and shouts for me to throw-so he can catch.Then the dog tries to get involved.
My past cats have been conservative hunters....mice all the way...usually ate all-and left the heads as a reward for me...*yuck*
There was one that brought in a live baby rabbit-boy-can they scream.

Then there was my ex-MIL's cat who apparently liked bats....on one visit to them in Scotland,there was one in the shower with me one morning-staring up at me in panic :-(

BTW-I wouldn't put a collar on a cat...too easily caught on branches....I almost lost a cat this way many years ago...the sight of him dangling from a branch by his collar is not easily forgotten.

[China Doll]

Eric plays fetch too, even outside, he's a bit strange.

I felt the same way about collars but live too near a busy road for him to not wear somehing reflective, I've brought (and am re-buying due to the sod already losing one) a quick release collar which is very good. I've seen it break off him at the meerest force so I'm confident with it and feel much better about him wearing one. :c)

[ladybirder]

You can buy quick release collars for cats which come off if it gets caught up in anything.

http://www.kittycollars.co.uk/site-map.htm

[nungate]

I remember your pictures of Eric he looks a bit like our Henry they are both gorgeous, and yes, you can expect lots of "gifts"