How do I get the damn cat to understand I can feed myself?
I'm at a friend's place and the cat keeps bringing in dead (or half-dead) animals into the house. It's my understanding that cats think we are big, helpless kittens that don't know how to hunt. Hence, they think they are doing us a favour.
It seems like a few mice actually escaped and found refuge in some walls in the house, so these "presents" are actually more than just annoying (and smelly if the dead animal ends up behind the couch).
Cats are anarcho-communist and just share food with their colony. Proving you don't need it will not stop the cat from letting you have some. They bring home extra not just for the young, but also for pregnant mothers, the sick, the elderly, and whoever might have had a bad hunt that day. They typically eat their fill in the field first before taking one to go, too.
It's not so much that they think you're incapable of hunting. It's moreso that they just like you and bring gifts. However, like others have said in here, cats absolutely should not be let outside and there is a ton of research that backs that up. The best solution is to educate your friend on how damaging their behavior is to the environment as well as how it puts their cat in danger as well. I know many people in the veterinary field and they all agree that cats should not be let outside unless they are on a harness.
Well the information you are being provided with is very wrong.
Here in the UK they’re still classified as wild animals and many people let them out. They also work on farms and perform vermin deterrence. But they’re mostly pets and it will be a very very rare thing for someone to use a harness.
I can walk up my street and see one or two sat outside sunning themselves or watching the world pass by and many just want petting. But not usually when I have my four legged boy with me.
Actually RSPCA (largest animal welfare charity in the UK) recommends only taking them out on a harness. A working animal on a farm is a little different than just letting your pet roam the streets of your neighborhood. The vast majority of animal and veterinary experts (even in the UK) disagree with you. Just because you see people being irresponsible with their pets doesn't make it a good idea. There is a ton of research that shows how cats decimate local wildlife. It also shows how it puts your own cat at risk for diseases, larger predators, or even being killed by humans. The information is not wrong just because you have latched onto your own bias.
stop letting them out to eat the wildlife.
it'll be healthier for the animal and ecosystem.
Play with it more often and don’t let it outside, that’s really the only way.
My friend insists on letting it out because animals aren't supposed to be kept in captivity. And it's not easy to play with cats if you're gone 10 hours a day
Let your friend know that most experts agree:
Outdoor cats are devastating to the local ecosystem, and have a significantly shorter lifespan than indoor cats.
I have. They don't believe the science. "Cats only kill weak and sick animals". I've given up on it. Can't convince a mind that's made up. But the cadavers are annoying the whole household, so I was hoping for some possible solution that didn't involve getting the friend all wound up.
Unfortunately there are no magic solutions. Corpses will keep happening if the cat is allowed outside. Be glad you’re not my childhood friend, her cat would deposit corpses on their pillows 😱.
Take the cat. Be the Cat Protective Services the cat needs. Then find real friends who aren't so delusional they probably shouldn't be considered legally capable of giving consent.
Jesus christ get a grip on reality ffs.
Where is my grip on reality (not socially comfortable consensus delusion, but reality) failing?
"Abandon your friend and steal their cat."
That's crazy.
Did the cat choose of it’s own free will to come live with your friend?
If not, your friend is already responsible for a domestic animal they chose to acquire. That comes with responsibility. Domestic cats aren’t compatible with the outside environment and cause ecological damage.
Cats are apex predators, and your friend is subsidizing their pet far past what the local bird population can support. (Plus indoor cats live longer.)
Unless you're on an actual working farm, household cats belong indoors.
My cat was lousy catching birds.. but man, did she ever open a can of whoop-ass on the mice, rabbits and squirrels.
Since she's been dead - the fucking squirrels managed to get into the rafters (which are finally getting closed up as I type this) and we've had three mouse infestation waves. The rabbits have completely wiped out the backyard garden now, 5 years running.
Well, this is the consequence of letting it outside unfortunately- on top of risk of injury and death but I’m sure y’all know that already. There’s not really an effective way to train them against this behaviour the way you might a dog.
So long as there’s critters outside the cat is going to hunt them. Maybe you could try to give the kitty a snag safe cat collar with a bell? It might alert the wildlife so they have time to avoid being caught.
Turnabout is fair play. Start dropping dead animals in the cat’s bed and see how long the behavior lasts.
The cat's a member of the household and believes they're contributing. They aren't, but cats are cats and are gonna do what they want anyways.
The cat may actually belong to the Mafia, but he's not strong enough to bring a horses head to you.
You should watch your back regardless.
I'll give him an offer he can't meow at....
You come to me in my house on the day that my daughter is to puke in the clean laundry, and ask me not to do murder?
Well there are worse bodily ececrements she could do on the clean laundry...
I was gonna say "spray" but figured people would be like "why isn't your cat fixed??"
Is your cat broken?
Two girls. Both missing their ovaries and uterus. And a boy with a suspiciously empty sac. I'm no detective, but it seems weird.
Catch mice yourself, basically just turn the tables
Sumbuddy loves you!
Actually, afaik thst had been disproven. They just bring food to snack it in safety.
Make the house unsafe for cats. Got it.
I'm afraid you've already lost that battle. It's their home.