Should I get another cat?

Kim_kim

I have a one & a half year old Burmese boy.  He’s lovely, he’s clever, he’s affectionate.
But he’s a terrible hunter & I am terrified of vermin.
He’s brought in mice (dead & alive), birds (two huge crows!) & a pigeon.  He’s not even a big boy.
I’m terrified he’ll bring in a snake now summer is coming.  Or amphibians.
Do you think I should get him a friend?  He likes other cats, he likes the neighbours cats.
If he had a friend (I’d be after a similar Livewire) he’d use up his excess energy playing with them?
Or might I get double the prey :-(
He has a smart cat flap, I control the times from an app, he’s not allowed out at dark & to be honest he brings in his prey in the middle of the day.
Ive a reflective collar on him with 3 bells!   

KxMx

Even if he uses up his excess energy with a friend the hunting instincts will still be there (I'm helping care for kittens currently, at 4 weeks old one would pounce and drag away a dangler toy), and when tempted with live prey he is still likely to hunt.

You may as you say end up with double the prey, so while it might be nice for a friendly cat to have a feline housemate could you cope with more prey? 

Some cats are just bigger hunters than others and from what you've written there isn't anything else to do.

fromdusktilldawn

There was a program recently on BBC radio 4 and they recommended playing with your cat to reduce their urge to hunt. The idea is that you replicate the whole process of stalking the prey and so on just before they would normally go hunting (they quoted dusk but I see your cat hunts during the day too). This reduces their need for real hunting, apparently. 

MalMonroe

I've owned cats (and loved many others!) all my life and I don't think getting another cat will curtail your cat's hunting. Some cats do love other cats but some cats don't. The cat we have now isn't a lover of other cats. But she's also an indoor cat and has been since we found her as a kitten at the roadside a few years ago. Getting another cat would be great (personally I'd love a houseful) but they could then just end up going hunting together. Which would be great for your cat, twice the fun - but hell for you - more presents. Only get another cat if you really want another cat. Not because you want to stop the cat you have hunting. Having known cats for a long time I can tell you that they rarely 'tire themselves out'. They aren't like dogs. A cat can look deep in sleep yet be awake and alert in just a few seconds if there's any suitable prey around. Another cat in the house won't help your boy use up 'excess' energy because all cats - unless they are ill - have boundless energy. 

I would never have a cat flap again either, smart or not because cats I've had in the past brought creatures in through flaps during the day, as yours does. They were never allowed out after a 10pm curfew but they still managed to bring us presents. Very kind of them but horrifying for us.  We ended up abandoning the flaps and just being a slave to our cats - letting them in and out as they demanded. That way we always knew what was lurking outside. More or less.

Much as I hate to contradict BBC4, playing with cats and replicating stalking with them just serves to hone their skills and doesn't stop them hunting and killing. That's wishful thinking. 

Other than tying your cat to a tree or keeping him in, there's no real solution - and many cats never grow out of a desire to hunt, although one of ours thankfully did. Reflective collars with bells are great but cats learn how to move ultra-stealthily without making their bells ring, somehow - they are not daft animals and won't be curbed by humans.

Kim_kim

He sounds like Santa’s sleigh coming I have no idea how he’s still catching prey!!
I got these triple bells, three on one catch, I can put another three on I suppose!
I was thinking about getting another cat, because he loves other cats, he visits all the local houses to see their cats.  There are two ginger cats next door, I call them his ginger girlfriends :-)
The only reason I’ve held off, he’s very very focused on me & I was worried he’d snide off lol 😂 
But if he got loads of fun & companionship that would be great, it’s for him really, not me.  

Kim_kim

If they ever invent a cat flap that stops a cat bringing in prey (dead & alive - but especially alive), I’ll pay hundreds for it! 

Lavendyr

He sounds like a very good hunter to me! 
Another cat won't change his habits. Have you tried a collar with a bell (or three) as Kim_kim suggests?
Ours bring in their prey from time to time - it's frustrating but unfortunately a thing you have to deal with to some extent if you have free-ranging cats who are naturally predatory.
You could alternatively consider cat-proofing your garden so your cat can't roam further than that, which might curb his habits somewhat.

Kim_kim

Lavendyr said:

He sounds like a very good hunter to me! 
Another cat won't change his habits. Have you tried a collar with a bell (or three) as Kim_kim suggests?
Ours bring in their prey from time to time - it's frustrating but unfortunately a thing you have to deal with to some extent if you have free-ranging cats who are naturally predatory.
You could alternatively consider cat-proofing your garden so your cat can't roam further than that, which might curb his habits somewhat.

My garden is 115 foot long.  Cat proofing it isn’t an option & anyway, I’d have to mouse & bird proof it! 

donnac2558

You could cat proof part of the garden.   Give him an area to go outside but not the full garden with wire top.

Rezzonto

Getting more kitties is always a good idea. But be sure that you can take care of them.

Kim_kim

Rezzonto said:

Getting more kitties is always a good idea. But be sure that you can take care of them.

What a strange post! 

Incredibly condescending.