Cats and dead birds!!

Ticklemouse

Help all you fellow cat loving OSers.

Tonight I went out of my back door and a cat has left me a dead birdy on the step I don't have cats, but I understand that this is a cat's way of trying to befriend me or become accepted? Now, I don't harm the cats, just bang on my back door if I see them in my garden, so maybe one of them wants to be friendly. However, I don't want dead critters, thanks a lot !!

So, do I leave it there overnight to see if said !!!!! cat returns to see if I have accepted the pressie or leave it till the morning to see if it's gone. I don't want to encourage it.

TM

Edit - I see the censor thingy doesn't like the word p u s s y

silverfoxdude

I would scoop it up and put in the bin, (poor poor bird, but it has to be done, unless you want to bury it I guess), and just hope it doesnt bring any more. I dont think the cat will dont it regularily, but if it does, then erm, move!!! lol

pavlovs_dog

pluck it and pop it in your slow cooker.

no one will be none the wiser.

and if any asks, just tell them its an exceptionally small poussin :rotfl:

BWZN93

I once read that cats bring presents because they are trying to teach you how to hunt!! They do it with their kittens, and bring dead ones back, then assist by bringing live ones for kittens to kill, then supervising the kittens to do it themselves, but they do the same with humans!

Aww bless!! She obviously knows you are an o/s money saver and is trying to teach you a new trick or two!!

Jo xx

EDIT - I just got my 3rd star!! :j :j Apparently im 'ever so regular' now! :rotfl:

summerday

Hi TM,

When I was little we had some cats who lived near us who never got fed and turned into feral cats who caught and ate all their own food which is fine (we lived in the countryside) but they left all the entrails they weren't so partial to all over ours and our neighbours front gardens (often rabbits which was upsetting for us kids as we had a pet bunny). Well, my dad didn't want to hurt the cats but didn't want them doing this on our garden so he tried scaring them off by clapping hands when they tried to drag their dinner on our garden, and even got a water pistol to spray at them. A lot of times it seemed to happen at night so we got one of those cat scarer things that has a cats face with big kind of lit up eyes, I guess you could get one from Betterware or somewhere??

If it is by your door I don't know if cat repellent stuff you use to deter them from fouling would deter them from coming near the door at all??

Just guessing really as this exact problem hasn't happened to us, I thought cats mainly left gifts for their owners.

Sarah.

Loadsabob

In order to discourage the cat, perhaps leave a dead, plucked chicken outside, thereby trumping the cat's offering and suggesting to it that there may be a much bigger hunter living indoors! :rotfl:

Cats are funny. It may be saying "bang on your door at me, would you? Well, what do you think of this then?". Very good sense of humour I think they have.

We now have one that resists the water pistol (got to deter them from fouling near my veggies!), just gives a withering look in response and curls up in the pot of my palm tree and sleeps. So cute that I tend to just let it!

Ticklemouse

Thanks for your replies - Hmmmm, might have bunged it in the slow cooker and said it was a chicken for dieters if it hadn't gone this morning Maybe cat decided it would take it somewhere it would be appreciated (hopefully) or maybe birdy was just 'resting' and it wasn't in fact an 'ex-sparrow', merely taking advantage of my covered porch to rest it's weary brow before travelling on up the street to the more upmarket houses with posh bird tables

Either way, I shall continue to scare the moggies from my garden and refuse their fine offerings (unless it decides to bring me a fully butchered rabbit or even a deer. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm venison......

apprentice_tycoon

I'd take it as a complement, he must really like you and want to be your friend.

One of my cats has Aunties that he visits (there's more than one because I can smell at least 3 different perfumes on his neck) and it wouldn't surprise me if thats how he makes his introductions to a prospective Aunty.
He's thought of in our house as a bit of a Gigolo with an appointment book for his ladies, he visits on a regular basis offering them a cuddle in return for a snooze on their couch

squeaky

They once fitted a radio collar to a cat to track its routine... this one used to get fed tit-bits at no less than eight different houses on a regular basis!

apprentice_tycoon

Yep, that's our Edward!

http://tinypic.com/a10huw.jpg

This is him, he has just the one eye, he was hit by a car when he was young, hence all the sympathetic ladies. he was called Eddie as a kitten but he's a bit haughty and suits Edward better

rchddap1

My sister's cat has a thing about rabbits rather than birds. Problem is...she's a veggie. He also has a habit of going 'visiting' too. Sometimes for day's on end. My sister always knows that he'll come back eventually...and he does.