3 reasons why cats play with prey before killing it. Infographic.

Sweet domestic cat is a killing machine

When domestic cats play with prey before killing the poor animal it can be distressing for the cat’s caregiver as often they are general animal lovers as well as cat lovers. There is, however, from the cat’s perspective, a perfectly logical reason for it – three reasons actually, which I have summarised in the …

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Is killing prey a learned behaviour for cats? Infographic.

Is actually killing prey a learned behaviour for cats?

The answer to the question in the title is in the infographic. It is that predation behaviour is, as expected, inherited but it needs to be polished up with some training from their mother and a kitten’s keen observational skills and ability to learn from watching. It is how they learn to open doors …

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Is it illegal in the UK to stop cats from hunting?

Indoor live enriched for domestic cats where they can express natural behaviors as per the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the five freedoms

The title is provocative. It’s meant to be as I want to provoke some questions. An article on the Catster website by Dr. Karyn got me thinking (thank you). She advocates keeping cats indoors full-time but she is aware that you need to make the environment inside the home suitable for a cat to …

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An alternative way rather than cat confinement to reduce domestic cat hunting

Feeding a domestic cat a grain-free food reduces their predisposition to hunt

This is an interesting study which I’ve relied on before in a discussion whether hungry cats hunt better. Common sense dictates that a cat that is not fed by their caregiver will, given the opportunity, hunt to sustain their life. But they will hunt just what they need and no more. And a cat …

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It should be illegal to allow your cat outside without a collar and bell

It should be a legal requirement to put a bell and collar on any indoor/outdoor cat in order to protect wildlife in general and birds in particular

I have changed my mind about bells on cat collars as a way to protect wildlife. It’s an imperfect method to protect birds and other wildlife from domestic cat predation but it’s better than nothing and it’s a very simple solution which might be more effective than many believe. The general culture across the …

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The reason why kittens, adult domestic cats and small wild cats play

Domestic cats playing

It might seem rather strange to state that this article is about the reason why domestic cats and kittens play because it looks obvious: to have fun, to enjoy themselves. There must be an element of fun in play but the primary reason why kittens play, it is believed, is to develop and reinforce …

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