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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Canine and feline behaviour evaluation at shelters

Assessing cat and dogs at shelters

There would appear to be no safe and comprehensive personality and behaviour testing procedures to assess dogs and cats at shelters with accuracy. Nathan Winograd, American’s expert on animal shelters, states that “current temperament testing regimes for dogs do not qualify as objective criteria as they have been found to be no better than …

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A cat’s cunning or coincidence? Trapping birds or likes to eat bird seed?

Napoleon, stalking prey this summer

by Phil (London, UK) I have three wonderful cats, a seven-and-a-half-year-old moggie called Triftji, and a pair of Egyptian Maus, Sinbad and Napoleon, both eighteen months old. There have been several amusing incidents with my little Maus, but one in particular really tickled me recently. There was an amusing incident this morning with the …

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Reproduction and development of serval cats

Young tame male serval at A1 Savannahs around 12 years ago

For the serval, estrus (the recurring changes brought on by reproductive hormones) lasts about 4 days. During this time a male and female can stay together. Gestation (pregnancy) is about 74 days. The serval usually has two kittens. Servals are polyestrous (go into heat several times a year) and the location in Africa dictates …

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Domestic cats have different energy levels that need to be accommodated

Cats have different energy levels

This is a note that may help. It is a reminder that domestic cats have different energy levels depending on (1) their individual characteristics (2) their age and (3) their confidence levels (4) their weight and health and if purebred (5) the breed. The environment in which the cat lives will also have a …

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Domestic cats circling the food bowl as if approaching dead prey when scavenging

Domestic cats sometimes circle the food bowl as if scavenging prey in the wild

I feel sure that many domestic cats do this. My cat approaches his food bowl as if he’s scavenging a dead animal in the wild. He will circle it and approach it from a wide angle rather than going directly towards the bowl. It’s as if he is approaching it with caution and this …

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