A Michael Broad Blog
The answer to the question in the title is that you should praise your cat for her maternal generosity. You should then take the mouse from her while stroking her and complimenting her. You should then quietly dispose of the mouse if it is dead. If it is alive you should place it outside …
Stable isotopes in hair can reveal dietary protein sources. Scientists from the University of Exeter, UK, trimmed a whisker from each domestic cat participating in their study; once at the start and once at the end of the study. These domestic cats were allowed outside to hunt. They measured the stable isotope ratios in …
Alternative questions to the title are (1) do cats hunt bats? – and (2) do cats eat bats? They are different questions but they overlap. But the answer will be different in each case. I am referring to domestic, stray and feral cats, by the way. Given the opportunity, cats will attack bats because …
This is a rare photograph of an Aussie feral cat (much hated by Aussies) killing a venomous mulga snake. The cat has blood on his nose and mouth. From the photo it is not entirely clear that the cat won the battle but it’s clear enough. The cat looks fine. He appears to have …
The photograph on this page was taken by the boyfriend of a woman who is the caregiver of a grey cat who is allowed outside and who likes to bring her prey animals inside the home, which is entirely typical. Note: some cats devour their prey animals where they kill them. Often domestic cats …
The answer to the first part of the question is yes, cats can eat maggots and they sometimes do when grooming and the answer to the second part is no, cats cannot get maggots from eating flies. Can a cat eat maggots? Yes, they can. I can think of a good example. Years ago, …
Huntsman spiders are common in Australia. They are very large and able to inflict a painful bite resulting in local swelling. Their bites can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting and an irregular pulse. The Huntsman spider is notorious for taking up residence between a car’s sun visor and the ceiling. Although they live in the …
Professor Benjamin Hart from the University of California’s School of Veterinary Medicine claims that mice produce lactones which act like catnip on domestic cats and, in doing so, it acts as a defence against being killed by said cats! Catnip contains a molecule called nepetalactone. You can see the connection in terms of chemistry. …
