Should I be concerned?

GrantsKat

GrantsKat

New member
Today when my husband came home from work he informed me that our cat was eating a rabbit that she had caught:shock::yuk:
Isnt that abnormal behavior for a cat? I mean, shes caught mice and brought them to us, but never actually eaten them!
 
Lily used to eat parts of everything that she brought us. I think it's perfectly normal. She even eat most of a snake one time.

Lily Lily Queen of Cats
on your chair you nicely sat
eating birds and rats and mice
aren't you pretty soft and nice?
 
We’ve got a couple of stray cats that come up (DW adopts EVERYTHING in the area), and they will kill and eat a mouse. We give them scraps of meat like chicken or beef, and they eat that. The darn cats actually eat like dogs. Kind of cool since most cats are so darn finicky!
 
Thanks guys & girls.....
It was just so odd to see, esp. because if I give her a chunk of leftover meat, she wont eat it, I have to cut it into daintly little pieces, but she was gnawing away on that rabbit like a lion!
 
GrantsKat said:
Today when my husband came home from work he informed me that our cat was eating a rabbit that she had caught:shock::yuk:
Isnt that abnormal behavior for a cat? I mean, shes caught mice and brought them to us, but never actually eaten them!
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Noooo, that's quite normal behavior. Remember, cats were domesticated just likes dogs were. Everything they do that pleases us is abnormal behavior :smile:
Keep your eye on her poop for worms, though. Plus rabbits can harbor internal parasites in their liver (I think) that can be passed on. I can't remember what those are called.
 
chowhound said:
Noooo, that's quite normal behavior. Remember, cats were domesticated just likes dogs were. Everything they do that pleases us is abnormal behavior :smile:
Keep your eye on her poop for worms, though. Plus rabbits can harbor internal parasites in their liver (I think) that can be passed on. I can't remember what those are called.
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Oh I never thought about that, I was concerned about rabies though!
Thanks Fred!
 
No more weird than some of the human customs.

In my Grandfather's day, a father would take his son deer hunting.

After the kill, the boy was told to find some soft, perfect grass and place it in the deer's mouth to thank him.

Then the father would remove the liver, and each would take a bite, right there in the snow.

It's a wonder anyone still hunts...
 
Kathe, we had a cat who stalked, killed & consumed Rabbits (not the head though-she was finicky that way!) throughout her entire 21 year life. She also killed a possum-took a few scrapes on that one, and spent her last 10-11 years with a bullet lodged in her (vet said removing it would likely kill her)

Seeing how she died of old age at the ripe old age of 21, I doubt you have anything to worry about unless "bugs" was diseased.
 
Kathe - Yeah what chowhound said. Mt black lab has gotten flat and round worms from eating things in the yard.

I do not remember if cats take heartworm meds or nut. If they do that should prevent it.
 
Your cat most likely won't get rabies if it's vaccinated, even if it comes into contact with a rabid animal.... or would that be wabid wabbit.....
And the rabid animal has to be in its last ten days of life to transmit rabies, which is done through the saliva. It can take up to two years to incubate though. So, if the rabbit had rabies and your cat was not vaccinated, it could have contracted rabies, but by the time you see signs of it in your cat it would be too late to do anything about it.
 
It's true, cats (and dogs) can pick up parasites from eating wildlife so it's a good idea to worm any animal that is indoor/outdoor. But really, it's not anything to get worried about. This is probably not the first time your kitty has eaten fresh kill - it's probably just the first time you've seen her.
 
Thank you again for all the replys! Cattie(my boys named her) is an outdoor cat who adopted us last year. We only let her in when its cold at night. I havent taken her to the vet myself, but I suspect by her behavior that she was someones pet & they just dumped her >:[
Now Im thinking I may have to take her to the vet.......
 
I'm a big believer in at least getting rabies for outdoor cats. Rabies is getting so bad in my area they do bait drops out of airplanes in hopes outdoor critters will eat the bait and "vaccinate" themselves. The plane flies right over my place.
 
We are required to get rabies shot for cats and dogs here also. I have 3 inside cats and a dog who only goes out on a leash but get their shots every year. Now we also have 4 cats and two kittens that are wild that we feed in the morning however you can't get near them but the adults have been here for as long as I have which is 5 years. The four are two females and 2 males and the females stay pregnant. They will have a litter (usually only 2) and will run them off once weaned at least we never see them again.
 
Ok, this is not what I was expecting to see! My stomach is already rumbling and then I had to read everyone else's responses. Eeeewwww.... Makes me glad my cat is an indoor cat. lol

Barb
 
chowhound said:
I'm a big believer in at least getting rabies for outdoor cats. Rabies is getting so bad in my area they do bait drops out of airplanes in hopes outdoor critters will eat the bait and "vaccinate" themselves. The plane flies right over my place.
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They do that here, too, because we always have several confirmed cases of rabies in coyotes every year.
 
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