Why are cats bad at catching rats?

Your pet is a small, but real predator with an indestructible hunting instinct embedded in the genes. At home, the cat does not have real enemies and prey, so it can hunt moving objects (sometimes it can be your legs). A working vacuum cleaner or even a blender can become an enemy. But if a cat walks on the street, then mice, birds and, probably, rats can become its prey. But is it really so?

Cats and rat hunting It turns out that cats are not very good at hunting rats. According to recent studies, domestic cats “contributed” to the extinction of a large number of small vertebrates, but only rats are not among them.

A team of researchers from Fordham University observed a colony of rats at the Brooklyn Waste Center for five months. They noticed an interesting interaction between cats and rats. In two months, cats made only three attempts to attack rats, killing only two in the process. The attack on these two rats was made from an ambush, while the pursuit of the third was not successful.

The thing is that rats are very large rodents. Surely you have seen rats behind garbage cans in the city – sometimes they look larger than pygmy dogs. The weight of a brown or gray rat can reach 330 grams, which is almost 10 times the weight of a mouse or a small bird. An adult rat for a cat is a very unpleasant and even nasty prey. If the cat has a choice, then she will make it in favor of less impressive prey.

However, rats in the presence of a large population of street cats nearby behave very carefully and prudently, trying not to fall into the field of view of cats. If there are not very many stray cats nearby, then their relationship with rats becomes almost friendly – they even eat from the same garbage cans. In any case, both rats and cats try to avoid open conflicts.

These studies contradict the prevailing opinion that cats are excellent hunters of any prey and are excellent at catching rats. Also, research data suggests that artificially increasing the population of stray cats will not at all be the best way to get rid of the huge number of rats in large cities. The ideal option is to reduce the number of garbage cans and timely disposal of waste. Garbage attracts rats, and if it disappears anywhere, then the rats will also disappear.

Hunting at home Even if your pet sometimes walks down the streetIf possible, do not let her prey on small rodents and birds. Firstly, a cat may accidentally get injured or bitten by a rodent while hunting. Secondly, small rodents, including rats, are carriers of toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis – dangerous diseasecaused by parasites. If a cat eats a sick rodent, it can become infected. The disease is also dangerous for humans. Additionally, you need to regularly treat it for ticks and fleas and vaccinate according to the recommendations of a veterinarian.

To prevent hunting for rodents and birds, walk your pet only on a leash and in a harness – hunting will become at least inconvenient. With proper training, the cat will quickly get used to such walks. Buy toys for your pet – soft mice, birds and feathers are sold at any pet store. If you devote time every day to the cat and play with it, then its hunting instinct will be completely satisfied.