My house cats just alerted me to what turned out to be a very wild squirrel in the house. I shut the cats away while I "coaxed" the squirrel out an open door to the outside. Said coaxing involved no small amount if squirrel attacking (target = me) and awful squirrel profanity that made me ponder the practice of exorcism...
I released the cats to confirm that the beast was no longer indoors as I did not definitively SEE it leave (though was quite sure I heard it). The wusses were afraid to come out!!! Once they did, they were afraid of the room where the squirrel had been. Apex predatots my azz!
Made for quite a lively afternoon!
(Photos: Nova, not about to touch that floor; Jasper, eventually inspected the evidence).
Many years ago, we had three cats and one mouse. The mouse would run the baseboard in the living room (via dining room and kitchen). One cat followed along, about a foot behind the mouse. A second cat was in the middle of the room, playing with a toy mouse. The third cat went it into hiding.
I caught and ejected the mouse in a shoebox.
(All of the above creatures have passed on.)
The cat playing with a toy mouse would certainly have thrown me! These two are my best mousers (the big white actually kills and eats them). I guess they weren't expecting a "mouse" as large as this, though. (:
@Zster I’ve had other cats that are very effective mouse catchers and one who caught a snake. Squirrels have thrown them.
Funniest thing was the mouse two more recent cats (since deceased) cornered in my bedroom. They stared at each other for about 30 seconds. Then the mouse reared up and took a pugilistic stance. I said, “screw this” and picked the critter up by it’s tail and dropped it in a trash can, then tossed it outside.
This can depend on how long they spent with their Mom's. One of mine knows how to hunt and proved it more than once with mice that got inside during the winter. (Eww).
The other two just look rather perplexed and don't know what to do. They're absolutely entranced watching Raz when he's in action though.
They'd help out if they could. But not a clue.
Both of them were separated from their Mums way too soon - that much of their background I do know. One at 8 weeks and one right around there. Not old enough to learn to hunt.
Apparently Raz got his training in where he lived before he was rescued. I think he was under a year old when the shelter took him in from an outdoor hoard. But he obviously spent time with his Mum. You'd never think a cat the size of fridge could move that fast either?
I'm glad you were able to usher the critter back out. That would be my preferred method for everything that wanders in from outside!
Protecting property seems to be different than home invasions.
When my cats bring me furry creatures, they are already uncoaxable.
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