Page 29 - FWG Issue 6 July 2024

Animals Matter

YOUR CAT IS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE

PREDATORS ON THE PLANET

Photos by Darragh Furey

ave you ever seen your cat eat it. It’s so much more satisfying than their hunting areas are outside and will be
torture a mouse or rat? People canned cat food. shared. They can develop a time-sharing
often wonder why the domestic arrangement, and despite owners’ fears,
Hcat appears to toss, chase and The cat’s motor patterns are they won’t interfere with each other. Our
play with their prey before killing it. In Eye>Stalk>Pounce>Grab>Kill bite>Eat. outdoor cats don’t spend 100% of their
straightforward terms, they are trying to One action precedes the next and in that time at home – the truth is, we don’t know
avoid being bitten. A wounded predator is order. Have you ever watched your cat go exactly where they go to, but regardless of
not a successful one. Cats must position the after a gecko? I have purposely interfered how well fed, they definitely hunt.
prey so they can administer the “kill bite” at the “stalk” stage, and he had to go back
without being hurt in the process. to the beginning to “eye” it all over again. INEXPENSIVE MOVING TARGET
I could almost see him rolling his eyes at HUNTING GAMES FOR YOUR CAT
Cats, like other animals, have specific me. 1. Tie a long string to your belt and walk
motor patterns. To illustrate, watch your around the house
cat the next time he goes into his hunting It is so hard-wired into their brains that 2. Throw corks, rolled-up balls of paper or
mode. He will start by watching an area we would be remiss if we didn’t let them kitchen foil
where a mouse appears –then “eye” express it. Especially with indoor cats. 3. Roll a ping pong ball in the bath
the prey as it seems, then “stalk” it. This Just dragging a piece of string along the 4. Some cats respond to light (laser
movement could be rapid or slow, his floor/couch will activate their hunting chasing)
attention focused with his body close to sequence. If you attach waxed paper 5. Throw a large dry piece of pasta for
the ground, after which he will “pounce” to the string, it will sound like feathers. them to chase
and jump on the prey. We are not trying to encourage them to 6. Bamboo stick with string and feathers
hunt birds and mice, but they were born 7. Cats can make a toy out of anything
He will then “grab” the prey, claws out, to do it. If indoor cats cannot express 8. The more expensive the toy in store,
and administer the “kill-bite”. This is their motor pattern, they may hunt flies the less likely the cat will play with it.
usually placed at the nape of the neck, so or pounce on their owners. Unwanted
they need to manoeuvre the mouse into behaviour could begin to appear. You need to facilitate your cat’s hunting
the correct position. This gives us the instincts for a happier and less stressed
illusion of the cat “torturing” the prey. The We have many cats living in our estate, and cat. It’s in his DNA. Can you stop him
cat will rip through the feathers/fur and whilst they may sleep and eat at home, hunting? In my opinion, no.

Jeanette Furstenburg is a Certified Animal Behaviourist. She holds a Diploma in Companion Animal
Behaviour (DipCABT) with distinction and is a full member of the COAPE Endorsed Association
of Applied Pet Behaviourists and Trainers International (CABTi), which is a member of the UK Dog
Behaviour and Training Charter 2024 and the International Companion Animal Network (ICAN).
In addition, she is a member of the South African Board for Companion Animal Professionals
(SABCAP).

For more information call 082 445 8422,
email: jeanette@animalsmatter.co.za or visit: www.animalsmatter.co.za

Fourways Gardens • 27 • July 2024