Look what the cat dragged in.....I am kind of torn about this.

[Wcross]

5 minutes ago "Chairman Mao" walked in the door with this new born mouse. It was still alive and moving, its eyes aren't even open yet. On one hand it is a future pest and I guess it can die now or die later. On the other hand it is a shame for any mother to lose a child and maybe it wouldn't be a problem.

I considered trying to keep it alive and feed it but I am sure it would die anyways. I returned it to the treeline where the cat emerged from. As I type this the cat brought it back.

I like my cats but I wish they had some sense of right and wrong.

[matcom]

1. reason #4872165 why your cats should stay inside

they are a nuisance to nature :eyes:

[MissB]

2. Especially rodents.

I mean, it is far better to have rodents all over the place.

[matcom]

5. rodents are people too

as long as they are in the "wild"

[ikojo]

15. Riigght! People's fear and hatred of cats during the middle

ages may have led to the plague. Rats carried the plague and since there weren't enough cats to kill the rats, their population increased.

[MissB]

19. I'm at the opposite end of the cat spectrum

from some people. I don't have bird-killing cats, just mouse-killing cats. If they killed birds, I'd probably not let them out.

I understand how some people feel about letting cats outdoors. It is pretty far down the list of things I'm concerned about.

[ET Awful]

3. Poor little thing.

I don't even know what to suggest.

[MissB]

4. It will probably die

Bummer, but true. I doubt you'd be able to nurse it enough.

[Wcross]

6. I really did consider it.

I have to work three 12's this weekend and I wouldn't be able to feed it when needed.

[MissB]

7. I know. It sucks.

I don't mean to be so negative about it, but it is so tiny. I don't think even with the best of intentions you'd be able to rescue it.

[trof]

8. Curse the rain.

You might as well.
It's normal and natural for cats to hunt.
It's what they do.
If you can't live with that, get a hamster.

From: a 30-something year cat owner.
Or owned by a cat.
Whatever.

[legally blonde]

9. I don't think that you would be able

to keep it alive for long--baby mice need mom mice. Poor little thing.

[Samurai_Writer]

10. But think of the song birds!

Sorry, it had to be said. ;)

[cornermouse]

11. Mice have LOTs of babies who are just waiting for the opportunity

to move into your house and live with you (without your knowledge). Chairman Mao probably ate as many as he could and then brought a you a present, which you ungratefully rejected. I"m guessing you also didn't let him know you admired his hunting prowess. I would have let Chairman Mao keep it.

[MissB]

12. Yep.

I've found 30 or so dead mice carcasses on my front porch in the past two weeks. The record was 4 one morning.

This morning, there were three. My cats were inside all morning, and at some point the three dead mice just vanished. I went out to clean them up, and poof. Gone. :shrug: Do squirrels eat mice?

[cornermouse]

20. I would guess a stray cat.

I've never heard of carnivorous squirrels.

[MissB]

21. What I found really odd

is that one of the mice was in pieces.

Most of the big piece were gone. Just gone.

[cornermouse]

23. Sounds like the good parts were eaten.

:9

I guess that means you got the leftovers.

[Wcross]

13. Here is Chairman Mao- the baby killer!

He is just doing what cats do. He does have a lot of acerage to roam on and I doubt he and his twin brother will even make a dent in the local critter population.

[cornermouse]

25. He has a sweet face.

Since you have a lot of acreage, if he brings you a dead rat be sure to admire him...a lot.

[iconoclastic cat]

14. That is "right" for a cat!

They hunt. That's the whole gig for a cat.

[ernstbass]

16. In the animal kingdom

it's survival of the fittest - sad but true.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. Send Chairman Mao over here!

My cats have gotten wimpy ever since I chastised them for pestering the hamsters!

[benny05]

18. Another idea

Could you donate this to a biologist, vet school, psychologist, zoologist?

[cornermouse]

22. How about a herpetologist?

:eyes:

[DS1]

24. Looks like a job for the deep-fryer

Tasty little morsel

[Maine-ah]

26. Is that really a mouse?

It looks more like a baby mole.

[Wcross]

28. It could be a mole, I assumed it was a mouse. n/t

[Rabrrrrrr]

27. It's not a "right or wrong" issue, because the cat is doing right

Cats are predators, that's that they do. Chairman Mao is a RIGHT cat, a good cat, because of it.

If you don't Chairman Mao hunting, then keep him inside. Or give Cheng Kai Shek another go at him. :-)

And mice overbreed constantly for the simple reason that they are a food source for a hell of a lot of other animals. Mice exist for the sole reason of being killed and eaten by others.

[Wcross]

30. Thanks Rabrrrrrr- I now have a name for his twin brother!

I will call him "Cheng Kai Shek". They are always going at it anyways.

[Rabrrrrrr]

31. Before you name him that, best to check the dictionary for

the correct spelling.

I pulled that one of the recesses of my mind, and I might be very wrong.

:-)

[miss_kitty]

29. My friend and I found a litter of mice is a storage chest

We took them to a wild rescue place because the guy was rehabbing several raptors and they like the live stuff...