# Cat suddenly bringing in prey



## Yorkshirecats (Oct 5, 2016)

Hello all

It's been a long time since I've posted- I now have a 5 month old human baby as well as my 2 2 year old furbabies. 

Our (spayed) female has started bringing in prey over the last 2 weeks. It started with a mouse and since then there's multiple mice & birds everyday! Some dead, some alive. I'e had to take injured baby birds to the vets.... until 2 weeks ago we had not one single 'present.

We are getting a bell for her collar this weekend. But is there anything else we can do? And could there be a reason why she has started doing This? Is it just maturity? 

I feel awful for all the murdered baby birds!! Plus it' not hygienic for our soon to be crawling daughter


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi there, how nice to hear from you.  Congratulations on the new (human) addition to your family. 

It could be that the arrival of your baby has aroused the nurturing instincts of your female cat, and she is bringing in prey as 'food' for you and the baby. This is not unusual. As your baby gets older your cat may be less interested in bringing you 'gifts of food'.

It is the time of year for baby birds to fledge and as a result there are lots of Juveniles around who are not skilled enough to evade predators. That is why your cat is catching baby birds, not adults. Which is some solace, as not all Juveniles survive the first winter anyway, and it may be the weaker Juveniles your cat is catching. By the winter the Juveniles will have become more "street wise" about predators.

For wood mice, field mice and voles the breeding season is between Spring and Autumn, and the females will produce up to 5 litters with about 4 - 6 young. So there are a lot of young mice around at present, and they too will not be very astute at avoiding predators.

Cats are crepuscular animals, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk, so that will be the time they do most of their hunting. The birds concentrate their feeding at dawn and dusk, and that is when they are most vulnerable to predators. However adult birds feeding young will be busy hunting for food all day long.

It may reduce the numbers of birds your cat is catching if you keep her indoors until about 9 am and shut her indoors in the hour before dusk.

Some people feel that putting a bell on a cat's collar is of no benefit, but the RSPB does recommend it, and I have always found over many years that a bell on the collar has stopped my cats catching birds. My 2 females are restricted to my cat-proofed garden and one of them was spending hours sitting motionless under bushes waiting to pounce on unwary birds. After she'd caught a couple of blackbirds 3 yrs ago I put a collar with a bell on her and she has not caught a bird since.

The collar used must be of the safety snap release kind and the bell need not be a very noisy one. I only put the collar on my cat each morning and remove it as soon as she comes in from the garden at dusk. She has never seemed the least bit bothered by the collar, and always stands and waits for me to put it on her.


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## Cully (May 16, 2018)

chillminx said:


> Hi there, how nice to hear from you.  Congratulations on the new (human) addition to your family.
> 
> It could be that the arrival of your baby has aroused the nurturing instincts of your female cat, and she is bringing in prey as 'food' for you and the baby. This is not unusual. As your baby gets older your cat may be less interested in bringing you 'gifts of food'.
> 
> ...


Misty is obsessed with sitting by the bushes looking for anything that moves. She is allowed out each morning around 8, and comes in at night no later than 8-9, with frequent visits back home during the day to 'check in' or have a nap. 
She has always worn a bell on a snap collar and has yet to catch a bird fortunately. She just picks up the feathers she finds on the ground. The worst we have had were a vole (freed), small lizard (freed), and two bees! She mostlyikes insects now as they seem easier to catch.The snap collar definitely does work as I know to my cost (literally), as she is alway losing them.
The best you can do is keep them indoors between dusk and dawn for their own safety, and when birds and mice etc are likely to be looking for food.
Congratulations on your new baby btw. :Happy


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## sandy-cat (Feb 24, 2018)

Hi @Yorkshirecats - congratulations on your new arrival and oh dear about the prey! Chillminx has pretty much summed it up in that it is the season for baby birds - my boy brought one in the other day (and proceeded to spread it all over the dining room - bleh). He's not a prolific hunter but he does make a point of showing me when he's managed to catch something!

I keep him in until after dawn (currently the catflap is locked until 8am) and his catflap locks on a timer before dusk to entry only (currently 7pm) so although he can stay out, once he comes in, he can't go out again (and he usually isn't out much after the catflap locks!) and I think this helps to minimise his hunting success so this might be an idea (again, as chillminx says!). I use the Sureflap Pet Door as it's a bit bigger than normal catflaps so makes things easier for my rather large monster cat!


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## Yorkshirecats (Oct 5, 2016)

Thanks for your responses 

Can anyone recommend a good robust lockable cat flap? We have the surechip(?) Microchip cat flap which has 4 way locking however the cats manage to pull off the knob & get out anyway! I've also tried to remove the batteries and they still manage to get out! I've put things in front of it and they move the stuff..... very clever but also annoying!! 

X


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

The Sureflap Pet Door has stronger locks and I doubt a cat could break through it. I have 4 of the Pet Doors around my property (including 2 outside fitted to garden gates) and no cat has ever managed to barge through any of them. I previously had a Dual Scan Sureflap in one position, and found it more flimsy, less reliable than the Pet Door.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sureflap-5...7&sr=8-3&keywords=sureflap+microchip+pet+door

It is worth you contacting customer services at Sureflap as they are always interested to hear of cases where their chipped flaps have stopped working due to normal wear and tear. They are very helpful and they may even send you a new cat flap, free of charge.


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## Marr78 (Jun 26, 2018)

Oh so sorry to hear that! I was lucky not to have my cat bring me her war trophies 

The bell will definitely help!


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## TallulahCat (Dec 31, 2015)

My cat managed to pull off the knob as well. When I contacted Sure Flap they were really helpful. They sent me a new cover. Now my cat can’t get out at night any more!


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## sandy-cat (Feb 24, 2018)

My Sandy does manage to trick the Pet Door, but I think it's because the 'message' between his microchip and the catflap is really strong. He manages to unlock it on the "outside" side, then get his paw into it and open from the inside so he can get out even when it's locked. I need to try and change the settings to be less reactive to his microchip (which you can do, thankfully)!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I have the Sureflap Pet Doors in my house. If when you lock the Pet Door at night, you press the button on the far left until it shows on the screen as the "no entry" mode and the "no exit" mode then it should be shut tight and immovable. I am mystified as to how Sandy could manage to unlock the flap from the outside unless either you have a faulty Pet Door, or Sandy is the feline reincarnation of Houdini!


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## sandy-cat (Feb 24, 2018)

@chillminx I have tried it before on the "no entry" and "no exit" mode - still managed to open it! I contacted Sureflap and they suggested it is the strength of the signal between his microchip and the door - it's rare but does happen apparently!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

sandy-cat said:


> @chillminx I have tried it before on the "no entry" and "no exit" mode - still managed to open it! I contacted Sureflap and they suggested it is the strength of the signal between his microchip and the door - it's rare but does happen apparently!


Sorry sandy-cat, but I'm still confused! 

The microchip does not operate if the Pet Door is manually locked both ways, (exit and entry) using the button on the far left of the controls at the top of the flap.

The chip is inactive until the locks are turned off manually by a human. If for some odd reason his chip is over-riding the manual lock system, then the Pet Door is faulty and Sureflap should replace it.

EDIT - if you have the flap on timed entry and exit, then the doors are not manually locked, and I can see the chip might in theory be able to over-ride the setting.


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## sandy-cat (Feb 24, 2018)

Sorry for delayed reply @chillminx . Perhaps we're talking at crosspurposes - I have been pressing the button leftmost of all the buttons that cycles through the various lock settings to get it to be locked on both sides (not the timer setting). However on that setting the microchip image (cat with radio signal) still shows, so I assumed it is still checking for his microchip?


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

HI @sandy-cat - I've now checked out our Pet Doors thoroughly. When both exit and entry are manually locked, there is a little cat image with a scan signal showing, but the scanner is not working as it has been over-ridden by the fact the door is locked. You can tell it is not scanning because there is no click when the cat sits in front of the cat flap. It has been turned off.

If your scanner is working with both entry and exit closed, then the cat flap is faulty.

Also, when either lock has been used manually it is impossible to pull open the cat flap - no matter how much one fiddles with the locks. Both my OH and I tried it, and even using two hands and our nails, it was not possible. Again, if your cat can do it, then I think your Pet Door is faulty.

Sureflap have excellent customer service and usually replace any faulty cat flaps without question. I would phone them and tell them you have checked with a friend who has several pet Doors on her property and not one of them behaves in the way yours is doing.

Good luck,,


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## sandy-cat (Feb 24, 2018)

Thanks @chillminx, they didn't say anything to me when I contacted them about the scanner and I did explain I had locked it to entry and exit, so I shall try again! I agree that with the locks up, unless the scanner is functioning inappropriately it shouldn't be possible to get out. I must admit I didn't actually see Sandy let himself out of it so not quite sure exactly how he managed it, but that was the only possible way I could think of!

Thanks again


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