I underestimated Mogwai's hunting abilities.

[mellymell]

Yesterday, he came running through the cat door, like he always does, but I noticed he had something that looked about like one of his mice. I ran over to him to see he had dropped a very small, very dead mole on the floor and proceeded to play with it, just like one of his mice. I got him away from it and swept it up with the broom into a dust pan. He proceeded to freak out and meow like crazy, just like he does when you take away one of his mice. I walked outside and tossed it off the steps into the vines.

I yelled at him at first, but I realized, this is a complex situation to discipline a cat on. I don't mind him killing small rodents in the yard. It's natural for him, they're a nuisance (especially the moles) and it's not bad for him to polish his hunting skills while he's out there (plus, he finds it to be great fun, I can tell). But I certainly don't want him running back upstairs with anything he may have caught. If it hadn't been dead, I would have been really pissed. So how do you say, "no Mogwai!" without him thinking everything he just did is bad. *sigh* the problems of a species barrier.

I really don't think he realized he had killed anything though. I don't think he differentiates between that and one of his toy mice. He sure did have fun with a stag beetle later on, though. And even later, I found him just pouncing on random clumps of grass, that may or may not have any anything fun to chase in them (or he might have been chasing the hundreds of baby wolf spiders I've noticed in the yard).

Comments

*Sigh*

[smileypv.livejournal.com]

I miss cats, even the gross stuff like dead presents.

Re: *Sigh*

[mellymell.livejournal.com]

yeah, they're fun, this morning he was freaking out 'cause I wouldn't let him outside (it was raining, house rule: unless the weather is perfect, no kitties outside). He hasn't yet learned the rules of in and out, so he wasn't happy when he was denied the privilege. But before I left for work, he got a good lap snuggle in, so I think he was happy. Can't go out and play, might as well snuggle.

it was interesting

[baka-san.livejournal.com]

the day fuzzy brought a live and fully functional chipmunk into the shop. i didn't realize those little guys could jump so high.

[mellymell.livejournal.com]

uh wow! yeah, I say it again, I'm REALLY glad that thing was dead.