Champion mouser

Aren’t looks deceptive?  Poppy is the picture of innocence, she looks so gentle but she is a ruthless rodent hunter which is good because it keeps us free from rats and mice.  We’ve never had a cat who is such a good rodent operative before, several of the others go out on the prowl but none with such dedication and enthusiasm as Poppy.

She came in a few years ago because although she had the best of all possible homes she wasn’t settled and wanted to be outdoors all the time.  She sprayed almost everywhere, it made it impossible to keep her as an indoor cat.  Once she settled down here she was in her element no cat pens for this young lady, she likes stables and barns, hedgerows and wild-wooding.   We do get her in at night though, a teatime pouch usually does the trick and then she’s ready for off next morning.

It’s believed that kittens have to learn to go mousing and be taught by their mother before they are very old.  Cats are certainly variable in their hunting behaviour.  Bing and Grondhall (our calico greeters)  have been top of the list mousers but are getting on a bit now.   A couple of the young males are on the prowl and showing interest now even though they have been neutered, which usually  makes them a bit more placid.   Most of the seniors just dream about their mousing glory days!

It’s good that our cats don’t seem to chase birds and we wonder if it’s because of the owls and crows we have around here.  We have a lot of other small birds but the cats don’t seem to bother with them.   It’s the ‘big game’ field and river bank  hunting they really like.  We can always tell where Poppy has been because she has some gruesome behaviur -she bites the head off her prey and then eats it.  It’s the only part she touches.  A trail of headless corpses and you know Poppy has been around.