mrl@drutx.UUCP (LongoMR) (08/21/85)
I am considering getting a couple of cats from the dumb friend's league to use as mousers. My questions are: 1) Which is usually a better mouser - male or female 2) Does the fact that a cat has been spayed or neutered effect its hunting ability/desire 3) If I obtain 2 animals, will I be better off obtaining one of each sex or two of the same. If two of the same sex, which sex (this question refers to compatability of the animals) thanx! Mark Longo AT&T ISL Denver
phl@drusd.UUCP (LavettePH) (08/22/85)
"Show me a good mouser and I'll show you a cat with bad breath."
- Garfieldayers@convexs.UUCP (08/23/85)
>I am considering getting a couple of cats from the dumb friend's >league to use as mousers. My questions are: > 1) Which is usually a better mouser - male or female I've lived in the country most of my life, and always used cats as "mouse traps" during that time. Based on my experience, there has been no difference based on sex. It has been strickly a personality thing. > 2) Does the fact that a cat has been spayed or neutered > effect its hunting ability/desire As a child, I'd never heard of anyone other than "fat old ladies" neutering a pet, but after I got older (and wiser?) I recognized the importance of stabilizing population growth [i.e. I've had both] -- again, no difference either in neutered and un-neutered, or at what age the animals were neutered. > 3) If I obtain 2 animals, will I be better off obtaining > one of each sex or two of the same. If two of the same > sex, which sex (this question refers to compatability > of the animals) Being in the country, we often have animals "donated" to us via midnight express. If the animals are neutered, they don't seem to care about what sex their neutered "friend" is. Again, every- thing I've seen has centered around personality, not sex. Right now we have a very "active" male kitten, and very "composed" female kitten. It has often been the other way around. For What It's Worth Department: As soon as the vet says "go" we'll have this batch "fixed," and we'll be set until another crop is dropped off. (Being in the country is nice, because the cats can roam around. Unfortunately, so do every- one else's dogs.) BTW -- our vet says that the only time she has seen (neutered) male cats spray their territory has been when they were "fixed" after they had grown up instead of as a kitten. She says that she has _never_ had that problem if the cat is under 12 months old when neutered. ("There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact..." blues, II
jans@orca.UUCP (Jan Steinman) (08/23/85)
I can feel the flames a comin'. I grew up on a farm where animals of any kind were used and exploited for the good of man. I don't necessarily agree with some of the things I'll put forth here, but I do know how to use cats against mice! For the record, I have two indoor-only kittys that get fed regularly and have their claws and all that other bleeding heart stuff. In article <247@drutx.UUCP> mrl@drutx.UUCP (LongoMR) writes: >I am considering getting a couple of cats from the dumb friend's league to >use as mousers. My questions are: > 1) Which is usually a better mouser - male or female Females are MUCH better mousers! Males (especially non-neutered) spend much of their time roaming, and the critters they catch might be the neighbor's. Females will hunt in the barn and stay closer to home. I've seen females bring mice to 3/4 grown male children, while their sisters were out hunting on their own! > 2) Does the fact that a cat has been spayed or neutered > effect its hunting ability/desire Yes with males, maybee with females. We wanted lots of cats. We never neutered them, so I don't know to what degree. I think females become better mousers after they've had a litter. > 3) If I obtain 2 animals, will I be better off obtaining > one of each sex or two of the same. If two of the same > sex, which sex (this question refers to compatability > of the animals) Females are more sociable than males, and are likley to get along with each other better than with males. Males will compete for teritory unless neutered at an early age, which may affect their hunting desire. Getting a cat to mouse is not always easy. If they have a regular supply of food, their only motivation is sport, which seems to vary between animals. The most consistant way to get them to mouse is to vary their meal pattern, skipping meals, feeding at odd times, etc. Be sure you don't start this too soon, or they may up and leave! Hunting seems to be only part instinct -- I have observed females teaching a litter to stalk things -- so an orphan may not ever take to it without some guidance. Teaching them to mouse in this manner, while certain in a farming area, has it's risks. The cat may take to scavenging garbage in an urban area. They will learn to eat their kill, which means you won't get little dead (or live) gifts, but the exposure to disease is greater. They will have to be wormed regularly. There is the possibility of poisoning via a recently poisoned catch. Cats are intellegent and complex creatures. Some will make excellent mousers, others will simply cry at the door day and night until you feed them. The way we used, which is only possible and humane in a rural setting, was to simply have lots of them, and let them hunt who would. -- :::::: Jan Steinman Box 1000, MS 61-161 (w)503/685-2843 :::::: :::::: tektronix!tekecs!jans Wilsonville, OR 97070 (h)503/657-7703 ::::::
jla@inuxd.UUCP (Joyce Andrews) (08/25/85)
> Females are MUCH better mousers! Males (especially non-neutered) spend much > of their time roaming, and the critters they catch might be the neighbor's. > Females will hunt in the barn and stay closer to home. I've seen females > bring mice to 3/4 grown male children, while their sisters were out hunting > on their own! I agree--females are MUCH BETTER mousers (and technical writers, and engineers :-)--sorry, I had to put that in. You were all expecting it, anyway.) > .....I think females become > better mousers after they've had a litter. Not true--spayed female cats hunt every bit as well as they would if they were not spayed. My two best mousers on the farm were spayed females. If they have their shots and a well-balanced diet (I always kept good quality dry food available at all times) and don't get pregnant and have to nurse babies they feel good and have lots of energy for hunting. BTW, one of those two best mousers (champions in a barn of 13 cats) was a humane society orphan who was raised on a bottle and never had a mommy to teach her to hunt. She didn't become a barn cat until after she was spayed (it was her choice to join the "hunt pack"--she got out there and started hunting and didn't want to be a house cat anymore.) Two other females, brought to the barn as kittens and spayed after first heat, were not much better than the tom cats at hunting. > Cats are intellegent and complex creatures. Some will make excellent mousers, > others will simply cry at the door day and night until you feed them. The > way we used, which is only possible and humane in a rural setting, was to > simply have lots of them, and let them hunt who would. Well said. Joyce Andrews AT&T Consumer Products, Indianapolis ihnp4!inuxd!jla
wjr@x.UUCP (Bill Richard) (08/26/85)
In article <247@drutx.UUCP> mrl@drutx.UUCP (LongoMR) writes: > 1) Which is usually a better mouser - male or female I've heard a lot of people claim females work harder, because they're feeding, growing, or recovering from kittens, but my guy cats have brought me as many gifts as gal cats. > 2) Does the fact that a cat has been spayed or neutered > effect its hunting ability/desire Yeah -- neutered cats have more time to hunt ;-) -- I don't have any real information, though. > sex, which sex (this question refers to compatability > of the animals) If they're of similar age, acquired at the same time, and neutered, no difference. If they're whole males, they'll spend a lot of time fighting each other instead of munching mousies. One thing, though. Even if (personal experience) your cat drops a half-dead bat on your pillow, act pleased. Say something like "Oh, what a great cat. What a great present." And wait till the cat leaves the room to ashcan the pest. Reverend Dammit (a whole male who once brought me a pigeon when I had run out of money before running out of month) once gave me a very hurt look when I chucked his gift. After that (yes, I know I'm a sucker) I kept a coffeecan in the freezer, so I could carefully put his gift of food in the foodplace (and carefully pitch it later -- dead mouse stew gotta be at least as bad as newcoke). Sometimes if I made a fuss over the fine present and explained I wasn't really very hungry and he should enjoy it for me, he would take it to his girlfriend or eat it himself. BTW, you should discourage him from eating his possibly rabid, or otherwise diseased, captives. Make sure the cat has had rabies shots, and if someone tries to tell you the cat will hunt better if you keep it hungry, lock that idiot in the basement for a week and then suggest it chase down a steer for dinner. (This smiley-field intentionally left blank!) I've read this to my cats, and they haven't mentioned any corrections, so I guess they agree. Good luck! I hope your cats will be friends as well as mousers. STella Calvert (via decvax!frog!wjr) Disclaimer: So far as I know, CRDS has no opinion on cats as mousers. If there are mice in their building, and THEY have an opinion, let them post an article. wjr and I are jointly owned by Merlin, Gandalf, Luna, Hillary, and Cat'n Hook. Their opinion on cats and mice follows: Why doesn't she get us a house with mice in it? -- ---- William J. Richard @ Charles River Data Systems 983 Concord St. Framingham, MA 01701 Tel: (617) 626-1112 uucp: ...!decvax!frog!wjr
suze@terak.UUCP (Suzanne Barnett) (08/26/85)
> I am considering getting a couple of cats from the dumb friend's > league to use as mousers. My questions are: > 1) Which is usually a better mouser - male or female Nix (female) frequently brought in garter snakes. Graedgeon (male) frequently brought home squirrels and rabbits. I once saw him with a mouse. Snowy (female) caught LOTS of birds. Weasel (male) catches lots of birds, possibly other critters. Tabitha (female) catches and eats all the household insects. Flies and crickets are her specialties. Blackie, Tanya and Hagar aren't inclined to hunt. (Though Blackie will play with insects.) > 2) Does the fact that a cat has been spayed or neutered > effect its hunting ability/desire Snowy started catching birds only AFTER having a litter. As soon as they got new homes she was spayed. She hunted from then till she died ~ 14 years later. Weasel has been fixed as long as I've known him. I would guess from the amount he's grown, he was less than six months then, making him about 1 year now. (He claims us, it's not really reciprocal). > 3) If I obtain 2 animals, will I be better off obtaining > one of each sex or two of the same. If two of the same > sex, which sex (this question refers to compatability > of the animals) Are you going to fix them? Then sex doesn't matter. If not, it may. (Unless you want LOTS of kittens :-).) If you're going to get two, you might want to get littermates. They don't need to get used to each other and don't display jealousy as much. However, not all cats have this problem, and if both start as young kittens, being littermates may not make a difference. > thanx! > Mark Longo AT&T ISL Denver Good Luck! -- Suzanne Barnett uucp: ...{decvax,hao,ihnp4,seismo}!noao!terak!suze phone: (602) 998-4800 us mail: CalComp, 14151 N 76th street, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
vollum@unc.UUCP (Rob Vollum) (08/27/85)
In article <247@drutx.UUCP> mrl@drutx.UUCP (LongoMR) writes: >I am considering getting a couple of cats from the dumb friend's >league to use as mousers. My questions are: > 1) Which is usually a better mouser - male or female > 2) Does the fact that a cat has been spayed or neutered > effect its hunting ability/desire > 3) If I obtain 2 animals, will I be better off obtaining > one of each sex or two of the same. If two of the same > sex, which sex (this question refers to compatability > of the animals) >thanx! > Mark Longo AT&T ISL Denver I've never really seen a male that could outdo a female for mousing. I've also not noticed any difference in mousing ability based on whether or not the cat has been neutered (except maybe 10 minutes after :-) ). If you are going to get >1 cat, don't get 2 males unless you do neuter them. They are very territorialistic. I have 2 females and 1 male, all neutered. The male and one female have paired up as buddies. (They're both siamese -- does anyone think this makes a difference?) They both hassle the other female, a regular ol' cat. Good luck. Rob Vollum (no current permanent address)