The One Ring Forums: Off Topic: Off Topic: I have a strange cat ....

The One Ring Forums: Off Topic: Off Topic:
I have a strange cat ....

DanielLB
Immortal

Oct 12 2012, 9:51am

Views: 697

I have a strange cat ....

We have a 7/8 month old cat, who is affectionately named Gimli. He's big and ginger, and very lovely! He's an outdoor cat, but he does love spending time indoors. He'll follow me wherever I go, so he doesn't really explore very far.

For the last couple of weeks, eggs have been appearing on the patio. The first two were broken, so I assumed there was a nest in the guttering, and perhaps they had fallen out. The next egg was whole, just lieing on the patio floor.

The other day the cat came running in with bloody paws and half a shell in his mouth. I just thought it was another one that had fallen from somewhere.

Yesterday, I found him stuck at the very top of a tree just outside out garden. After a little coaxing with food, he came down. But ... today ... I see him in the tree again. This time, he comes running straight down back in the house ... with a bird egg in his mouth!

He's climbing the tree, stealing the eggs, and then bringing them back home!

Shocked

Does anyone else have a strange pet, with strange habits? I've never known a cat to bring home eggs!

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grammaboodawg
Immortal

Oct 12 2012, 2:38pm

Views: 387

Should you change his name to Gollum?

He likes to suck eggsessessss, precious boy ;)

I've never heard of a cat doing that before!

I really need these new films to take me back to, and not re-introduce me to, that magical world.

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DanielLB
Immortal

Oct 12 2012, 2:51pm

Views: 393

That name would suit him so much!

Luckily the eggs are unfertilised - I presume they are left over from Spring. Do birds lay eggs all year round?

He's obviously had too much excitement. He's crashed out on the sofa now. Wink

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Arandiel
Grey Havens

Oct 12 2012, 5:07pm

Views: 410

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...

predation of wild birds by domestic and feral house cats is actually a major problem. Try googling it some time; the number of birds killed is in the millions annually. I'm not linking an article because I only found one that wasn't from an advocacy group, and the article itself dealt with an aspect of the subject that might be unsettling to some.

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DanielLB
Immortal

Oct 12 2012, 5:14pm

Views: 398

Oh, that is awful.

Perhaps I'll try and deter him in the future.

After I found the egg I did some research. I'm 100% sure it's a pigeon egg - identical size, shape and colour. Since I live in a town, I can't imagine there would be many endangered species (of course, I'm not justifying it at all).

All the eggs I have found were unfertilised. I could see the yolks by holding them up to the sun. They were also stone cold. Perhaps the pigeon is long gone?

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Arandiel
Grey Havens

Oct 12 2012, 5:28pm

Views: 382

Yeah, if only we could

aim the cats at the pigeons, that might help!

Maybe Gimli limits himself to abandoned nests... Is he a go-getter or a bit of a wimp?

On a side note, your ginger cat reminded me of an interview I saw once with Catherine Tate. She was on a list to get a rescue cat, and the shelter phoned to say they had one, but there was "a problem" - he was a ginger. Her reply was something like, "Don't you do anything to that cat; I'm coming to take him home!"

Around our neighborhood, the number of outdoor cats has gone down lately due to another wild animal/domestic pet interaction: we have raccoons and foxes. Sadly, I don't think the cats fare very well with that one.

SirDennisC
Half-elven

Oct 12 2012, 5:42pm

Views: 398

Around here something called a fisher is taking them out

though it could be coyotes as well. We hardly ever see stray cats about these parts, for very long.

DanielLB
Immortal

Oct 12 2012, 6:14pm

Views: 393

Absolute wimp!

He likes his home comforts too much, and submits and rolls on his back when there's another cat in the garden. Wink

big ginger cats. I'd have more if I could! I always wanted Rufus from The Rescuers as a child. Evil

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DanielLB
Immortal

Oct 12 2012, 6:32pm

Views: 361

I just googled Rufus ... and he's more brown then I remember :-( /

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grammaboodawg
Immortal

Oct 13 2012, 1:29am

Views: 391

Some birds do...

the crunchable ones :) I know that I find shells from newly hatched eggs in August.

I wish I could crash like that! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I really need these new films to take me back to, and not re-introduce me to, that magical world.

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zarabia
Tol Eressea

Oct 14 2012, 2:43am

Views: 341

I had an indoor cat

who got out one time. I was so worried because she wasn't very "street wise". When she turned up, she had a bird that she laid proudly at my feet. The bird was stone cold and stiff as a board: she had "caught" a long-since dead bird. Bless her heart, she thought she was a mighty huntress.

DanielLB
Immortal

Oct 14 2012, 9:16am

Views: 435

I see my cat run across the road all the time

I wish he looked before he ran. Wink

It's ridiculous how attached you get, I just wish he had more common sense!

I'm not looking forward to the day he brings back a dead (or half dead) bird or rodent ... I can deal with the eggs. I saw a pigeon fly into the tree yesterday, so they must still be coming and going. SIlly cat!

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zarabia
Tol Eressea

Oct 15 2012, 5:55am

Views: 339

There need to be signs

that say either: "Cat Crossing" or "Caution - Cat Hunting Zone." Smile

But, as worried as I was for my Maya, I think cats are savvier than we (or at least I) give them credit for.
BTW, what's Gimli going to do when you're in South Georgia? Shocked

DanielLB
Immortal

Oct 15 2012, 7:06am

Views: 375

I'll build him a tree house, so he can feast on as many pigeon eggs as he likes ;-)

I live with my partner, so he'll be well looked after while I'm gone. Tongue

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Padfoot
Bree

Oct 15 2012, 8:50am

Views: 344

Be glad he won't steal clothes!

Have you ever heard of the cat in England who loves to steal other people's clothes and underwear from the clothes line? Wink

Apparently he prefers female lingerie and takes it home to present it to his family... His owner said that in the beginning she had a hell of a time giving all the clothes back, but by now the neighbours have become used to it. Sly

Cats can be very odd sometimes! My cat loves shoe boxes and boots. She always tries to climb into my boots. However, she's Garfield-sized, so usually it won't work Wink

Oh, and she loves to bring in mice. Most of them are dead (not a really nice sight, but one des get used to it), but sometimes she'll bring in one that's alive, for practise (not her practise, MY practise... then she'll sit and watch me trying to catch the poor mousie.)

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(This post was edited by Padfoot on Oct 15 2012, 8:52am)

sherlock
Gondor

Oct 15 2012, 10:00am

Views: 324

We have foxes &

Raccoons in my neighborhood. I often take my dog out for walks around 4or 5 am & we almost always see or hear a fox. One morning it was trotting down the main road coming right towards us. Naturally, when it spotted us it hightailed it out of there.

Loresilme
Valinor

Oct 15 2012, 3:13pm

Views: 322

Is there any other kind?

I have a cat, and like every cat I've ever met, he's a bit odd. I find they all are but that's why people find them interesting.

Our cat is an outdoor cat. We got him from a shelter when he was a kitten. And we had these nice little imaginings that he'd be a cute lap cat, an indoor cat. We had no intention of letting him go outside. Except that, he had other ideas. He absolutely, positively, in no way possible, would remain indoors. To the point where he started getting nasty - nippy, bitey, that type of thing. So we finally just had to sigh, open the back door, and let him run free. And then he totally changed, and became in many ways the nice lap cat we'd hoped for. He became a happy cat, and rather affectionate. But on one condition: he has to be able to roam around outside whenever he wants to. He goes out every day, sometimes stays out all night. But when he's inside, he's very happy and well-mannered.

And also he brings us - hmm, shall we say - presents :-), yes. Leaves them by the back door. He has not brought home eggs (yet, lol), but he brings back birds, mice, frogs, chipmunks. He's a very good hunter.

Sounds like your cat is quite a climber!

Annael
Immortal

Oct 15 2012, 4:18pm

Views: 311

same here

there is one black cat who has managed to survive, but the coyotes tend to do for cats and small dogs who roam free pretty quickly. They'll even band together to pull down a big dog.

We've got weaselly types as well. I think I saw a fisher the other night, and a marten ran right out in front of me chasing a vole the other day.

We were very sad when we lost a bunch of our favorite goldfinches to a family of Cooper's hawks earlier this summer. But then the young ones got full of themselves and tried to take on the crows, who drove them off in short order, and the songbirds came back.

The way we imagine our lives is the way we are going to go on living our lives.

- James Hillman, Healing Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967

Annael
Immortal

Oct 15 2012, 4:23pm

Views: 330

that was my experience

cats who are used to going out WILL go out - and make their point in any way possible until you bow to it.

We try our best to keep Mandu in at night, at least. He's a pretty savvy cat and has made it 10 years without being eaten or squished.

He doesn't appear to be a bird-catcher though. What he likes is rodents, and I have no problem with that. As long as he doesn't bring them back and let them go in the house.

The way we imagine our lives is the way we are going to go on living our lives.

- James Hillman, Healing Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967

(This post was edited by Annael on Oct 15 2012, 4:24pm)

dernwyn
Forum Admin / Moderator

Oct 15 2012, 4:29pm

Views: 342

My cat drinks from the toilet...

I put out a full, fresh bowl of nice double-filtered well water for him, and what does he do?

He laps water from the floor of the bathtub and the shower stall. And I've caught him balancing on the toilet seat and dunking his head down in the bowl.

He also does the "normal" activities, bringing home chipmunks, mice, and moles, usually dead. The most unusual was a live small bunny, which we took outdoors and released. We think he thought it was a large kitten that was lost... And he also loves nothing better than a human lap when he's tuckered out.

But he's not brought home any eggs yet! I agree, you should re-name your cat "Gollum"! Laugh

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DanielLB
Immortal

Oct 15 2012, 4:54pm

Views: 305

That's hilarious dernwyn!

I'm sorry, I laughed out loud. Toilet water?!

Just look at the positives ... at least your cat is well hydrated! Laugh

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DanielLB
Immortal

Oct 15 2012, 5:08pm

Views: 331

He seems to enjoy both being outside and inside

He hates the rain (and wet paws), so if it's wet, he'll just sit by the door looking outside. Smile

I couldn't deal with dead or half dead animals being bought back. We don't have a cat flap at the moment, so he only comes in if we let him. He'll be left outside if there's a living animal in his mouth!

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Loresilme
Valinor

Oct 15 2012, 7:52pm

Views: 323

You never realize just how fast chipmunks can run

until your cat brings a live one into the house.

Another time he brought a live bird in, but I managed to trap that in one room with all the doors closed and then we were able to catch it and put it outside.

The chipmunk though, I had to call an exterminator to track it down and lure it out, because it ran and I couldn't tell where and the idea of sleeping in a house with a live chipmunk on the loose just grossed me out.

I was so mad, as I paid the exterminator I asked him if he wanted to take the cat too :-).

To your point about your outdoor cat being savvy though - I have noticed outdoor cats tend to be remain very alert and agile, even as they get older. I guess the exercise is good for them - just wish they'd leave their 'exercise toys' outside :-).

Magpie
Immortal

Oct 15 2012, 8:19pm

Views: 353

as someone who encourages wildlife in her backyard...

I am not happy to have the neighborhood roaming cats treat it like a cafeteria.

We live in a very urban area but allow for a lot of natural cover in the yard, let plants go to seed for food, supply water for the birds all years (heated birdbath), etc. We enjoy watching the nuthatches, cardinals, woodpeckers, chickadees, juncos, and goldfinches and the rare turkey, towhee, and cedar waxwing. I even enjoy the rabbits and glimpse of mice (although they are not allowed in the house!).

Our neighbors' cat killed one of the mating mourning doves who built a nest on the ground in our backyard one year. I have to say, we never had another dove visit the yard after that year.

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zarabia
Tol Eressea

Oct 16 2012, 1:45am

Views: 298

Oh yeah, I knew that :P Sorry for the dumb question :) //

Padfoot
Bree

Oct 16 2012, 6:18am

Views: 227

Yep, they do

My cat likes to drink her water out of a ewer or out of the bird bath. Wink

She's also switching between summer and winter mode. Summer mode means: staying outside almost all day and night, coming in only for food or when it's raining (when she's wet she wants to be cleanend and dried. No way she'd do that herself... And she loves to climb into my bed when she's soaking wet) . Winter mode means the opposite. Staying in all day long, switching between armchair, sofa and a chair in front of the kitchen radiator... Laugh

(She switched to winter mode about 2 weeks ago Wink

)

I'm glad she sticks to mice and the occasional blindworm. No other rodents, and she's brought very few birds so far. But she's working hard on keeping the garden mouse-free, and this year, she had a lot to do! Wink

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Annael
Immortal

Oct 16 2012, 3:44pm

Views: 234

well . . .

as someone who lives where the wildlife roam freely (I opened my curtains the other day to see a buck blacktail deer staring in), even if you don't have cats, something else will prey on the songbirds. As I mentioned in another post, around here the Cooper's hawks do a job on the smaller birds. My friends took down all their birdfeeders after a family of kestrels moved in, said "thanks for setting out bait!" and proceeded to clear out all their songbirds.

The way we imagine our lives is the way we are going to go on living our lives.

- James Hillman, Healing Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967

Eowyn of Penns Woods
Valinor

Oct 16 2012, 5:49pm

Views: 233

This!

'Our' Cooper's hawks prefer mourning doves, but as there is no lack of those around here, we don't mind. --- When an overly ambitious juvenile tries to bag a red-bellied woodpecker, I mind! --- We call them "hawk bait", and find their behavior on the platform feeders far more annoying than that of the blue jays!

The hawks really don't come in very often here (the lady down the hill has a lot more hawk trouble at her feeders), though, and our rural neighborhood cats rarely get even the slowest older or injured birds feeding on the ground. So far, the kestrels and red-tails avoid all our feeders. *crosses fingers*

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Annael
Immortal

Oct 17 2012, 12:23am

Views: 251

I had to laugh

a couple young Cooper's hawks got full of themselves one day and tried to go after some crows. The crows put the smackdown on them!

The way we imagine our lives is the way we are going to go on living our lives.

- James Hillman, Healing Fiction

* * * * * * * * * *

NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967

tennie75
Lorien

Oct 18 2012, 10:43pm

Views: 207

Jimmy Jungle Cat

Jimmy lived with us for about 21 years. He was a Tuxedo cat. For the first 15 years or so he was allowed outside whenever he wanted - we left a basement window open for him to come inside.

The first time I found a mole tunnel in the yard I took Jimmy over to it and told him that it was his job to take care of the moles and keep them out of the yard. Two days later there was a dead mole on the front sidewalk. After that I never saw another dead mole, but we also did not have moles in the yard for years!

Jimmy was retired to become an indoor cat when I realized he was deaf. He had another happy 4 or 5 years with us.

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Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.

Loresilme
Valinor

Oct 18 2012, 10:58pm

Views: 205

I liked reading that

I'm glad Jimmy had many happy years with you, and you with him :-). And what a great name!
How did you discover that he was deaf - was he always deaf or did it happen when he got older?

tennie75
Lorien

Oct 19 2012, 10:58pm

Views: 201

Jimmy

Jimmy was about 15, sitting in th front yard with his back to me. He couldn't hear me call him. That's when he got restricted to inside.

Jimmy was named by my son, who seems to have a knack for naming things.

******************************************
Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.

Elenorflower
Gondor

Oct 21 2012, 9:24pm

Views: 214

I have a strange cat

she likes to sleep in my wardrobe, she paws at the door until I let her into the wardrobe, its very odd and I dont know why she likes it, maybe she wants to find Narnia.

DanielLB
Immortal

Oct 22 2012, 7:28am

Views: 455

You want to start getting worried when she starts bringing home Turkish Delight! /

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