Question for cat people

salzo

Eventually we are going to be getting a house cat. I am sick of the mice in my home, and figure our next pet will be a cat.
I am not all too familiar with cats, but when I was in college, a girlfriend had a himilayan, a great pet, very friendly, really liked it. Id like to get one, but if it is not a good mouser, I dont want it.
So if I am looking for a good mouser, what should I look for.
I wont be getting one until my pet rabbit goes to bunny heaven, but am curious what would be something to look for in a cat that would make it a good mouser.

"Waiting tables is what you know, making cheese is what I know-lets stick with what we know!"
-Jimmy the cheese man

gogolen

I have a half himalayan half siamese she is a great hunter so much so that I had to have her declawed and evenput a collar with bells on it still doesn't slow her down she want to go outside and I let her in the summertime she brings her kills home and piles them up on the front porch. Cool cat great hunter.

mateomasfeo

Check out a breed named "bengal." Very confident, large, good humored, and hunters.





Mateomasfeo

"I am what I am!" - Popeye

spasmcreek

first get a young female cat & have one litter inside ,let mama out to hunt but intercept treats before fast food litter is scattered around house...give kitties to other cat lovers then have momma neutered & enshrined as queen of the house....we would let our cat out & for years she would return within 10 minutes bearing gifts, like a there was snack machine just around the corner....litter box in appropriate spot & rodent problems are over....& its a real bonus if cat likes you too, not just the missus

allen griggs

If you get a young kitten, the kitten will make friends with the rabbit, and won't eat it.

Rickstir

We have four cats, we live on 80 acres, not a real farm but we have some outbuildings and such. We never had cats before we got these. Never had to train them, they just did it naturally, course they were from farm stock. They do a wonderful job on the rats and mice in the chicken house. We are building a horse barn this spring and have full confidence they will do the job there too. I have always heard you can't make a house cat out of a farm cat, but that was not true in our case.

Like in the NFL, defense is the key.

GreenLantern

Personally, I think it'* or miss. Growing up we had two cats and they would eat anything they could catch .... that was outside. If a mouse ran in front of them inside they'd just stare at it. Same with the replacement (due to old age) cat!

_________________________________________________________

Sometimes, when someone is talking to me, my mind drifts off and I
start thinking about guns I'd like to own.

trstone

A co-worker of mine who has cats suggests you get a tabby-cat---one of those striped Morris the Cat types. She says she's never known one that wasn't a good mouser. And I had one as a kid---a big, good-natured mutant kitty that weighed 22 pounds, and who could eat six sparrows in a sitting. He'd see me headed out the door with my BB gun, and he'd casually get up and trail along at a polite distance, waiting me to pot a sparrow. That bird would barely make it to the ground when that eating machine would spring into action....

257izmycal

You might try finding someone who lives in the country that has too many cats. I hunt on a guy that has about 15 and when we need a new one, we get a young one from him. They are already mousers and don't need any training. Try to get one that is about a year old. Just be careful about moving your feet under the covers though, they can inflict some nasty wounds. We had one that brought home several medium sized possums. Just a thought.

257

You're a statistic whether you want to be or not.

woodshermit

Don't buy or obtain a cat from a breeder. There are a gazillion kitties out there who need and will appreciate a home. A friend with kittens is a good place after you get them to agree to spay or neuter. Cats will not make good mousers unless their mother has trained them. Long-haired cats will shed a lot, can get matted up and really touchy about grooming. Spay or neuter as young as possible. As soon as you bring your cat home provide it with a scratching post, either one from the pet store or homemade. I have a piece of white cedar about 3 feet long that is split and leans against the wall near their feeding place. My cats have been shredding this thing for years to the point that it has a huge dip in the middle of it. All of the above CatKeeper Tidbits of wisdom from decades of training. Did I say spay and neuter?

n/a

After working for a breeder of himilayans, I can in all honesty say.,..you want to spend the biggest part of the time grooming that cat?....They have long fur remember???...need to be brushed DAILY...and they are prone to fur balls, which in bad case needs surgery..So think about it again...Do some research...yes they are nice but worth the price and the work?..NO!!!!

If all you want is a mouser, go to the nearest shelter and get a kitten...Its a lot less money, you get a discount coupon for spaying or neutering, and it usually has its first set of shots....or get a kitten from someone you know...A himilayan will cost you anywhere from 300 up,...from the shelter?...30 perhaps...

Better cat?...by far the one from the shelter is...why do people see the need to pay for a 300-5000 for a purebred is beyond me...Same as for a dog...you want one?...go to the shelter unless you are going in for show...




Lil' Stinker's Opinion

ATF

If you let the kitten grow up with the rabbit they will be best of friends.I had two cats and a rabbit and they all used the same litter box.The rabbit self trained from watching the cats.One night the wife said I have to go out for a while the rabbit is loose with the cats. So keep an eye on him and don't leave him out to long he'll do it on the floor.We'll I forgot, when I did remember I checked the house and nothing?
I went in the bathroom where the litter box was kept and it was loaded with rabbit pellets and not the kind they eat.

[:)][^][:D][:p][8D][;)]



It's my cat's world. I'm just here to open cans.

We got rid of the kids. The cat was allergic.


ATF,Eagle Guns

He Dog

If you plan to let it outdoors, don't get a cat you value highly. They contract dreadful disease from stray cats, like feline leukemia, they get in fights, and they play in traffic.

He Dog

woodsrunner

My Hunter was a stray. Some say he's part Bengal, I don't know anything about breeds. This guy got his name because that's how he acted from the start. I put down a dish of food and he stalked it. The guy down the street whose doorstep Hunters mother was left on told me, Hunter dragged a snake home almost 2 feet long when he was about 4wks old. I also encourage his instinctive behaviour by the ways I play with him. He loves to stalk and attack my hand. He's very playful at it and doesn't try to hurt me. Sometimes I get scratched, but no biggie. Also because we play the way we do, when he nibbles at my hand I put my fingers in his mouth. It's real easy to get him to take a pill. Just start rough housing with him and pop it in his mouth. He takes it without knowing what happened.

When you go kitten shoping take a toy and look for the one that crouches down to stalk it rather than one that runs right up. You'll have the hunter of the litter that way.

Woods

headzilla97

try going to a farm looking for a kitten

We're men. Its our God given right to watch sports and smut" - Al Bundy

deerhntr

Good Move Salzo,I had a Serious mouse problem too and a Cat bailed me out.

alledan

Try a "BENGAL" they are constant hunters when left to the task.






BENGAL