On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 10:45:09 -0400, "Susan H. Simko"
wrote:

Hank Pagel wrote:

I have come to the conclusion that raccoons are picking up bad habits
from humans.
This is the third time this year that I have found a
disemboweled bull frog on my deck when I came out in the morning. I
would not mind as much if they were eaten, that's nature. But to kill
for the hell of it, that's human nature.
Plants are trashed, rocks moved but no fish harmed. They are
not even frightened.(still hand feeding)

The bullfrog definitely sounds like a cat to me. My Maine Coon female
(Chelsea) when I took her outside on a leash (long story) would jump in
my first pond after frogs. She also liked to decimate plants. My Maine
Coon male (Wallenda) often brought me frogs as "midnight snacks". I
would go downstairs to let him in in the middle of the night because his
bellowing at the backdoor would wake me up and he'ld run in, jump onto
the island in the kitchen and present me with his "fresh catch of the
day". *laugh* Funny thing, he would never hurt them so I would just
put on a robe and take them back out to the pond. Lizards on the other
hand, were a totally different story.

The breeder who I got Chelsea from got into Maine Coons because he also
breeds rare geese. He was having problems with snakes eating the eggs
so someone recommended getting some Maine Coons to him as they have a
reputation for liking water and going after snakes. He got some, egg
hatching rate way up, he found he loved the Coons so got into breeding
them also as a sideline.

Susan - who can't imagine life without Maine Coons
shsimko at duke dot edu

My Maine Coon also brings me critters unhurt except she can't quite
keep her teeth out of a yummy rat. She gets very upset if i don't
happen to want a half dead rat. Last week she did her GODAWEFUL, i
brought a critter bellow, and when i didnt want the mangled rat, she
did something i have never seen her do. She started with the tail, and
ATE everything up to the two little front legs and the head. It was
like Godfather Kitty or something. The head was in the middle of the
welcome mat. She thinks it's great fun to bring baby birds inside and
let them go for her future hunting pleasure, i GUESS! My favorite, is
when she somehow gets a little garden snake, brings it to the front
door and holds it with her paw then she wails that special known wail.
There is rarely any harm done to the snake by the cat and i let it go
after i finish playing with it.

Every once in a while, she will find a crispy gecko and bring it up on
the porch to consume the snack. I have learned not to go peeking when
i hear "crunch, crunch, crunch"....

Great cats, they are. We talk back and forth in kitty talk, i just
don't know what we say.