In article , Charlie wrote:

Our cat has the run of the place, indoors and out, as he chooses,
24/7. He is a highly skilled hunter. Up until five years ago, the
neighborhood was overrun with rabbits, and mice and the ocassional rat
from the storm sewer were annual autumn problems. The damned things
played hell with any plantings and the garden. Six years ago we
inherited Stan from younger son. Stan grew up in the country, on a
heavily traveled road and survived there long enough to become really
roadwise.

In the six years since he moved to town, he has nearly eliminated the
neighborhood rabbits and we haven't had any mice in the house since.
He is never sick, only goes to the vet once a year for shots, and I
prophylactically worm him every three months because of his hunting and
the tendency of mice and rabbits to carry various intestinal parasites.

His best night of hunting, was nine young rabbits he brought to us on
the patio over a four hour period. One night he brought two in the
house and let them loose in the bedroom and all hell broke loose when
the Dane caught wind of them in her space.

Yeah, he does get the occasional songbird and that really ****es me off
at him, but that is what cats do. His benefits, on rodent control and
the enjoyment he provides, outweigh that thing.

At any rate, that is the life a cat needs, and gets around here. If he
does become smooshed, that is ok too, as he is having a great life,
best of both worlds for him.

Charlie

Some people would use that as a story proving cats should be locked up.
They kill everything. That's one hummer of a hunter though; most cats
cannot even catch a half-grown rat which is already too big & smart for
most cats, which have to hunt eight-week-old rats or deermice and field
mice. The cat that can catch rabbits is a tough *******.

-paghat the ratgirl
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